Audit Yourself to Determine Your Values (Think Like a Monk)
Like everyone else, my parents also had dreams for me. However, they were quite surprised when I told them about my decision to become a monk. I had made this decision during my final days in college, choosing to live an authentic life. In doing so, I risked losing certain relationships. But to live genuinely, one must remove such obstacles from their path.
What are your values in life? No matter how you think about it, your true story is revealed through how you spend your free time. The things we devote time to reflect our values. Many people say they value family but spend most of their free time watching TV or engaging in other activities. If we don’t actively think about our values, we might never truly understand them.
Each individual is shaped by their unique circumstances and experiences, which in turn determine their values. We often confront challenges in life that reveal our true values. Are these values shaped by difficulties or privileges?
First, address the fact that what you do when you’re not busy reflects your values. After spending about four months auditing my time, I realized how much time I was wasting. I observed how much time was spent sleeping, eating, and engaging in other activities. You should spend the most time on what you consider the most valuable. As a monk, I learned early on that what we value influences our environment.
Our interests and activities shape our values. If we don’t like music, we might not listen to it. Instead, we consume what aligns with our interests, which shape our values. The people we listen to, the books we read, the TV shows we watch, the online and offline communities we interact with, all these influence our values.
Our values are further revealed by the things we envy, criticize, and are attracted to. Time spent with these influences shapes our values just like how we spend our money reveals what we value. An audit of how you spend your time and resources will clearly show what you truly value.
When you audit your life, you will discover which things hold no doubt. Social media usage, for instance, might take up more time than you realize. Analyzing this can show if it aligns with your life’s values and guide you towards making better decisions.
Regularly assessing your life’s values is essential to living a purposeful life. Understanding what truly matters to you helps in choosing the right direction and making fulfilling choices.
This is an opinion piece or a personal essay. It reflects the author’s personal experiences and insights on the importance of understanding one’s values through self-reflection and time auditing.
resource: think like a monk (Only for educational Purposes)