Values

• A value is something you feel strongly about that goes to the core of who you are. Examples are belief in the importance of family, fairness, generosity, honesty, friendship.

What this means for the Older Workers

• We all try to live according to our values. Values are those beliefs we hold about life, family, work and the world. Values are what we consider to be important in life. Our actions are motivated by our beliefs and values.
• Values can play a greater role in helping us make life and career decisions if we are clear about the values we hold.
• The work you do must be a good fit with your values or there is potential you might be uncomfortable, stressed, bored or restless.
• Many people value work for it's own sake, especially if they work at something they love to do.

Values and Enjoyable Work

As an Older Worker you may find that your values have shifted somewhat in the last 30 or 40 years. Although we carry some values and beliefs with us for the duration of our life, most of us are not motivated now by the same things that were important to us in our twenties. Your core values, things like integrity, fair play, and family, deepen and change as you get older.

If you pursue work that is a good fit with your values, you increase the likelihood of finding meaning, enjoyment, and pleasure in your work. If your work is not a good fit with your values, you run the risk of being frustrated, anxious, and possibly feeling that something is wrong with you. For example: if one of your important values is time spent with your family, a job that takes you away from your family for days, weeks or months at a time would be contrary to your values and therefore very difficult to live with. If you value your community and the mutual support it provides, a job that requires you to move to another, distant community will likely cause you discomfort.

Values Checklist

Do you value.

• Winning ('the one who dies with the most toys, wins.')?
• Wisdom?
• Truth?
• Dependability?
• Simplicity?

What do these things mean to you? Are there other things you value more? What are they? Why do you value them?

• Connection?
• Friendship?
• Loyalty?
• Creativity?
• Self-respect?

Things to think about

• The choices we make about work that match our values are much more satisfying than those that are at odds with values that are important to us.
• As we get older some of our values may change: many Older Workers are more interested in doing something that has meaning to them than in how much money they'll make doing it. Money is still important but other things also factor in now.
• Recognizing your values means that you can make better and surer choices for work and life.
• What are the most important characteristics you would look for in a job right now?

Things to do

• Think about what values you hold. What's important to you? Make a list.
• Now make a list of different work or career changes you are considering and check each idea with your values list. What do you see?

Current Initiatives

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