To kick off the year I thought it would be a good idea to look at some of our personal foundations, and I was drawn to values. Values can help us navigate decisions, find our friends and support systems, and share our true identity in the world. By spending a few weeks looking at our values I hope you get some more clarity for the year ahead!
5 ways to figure out my personal values
Before I had done any values work, the question, “What are my values?” felt difficult. It pushed on my people-pleasing button and put me into a tailspin of questioning what I stand for and who I am. But when I dug into the introspective side and did the work, I found out so much more about my inner compass and my true desires. Clear values can help establish discernment, i.e. true Yes and true No, and help make choices that could be otherwise daunting.
If you know your values already, I invite you to revisit them for the next few weeks. Go back to where you brainstormed them or check in to see if they still ring true for you at this stage of your life. I’ll be sharing some more fun values-based ideas in the next few weeks, so keep them handy and check back in.
If you’re unclear or want to revisit your values, here’s 5 ways to get started:
Try an online values tests. Just an hour and an email address can unlock some wisdom. A few I have tried are, The Minimalists Values Worksheet, 123 Test Values, and Stanford Tree Values, These could be a good place to start to learn more about yourself and what’s important to you. Maybe you value teamwork over individual work and now you know what type of work environment would be most beneficial for you.
Take a look at the people in your life. If you use them as a mirror, what do you see? Are you drawn to their caring nature or curiosity? Are you inspired by their artistic abilities or take-no-shit-attitude? Maybe those are qualities you value in your life or could be a jumping off point to explore more.
Causes and movements. Consider what causes you care most about or are active in. Is there a political movement you are drawn to? What about that cause that lights you up? Take a look at the organizations most active in those movements and review their mission statements. How do they resonate with you? Maybe there’s something inspiring you can apply to your own life.
Think back to pivotal moments in your life. Maybe you had to make a difficult choice or react when someone treated you poorly. What was your guiding light in those moments? Why did you choose to take that action? Consider what that might say about your values now.
Try a personality test. Sometimes by looking into what Meyers-Briggs type or Enneagram number we are can help define more of our values or help shine a brighter light on something brewing in us. Human Design, Astrology, and Numerology can provide a kick start to deepening our relationship with our values.
Next, we’ll be looking at how to take our values and turn them into a personal mission statement.
I’d love to know how you found your values and if you tried any of the above to learn more about yourself. What have been your biggest a-ha’s or take-aways in this process and are you changing anything to be more true to your values?