living consistent with your values, you seem to experience a
continuous flow of energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. Stress
comes from working at things that are not consistent with
your highest values.
Examine your values, your innermost beliefs and convic-
tions, and ask yourself what changes you could make to
bring your activities, on the outside, and your life priorities,
on the inside, more into alignment with each other.
You Are Extraordinary
Realize and accept that you are a unique and wonderful per-
son. Your values have grown and evolved over the course of
your entire lifetime. They have emerged as the result of
countless influences and experiences. They are part of your
psychological and emotional DNA. They are part of your
character and personality. They seldom change over time.
Your job is to determine what your innermost values really
are, and then to organize your life so that you are living and
working consistent with those values.
Analyze Yourself
Here are four sentence completion exercises that you can
use to gain better insight into the person you really are
inside. Complete each sentence:
1.“I am.. .” If a stranger were to ask you, “Who are you,
really?” what would be your answer? What are the first words
that you would use to describe yourself? Would you describe
12 TIME MANAGEMENT