What are your core values?

Why Your Core Values Dictate Your Happiness

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The pursuit for happiness is an inalienable right for all, but living a happy life is a choice predicated on whether you are clear on your own set of values.

If you delight in empirical analysis you’ll find that the most happy among us are those who seek to align their actions, words and behaviors with what’s meaningful to them.  Whether in their career, business or life; these are the people who if you ask them what they do or why they do what they do, their answer is so simple yet complicated in our ears (at least) because they sound like socrates.  In fact, these are the those who’ve discovered that true fulfillment comes when one aligns their life with the universal truths or laws or whatever truth they choose to own as their own—their core values.

I recently found myself in a quagmire that demanded a courageous move on my part. The truth is, it is inevitable and thus imperative you be clear on what your core values are before you’ll have to make a snap judgment when say a fork on the road situation arises.  It is said that if you do not know what you stand for you’ll end up falling for anything. Oh how true this statement is… and by the way, the reality of these words is that you don’t get to appreciate the veracity therein unless you’ve been confronted head on.

So, what are your core values, and why should you and I care to be clear on what they are and how they shape our lives and choices?  Because Core Values are the principles that guide our moral compass in everything we do, then knowing and gaining an understanding of their influence is a must.  I came across a quote that stated, “Show me who or what you value, and I will tell you who you are.”  Therefore, we can agree that values are foundations upon which our lives are built upon much like a building’s integrity is based upon the structural foundation upon which it lay.

So, why should you be clear on your Core Values?

  1. Identity

Identity is most critical to defining our values and the composition of who we true are or what we hold to be of the highest regard.

  1. Sense of purpose/meaning

Knowing what you stand for allows you to be clear on what direction you want to take in your life. It also affords you clarity on what to stay away from.

  1. Clarity and harmony

When you know who you are and what you stand for, it is easier to align yourself and thus harness your energy, attention into focusing on whatever goal and pursuits you set your mind on, and do so with such confident because you are in coherent—a bedrock of your self-esteem.

For example, if you do something that is against your core values, you are likely to feel shame because you went against your own self on a sub conscious level.   The opposite is also true, if you do something that aligns with your core values regardless of how painful or humiliating it is, you will likely boost your self-esteem because you are in perfect harmony with your subconscious aka self.

In essence, your core values amplify your uniqueness—critical to you being the truest and highest version of you. Because it allows you to not only value self but values others as well.   Recall, the golden rule… do unto others as you would have them do unto you? I am convinced that only those who aspire to the truest and highest version of selves are truly equipped with the inner strength to live out the gold rule. Why? Because they have in the words of William Ury, first “gotten a yes with themselves before they can get a yes with others.”

If you are interested in figuring out what your core values are, here is a list of questions that could help you decipher yours.

_____Commitment to your spouse, family and friends

_____Commitment to your Creator

_____Commitment to spirituality

_____Trust

_____Integrity

_____Responsibility

_____Self-Respect

_____Honesty

Example:

Core value #1: Self-Discovery.

Actions I will take today:

1) I will practice mindfulness or meditation exercises every morning for 15-20 minutes before I go to work.

2) I will attend church, synagogue or place of worship etc.1 time per week for services and while I am there, I will intentionally seek to connect with 1 person and be in the moment as we engage.

3) I will walk in nature or at the park for 30 minutes twice a week.

Exercise: List of Actions/Actions

(The list will comprise of planned actions/activities you will schedule or commit to one time per day.)

Core values #1_______________________________________

Actions I will take today:

1)_________________________________________________

2)_________________________________________________

3)_________________________________________________

 

Core value #2________________________________________

Actions I will take today:

1)_________________________________________________

2)_________________________________________________

3)_________________________________________________

If you do this exercise even if it is for once a day, or every day for the next 90 days, you may notice a transformational change in your thinking about yourselves, others and about your place in the world. I urge you to take the test if you’ve never done it before.   Also, share your experience and takes from the test upon taking it.  Thank you!