Values & Anchors

So here i am, about a good two years in my 'search', and i'm still reconfiguring what the heck i want to do, but larger than that, what version of me i want to be. For me, career change is more than hopping from a dull job to one i find a bit more interesting for a while -  it’s a path of self-actualisation.

So instead of thinking ‘well maybe i’m try journalism for a bit’ or ‘i’m gonna do a fashion brand for ten years’, as interesting as i’m sure those ventures would be, i’m thinking, what’s the core stuff that makes me ‘me’ that i have to work with?  Cuz that’s gonna be with me potentially forever, whereas jobs come and go. They can act as anchors for when you’re lost, and act as a checklist, not just for work but social time and how you live your life generally.

I’ve discovered that it’s incredibly important to strip back to essentials to regain power. There’s so much superfluous stuff to distract you or make you think you want xyz.

On CareerShifters the idea of 'values' comes up a hell of a lot, and these often become the bedrock of your decisions and how best to find work that suits you. But i've been thinking about values, and how in fact these can change.
For example, when i chose to go to art school my values would have been - creativity & self-expression, learning + exploration, safety + trust (in teachers and school). Now, as a graduate who is out of work, my values are more like - wealth, independence, self-expression and connection.

Which makes me think, hmmm, values can change, right? Depending on what your situation is, you'll value things differently (this also comes through experience). Perhaps you can build up, over time, strong values that will serve you well, but i do think they can change, expand, be modified.

So i wanted to get down to the nuts and bolts of it all. I wanted to find the rockbottom 'truth', the deep core stuff that isn't swayed by circumstance. The 'values' or ideas that i could solemnly stand by like sacrosanct laws!!! I figured if i have at least 4 personal heartfelt 'truths' that i would defend to the end, then those 4 'anchors' would mean i'd never be lost. when you're changing your career, your life, it can be easy to get lost - that's why we need these anchors.
I kind of like the idea of having a personal shield/coat of arms and putting the four anchors on it LOL.

So I think I’ve hit on mine. It’s come from months of re-editing (it’s taken me years to change from the word ‘independence’ to ‘empowerment’). My top 4, the 4 for my shield, are in bold.

1. Discovery
2. Authenticity
3. Abundance
4. Expression & sharing
5. Empowerment
6. Passion
7. Play
8. Communing & connecting

Where this leads me personally, well i guess that’s part of the fun of the journey. What are your anchors? When you feel confused or like you’re in the wrong place, what do you know about yourself that you can go back to and breathe a sigh of relief, safe in the knowledge that you have a small group of powerful personal truths?

Do take part in the debate - I posted a similar article on my personal blog and a lady responded with one of her words being ‘authenticity’, which I loved and took as one of mine. Sometimes other people can reveal to you what your anchors are, just by sharing theirs.