What Are Your Core Values? What’s Most Important?

I hope by now you are beginning to realize the importance of knowing what you want in your life, and you’re beginning to take the steps to figure it all out.  But how do you decide when to do what and for how long?

You can start by creating a values and priorities oriented life. It may sound simple, but for many people it’s quite challenging.

When was the last time you sat down and inventoried your values? How often do you prioritize your day, week, month and year? If you find yourself having difficulty making decisions, completing tasks and projects, and/or often feeling overwhelmed with too much to do in too little time, then I strongly suggest you create a values and priorities oriented life system. This is a process of establishing your values and then prioritizing your daily actions based on those values.

Why struggle when you can live your life with greater ease?

Essentially your values are the elements of your life you regard as most important.

Values can include (this is just a tiny list): Accountability, Accomplishment, Adventure, Beauty, Cleanliness, Commitment, Concern for others, Creativity, Discovery, Excellence, Family, Fun, Gratitude, Health, Honesty, Humor, Joy, Love/Romance, Money, Non-violence, Partnership, Personal Growth, Prosperity, Resourcefulness, Security, Spirituality, Tranquility, Trust, Well-being.

Spend some time reflecting on what’s really most important to you, and rank your values accordingly. Identify your top ten values—the ten you most stand for.

• What would you risk embarrassing yourself for?

• What would you want everyone to know about you?

• What would you risk being rejected for?

• What would you risk dying for?

These are the big values you want to identify. Use your coach and your support-system to help hone in on this. Live a values-driven life by using your values to guide and direct your decision-making processes.

One big reason people stray from living a values-driven life is to avoid conflict with others. They’re simply afraid of what others may think. By avoiding this perceived conflict, these same people then create a debilitating inner conflict for themselves because they are not living according to their values.

Who do you want to live your life according to? You or others?

Here are a couple of classic clichés for you to ponder: If you don’t stand for you, who will? If you don’t stand for you, might you then fall for something or someone else?