Evolution, here, is not a matter of biology, but more a matter of personal fact. What are facts of my life, as opposed to what are facts of your life? At some level we share a commonality of facts. Those that underlie Christianity, for example, are shared facts. Those that underlie our essential humanness are also shared facts. Do these so called facts hold any truth or not? And on what can we base our collective experience and subsequent testimony? After sorting through an enormity of facts, what do we rely on for an interpretation? How do we know when any interpretation is correct?

You see, years ago, we had Mythology, and its teaching companion Parables, to guide us through transitional, volatile times. Myths and Parables were guideposts; signs along path that helped explain aspects of our human plight and imminent challenges. Myths and Parables were teaching tools, designed to advance us as a race, as a nation or as an individual, into and through next stage of our evolution. Suffice it to say that Myths and Parables were Sine Qua Non of Ancient Times, in terms of information processing and personal growth, because basically, no one knew how to read. Since very few people enjoyed that privilege there had to be a way to pass on important information. Myths and parables were accessible to everybody. Handed down through ages, they were passed on to generation after generation, cutting across cultural and ethnic boundaries, and historical periods. Myths, as guideposts and parables as models, have always been there for us and are still in evidence today. We just don’t pay attention to them like we used to.

(In part 2 of this series we will continue this discussion and see how it leads to and affects our current situation as Information Revolution unfolds.)

6. It allows you to stop reacting, and start responding.

Whether we've identified our values or not, we always know when we're not being true to ourselves. This often creates a vague sense of uneasiness and we react defensively. When we are clear about what our values are, we respond to such events with clarity and we do it quickly!

7. It's a great yardstick for creating goals [and it's easier to achieve goals that are based on values].

When a goal is in harmony with your values, natural energy around it provides a momentum that allows you to take necessary action 'without effort'.

8. It allows you to get rid of goals that aren't really yours.

Take a close look at goals that have been around for a long time. You may find that they're really things you feel you 'should' want. Let them go. The guilt associated with not working on these goals is wasting energy you could be using to achieve what you really want.

9. It allows you to be very clear about standards you set for yourself.

Standards are behavior that we establish for ourselves. They are expression of our values in every day life.

10. It allows you to be very clear about boundaries you need to establish for others' behavior.

Boundaries are what other people cannot do to or around you. The behavior that is least acceptable to you is that which violates your values. Clarity around your values allows establishing and enforcing boundaries to be painless. You're not trying to change people, you're just clear about behavior that's acceptable around you.

If you'd like an inventory in PDF format (readable by Adobe Acrobat Reader) to help you identify your core values, please send a blank email to at values@touchpointcoaching.com