Core Values- Claimed vs. Practiced

In Chazown, Craig Groeschel says to look at three areas of your life to help determine your vision. The first area he discusses is core values, and that’s where I’ll start. Because he says it better than I will, here’s what he has to say about core values:

When God made you, He planted within your heart certain things you value deeply. They’re hardwired into your heart. They’re the values that, if you were to follow the path God has for you, would become the driving forces of your life. They’re the things you’d be willing to die for. They explain how you come by your personal priorities. Call these your core values… Your core values will rearrange and direct your energies, your time, your thoughts. If you ignore them, sooner or later you’ll be miserable. If you identify and pursue them, you’ll unleash your potential and set yourself up for fulfillment and success. What is most important in your life? Where do you refuse to bend?

He goes on to ask several questions. What priorities make you turn down other highly attractive offers because you know what- for you- is indispensable? What’s unusual about you? What do you value? What really angers you? What brings you bliss?

I’ll get back around to these questions, probably in my next post. But first I need to talk about something else. This has been on my mind a lot lately, then I read about it last night. Claimed values versus practiced values. I have been thinking about this for a while now, as I’ve realized that I’m really good at talking and writing about things I deeply believe and that truly matter to me… but I’m not so great at living it on a daily basis. It’s easier to talk than it is to act. It’s easier to pour my heart out and say all the right things than it is to actually do them. Craig Groeschel writes, “Put down your sweeping claims for a week or two and watch what you do.” Yeah, I’ve done that- and I don’t like what I see.

I don’t want to make excuses, but I do want to explore the reasons I do this. I think a lot of it comes down to me being an all-or-nothing kind of person; if I can’t put all my time and energy into something that's important to me, I tend to set it aside completely. I need to remember that even if I can’t pour my all into something, that doesn’t mean I should totally ignore it. Why not give what I am able to give? Isn’t that better than doing nothing? Of course it is. I also get stuck because of things like uncertainty about what exactly I should do next, fear of failure, and being overwhelmed by the big picture. I need to look at the big picture, definitely- but I also need to break things down into small, manageable steps. And then there’s my problem with following through. I am great at coming up with an idea and starting something new- and I’m terrible at finishing. Once the initial excitement and newness wears off, it’s like I start losing steam. I’m not sure how to fix this problem, but I need to figure it out.

So for the next couple of days, I’m going to focus on what my core values are and how I can be sure that these are not just claimed values but that they are practiced values as well.