It is a funny thing that when you start to explain why you hold some values so dearly that it can’t be explained other then by placing it in a story. As we all know, a story has different components such as a context, that it is situated in time and that it has different kinds of story characters. All the different aspects of a story shape you to the person you are today. It can be a valuable exercise to write down your personal story to see how your core values came into your life through the different components of a story:
A small exercise to get acquainted with writing your personal story is to map out an important event in your life:
– Name one key event that occurred in your life
– Describe in detail what happened (this is called a phenomenological description)
– What impact did it have?
– What did it say about you?
– Did it change you, if yes how so?
– Which overall feeling did you have during the event?
– Which feeling do you have when looking back at the event?
After answering these questions, read back what you have written down and let it sink in for a moment. Then ask yourself the the following question:
– Which values do you believe were immanent in your personal story?
– Have your values changed from the time of the event to where you are now?
Do share your experience with this exercise and what your key findings were.
Dr Lindsay de Wal - Humanist Leader in Existential & Secular Care (HEC) 