A belief in others
Values and their importance
Every experience that you have had and every person that you have met will have, in some way, influenced your values and beliefs. What we value and the beliefs we hold have a profound influence on how we think about things and how we behave. We can all help others to change a limiting belief that is empowering and offer many opportunities to people. What you hold dear and what you believe to be important to you has evolved and shaped your life. Our values are what encourage our thoughts, words, and actions. When we make decisions they are a reflection of our values and beliefs. We all have our own values, beliefs, and attitudes that we have developed from our life experiences. Our family, friends, community and the experiences we have had, all contribute to our sense of who we are and how we view the world. When you work in the community we often work with people who are vulnerable and/or who may live a lifestyle that mainstream society views as being different or unacceptable. To provide a compassionate service that meets the needs of our target groups and helps them to feel empowered and respected, we need to be aware of our own personal values, beliefs, and attitudes, and not impose our own ideas on our clients. Values are principles, standards or qualities are what we hold to be how we want to live. They guide the way we live our lives and the decisions we make. A ‘value’ is commonly formed by a particular belief that is related to the worth of an idea or type of behaviour. Values can influence many of the judgments we make as well as have an impact on the support we give clients. It is important that we do not influence client’s decisions based on our values. We should always work on the basis of supporting the client’s values.
We have all been brought up with values that include good manners and being courteous. Pride in the way you live life, but with humility. Family life and the value you hold on always being respectful, giving good example and encouraging. Values are stable long-lasting beliefs about what is important. They become standards by which people order their lives and make their choices. A belief will develop into a value when one is committed to it being important. Beliefs and values often motivate a person by defining what they see as being important. In turn, they influence a person’s attitudes, and how they behave. such as: concern for the well-being of others; respect for others; trustworthiness and honesty; compliance with the law; preventing harm to others. Beliefs in general, and values in particular are motivational. Because we tend to move towards what we value and away from what we don’t value, we put energy behind what’s important to us. When beliefs are deeply held, they often lead to black and white thinking. words such as ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, ‘appropriate’ and ‘inappropriate’, ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ and ‘important’ and ‘unimportant’ tell you immediately that someone is talking in terms of their values. We acquire and develop them as we strive to make sense of the world. Sadly values today have eroded and we are left with questionable beliefs that are damaging to society at large.s