Value, Satisfaction and Meaning

It’s worth considering what you care about.

For many, the start of a new year is a time of reflection. It’s a time to consciously consider where we’ve been, physically and emotionally, and where we want to go now that it’s a fresh year. 

Asking a central question, “What do I care about?” is a way to orient ourselves to this reflection. The reason this question is so important is that value, satisfaction and meaning come from the care in our lives. Taking time to consider what we care about will point us towards a committed future.

If we live disconnected from our care, such as knowing deep down that “I don’t like my job,” or “My relationships are not working very well,” there is automatically a lack of satisfaction and meaning in our lives. Connecting to what we care about—wanting to like my job or wanting to improve my relationships—positions us towards a future commitment to satisfying this care. 

Ultimately, care and commitment are internal states. Care is a feeling that lives in our hearts, not in our heads. Care is a feeling that makes us come alive; it is the fuel that leads to commitment. Commitment is the action that follows the care. It’s only after identifying the care that we can move to a committed future.

What better way to start the new year than to reflect upon the central question, “What do I care about?”