Are you frustrated and confused about a situation and are being forced to take a decision, which is causing you stress and anxiety? Discover your core values – the value system consisting of morals, ethics, and guiding principles that govern your every move and you will resolve your dilemma with ease!
Core values are the “why” to how you behave and choose from the choices presented to you in day-to-day life. If you have ever thought to yourself “why did I just do that?” the answer lies beneath the years of acquired experience, moulding, defining and redefining your guiding principles. From the choices you make - right or wrong, to the career path you chose or will choose to take, and the degree of difficulty you can endure when faced with challenges. Core values define you and will also answer, “Why did I just do that?”
Core values are different and vary from person to person. They are made up from ethics, personal and cultural beliefs, spiritual and ideological views. Environments and experiences also contribute to ones overall moral conduct. Everything combined creates a value system, which most people are unaware of but take decisions and behave based on the rules of this system.
Ethics are value placed on something, which can represent priority – a level of importance: the degree of effort, the degree of attention, and the right or wrong thing to do in order to live a good and happy life.
Personal and cultural values are a set of beliefs, which are measurable but only to one’s mind eye - they are subjective. These include internal beliefs: What is good enough, self-limits, integrity, expectations, needs, etc.
Spiritual and Ideological values are goals, actions, a vision - a personal perspective to life and what is or isn’t common sense. A set of ideas, abstract thoughts, and automatic responses applied to everyday life: family, friendship, profession, politics and spirituality, but applying little to no conscious thought to the response.
Moral conduct is how you express yourself, right and wrong, in everyday life based on your guiding principles. Your ethics, personal and cultural, spiritual and ideological values determine what these are. And, they can be defined and redefined again and again, with each experience and with wisdom.
How to identify core values?
1. Use a life map to discover core values. Think back to when you were in your adolescent years. Pick an age when you started to take action for yourself (e.g., use public transportation for the first time alone, choice of school, first job, any diplomas, certificate, and achievements, recognition, sports teams, etc.). Make a list of experiences and next to each one write the age you were. Continue writing down every experience that you can remember, as you became a young adult (e.g. finished college, career path, partner, major investments, traveling Write down anything that comes to mind, and the age you were for each experience.
2. Using the life map template, plot each experience into one of the following three categories: success, challenge, and perceived failure.
4. Download a list of core values. At the bottom of each age coloumn write the top core values you feel align best with those experiences. Review your life map and determine which core values were expressed.
6. Prioritize the top 10 core values. Review each one and become aware of your emotions as you review the list of core values. Become aware of your energy of excitement, happiness, anxiousness, and stress.
Now, think back to your current dilemma. Perhaps you are frustrated and confused about the situation you’re in because there is a conflict in core values. Maybe you’re struggling with choosing the right or wrong thing to do, maybe it’s a tough decision between family or career, or just maybe you’re struggling with a belief system that doesn’t serve you well and its causing you extreme stress and anxiety.
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