Do The Right Thing
Reader's Digest International|February 2018

How to make choices that reflect your values

Luc Rinaldi
Do The Right Thing

ASTRID BAUMGARDNER HAD grown accustomed to her morning routine. Her husband, a securities lawyer, woke up each day excited to head to the office; Baumgardner, meanwhile, felt more inclined to stay in bed. She should have loved her job: she was a partner at a law firm in New York and brought in a hefty salary. But she couldn’t muster the enthusiasm she saw in her husband—the position didn’t fulfill her need to help people or give her a sense of purpose.

So, in 2000, after 24 years in law, she left the profession, sacrificing prestige for passion. After a series of positions in different fields, she earned her certificate as a life coach in 2008 and started her own business.

Today, as a lecturer and coordinator of career strategies at the Yale University School of Music (a position she’s held since 2011—and loves), Baumgardner helps students make decisions as tough as her own. Through her story and theirs, she’s discovered that people feel most fulfilled when they choose options that align with their most deeply held values.

Here’s how to stay true to yours.

KNOW YOUR VALUES

If you hope to shape your life according to your ideals, you have to know what those ideals are. Baumgardner begins her sessions by having participants identify the concepts that are most important to them from a list: honesty, structure, family and so on. “Those qualities are influenced by your parents, your culture and society as a whole,” she says, “but you have to take ownership of your own decisions.”

Bu hikaye Reader's Digest International dergisinin February 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Reader's Digest International dergisinin February 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

READER'S DIGEST INTERNATIONAL DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
The Secret Lives Of Passwords
Reader's Digest International

The Secret Lives Of Passwords

We despise them—yet we imbue them with our hopes, dreams, and dearest memories.

time-read
5 dak  |
August 2017
Reader's Digest International

7 Doctor  Approved Natural Remedies

A plant fix over a prescription drug? Some doctors swear by it.

time-read
7 dak  |
August 2017
Reader's Digest International

The Nature Cure

Doctors from California to South Korea believe they’ve found a miracle medicine for our mental health and creativity.

time-read
8 dak  |
August 2017
Oh, Behave!
Reader's Digest International

Oh, Behave!

The classiest ways to split a bill, send your sympathies,say no, and more.

time-read
9 dak  |
August 2017
World Of Medicine
Reader's Digest International

World Of Medicine

News from the world of medicine.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2017
Surviving Substandard Sleep
Reader's Digest International

Surviving Substandard Sleep

How to cope after a bad night’s slumber

time-read
2 dak  |
December 2017
Good News
Reader's Digest International

Good News

Some of the Positive Stories Coming Our Way

time-read
2 dak  |
December 2017
Medical Mystery
Reader's Digest International

Medical Mystery

THE PATIENTS: Katie*, 26, and Ella*, 24, of Boston, United StatesTHE SYMPTOMS: Late-onset speech and motor-skill delayTHE DOCTOR: Dr. David Sweetser, chief of medical genetics and metabolism at the Mass General Hospital for Children

time-read
3 dak  |
December 2017
News From The World Of Medicine
Reader's Digest International

News From The World Of Medicine

A commission of experts assembled by the medical journal

time-read
1 min  |
December 2017
Making Yogurt, Healing Minds
Reader's Digest International

Making Yogurt, Healing Minds

How a psychologist turned entrepreneur— and helped turn around lives

time-read
8 dak  |
December 2017