subject: Relationship Problems - Your Core Values Are What Matter The Most [print this page] Have you ever heard of Lane Keep Assist? I hadn't either until just the other day when I was at the car lot and the sales guy kept yapping about how this car had "LKA". So of course I am like "What the heck is LKA?" He must have thought I had just fallen off a turnip truck, he looked at me like I was an alien and said "Lane Keep Assist". In his head he added "moron!" LKA is a technology that monitors the lane that you are in while driving and attempts to keep you in that lane. If you move to another lane without indicating it will alert you. Otherwise it will just keep you in the same lane.
I got to thinking about this in terms of life. What are the things that keep you out of relationship problems? What is it in your life that keeps you in the correct lane, and warns you when you are moving into an area you shouldn't be? I think it is your core values. I would like to discuss with you now what core values are all about.
Core values are the things in your life that are so fundamental to your character that you would be willing to lose it all for them. There are many things in our lives that are important to us, but those are not always our core values. Every one you meet will have slightly different core values. Core values are the things that keep you on track when you are starting to veer into the wrong lane, they are your LKA. Here are some examples of my students core values (you will have 5-10 that are uniquely yours):
Stay faithful to my wife and family
Provide a safe place for my children to grow up
Develop a strong relationship with God
Always put people (relationships) over possessions
Try to keep from killing my in-laws
As you can see, sometimes core values are from a negative point of view. Sit down this weekend and write out a list of the things that are truly worth dying for in your life. These are your core values. Think of these things as you go throughout your day and it becomes an amazing guidance system for the decisions you make a long the way. It is hard to move into the oncoming traffic when you have an alarm (your core values) reminding you to stay alert and take care of the things that matter the most.
