I took a basic values inventory for class tonight and guess what? I am task oriented and achievement focused. Surprise, Surprise.

Or not.

It’s not a stretch to say that tasks have consumed my entire adult life. In my work and at home I will often lose myself in a task, so much so that I will avoid getting up for anything – even food – until I complete what’s in front of me. Last night I didn’t eat until 9pm. Why? I had to finish what I was doing. It’s 9 right now and I still haven’t eaten. It’s bad, and it’s been worse. Just ask my wife…if it weren’t for her I would go many nights without food.

Finishing something translates into achieving something so I’m not surprised that was a value as well. One of the questions in the analysis asked whether I was more concerned with accomplishment than holding a certain position or title. Easy. I will always take an achievement over a title or position and sometimes am frustrated with those who worry about titles more so than getting the job done.

But there’s where I learned something. Not that achievement and task orientation are things I value highly, but that they are just…values.

Values are personal, and perhaps more importantly, variable. Not everybody shares the same values and is it not better for me to come to this realization than to assume my values are common laws that everyone should follow? I am not sure why that is suddenly clear, but in taking the analysis I knew that each person would have different results. I also knew that my results reflected values that are important to me, and if they are important to me than they are important to others. Perhaps understanding that is the first step to full acceptance of others as they are, even if the step is a small one. At least it’s in the right direction.

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