Values or Virtues? Both!
The question of “values or virtues” has a single answer for me: Both, please.
Whether taken separately or enjoyed together, values and virtues compose a healthy helping of goodness, and I love revisiting one of our Managing with Aloha traditions at this time of year, our Twelve Aloha Virtues.
They are
Hope,
Freedom,
Humor,
Prayer,
Vitality,
Wonder,
Trust,
Faith,
Grace,
Gratitude,
Joy, and
Peace.
I offer more thoughts on them as a grouping on that Resource Page here at MWA Central, yet I readily admit to you that page is one I consider a snapshot in time rather than a definitive answer on the value of virtues.
Values & Virtues is an ongoing study for me, and a very delicious one. They are a Palena ‘ole kind of thing (Key 9; growth in unlimited capacity) and they are encouraging, for to study them is to immerse oneself into much more good than bad, like a cleansing bath in some hot tub of positive energies you can float on.
Here is a pretty matter-of-fact definition of both that I recently found:
“Values are what is important to you. Virtues are your good points. Many times, your virtues will stem from your values but not always. I am sober which is a virtue but not because I value sobriety. I simply don’t enjoy drinking. I think they are both equally important. If you have no values, you will only have the virtues that come easily and naturally for you. If you have values but no virtue, you’re just a hypocrite because if you act according to your values you will gain virtue.” — Kuji
Well said, don’t you think?
Last Christmas I made myself a promise, and I want to end this year and start the next one by keeping that promise.
I am an organizational kind of girl, and my promise was to align the Twelve Virtues of Aloha with the 12 Days of Christmas, as my ‘form and function’ plan-of-intentions to wallow in as 2014 became 2015. It was to be my final project this year!
Last published: Piloting Projects: Job One is You
For a virtue to become a true character trait, it must happen.
I agree with Kuji: There must be self-propelled actions which stemmed from our values to produce the kind of moral character we will be proud to call our own, as we recently spoke of here: Values are Shaped by a Heritage of Doing.
Thus I can think of nothing better, than coupling my daily affirmations between December 25th (the 1st day of Christmas) and January 6th (Epiphany, or Three Kings Day and 12th Night) with values-propelled actions I commit to making happen, so our Twelve Virtues of Aloha will result.
We start tomorrow, and I do hope you will join me.
Oh, and I have another promise, from me to you: Each post will be very short and to the point these next 12 days. I will not be burdening you with much reading at all. Just a few words and images of virtue-inspired sharing, with any actions taken completely up to you. Indulge in spirit-spilling. You can be creative, and you can also think small: Small actions can count for so much!
For today, simply be of good cheer in all you do, infecting everyone around you in your holiday spirit. When I think of you reading these pages, that is certainly what you do for me — thank you!
Postscript: In theming our Christmastide 2014-15 this way, we are also replacing instead of adding — our virtues-inspired 12 Days of Christmas will give us an alignment break to our recently started daily affirmations.
