136 ALIGN WITH YOUR CORE-ESSENTIAL VALUES Things we do or a way we choose to be that comes from the core of who we are and ignites the purpose for our lives and the very best within us. For two weeks every August, Kevin volunteered as a counselor at a summer camp for underprivileged, at-risk city children. This was the highlight of Kevin’s entire year. It was the sole thing that kept his sanity intact as he went through the draining cycle of going to work at the accounting firm and coming home to his empty apartment each day. Working with and connecting with the children there brought his whole life back into perspective. He seemed to come fully awake and was able to unleash the best parts of himself as soon as he arrived. It was as if a flood of energy, inspiration, creativity, and an electric aliveness washed over him when he was with these children. He was always amazed at the person he seemed to be when he was there and wondered where that person went after he returned to his day-to-day life. It was as if he were two completely different people. Kevin’s experience is a classic example of what happens when someone steps into a concentrated expression of their core-essential values. If Kevin were to take the time to think about what specifically made him feel so alive when he was at the camp, he would probably say things like: • Being able to make a difference. • Connecting with the children. • Helping a child see that he or she can do so much more than they think they can just by asking more of them and showing them he believes in them. If we were to press on and ask Kevin if he got this feeling at any other time, he may tell us he gets a similar feeling when he volunteers once a month down at the community food pantry and also when he is working with the occasional shadow intern at work. Those experiences he may say make him feel this way because:
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