Damsel's Values: Digging in deep

In my experience, when people or organisations sit down to try to figure out what their values are, they often end up with a rather long list…because there’s a lot of stuff that really does matter in life! However, one of the most rewarding parts of doing a values exercise is distilling that long list down to a few top values – which is not saying that the others which didn’t make the cut aren’t important, but just that there are a few key things which the person or organisation wants to highlight in particular.

Values are such a personal thing, and you can tell a lot about someone by the values they hold dear and demonstrate in their lives.

It can be hard to boil down what matters into a few words, but it’s exciting to try to capture the essence succinctly…

So, drum-roll please…here at Damsel Not In Distress, our core values are depth, creativity and adventure!!

There were plenty of other qualities on the list to begin with – including integrity, authenticity, learning, self-trust, generosity, and inclusion. I still hold all of these close to my heart, but why did I decide to highlight depth, creativity and adventure? Well, mainly because I believe they are distinctively vital to the work we do here at Damsel Not In Distress – that is, guiding recovering souls to fully flourish and get what they really want out of life.

I’m passionate about depth. Depth of understanding in this fascinatingly complex world we live in – what do we reliably know about what works in any given situation? Depth of discernment – as beings who aren’t completely governed by logic, what does our spirit, our deep inner knowing, have to say about what’s going on? And depth of connection – thank goodness we don’t have to journey through this life on our own, and truly deep relationships can be powerful tools on the road to healing and wholeness, as we guide each other home.

There are so many people out there offering get-results-quick, five-minutes-and-you’re-done solutions.

Now I’m not saying that never happens – there are times when truly miraculous turnarounds can happen in the blink of an eye. But I believe the reality is that, in general, life’s journey is a more gradual one. More evolution than revolution. More depth.

Because let’s face it – life and healing can be complex, asking us to dive in deep and immerse ourselves, not accepting easy fixes and half measures. We’re going to need to be radically honest: with ourselves as we seek deep understanding and discernment, and with trusted others as we forge deep connections.

It’s not a journey for the faint-hearted. We’re going to need to face the more difficult elements of our lives with courage and hope. Hope that there is a way home.

We are called to be faithful, steadfast and trusting as we take the next step in front of us, and then the next, and then the next. Each step faithfully taken will be one step closer to home. To liberation. To peace.

You can find out about the second value of Damsel Not In Distress – creativity – here!