Do You Know What Your Values Are? I Used The Values Bridge to Find Out

Plus, I’m introducing my Summer of Squares!

Notes from a Kindred Spirit is a bi-weekly newsletter about embracing curiosity, exploring hobbies, living with chronic illness, and finding contentment in the everyday.

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Hi friends,

A few weeks ago, I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and she and her sister and co-host, Elizabeth, were interviewing Suzy Welch, a professor and author of the recently published book, Becoming You.

In the episode, they discussed The Values Bridge, a scientifically validated assessment that Suzy helped create. According to the website,

The Values Bridge is a scientifically-validated assessment created to give users a deeper and more specific understanding of their values. It tests users on their levels of the 15 personal values identified in the Welch-Bristol Values Inventory, identifying how much of each value a person authentically holds, and how much they actually express in their daily lives. The Values Bridge also assesses each user’s values profile for internal conflicts and harmonies and provides an Authenticity Score, which calculates the gap (or not) between a person’s current expression of values and their hoped-for expression. Finally, the Values Bridge allows users to compare their values with each other, to identify sources of alignment or tension.

My curiosity was piqued, and I knew I had to take the assessment right away!

In the free version of the assessment, you get to learn what your top 4 core values are, plus a score of how authentically you are living these values day to day.

My top 4 core values are:

1. Voice - “[Voice] reflects your desire—or lack thereof—to be seen and known for who you truly are, whether through your words, appearance, work, creativity, or lifestyle. Voice is about how much authenticity you feel compelled to express and how much you want the world to see it.”

2. Agency - “You are driven to create a life where you are in control, your decisions are your own, and no one dictates your path.”

3. Eudemonia - “[Eudemonia is] about prioritizing experiences, moments, and activities that bring ‘good spirits.’ Indeed, that's the term's translation in Ancient Greek.”

4. Place - “For some, a deep connection to a specific city, region, climate, or environment isn't just a preference—it's essential to feeling at home, both literally and emotionally. They don't just want to live in a certain place—they need to, because it aligns with their sense of identity and authenticity.”

I’ve never done an exercise where I’ve sat down and intentionally tried to determine my values before, so I found these results fascinating! If you’d asked me, I probably could have guessed Agency was very high up on my list, and maybe Voice. But the other two were surprises.

It’s also interesting to think about how your values can evolve and change over time. If I had taken this assessment in my early twenties, for example, I’m almost certain Eudemonia would not have been a core value, but it makes sense for where I am in my life right now.

If you’re curious, you can take The Values Bridge assessment here.

If you’re willing, I’d love to hear from you in the comments if there are any surprises in your results!

A MUST for any book club (and reader): seek out books with diverse representation. Read books written by and featuring people of colour, of various genders and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities or chronic illnesses.

Reading diversely is immensely important. It can teach us so much while expanding our empathy. And who doesn’t want that?

To get started, check out Book Riot’s "8 Great Diverse Book Club Picks for Summer Reading."

I know we’re (already!) partway through July, but I’ve decided that this will be my Summer of Squares!

Dessert squares, that is, like brownies, blondies, cereal bars, etc. Yum!

This idea was inspired by an episode of

Gretchen Rubin

’s podcast called “Create Your ‘Summer of __,’ Some Reading Recommendations & Listeners’ Favorite Words.” You can check it out here.

In it, she and Elizabeth, her sister and co-host, discuss a theme they’re giving each of their summers. Gretchen is having a “Summer of Tsundoku,” where she will be focused on reading the books she already owns but has yet to read. (Can definitely relate. 🙋‍♀️) And Elizabeth is planning to have a “Yacht Rock” summer because that type of music always puts her in a summer mindset and a good mood.

So, I have decided that for any baking I do this summer, I'll be trying recipes for squares that I haven’t tried before. To kick things off, I started with a cereal bar recipe from The Kitchen Magpie. I used Golden Graham Crunch cereal as my base and added mini Rolos, mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, and chopped up Oreos.

My ratio of marshmallows to cereal was a bit off, but they still turned out delicious!

Have you ever had a Summer of ___________? I’d love to hear about it!

💤 "The 7 Types Of Rest You Need To Feel Your Best" from The Good Trade

❓ NPR’s interview with Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering: “Want to cut through small talk? Try asking a 'magical question'”

💗 For my fellow Lore Olympus fans, how excited are we about the upcoming oracle deck?!

That’s all for today’s edition! I’d love to hear if you decide to add a theme to your summer (or winter if you’re in the southern hemisphere)! Share in the comments or hit reply and email me back. 😊

P.S. I have 3 digital products available in the Notion Marketplace!

📚 BOOK CLUB HUB for the book club host who wants to organize their club with ease so they can focus on the fun part—reading good books and chatting about them with friends! It’s perfect for small to medium virtual or in-person clubs.

📖 CURATED BOOK LISTS for the book club host or bookworm who doesn’t know what to read next.

🎁 GIFT PLANNER & TRACKER to help you organize birthday and holiday shopping and stay on budget.