#52 Stay True To Your Values

When we are not true to our values it creates inner uneasiness.  Staying true is a staple of contentment.  The greater effort we make to stick to our values, the happier we will be.

Three years ago today, I had to stay true to my values in a HUGE way.  While newly returned to work from maternity leave, pregnant, and under immense pressure from my then managers I knew the fall-out would be great, and it was. We had received the call, this was the day - I knew where I had to be and that was at my Great Uncle's bedside in the Palliative Care unit - no one should have to die alone. Following my approved day of compassionate leave, together my managers met with me, verbally reprimanded me, and continued to bully me.

I never could have imagined the aftermath at my work.  It was awful, horrible, and callous.  What was more than clear, was that the values they held were definitely not aligned with mine. While the fall-out would have been less had I caved in to the both of them, I could not - I would not.   When faced with minimizing remarks because of my Great Uncle's age (he was 94) and his place in my family (Great Uncle) I knew that I was in one reality, and they another.  In many cultures the family commitment to be there at "the end" with a loved one would have been commended and my Uncle would have been seen as a valued elder. So, I decided to view my family as our own "culture", somehow this helped me, during this time of fresh, new grief, to endure the wrath - the barrage of non-stop bullying  (that incidently continued until I went on Leave in order to keep my unborn child healthy). 

Stay true to yourself.  Sometimes it is glaringly obvious what you have to do, other times it is not, and sometimes it is easy to doubt yourself.  Go with your gut instinct.  This is especially true in how we treat our family members and hold them dear.  Only you know your family. My Great Uncle Bob was an important part of my life, a very special person.  I am so glad that he was not alone and that I was able to be there and hold his 94 year old hand while he took his last earthly breath.

Just as the sun rises and the sun sets, our values too must shine; they must open and close each and every day and guide us - along the way.

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." Author Unknown

Uncle Bob we miss you every day.