Often we spend our lives reacting to situations instead of being proactive and figuring out the needs and values that drive us. Many people find it hard to define their purpose in life. Life purpose is having set goals and a direction for one's life that promotes healthy behaviours and gives meaning to life. In Japan life purpose is known as ikigai, which is defined as “something to live for, the joy and goal of living”. Having a purpose in life improves physical and mental health, overall quality of life and reduces the risk of dying early
Individuals lacking purpose in life may feel hopeless and lack motivation. Any life transitions including into retirement creates an opportunity to revisit your life purpose. One way to try and identify your life purpose is by reflecting on your values and from this develop a plan with step by step goals for achievement.
It is important to create goals that are self-concordant (true to ones self and linked to your values and passions). If you don’t and only purse goals liked to what’s expected from you then this can lead to poorer well-being depression and burnout and a lack of sense of meaning.
Values
Understating your values and passions helps determine your life’s purpose. Values are what we believe is important in the way we live and work. These can determine what’s important to us and what we prioritise. Often we make choices including our career choices that align with our values. Your personal values may strongly align with your current employing organisations values. Overtime your values may change during transitions and across the life course. For example becoming a parent may change what’s important to you and in turn what you value. Retirement also offers another opportunity to reflect on what values are important and think about how your future direction can reflect these. Not acting in line with our values can be a source of unhappiness. This is why making a conscious effort to identify our values is important. Living and demonstrating our values should give us a sense of pride fulfilment and achievement. One way to understand our values is to complete a values exercise like the one below:
Values Exercise: look at the following and identify the 10 that are most important to you?
Accountability, Achievement, Adaptability, Ambition, Balance, Being liked, Being the best, Caring, Caution, Clarity, Coaching, Commitment, Community Life, Compassion, Competence, Conflict management, Continuous learning, Control, Courage, Creativity, Dialogue, Ease with uncertainty, Efficiency, Positivity, Entrepreneurial nature, Environmental awareness, Ethics, Excellence, Fairness, Family, Finances, Forgiveness, Friendship, Future generations, Generosity, Health, Humility, Humour, Independence, Initiative, Integrity, Independence, Job security, Leadership, Listening skills, Openness, Patience, Perseverance, Personal contentment, Personal growth, Professional growth, Power, Resilience, Self-discipline, Trust, Wisdom.
Think about these values, where did you demonstrate these and how did they make your feel?
Value | How did you demonstrate these?
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Identifying your values can help you decide what is important to you once you leave policing. By understanding the real priorities in your life, you'll be able to determine the best direction for you and create meaningful life goals.
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