Welcome to the Grow Inward Podcast, I am your host Adrian Petrillo.
Thank you so much for joining me today, I hope you are doing well. I would like to begin with a question for you. What values would you consider to be absolutely sacred in your life? These don’t necessarily have to strictly be values which you can live by, these could be anything which you consider sacred and valued deeply by you.
Does honesty or freedom make your list? How about integrity, or trust? Maybe it’s family or nature? Whatever these are, pause this right here and jot down your own top five sacred values on a piece of paper. Maybe you already instinctively know what these are, without having to think about it? Either way, take a few moments and reflect on what each of these truly mean to you.
So, how do these values that you came up with show up in your life today? Are you living in alignment with them? It can be interesting to discover how even the things which we hold as very sacred to us can be quite difficult to embody in our daily lives. There are so many outside influences and responsibilities distracting us, that it isn’t always easy to stop and take some much needed time for ourselves to ask these kinds of questions, let alone make the changes needed to be more in alignment with our sacred values.
I mean, think about the last time you even sat down and asked yourself what values are sacred to me? How often do you take time to reflect on this type of thing in your life? If you do happen to do this kind of thing often, I want to honor and congratulate you, because I think it’s an exceptionally rare thing for many people. Now I could be wrong, but I don’t believe that I am? I only say this, because I see how distracted and overwhelmed people are in their day to day lives. It isn’t much of a stretch to think that these kinds of very personal values are not getting the adequate attention they need or deserve?
When our personal needs aren’t being met, no matter how small, there are ripple effects. If you can’t see your sacred values being reflected in yourself or the world around you, how might that affect you? In this context, how often do you stop and make the changes needed to get back into alignment with these values, or to set healthier boundaries which reflect them more accurately? Do you course correct fairly often, or are these just passing thoughts that come and go like so many other things in life?
Feeling out of alignment in ourselves or our day to day lives does not create a healthy situation for anyone. If we don’t make time to regularly sit down and practice some careful introspection and observation of our own internal world, we are setting ourselves up for burn out. Without this much needed time to focus on ourselves and our own well-being we can become anxious, depressed, confused, overwhelmed, angry, judgmental, impatient, and a whole host of other unwanted qualities that will never help our situation.
Getting back in tune with yourself and your own sacred values is a great way to remind yourself of what truly matters to you. It can be highly motivating to help you set more appropriate boundaries in your life, and to say no to things that are draining you or adding stress to your life. Honor yourself and your own personal needs above all else, because if you aren’t feeling in alignment, it only detracts from your life and the world around you. It is entirely possible to do this in a way that does not infringe on others, while remaining true to yourself.
I would never try to convince you that you need to be something other that what feels right for you, always follow your own guidance and be true to yourself. With that said, I would like share something else which is very important to consider, and that ties into everything I have talked about so far on this podcast. By placing your health into your own top five sacred values, and treating it as such, you will be doing yourself a huge favor. One that could change everything for you and what you are able to accomplish, and we will discuss this more as time goes on. For now, please just consider how a healthier body and mind might affect all of the other areas of your life?
When you think about your sacred values, and what they truly mean to you, consider them in the context of the direction of your life and the world. Do you agree with the direction of your life, if you were to apply your sacred values to it today? Do you agree with, and are you supporting the current direction of the world, if you were to apply your values? What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? What could you change to reflect your true values more accurately? These kinds of things could be helpful to write out in a journal or a notebook, and expand on each of them to get some more clarity in each of these areas, or any others that are on your mind.
The events in the early 2020’s are a great example to take under consideration and reflect further on, what exactly are we willing to accept as an individual, or society, as far as values being impressed upon us without our consent, or the ability to voice our concerns and have them respected and reflected in a legal framework? Are our personal values not worth an equal amount of respect or consideration when it comes to policies which we have no say in? Are so called laws or rules which get implemented completely outside of our control and consent deserving of unquestioned obedience? What about when they are entirely at odds with our own personal and sacred values? Resistance is a very good thing to remind those in power that a healthy balance which honors the respect for what is most valuable to each of us is always necessary, and that this is a god given right above all other laws which must never be violated, without exception?
It’s reasonable to expect more of yourself and others, when it comes to the values that you hold sacred. You should never feel beholden to simply go along with that which is at odds with who you are, or that you want to be. We all have a right to stand in our own truth and what we know if right for us, that right was given to us at birth by the very virtue of being a part of this world. I do think we have a responsibility to never use violence to these ends, but we must all always be able to speak and be heard. There can always be an acceptable middle ground between all people, if both parties are simply willing to honor and respect that we are not all the same, and we may have different values which must be honored. The right to speak and be heard belongs to everyone, even when you do not agree with what is being said, or you find it offensive. If that right is ever taken from one, it will be taken from all.
