Having A Centre

As I mark another year of the sun circling the earth, I find myself thinking not only about time, but how I want to live within it, in the days, weeks, and years I have left.

I have come to understand that having a centre and learning to live from it is powerful.  When I am not anchored there, I can easily be pulled by urgency, habit, others’ expectations, and the relentless pace of daily life.  Slowly, almost without noticing, I drift away from myself and from what truly nourishes my spirit.

This is why I have come to appreciate frameworks that keep me grounded and help me return to what matters most. In my WW world, we are encouraged each year to choose a word of the year to guide us. In my Acting It Out world, we are encouraged to live by our core values. One simple framework I return to is LIPS: Love, Integrity, Presence, and Simplicity. These are not magic words. They are reminders of how I want to live.

The truth is, the specific words matter less than the practice of living from them. Each person's guiding words will be different. A values framework is like a compass. It does not remove the storms, nor does it make life effortless. But it offers direction. It helps us remember what matters when we feel scattered or uncertain. It helps us notice when we have wandered from the life we truly want to live, and it gives us a way to return. When we do, peace often appears, not as fireworks, but as a quiet sense of rightness, a feeling of being at home in our own lives.

For me, love is a guiding value. It is my North Star. It reminds me to live with warmth, compassion, and care. It keeps me open rather than guarded. It encourages me to ask not only “What do I want?” but also “What would be the most caring response here?” When I choose love, peace often enters through connection: the comfort of a kind word, the relief of forgiveness, and the lightness of generosity.

Integrity is another guiding value. It reminds me to live honestly, to let my actions reflect what I believe, and to remain faithful to what I know is true even when it hurts. It is not about perfection. It is about alignment. It is about becoming someone whose inner and outer lives can meet without contradiction. That alignment creates a deep kind of contentment, and from there, peace feels less fragile and more steady.

Presence calls me back to this moment, this breath, this conversation, this life as it is unfolding right now. So much of our suffering comes from being everywhere but where we actually are. Presence is the practice of returning. It is where attention becomes intimacy. It is where life becomes visible again. In that kind of attention, contentment softens in, and joy quietly reveals itself, in the taste of food, the feel of the wind, the sight of an eagle crossing the sky, or the depth in someone's eyes.

Simplicity helps me clear away what is unnecessary, so what is essential can breathe. Simplicity is not about having less for its own sake. It is about creating space for what matters most. It is about reducing the noise that keeps us from hearing ourselves clearly. It is about protecting our energy for what is essential. In that cleared space, joy can rise, unhurried and unforced, like sunlight through an open window.

The point is not that everyone is required to choose the same four values. Each person can discover their own guiding words. Courage. Honesty. Kindness. Faith. Dignity. Gratitude. Freedom. Curiosity. Play. Compassion. Whatever words help you return to your centre are worth holding close. As you live by them, joy is nurtured too, not as a reward you earn, but as the natural light that grows from alignment.

That is what makes a values framework so meaningful. It is personal, yet not narrow. Simple, yet not shallow. It gives us a way to pause and ask: "What are my values?" "Am I living them, or have I drifted away from them?" Sometimes, those questions alone can begin to change a life.

Living by my values has certainly changed me. When we live from our chosen values, we are not simply making decisions. We are shaping a way of being. We are creating a life that feels more honest, more grounded, and more fully our own. Joy becomes less elusive and less dependent on circumstances. It becomes a quiet companion that grows whenever we stay close to what is true within us.

As I move through another year of the sun circling the earth, I am reminded that the gift is not just time passing, but time lived with intention. Not every moment will feel joyful. Not every day will feel clear. But when I stay close to my centre, contentment becomes possible and joy has room to grow

What values are quietly shaping the life you are living?