What are values?
Values are the things that are important to you and what you hold in high regard. When you are aware of your values, you gain a better understanding of who you are, your priorities, and what truly matters to you. Living in alignment with your values can help you make choices, engage in activities, and set goals that are, meaningful and compatible with your authentic self. Your set of values are personal and unique to you. But they can also be fluid, meaning that over time, as you grow, learn, meet new people, gain new experiences, and develop new insights your values may change.
Identifying your personal values
To identify your personal values, start by reflecting on what is important to you in different areas of your life, such as personal satisfaction, relationships, and work. What do you like about yourself? What brings you a sense of fulfilment and joy and a sense of meaningful purpose? What resonates with your belief system? Write down your responses. By doing so, a pattern that clearly reflects and identifies your personal values should emerge.
If you’re not sure what personal values are, here are some examples:
Examples of personal values related to personal satisfaction:
Adventure
Charity
Education
Family
Faith
Free time
Friendships
Health
Humour
Independence
Learning
Patience
Positivity
Religion
Travel
Examples of personal values related to relationships:
Affection
Communication
Fun
Gratitude
Listening
Loyalty
Openness
Quality time
Reciprocity
Reliability
Romance
Support
Thoughtfulness
Tolerance
Trust
Examples of personal values related to work:
Adaptability
Contribution
Creativity
Dedication
Financial security
Flexibility
Growth
Prestige
Professionalism
Stability
Strong leadership
Support
Teamwork
Variety
Work-life balance
(To see more examples download the Big List of Personal Values located at the bottom of this article).
Identifying your core values
If you dig a little deeper you, can also identify your core values. Core values are the deep beliefs and principles that we hold. Core values are often influenced by factors such as upbringing, culture, experiences, morals, and beliefs. To identify your core values, closely examine your list of personal values and make note of the ones that are non-negotiable – the ones that are most important to you and have the most impact on you. Take time to reflect on this and be honest with yourself.
Living by your values
Once identified, you should strive to integrate your values into your daily life through conscious decision-making, communication, and behaviours. Regularly assessing your actions and choices against your values ensures that you remain true to yourself and your beliefs.
Maintaining this authenticity can lead to a sense of fulfilment, satisfaction, inner strength, resilience, and confidence. And being authentic can help build trust and credibility that can potentially open doors to new opportunities and enhance both your personal and professional relationships. Your values also provide direction and act as a source of strength that can help you when you need to make difficult choices.
Remaining consistent and committed to living by your values will at times be challenging, especially when faced with external pressures or conflicting priorities or incompatibility with situations or people in your life. If you do backslide, it’s important to practice self-compassion. Setbacks are a natural part of the process, but it’s never to late to get back on track.
Strategies for staying connected to your values
To stay connected to your values and ensure that they continue to guide your actions, you can consider implementing one or more of the following strategies:
- Regular self-reflection: Set aside time for self-reflection and introspection. Use this time to assess whether your actions are aligned with your values or whether any of your values have changed. Adjust course as needed to maintain alignment.
- Practice self-care: Prioritize self-care activities that align with your values. These can be any activities that promote your well being or bring you joy.
- Surround yourself with like-minded individuals: Surrounding yourself with people who share similar values can provide support, inspiration, and accountability. You can seek out communities or individuals who share your values and engage in meaningful conversations and activities together.
- Practice mindfulness: Cultivating mindfulness in your daily life can help you stay present and connected to your values. Mindfulness practices such as meditation, deep breathing, staying, journaling, or writing a gratitude list can help you maintain focus and make conscious choices that align with your values.
- Set reminders: You can use visual cues or reminders to keep your values at the forefront of your mind. This can be in the form of quotes, affirmations, or images that represent your values. Ideally, they should be placed somewhere that is regularly visible to you such as by your desk, night table or on the fridge.
- Seek feedback: Regularly seek feedback from trusted individuals who can help you assess whether your actions are aligned with your values. Their perspectives can provide valuable insights and support your growth.
- Seek support: Sometimes, seeking professional support can be beneficial to help identify or clarify your values and assess whether your decisions, choices, behaviours, and actions are in alignment with those values.
Conclusion
Your values can help guide you towards better mental well-being and overall happiness. Take the time to identify your values and live a life that is in harmony with them. Remain committed and consistent while allowing yourself to explore and redefine your values as needed. By aligning your actions and decisions with your values, you can create a life that is authentic, meaningful, and fulfilling.
