Personal Values
What are personal values?
Values are guiding principles. Getting clear on your personal values, or your core values, is a very powerful exercise, and one that has been extremely impactful on my own personal development journey.
A typical life coaching exercise is to look at a list of values, and then determine from the list which values resonate most. We’re going to get into this… keep reading!
If you’re interested, my values are family, community, generosity, nature and creativity. And new to the list is ‘fun’.
Why do your personal values matter?
You might be wondering why it is important to know your personal values. Well, here are my thoughts on this -
Knowing my values helps with decision making.
I am clear on what motivates and inspires me.
My life feels purposeful and fulfilled when I am in alignment with my values.
I can feel out of sorts if I am in conflict with my values.
As a small business owner, I use my personal values to shape my business. Being in alignment means that my work feels good.
A personal values coaching exercise.
Carve out some time to ponder these questions. You might want to write out your answers in a journal or notebook, maybe talk through your thoughts into a voice recorder (sometimes saying things out loud can be useful). I personally like to write, as I think there’s something nice about the sensory experience of writing in a book… the weight of the pen in your hand, the feel of the paper etc.
How would you describe yourself and the type of person you are?
What characteristics describe your friends that are closest to you? What do you admire in them?
What are your pet peeves? What annoys you?
Have a look at the Values Lists below, what resonates most with you at this time?
Review your journal, do the values you've selected align with your Gratitude Lists (if this is a practice that you follow)? What themes are apparent from your Gratitude Lists?
Living in alignment with your personal values
Hopefully now you have a better understanding of what your personal values are, and can then determine if you are living in alignment with them or not. Start being mindful about decisions you make, and use your values to help guide you.
The scientist in me likes to look for the evidence of our personal or core values. Have a look at this more recent blog post for three ways that I do this with my time management coaching clients.
Looking for more?
If you’re interested in 1-to-1 time management coaching with me, then you can find out more here.
Or have a look at my free resources.