Who's Values?

And who decides?

When I say views, I reckon I really mean Values. And I’ve also been working very hard on being my own Conscious Agent here recently — I want to be the one who decides what matters in My life. So when I saw this Note from my friend Rick this morning, I immediately knew what I was going to write about in this week’s essay!

I’m going to answer Rick’s question in reverse, because I think that the second part of the question is the ultimate goal. The first part is how we’ll get there.

“Who gets to decide what matters?” Me. I’m the one who decides what matters to me.

You might ask how I know this — the most obvious answer is, because my values often conflict with others around me. One example is something that I’ve mentioned many times here — I place a great deal of value on my time. And it’s pretty common for others who don’t know me well enough to know the difference, to think I’m stingy with my time. And I wouldn’t argue with their view, but I’m the one who decides where my Values on this subject lie, not them. And IMO, time is the most valuable commodity we have here, and I’m not willing to sell mine at a discount.

So yes, I feel confident saying that, “I’m the one who decides what matters.” Now to tackle the difficult part of Rick’s question…

“How do we, as conscious agents, generate the values that define our world?”

Okay, here’s the tough part — how do we get to be the one who decides? How do we become our own Conscious Agent?

One of my mentors here, Stuart K Kimball, says that self-awareness is the key. But that self-awareness, isn’t limited to just us.

So what does one do to become more self-aware? And if self-awareness isn’t limited to us, how do we become the Agent of our Consciousness?

The first step for me is journaling — it’s where I’m able to have a real conversation with myself. Because The Things We Tell Ourselves is how we take authorship — how we become our own Conscious Agent. And we shape the things — these Values — by what we repeatedly do, and focus on.

This is how we Generate the Values that define Our World.

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do.”

Seneca said, “If you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind — you must linger among a limited number of master-thinkers, and digest their works.

So where’s the easiest place to start? Well first thing in the morning, of course.

Start with gratitude.

Marcus said, “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

And then get going!

“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being.”

Here’s what my typical morning looks like-

• 5:30 AM- The morning is announced by my trumpeting alarm(Fanfare for the Common Man). I’ll start a pot of coffee on my way to my journal. This time is a non-negotiable for me — my journal is the canoe I use to navigate the currents of life.

• 6:00 AM- During the next hour I’ll get in 15-30 minutes of yoga, 10-15 minutes of meditation, and read something inspirational or thought provoking.

• 7:00 AM- Time to wake up my Sweetheart, if she isn’t already. And I’ll spend the next hour or two with her. This is also a non-negotiable for me, as we’re often busy in the evenings and don’t always get to talk. Communication is one of the keys to a successful partnership, plus I really do value her opinion on things. I’ll also finish the business of getting my day started, and check my notifications during this time.

  Note- I’ve tried not to open any of those apps yet, but I don’t always win that battle. Even though Substack has many benefits, it has definitely aided in my regression here…

• 9:00 AM- It’s time to write! After all, that’s what writers do 😁 and I have a weekly word count goal of >5k words so...

• 11:30 AM- If I haven’t reached a good stopping point by now, I’ll stop mid-sentence — I’ve found that it’s easier to pick up where I left off, if I leave the thought half open…

Now if your days are like mine, they tend to slip further and further from our control as the hours tick by. Once I leave the sanctity of my home where I control many of the variables, it becomes more and more difficult to remain mindful. I’m constantly asking myself, Where Is My Mind? throughout the day. And that in itself is part of my self-awareness.

So here’s my answer primalbeet.

If we remain aware of what we do and surround ourselves with, what we are — then we are the Conscious Agent of how our Values are shaped. Therefore, We get to decide what matters.

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Cover Photo- 17th century representation of consciousness by Robert Fludd, an English Paracelsian physician