Core Four
Take some time to think and identify four core values you live by.
In your Project Quartz journal, write down these “Core Four.” Identify each by a word or phrase, then write a short definition of what that word or phrase means to you (e.g., two people who both write down Family might have very different ideas about what that word means to them).
Now when making a decision, ask yourself which of the options are most in line with your Core Four. In other words, which option(s) move(s) you toward your Core Four? If none of them do, then which option(s) keep(s) you from moving farther away from them?
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If/when inspired, dig a little deeper by reflecting on the ways you currently live your Core Four. For each value, list the things you do that are most in line with this value.
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If/when inspired, go one step further by reflecting on ways you can bring your life even more in line with your Core Four. In other words, what can you add to your life that is in line with these values? Or what can you subtract that’s not in line with them? For inspiration, try the following variation: The _____-Centered-Life.
Variation: THe _____-Centered Life
Pick one of your Core Four values and imagine what your life would be like if you went all in on this value. For example, if one of your values is Family, what would the Family-Centered Life look like? Write it down in your Project Quartz journal.
While you probably won’t go all in on one value (since you have three additional Core Four values to think about, as well as many other ancillary values), is there anything from this vision of the _____-Centered Life that you want to bring back to your real life?
Sources
Core Four: Inspired by Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You (2023) by Brad Stulberg
The _____-Centered Life: My Pocket Positivity: Anytime Exercises That Boost Optimism, Confidence, and Possibility (2018) by Courtney E. Ackerman