🧭2023 Reflection
Lessons from searching for a values-based life
Happy New Year!
For me, 2023 was a major year of making peace with inner conflict and pursuing truth.
In no particular, these are some lessons that I have learned after a challenging yet rewarding year of inner work.
Our values show through in every single decisions that we make—no matter how (seemingly) big or small a specific decision is at a surface level.
If we do not discover the values that truly matter ourselves and make strides to adhere to them, someone else sets them for us.
The values that we hold are the first principles we live by—no matter how conscious or unconscious we are of the values we hold.
Life will continuously test us on our steadfastness in the belief of our values.
We are creatures of free will. We are born free to have ownership over our personal value system. We do not owe other people an explanation about our personal value system—nor do they owe us an explanation of theirs.
Expect that our personal value system changes over time with new and different situations that we experience, the people we meet, the places we visit, etc.
The solution to resolving differences due to divergent value systems is mutual understanding, respect, and awareness—that you can have differences in perspectives and still have a healthy conversation around the subject of disagreement.
Figuring out your value system is hard. Holding yourself accountable to it is hard. Yet, so is living a life that you haven’t truly defined for yourself by yourself. Pick which “hard” that you would rather live with.
Intention can play a major role in helping others to understand the importance of your values to you, even if they disagree with your values.
Values-based thinking is logical in some ways and deeply emotional in others.
😀 The good
I was more aware and more grateful for the small, big, and every size in between things in life. I appreciated the uniqueness of every individual’s life experiences. I felt more confident in how I show up in my life, especially in the workplace (read: relative to how I felt in 2022, I cared significantly less about how others might judge me). I thought more often and more critically about the impact of the decisions that I make, especially when it comes to buying goods and services and took care to support businesses whose broader advocacy actions taken towards to society and humanity (or lack thereof) were aligned with my own beliefs.
😅 The bad
I had my moments of caring too much about how other people might perceive or judge me. I didn’t show up how I would have liked to with my family in a couple of personal situations.
🎯 My goals for 2024
My main goal is to approach each conversation as an opportunity to step into a better version of me whom I want to become. Professionally, I also want to hone the craft of product management.
My dear readers, thank you for following my musings over 2023. May you have a wonderful, safe, and successful 2024!