Cass

And values act like an internal compass.

They help guide how we spend our time, where we place our energy, and how we make decisions.

I'm going to attach a list of values in the episode show notes, or if you Google it online, there are many, many lists of values out there.

So you can start to have a look at some of the values I'm talking about, but I'll just quickly run through a few examples of what values might be.

Things like connection, kindness, curiosity, creativity, honesty, integrity, growth and

community, learning, authenticity, and compassion.

Now that's just a slice of the values that you'll see on a values worksheet.

Just to give you an example, I'll share a few of mine.

I really highly value curiosity, learning, education.

And so doing this podcast is a way for me to live those values in my life.

And another one is I really value connection.

And again, the podcast is a way that I practice connection through sharing conversations with people on the podcast, through communicating with you, listening right now, but also in my friendships and my family, like making time for people

So something I wanted to clarify is that values are personal, they're not external expectations.

So our values are ours, they're not based on what other people expect of us, they're not what society says we should prioritise, they're not what we've always done or what we've been praised for.

They're the things that feel deeply meaningful to us.

And sometimes, especially in midlife, we realize we've been living for a long time according to roles, according to responsibilities and expectations.

And when have we paused to ask ourselves, what actually matters to me now?

Well, I'm suggesting that this is a perfect time in midlife, where we are right now, to stop and ask ourselves, who are we?

What is meaningful to us?

So I want to touch on why values matter.