How to figure out what your values are
When you’re trying to figure out who you are and what kind of career or life you’d rather be living, it can be challenging to know where to start. There appear to be endless job options, but what are the kinds of things you’d truly love to be doing?
Below is an exercise to help you figure out what matters most to you in life. Use these values when making life or career decisions, and you’ll be halfway there!
Step 1: Here is a list of 50 words. Clear your mind and then take a look at them. Write down the 15 words that speak to you the most.
Abundance
Accountability
Ambition
Balance
Boldness
Calmness
Certainty
Choice
Collaboration
Community
Determination
Discipline
Diversity
Efficiency
Empathy
Experience
Faith
Fitness
Freedom
Gratitude
Grit
Growth
Happiness
Health
Humor
Imagination
Impact
Influence
Integrity
Joy
Justice
Kindness
Leadership
Logic
Luxury
Mindfulness
Money
Motivation
Optimism
Organization
Patience
Peace
Pleasure
Relaxation
Resilience
Romance
Security
Sincerity
Spirituality
Trust
Note: If there are other words you know you already connect with, include them in this large list. Feel free to add your own!
Step 2: Take your list of 15 words and assign each one a number based on how important it is to you, with 1 being not that important and 5 being very important.
Step 3: Narrow down your list even further by writing down the 5 words you assigned the highest numbers. These are the values that you consider to be crucial to life. You can expand the list as needed; some people have a secondary list of values that are important but not absolutely necessary.
Use this short list when making life decisions, and you’ll always be aligned with your true values.
This method is adapted from the book Being Boss and from my studies at the Life Purpose Institute. If you’d like to work on incorporating your values into your everyday life, click here to work with me as your life coach.