Every moment of every day, whether we realize it or not, we make hundreds of decisions on how to spend our time and energy. Having well-defined core and personal values allows us to direct our lives accordingly. They help create a set of guidelines and boundaries that align our decisions to maximize our time and energy.

Once I determined my core and personal values it opened up my eyes to how I was wasting my life away. I traded nights out for knowledge seeking, outside approval for internal fulfillment, meaningless work for my passion, and living for others for living my life. It was as if I found my personal freedom.

We must know what matters most in our lives and it boils down to our values. Our life is what we make of it, so we need to focus on spending our time and energy wisely. Both time and energy are willing, but not bountiful.

If you have not read my first two articles take some time to check them out: Acknowledge the Importance of Core and Personal Values and 5 Steps to Define Your Core and Personal Values before digging into this one. It will help to understand and identify your core and personal values so that you’ll find more success in this actionable stage.

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Step 1: Create Value Statements for Your Core and Personal Values

It’s time to take your values and create a value statement for each one. This is step 6 in Scott Jeffrey’s article, “7 Steps to Discover your Personal Core Values.” By creating memorable phrases or sentences, we can specify what the values mean to us. Giving our values a richer context creates more meaning and an emotional connection.

Here are Scott Jeffrey’s tips and guidelines for crafting your values statements:

• Use inspiring words and vocabulary. Our brains are quick to delete or ignore the mundane and commonplace.
• Mine for words that evoke and trigger emotional responses. They will be more meaningful and memorable.
• Play to your strengths in crafting your values.
• Make your value statement rich and meaningful to you so they inspire you to uphold them.

In my opinion, I think values statements are similar to mantras. They help us to stay motivated, inspired, and more inclined to take action to live according to our values. We can use our similar/alternative words to help craft your actionable value statement. Or find a mantra that helps define what your value means to you.

For example: If authenticity is one of our core values, an actionable value statement could be: Authenticity requires vulnerability, transparency, and integrity. An example of creativity could be this quote from Brene Brown, “Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world.”

Step 2: Take Inventory of Your Life

            Are you living according to your values? Take your actionable value statements and create a list to do a quick inventory of your life. Using a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being perfection and 1 being a disaster), score each value statement by how satisfied you are with this area or if you feel like it could use some improvement.

            This is a score, not a ranking, so some areas may have the same score. It should be based solely on your assessment, opinions, and feelings. Do not be afraid to put down a low score for any of these, we must be honest with ourselves if we want to improve any area of our lives. We are just using this as a baseline and as a way measure our progress.

For example:

Step 3: Set Actionable Goals  

Now that we have prioritized and identified our lower baseline scores, it’s time to move forward. Take some time to create actionable goals to focus on improving our current situation. Brainstorm a few ways to honor lower-ranked values and make them a priority. Prioritizing will help to ensure that we are spending our time on the important things that will have the biggest payoff in our lives.

There are many proven methods of goal setting. There is no “right” or “wrong” method, some just work better and resonate well with others. I suggest using the one that has worked for you. Here are some links if you want to explore other methods:

• S.M.A.R.T. Goals 101 by Brian Tracy
• W.O.O.P. by Woopmylife.org

            As we determine our goals, ask if any of them would jeopardize or compromise any other value? Consider inner fulfillment versus the external appearance of each goal. How will accomplishing this goal make you feel if no one were ever to know about it?

            Focus on increasing the rank of the lower scores until they are more aligned with the others. Once they are balanced out in rank, create your goals for all your values and work towards increasing each.

 For example:

Step 4: Start Using Your Core and Personal Values to Get Into Alignment

            It is now time to put your actions into place. Look over your values and goals and then make a plan to work on them regularly. It is helpful to put the list we created somewhere that you can look at daily. You can make multiple copies and place them where you are the most (home, office, car, journal, phone background, etc.).

            Read them over every week as part of a weekly review. During this time, take a moment to reflect on what worked and what didn’t work. If something did not work, pinpoint why and determine how you can improve upon it.

            Use the valuable chart to guide how you live your life, who you will spend time with, how you spend money, energy, free time, etc. If you are struggling with a big decision, like moving to a new city or changing careers, look at your prioritized values to help come to an evidence-based decision.

Step 5: Check-In/Reflect /Adapt/Change Your Core and Personal Values When Needed

Set a date in your calendar to check in and reflect on your core and personal values. I suggest setting a monthly or quarterly appointment in your calendar and setting up a notification to help keep you on track.

Create an area in your chart to track your progress. Similar to your weekly review, use this review to see what work and what did not. Make comments and see if you need to adjust your goals or work on increasing other value statement scores.

For example:

            Our core values are the highest-ranked priority values that usually do not change. Personal values are ranked underneath our core values and may change as our life circumstances change. For instance, risk could be a highly ranked personal value for a single person. If the person got married or had a child, risk could fall down the list or be completely replaced by security. Check to see if your priority ranking still holds true.

            As we continue to measure our progress, we will have a better understanding of our values. It is okay to tweak any core or personal values that do not feel consistent with you. Nothing is ever set in stone, so make changes when necessary.

Wrapping Up Core and Personal Values

This is the end of my three-part series on core and personal values: Acknowledge the Importance of Core and Personal Values, 5 Steps to Define Your Core and Personal Values, and 5 Steps to Direct Your Life According to Your Core and Personal Values.

I hope that you found this content valuable and start taking the steps to Acknowledge, Define, and Direct your core and personal values so that they A.D.D. more value into your life!

Let’s Talk About It:

What are the actionable steps will you take to prioritize your values and align them with your life?

Let me know by leaving a comment below!

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Thank you for all your time and energy!