Stop Being Derek Zoolander

As of late, I’ve spent a fair amount of time thinking about goals, long-range planning, and priorities. Specifically, in surveying the landscape of social media, it’s pretty clear that our values need to be re-assessed.

Here’s the deal: The things we value have power over us. What we value will determine the way we make decisions. It alters our worldview and priorities. If we sum up everything we value, we have a pretty good idea of how we’ll make decisions. If we value work above our family, we’ll make decisions that benefit our family, but they will always be subservient to our careers. That is, in this framework, we value our families as long as it is convenient to our jobs. If we value self-promotion over relationship-building, we find ourselves alienated from those around us. (Have you ever noticed how celebrities are always wearing hats, dark sunglasses, and baggy clothes? Tell me they aren’t cut off from most of the world…)

It isn’t that our value matrix is wrong or bad, as it is completely up to you how much value you ascribe to certain things. The problem is when we start ascribing far more value to something than it inherently has. Think about a student in a middle school. The mere thought of their boyfriend or girlfriend breaking up with them is enough to shut down their world. Nothing else is as important than that one passing relationship. It doesn’t matter that they only met yesterday, they are in LOVE, right? They’ve added layer upon layer of value (and drama) to a scenario that ultimately has zero long-term impact, other than a story to tell (maybe).

Once in a while, it’s a good idea to step back and take a 10,000-foot view of the things in your life that you value (or don’t value) and decide if they have the right amount of weight in your decision-making. Maybe it’s time to stop being Derek Zoolander and realize there’s more to life than vain or superficial values that either won’t last or don’t matter. What are the things in your life that have you so wrapped up and emotionally invested that you can’t even see straight? What things have fallen by the wayside because you’re out of balance?