What Really Matters to You - Determining Your Values
Blue North
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Hey there again, founders! Dr. Lina Ehlinger here with the Resilience Accelerator. Last
month, we touched on some helpful questions to ask yourself when determining what to add to your commitments, and one of them focused on your values. But what if you aren’t sure what your personal values are? Today, we’ll be talking about what values are, why they matter, and how to discover your own.
So what are personal values anyway? Values are the fundamental beliefs and principles that guide our behavior and decision-making. They act as a personal compass, giving us direction amongst life’s challenges and choices. They can include qualities such as honesty, community, innovation, or balance, or be more global concerns like sustainability, achievement, or justice. Values define what is important to us and influence how we interact with others, how we spend our time, and what we strive for in both our personal and professional lives. Essentially, values are the essence of who we are and what we stand for.
Understanding your core values is a crucial element in maintaining your mental health and ensuring your life (and business) thrive in alignment with what really matters to you. People who regularly check in with their core values experience greater satisfaction with life and are more resilient against stressors. When you know your values, decision-making becomes clearer, your sense of purpose strengthens, and you avoid the burnout that comes from chasing goals that don’t truly resonate with you.
To begin unearthing your personal values, a helpful first step is to reflect on your personal journey so far. What experiences have shaped you? Which moments have brought you the most joy, fulfillment, or pride? Jot down the themes and feelings that come up. For example, if mentoring others in the past made you feel energized and fulfilled, this might point to a value of helping others grow or supporting the community. If you find meaning in your faith or in being a dependable family member, those might be important values to you.
You can also think about your professional journey in this process. When did you feel the most alive and engaged in your work? Conversely, consider the times you felt drained or out of sync. Sometimes it can be just as helpful to identify values that don’t align with you, personally, or that came from other sources than yourself.
Next, check out a list of values to get the wheels turning, like this one. See what values jump out at you. Usually, the tendency is to identify very many values that seem like they resonate with you. Challenge yourself to narrow down to 4-5 values that are the most important to you. These should be the values that you can’t live without - the ones who define who you are at your core.
Lastly, values aren’t meant to just sit on a piece of paper or in your head. Set goals consistent with your values and test them out in real life! When faced with decisions, big or small, reflect on your values. Do they guide you toward a certain choice? For instance, if one of your core values is family, how does that influence your decision to take on an additional project or spend extra hours at work? Keep in mind that, at times, values can come in conflict with one another, and you can make an informed choice to prioritize one over the other mindfully.
Aligning your actions with your values is critical for your mental health. When your decisions reflect your core beliefs, you experience less dissonance and more harmony in your life. Schedule regular check-ins with yourself to ensure you’re staying true to your values and surround yourself with others who reflect them. Your business, mental health, and overall sense of fulfillment will thank you! See you guys in the next one! Dr. E.
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