Looking forward, always, and being true to yourself.

Happy New Year to all my clients past, present, and future. While I’d like to say I was brave enough to go in for a dip at Monifieth during the betwixtmas week, I wasn’t. This picture is of me, my husband, and friends heading in to the Forth of Tay. Ankle to knee depth was more than painful enough for me and a reminder that there’s cold and there’s too cold for me.

Whether your personal goals are imagined, written down as a first draft, firmly in place, or don’t exist yet, it’s important to be true to yourself and your values.

Think about a fork in the road, or a decision point; your strongly held values are to the left and less strongly held values to the middle and far right, values that are not important to you. When making choices about where to head with the decision; what event to enter, who to train with, what club to join, it can be difficult to make the right decision when you are unsure of your values or easily influenced by others.

For example, let’s set the scene. You were out over the festive period with a good friend. You train together regularly and consider them trustworthy and fun to be with. You have a young family, they are single. You are in your mid-thirties, they are in their mid-twenties. Your friend suggested entering a sports event that you like the sound of. Is it the right event for you and should you commit? Think about your values…

Here is one example of a core values list .

Ask yourself, what matters to me? Be careful not to get confused with what matters to your friend and why they might want you enter the event. Make a table/list of what matters to YOU, a bit like this… (it’s your list, write what you feel).

What matters MOST	What matters SOMEWHAT	What matters LEAST
Fun	Adventure	Politics
Parenting (being a parent, being with my children)	Being with friends	Spirituality (religion, or other beliefs)
Health	Learning new skills	Materialism (owning things)
Competing at my level (doing my best)	Type of Event (local, national, championship)	Winning

With reference to choices you make, your strong values on the left are what guide you to a more satisfactory outcome. Consider the event your friend has asked you to enter now that you’ve made this table. Does it make your decision about entering any easier or clearer?

Whilst I have intentionally made reference to a sports event, you can use this choice point system in different contexts in your life; work, love, travel, friendships, sport, education…

There is also a brilliant colourful box of core values cards available (I’m not gaining any credit for recommending these) to buy. Glancing through them you’ll quickly get a sense of what matters most, with the what matters somewhat areas maybe needing a bit more investigation and thought. The process of identifying your values can free up your time, make decisions easier and allow you to move forwards.

The choice point exercise is one of many tools I have been learning about during my Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. If you are looking for help and support with any aspect of your sporting life, or more holistic aspects of your life, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Good luck in 2026!