When it feels like our values are at odds with one another, it helps to remember that values are not goals. Values are a life direction—they’re aspects of your world that matter to you and that you keep moving toward your best self across the months and years.
Goals, on the other hand, are fixed—they’re achievements you check off a list. Often what we view as a values conflict is really an issue of goal conflict, or of time management, or of the difficulty in committing to a plan or a course of action.
To learn more about reconnecting with your values, watch this video.
Susan David
Susan David, Ph.D. is one of the world’s leading management thinkers and an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist. Her TED Talk on the topic of emotional agility has been seen by more than 10 million people. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal and often appears on national radio and television. Learn more.
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