Straight Talk from Taryn's Tilted Tiara 

Nothing tests your values harder than having to live out what you say you value, even if it creates discomfort or hardship for someone you love. If I am applying my values to my own decisions and it creates pain in my life, so be it, I’ll willingly take it. But watching someone I love struggle – PURE torture. 

Have you ever encountered this? These types of situations can come to us to help clarify what we truly value and what we truly want out of life. And those lessons are not always easy. 

Are you living up to your personal values? Do you make decisions in your life every day that BACK UP what you say you value in life? 

The honest answers to those questions aren’t always easy to face. Part of living a messy, authentic life sometimes means showing up to a parent-teacher conference call on zoom with your crazy hair, chocolate-stained sweats, and your tilted tiara totally askew – IF you say you value showing up for the ones you love over appearances. 

What does your authenticity look like in action? Take today’s quiz below on living by your values to see how you’re doing. And if you need some help, drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you. 

Monday's Messy Message

[Yep, sending this out a day late... life is a little messy right now! 😊]

Taryn, slowing down and settling in sometimes in the best course of action. 

I won't pretend that life is going smoothly and all is well here in our household. We're facing a challenge with mental illness in a loved one that is testing all the tools I have in my toolbox to ensure my own well-being is not getting depleted.

What I have noticed this past weekend, and in the months leading up to this, is that if I don't take care of myself first, I have nothing left for others who need support. I also noticed that my support circle is here for me when I open up and let others into my messy world.  I feel less alone. I feel loved and supported. This is my wonderful cocoon, like a blanket wrapping me in warmth, during this challenging situation. 

Another thing that is working well for me to navigate this roller-coaster emotional situation is to slow down. To do less. To be present. To get sleep and to eat healthy foods. It's not a time to cook up a new creative idea and immerse myself fully into my business. Instead, it's a time to make homemade pizza and play in the snow while we wait for news. It's focusing on a puzzle to rest the mind. It's time to be fully present and minimize the fear-based thoughts that want to jump all over us during stressful moments. 

Living my values around the importance of self-care, healthy eating, and supporting myself so I have the energy to help others is how I am navigating these turbulent waters right now.

What values help guide you when you are faced with life's challenges?  Share with me what works well or schedule a time to figure out what values will help support you through life's challenges. 

All the best in this messy and imperfect world,

Taryn Laakso, ACC | CPCC | CPQC
Unlaaking Your Potential, LLC
www.UnlaakingYourPotential.com

Quiz: Are you living your values?

Fulfillment in life is related to how well you are living in alignment with your values. Values are not morals or principles. They are the essence of who you are—not who you think you should be. They help you set a direction for your life.

For instance, money is not a value, whereas the things that money might buy, such as free time, risk-taking, and being of service are values. When you’re aligned with your values, you feel inner harmony, your choices are more easily made, and your actions are in accord with your true self. 

Take this quiz to see how well you are living in sync with your values.

1. I have spent time clarifying my values and can easily articulate them.
2. My values are my own. I have not simply adopted them from parents, teachers or other outside influences.
3. I based my choice of occupation on my deepest values.
4. My values are in alignment with the company I work for (or own).
5. My business associates and I regularly examine how we are living up to our values and mission.
6. I turn down money-making or status-building opportunities when they conflict with my values.
7. In resolving disputes at work, I look beneath the apparent problem to see if values are being dishonored, and then I seek ways to honor them. 
8. Anyone looking at my life from the outside would see what I value.
9. I use my values as a guidepost for making decisions. I ask if a particular choice would bring me closer to—or further from—a core value.
10. When I feel upset, it’s almost always because my values are being trampled—either by me, someone else, or the situation. 
11. I am not easily swayed by others’ opinions when they conflict with my values.
12. To remain open and flexible, I am willing to re-examine my values to determine whether something is still true for me.
13. I find creative ways to honor all of my values—even when they conflict with one another.
14. My work values are in harmony with my personal and relationship values.
15. If I live according to my values, I will feel satisfied and successful throughout my life.

If you answered false more often than true, you may wish to clarify your deepest values and bring your life into greater alignment with them. Please don’t hesitate to connect with me if you’d like support in aligning your life to your values.

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I can help you live your life FILLED with a passion that’s aligned to your life’s purpose AND brings you financial freedom. You can have more confidence, clarity, calm, and ease in making life’s tough decisions. 

Schedule a 30-minute Ignite Your Spark coaching session with me, and I'll buy the session FOR you! I’ll show you how you can upgrade your mental operating system to achieve all your goals. 

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Taryn Laakso is a leadership & mental fitness guiding clients through a journey that intercepts limiting beliefs, ignites your confidence, and integrates your leadership style that Creates a Living with joy and happiness instead of being in the drudgery of Making a Living.

She is differentiated by her focus on mindset and weaves together a variety of coaching tools to transform the lives of her clients. Taryn views herself as a “sherpa” whose role is to guide her clients through their journey from a life of practicality and fear to a life of passion and purpose along with profit.