Values are at the core of every family. What are yours?

Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about values and what we value most in our family. Values are the foundation for what makes us who we are. Every family has them, whether you put emphasis on them or not.

Over the weekend, we made time to sit down together and outline our values. This is what we came up with. 

In our family, we value: 

AWARENESS Awareness of our actions and how they impact others locally and globally. Awareness of how our lifestyle choices impact the environment. Choosing to foster sustainable daily habits that create lasting change. Awareness and appreciation for the abundance we have and giving back however we can.

KINDNESS Kindness through listening, by giving others the space to use their voice. Listening to connect with, and better understand each other. Practicing patience with ourselves and with each other. Finding tolerance for what we don't understand and isn't aligned with our values. Modeling kindness through pulling others up instead of pushing them down. 

GROWTH Growth through engaging with issues that impact our community and the world around us. Further developing ourselves by continuing to read, explore and discover. Trying new things. Standing back up whenever we fall. Understanding when we should keep going, and listening to ourselves when we need to rest.

CONVICTION Having conviction in who we are and what we're capable of accomplishing. Believing in ourselves and having confidence and trust in our own abilities. Honouring others by believing in, and trusting them. Finding conviction through clarity. Being clear on what we want out of life and pursuing our goals and dreams. Learning to let go and trust in what we cannot control.   

PLAY Incorporating play into our daily life. Kitchen dance parties. Turning up the volume to sing along with our favourite songs. Spending more time outside and in nature. Exploring our creative passions, both together and individually. Finding joy in the simple moments. Reveling in our own unique silliness. Laughing together, and laughing often. Never being too busy to connect through play. 

This exercise of outlining our family values was incredibly insightful for us, so I encourage you to try it. You may learn something about yourself or your partner and family.