I mention all of this, because speaking and being heard are very sacred values from my perspective. This is not only from the perspective of freedom and rights, it is also from a very human perspective. I think it is easy to underestimate the value of what seems to be such a simple idea. We all want to be seen and heard, and when we allow these to happen between us, it is what helps create connections. This isn’t always a positive outcome, but it isn’t always negative either. It is through the act of expression that we find more meaningful connections in our lives, it acts as a beacon to connect with those who share our thoughts and views. When they do not, this lets those who do not share our views to look for others who do. I believe this to be a very healthy and natural process that must be valued, and we grow when we consider different viewpoints and give others the space to express those viewpoints. Sacred values are a deep subject with many different considerations and perspectives, and I hope that you will take time to explore them further on your own.
When you find that your own personal life is slightly out of alignment with your sacred values, there are some different things you can do to help bring that balance back. A great place to start is to take an assessment of your own mindset and compare that with your values. Are your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions in alignment with your sacred values? As I mentioned earlier, it is very easy to get slightly off track with these things, but you can bring them back together by essentially adjusting your mindset to be back in tune with your values.
You do this as part of the process of evaluating and adjusting your mindset. Please listen to my podcast episode on mindset for more on this topic, if you haven’t already. I will include a link to that episode below in the show notes, along with a link to a free pdf with some steps to help you with this. By bringing your sacred values into this process of evaluating your own mindset, and then applying them to creating new thoughts, beliefs, and emotions, you strengthen yourself considerably, while infusing those qualities and values which mean the most to you as an individual.
I encourage you to never become complacent, don’t ever settle for less than you are capable of or want or need out of your life, and others. When you just settle for what is and become uninterested in doing anything more, that can have a tremendously negative impact on your life. It simply isn’t an option when it comes to living a good life. I know how easy it is, but you should never settle for easy. Remember your values, and start wherever you are, regardless of how slow it may seem at first. All action is good action when it comes to motivating yourself to make changes in your life that will bring you one step closer to where it is that you would like to be. Don’t ever give up on yourself or your values!
I often talk about being an example for others, and asking what you want your legacy to be. If you think about how you want to be remembered, most people would like to have made a difference in some meaningful way. For some it will be for their families, and for others it will be on a global scale, and anything in between. By standing up for what you believe in and being a good example through your actions and words, you are making a difference. Imagine the impact that you can have on those around you by simply being a good example, and living with integrity.
It can appear to be a largely thankless effort on a daily basis, but over time being a good example and doing the right thing have a profound effect on those around you, and depending on your view these can be highly valuable and noble actions in and of themselves and in service of your true legacy. Believe me, people will notice your efforts, and it is these small things like this that have massive ripple effects that can be very hard to quantify, but trust me, they do exist and they do have an impact. Don’t ever underestimate the power of being a good example for others, even if you aren’t being praised for your efforts.
This entire episode is really just speaking to how important it is to recognize your own sacred values, and to embody them in your own life, and to stand strong in them with confidence and courage. Take an honest assessment of how you are living your life, and how you are being asked by others to live your life. Reflect on how each of these things are contributing to or detracting from your own sacred values. Consider how you can bring yourself back into alignment with these values, and what you need to say no to.
Grow Inward is all about personal and inner growth, and a large part of these efforts are indeed spiritually oriented, but it isn’t always about that. It is also sometimes about developing a broader awareness of the external world and the effects it is having upon us and our minds. This is because the external world has such a profound impact on our overall experience of life, and I do plan to talk more in depth about many of these things on this podcast as well. While I firmly believe that our experience is created by us and our own perceptions, I also believe that it is significantly affected by how the external world influences our perceptions on a subconscious level.
I won’t lie, I have some deep concerns about the direction of our world. I truly believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe these were very well thought out concepts that provide us with some very necessary components to living a happy and fulfilling life on a planet with so many different people and viewpoints. There is room for all of us, there is room for all of our differences, but so much of these things are being systematically destroyed before our very eyes, and I don’t believe it is hard for most of us to see that this isn’t going to end well if we continue down this path.
I believe in the idea that a stronger connection with ourselves and with each other is necessary and empowering. I believe that we need to seriously question the people in charge and what it is they are trying to accomplish? I don’t believe their values are in alignment with the majority of us and our values? I don’t believe that they value spirituality or freedom any longer. I only say this because their actions speak for themselves. I am paying attention to what people are doing, not what they are saying.
I believe we all have a responsibility to speak up for what we hold sacred, to reject that which does not align with our values any longer. I only hope that there are enough people who agree with this to be willing to stand up for what is right. We may all be faced with these choices at some point. I hope that you will examine your own sacred values, and take the opportunity to strengthen these in your own life and way of being in the world. I hope that you will remain aware of what is happening in the world around you, while taking consistent steps toward exploring your inner world. Find your own center, your own guidance, and your own strength, and do what feels right for you and your sacred values. Stand strong for all that you hold sacred!
Until next time, never underestimate the power you have within you, and keep Growing Inward.
