Have you ever felt a drop in your stomach when someone says, “Tell me about yourself”. Your mind goes straight to a few things: Job Title, Family Title, Religious beliefs, etc, right?
While all of these are important and they make parts of your life, these are what you do not who you are.
Core values make up who you are as a person. It’s this blend of traits that make you unique and is a guide for you to live a fulfilling life tailor-made for you.
I get coaching clients who say they’ve gone through life always being busy, but never having anything to show for it. They have things they’re grateful for, sure, but still, something’s missing from their life. This is where core values are SO important.
Since this is one of the main pillars I teach my clients, I created a FREE core values journal you can use to find your unique blend of values.
After you read this post (or listen to the episode on Imperfection with Intention below) be sure to download the journal and fill it out so you can start living through your values.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
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WHAT ARE CORE VALUES
Like I said earlier, these are the blend of fundamental personality traits that make up who you are at the core. No matter what situation you’re in, or what your life looks like, these traits don’t change.
You may be asking yourself, why are core values important, or why should I care. I’ve got three reasons why you should be paying attention to your core values, but I’ve got a TON more to say about these. So if you ever need extra help with these let me know!
1. Core Values Teaches you to Trust Your Intuition
Have you ever had to choose between a rock and a hard place and couldn’t decide which way to go? Or does this sound like you with most decisions in life?
Staying stuck in indecision can be torturous, especially when it comes to big decisions that change the course of life.
To me, a sign of not being confident is torturing yourself over your decisions. When I’m indecisive, it’s because I don’t trust that I’m smart enough to make the right decision.
This is a sign of fear and limiting beliefs, and knowing your core values (and following them) is an easy way to overcome.
Knowing your core values will make difficult decisions easier because you’ll know what values are more important to you and can make decisions based on that. The next time you’re in the midst of a difficult decision, ask yourself, “Which one of these options is aligned with my core values?”
Need more help with this? There’s a section of the Core Values Journal that walks you through how to prioritize your values to make decisions easier.
2. They pull you out of “Failure Funk”
Being confident in your core values help you separate who you are as a person from your results or actions. Think about the last time you failed at something. What were the thoughts running through your head? I’ll guess you said something like, “Ugh, I can’t believe I messed up, I’m such a failure“.
Here’s what’s important: just because you fail at something, that doesn’t define who you are, even for a moment! Who you are didn’t change in the moment of your fail. Who you are is based on your core values, and those don’t change.
So the next time you’re feeling the “failure funk” remember that you are more than what you do!
3. Core values are ESSENTIAL to setting goals
Have you ever achieved something and felt empty afterward? For me, it was every promotion I got when I was obsessively trying to grow my career. I’d feel great for a while afterward. I worked hard for it, and I tried to convince myself that it was proof I was moving my life in the right direction.
Then after a while, that same empty feeling came back up. Somewhere deep down, I felt like something was off. Like I knew my life wasn’t going in the direction I wanted, but I couldn’t figure out exactly why.
I didn’t know what was going on at the time, but I figured it out later. It was because what I was working on wasn’t aligned with my core values.
Making goals aligned with who you are is the best way to live your purpose and fulfilled life.
One of my favorite reminders of this from the woman who wrote the book, “The Regrets of the Dying“. In it she describes the #1 regret, can you guess what it is?
I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me”
-The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying
I know that was heavy, but for me, it serves as a reminder to set goals and paths in my life based off my core values and who I am, not what I am to other people.
PIN FOR LATER
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN
Knowing about core values is great, but what will really make a difference in your life is what you do with it! So, I wanna know, what are 3 ways you’re going to live in line with your values?
Leave your answers in the comments below or come on over to Instagram (I’m @MonicaChats) and send me a DM.
If you liked this episode of the podcast and want more tips like these in your life, then make sure to download the awesome journal that goes along with this episode! You’ll get my free Core Values Journal instantly and other tips, stories, and exclusives that I only share with my email tribe. Want in? Click the pic below to grab your copy!
xo,
Monica
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