What are your core values?

What are your core values?  What do you value most in life?  And why is it so important to know what these are when you’re working out your goals and objectives?

What often happens when goals and objectives are being identified is that they may look pretty impressive, and they may also get you quite excited, but if they’re not aligned to your values, you will very quickly lose momentum and eventually give up.

Here’s an example:  Sandy has a goal to become an executive manager in the company she works for.  She’s really excited about this prospect and of course the benefits and perks that come with being in such a senior position.  

Sandy then sits down and works out her top 10 core values from the list below, and what she finds is that “Having a family” is right up there in her top 10.

Now, can you see that there could be a conflict here?  While Sandy would like to be promoted to an executive position which could require a LOT of focus on her work, possibly working long hours and of course being under a lot of pressure, she would really like to start a family too.

Anybody that has a young family would understand that maintaining a balance between work and family can be difficult at the best of times, and Sandy may struggle with her climb up the corporate ladder if she also wants to focus on having children.

This is not to say that it is not possible for Sandy to have both, but she will really have to think hard about what sacrifices she’s prepared to make, if she truly wants to achieve her goal.

Here’s a little exercise for you!

1. Go through the list of core values below, and identify your top 10.
2. When going through this list, eliminate or choose items as you go, until you only have 10 left.
3. Review this list and compare it to your list of goals (I am assuming you have some goals written down or at least have an idea of what you want to achieve!), and determine if any of these values conflict with your goals.

Never skip this step when establishing your goals, because when your goals are aligned with your core values, you’re much more likely to succeed in achieving them!

Adventure Achievement Advancement Affection Arts Calm, quietude, peace Challenging problems Change and variety Cleanliness, orderliness Close relationships Commitment Communication Community Competence Competition Concern for others Contentment Continuous improvement Cooperation Creativity Customer satisfaction Democracy Development Discipline Ecological awareness Economic security Freedom Friendships Fun Growth Global view Gratitude Having a family Honour Hard work Harmony Honesty Innovation Integrity Intellectual status Involvement Loyalty Love, Romance Leadership Maximum utilization (of time, resources) Meaningful work Merit Money Nature Openness Order Perfection Quality of work Recognition Religion

Responsibility Resourcefulness Respect for individual Results-oriented Responsiveness Reputation Self-giving Self-reliance Service (to others, society) Security Self-respect Serenity Simplicity Sophistication Speed Spiritual Life Strength Stability Status Systemization Success Teamwork Time-freedom Equality Efficiency Ethical practice Excellence Excitement Faith Fame Family Feeling Flair Personal Growth Preservation Pleasure Power Positive attitude Practicality Progress Privacy Public service Purity Tolerance Tradition Truth Trust Wealth Wisdom Work Working with others Working alone