How we’re joining the Values over Valuables movement, below.
This Elul, we’ve had a recurring conversation rolling around the Between Carpools table. It goes something like this:
‘Why is _____ the only option?’ or ‘How did ______ become the standard?’ or even ‘I’m not sure if ____ is right for us.’
We’ve been thinking about the way other people’s decisions impact us. How something becomes ‘in,’ then it’s just normal, and then it turns into standard, and eventually the minimum. We’ve been considering how much of what we buy, or what we do is actually a conscious choice, and how much we’re just doing, just because that’s ‘done.’
Have you seen the Values over Valuables ads? The goal isn’t to tell anyone what to buy, what kind of lifestyle to live, or how much to spend. It’s about making choices with intention, instead of making them by default.
Making the default choice is just so easy. It’s easy to add an item to our cart. It’s easy to think less and just follow along, because that’s what everyone’s doing.
So, instead of taking the easy way out, the BCP team is taking the Values over Valuables pledge. Each one of us, each in our own way. We’re asking ourselves questions like ‘Do I actually want this?’ and ‘Is this the right choice for me?’
Because if we all take the pledge, to live our lives more thoughtfully, more intentionally, then we’ll start to create change. When we start looking beyond the latest, the biggest, and the most elaborate, we can start to notice other things, things like creativity, intentionality, and balance.
Might it be hard? Of course! But maybe it’s the good kind of hard, the growing kind of hard. And if we all look inward to find the best choice for ourselves, the thoughtful choice won’t feel like the strange choice. It will just be a decision made with clarity.
Values over Valuables is flipping the script on what we consider impressive. What looks impressive from the outside doesn’t necessarily equal what’s meaningful on the inside. And when we start to praise the thoughtful choice, that’s what will become standard.
So this Elul, we’re joining Values over Valuables and taking the pledge. We’re taking the pledge to make decisions thoughtfully, based on what we value. Learn more at www.valuesovervaluables.org, and together we can flip the script.
