Finding Your Values
Here’s a list of values to get you started in thinking about what yours might be. These have been pulled from many sources, but can never be exhaustive, so keep your mind open to other possibilities when reflecting on yours. I have purposefully included some words/similar words written in different parts of speech as I find they can hit differently, which can be useful in exploration. It’s a big list, and is meant to help provoke thought.
If you’re feeling stuck, reflect on the following:
- What do I aspire to?
- What am I already living & reinforcing in myself and others?
- What might my elder, wiser self say is important?
- What triggers me?
- When do I feel most like myself?
- What parts of myself am I proud of?
You’ll find that there may be different parts of your life that you may apply different values (or a different priority of values) to. To start, choose values that apply to all parts of your life – that reflect the core of you. Choose 3-5 values, as any more waters them down and they run the risk of not being as weighty for you.
If you’re still having trouble picking, try this exercise. List 3-5 values each in the areas of career/business, family, yourself, friends, community (and any other category you find important in your life). Reflect on:
- Are there any values in common?
- If I took values from one category and applied them to the others,
- are there some that don’t fit?
- are there some that fit really well?
- are there any that fit in only one category?
- are there any that surprise you with their meaning when you apply them to a different area of your life?
- If there is a value that doesn’t feel right in one of these categories, is it important enough to me to still be a core value of mine?
- Out of all of these values across all categories, which ones rise to the top as most important to me and most applicable to all areas of my life?
Abundance
Acceptance
Accountability
Accuracy
Achievement
Adaptability
Advancement
Adventure
Affection
Alone Time
Altruism
Ambition
Animal Rights
Anti-Racism
Appreciation
Artistry
Assertiveness
Authenticity
Authority
Autonomy
Awareness
Balance
Beauty
Being the best
Belonging
Bliss
Boldness
Bravery
Calmness
Career
Caring
Challenge
Change
Change the World
Charisma
Charity
Chasing Your Dreams
Citizenship
Clarity
Cleanliness
Clear Communication
Cleverness
Coaching
Collaboration
Comedy
Commitment
Commonality
Communication
Community
Compassion
Competence
Competition
Confidence
Conformity
Connection
Consciousness
Consistency
Constructive Criticism
Contentment
Contribution
Cooperation
Courage
Creation
Creativity
Credibility
Curiosity
Decisiveness
Dedication
Dedication to Excellence
Deep Connections
Dependability
Determination
Dignity
Diversity
Down to Earth
Dynamic Responses
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Emotional Intelligence
Empathy
Encouragement
Endurance
Enjoyment
Entertainment
Enthusiasm
Entrepreneurship
Environment
Environmental Protection
Equal Relationship
Equality
Ethics
Excellence
Excitement
Exhilaration
Experimentation
Exploration
Extraordinary Experiences
Facilitation
Fairness
Faith
Faithfulness
Fame
Family
Family First
Fast Pace
Fidelity
Finances
Financial Security
Finesse
Fitness
Flexibility
Forgiveness
Free Time
Freedom
Friendliness
Friendship
Frugality
Fun
Fun-Loving
Future generations
Generosity
Gentleness
Gift-Giving
Giving back
Giving People a Chance
Going with the Flow
Goodness
Grace
Gracefulness
Gratitude
Growth
Growth Mindset
Happiness
Hard Work Ethic
Harmony
Health
Health and Fitness
Home
Honesty
Honor
Hope
Humanity
Humility
Humor
Imagination
Implementation
Improvement
Inclusion
Independence
Influence
Ingenuity
Initiative
Inner Harmony
Inner Truth
Innovation
Insightfulness
Inspire Others
Integrity
Intelligence
Intimacy
Intuition
Invention
Involvement
Job security
Joy
Justice
Kindness
Knowledge
Laughter
Lawfulness
Leadership
Learning
Learning From Mistakes
Legacy
Leisure
Life Long Learning
Listening
Liveliness
Love
Love of Career
Loyalty
Making a difference
Management
Meaningful Work
Mentorship
Modesty
Mutual Support
Natural Living
Nature
Non-Conformity
Non-Violence
Open-mindedness
Openness
Optimism
Order
Organization
Originality
Parenting
Passion
Patience
Patriotism
Peace
Peace of Mind
Peacefulness
Perseverance
Persistence
Personal Development
Personal Expression
Personal Fulfillment
Personal Growth
Planning
Play
Playfulness
Pleasure
Poise
Popularity
Positive Attitude
Positive Impact
Power
Pride
Pride in Your Work
Problem-Solving
Professionalism
Profit
Promise-keeping
Prosperity
Protecting Others
Quality
Quality Time
Reciprocity
Recognition
Relationship
Reliability
Religion
Renewal
Reputation
Resourcefulness
Respect
Responsibility
Restraint
Righteousness
Risk-taking
Romance
Safety
Saving Money
Security
Self-Control
Self-Development
Self-Discipline
Self-Expression
Self-Love
Self-Motivation
Self-Preservation
Self-Reliance
Self-Respect
Self-Worth
Selflessness
Serenity
Service
Service to Others
Showing Appreciation
Simplicity
Sincerity
Social Justice
Socializing
Speed
Spirituality
Spontaneity
Sportsmanship
Stability
Status
Stewardship
Strength
Success
Support
Sustainability
Sweetness
Teamwork
This Too Shall Pass
Thoughtfulness
Thrift
Tidiness
Time
Timeliness
Tolerance
Tradition
Transparency
Travel
Trial and Error
Trust
Trust Your Gut
Trustworthiness
Truth
Understanding
Uniqueness
Usefulness
Vision
Vivaciousness
Vulnerability
Warmth
Wealth
Well-being
Welcoming
Wellness
Wholeheartedness
Willingness
Wisdom
Wit
Work Smarter and Harder
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Work-Life Balance