Last time I wrote about the first of three keys to breakthrough. The first key to a breakthrough is to complete the old- sweep out what’s no longer needed, keep the good stuff, and free up your energy.

Today’s key is know who you are, now, at this time, not yesterday or 10 years ago.  After clearing out the clutter is a great time to assess where you are and what you value now.   What do YOU value this November day of 2011?  Values are not morals, they are a sense of what lights you up from within.  They are your deepest motivators, what really make you tick.  They give your life meaning and relevance.  They are an inner framework of how you make choices.  They are not things, principles, or tangible.

When you don’t honor your values, your experience is painful.  A common “disease” of my clients is “hypo-valuation” – one or more values are being under-honored.   Symptoms are unease, frustration, anger, fist shaking, blame, doubt, aimlessness.  Doctors can’t cure this, but you can become aware of what’s missing and take action to change what’s not working.  Your breakthrough comes in revealing the quality of values that you espouse at this time, not yesterday or 0 years ago when you took that job or made that choice, and finding ways to honor them.  Values don’t change that much over time, but how we honor them may change.  I value belonging, and for 20 years it was honored with my family.  As my children grew, I found other ways to honor belonging at this stage in my life.

Stay tuned for the next breakthrough, now that you’re all cleared out and complete, and you’re aware of values that need to show up today.

Mini coaching:

You can find your values by being a detective.  Notice what makes you joyful, relaxed, eager, full of anticipation.  Notice who’s there, what you and they are saying and doing.   Values are being honored here.  Next, notice what you feel angry, frustrated, tense about.  What do you wish you’d never have to deal with again?  Usually one or more values are being thwarted in these situations.  Finally, when you make a choice, it’s guided by a value underneath it.  See if you can detect the value that’s driving a powerful choice.  Keep track of incidents for a week or two and see what you discover about your values.