Discovering your personal values is important for living a life that is true to yourself and aligns with what’s most important to you. In this article, you’ll learn how to identify your own values, bringing clarity to the principles that guide your decisions and actions.
Understanding Values
What Are Values?
Values are the core principles and beliefs that guide your actions, decisions, and behaviors. Values can be broadly classified into two types:
- Instrumental values – These refer to desirable ways of acting or behaving, e.g., honesty, responsibility, and kindness.
- Terminal values – These represent the end goals or desired states, e.g., happiness, success, and inner peace.
Why Values Matter
Understanding your values and making them an integral part of your life can have a significant impact on your overall well-being and happiness. Here’s why:
- Meaning and purpose – Your values provide a sense of meaning and purpose in life. They help you connect with what truly matters and give direction to your actions and choices.
- Decision-making – Having a clear set of values simplifies the decision-making process. It helps you make consistent and congruent choices that align with your true self, and lead you on the path of genuine fulfillment.
- Inner peace – When you act in accordance with your values, you experience a greater sense of harmony and inner peace. This also leads to improved self-esteem and self-worth, resulting in a more authentic and self-aware existence.
- Relationships – Sharing common values with those around you can lead to deeper and more meaningful connections. They act as a foundation of trust, understanding, and support in your relationships.
Clarifying and Prioritizing Your Values
Clarifying Core Values
Think about the people you admire or respect, whether they’re personal role models, friends, family members or even public figures.
Now, create a list of six people who are important to you and write down the values they represent.
For example:
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- Friend 1: Honesty, Loyalty
- Parent: Dedication, Responsibility
- Role Model: Perseverance, Compassion
Reflect on this list and consider why these values are significant to you. This will give you a better understanding of your own core values.
Putting Values into Action
Setting Goals Based on Values
- Review your values list and rank them in order of importance.
- For each value, think of a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goal that will help you honor that value in your life.
- Write down your goals and review them regularly to stay focused and motivated.
Maintaining Consistency
- Keep a journal to track your progress and reflect on how well your actions align with your values.
- Surround yourself with people who share your values and can encourage you on your journey.
- Regularly review your goals, adjusting them as needed to better align with your values and stay focused on what’s truly important to you.