DEFINING YOUR CORE VALUES

Life is hard. And shit happens. Every day we have to make decisions that test us as humans to stay true to our integrity. And while many factors contribute to the decision making process, the ones that rise to the forefront are our individual values – core values – to be precise.

These values determine the kind of person you are, or the type of person you strive to be, and serve as a “north star” for your behaviors and actions.
For me, everyday I strive to live a purpose-filled life in alignment with my values. When I do, I feel as though I am living my best life, showing up as my truest self, and thriving.

But how do you know what your core values are?
First, you have to have a solid definition. According to Barb Markway and Celia Ampel in The Self-Confidence Workbook, “Values are the principles that give our lives meaning and allow us to persevere through adversity,” Your core values are the principles of utmost importance.

You probably have an idea of what your core values already are. We’re products of our environment and therefore have learned from our parents, teachers, public figures, and the society we’ve grown up in. It’s important to evaluate YOUR values, and not what you think your values should be because someone else has projected theirs onto you. Do you know what I mean?

Below is a non-exhaustive list of values.

Authenticity
Achievement
Adventure
Authority
Autonomy
Balance
Beauty
Boldness
Compassion
Challenge
Citizenship
Community
Competency
Contribution
Creativity
Curiosity
Determination
Fairness
Faith
Fame
Friendships
Fun
Growth
Happiness
Honesty
Humor
Influence
Inner Harmony

Justice
Kindness
Knowledge
Leadership
Learning
Love
Loyalty
Meaningful Work
Openness
Optimism
Peace
Pleasure
Poise
Popularity
Recognition
Religion
Reputation
Respect
Responsibility
Security
Self-Respect
Service
Spirituality
Stability
Success
Status
Trustworthiness
Wealth
Wisdom

Follow these steps to gain clarity on which ones resonate the most with you:

*Highlight all the ones that are important to you

*Group any redundancies together, or consolidate your list

*Narrow down to your top four or five

This list will never be set in stone. Your values may change as you get older, and life changes, and new challenging situations arise.
I love to have this list to help me decide how to spend my time and energy, and to help me focus when I feel overwhelmed. When you are crystal clear on your priorities, life becomes that much easier.