How can you identify your core values?

One way to discover your core values is to keep track of your emotions. When were you last *really* happy or fulfilled? When you were *really* upset or angry. Then note what caused those emotions or reactions. At the root is likely a form of one of our core values.

I have found identifying 3-5 people I admire and jotting down the characteristics or qualities I find inspiring in them helps to elicit a not only a good list of core values, but the feeling or emotional connection with the value (vs a purely mental exercise). Also I have experienced revisiting the exercise where new or different people come to mind and find it interesting to consider how what emerges as values can be dynamic, aligning the experiences of life in that time.

Whenever I interview candidates, I ask them questions like, "What did you like and not like about the jobs that you've had so far?", 'What has made you happy/stressed in the past 12 months?" and "Paint a picture for me of your ideal workweek" and "When determining whether to accept an offer or not, what would be an absolute non-negotiable for you and what's a deal killer?" I find that these questions are incredibly helpful for anyone who wants to gain clarity on their core values, which in turn should lay the foundation for career success and overall job satisfaction.

Reflect, reflect, and reflect some more. Think about what you enjoyed and what you didn't from past employment. Did you seem to thrive in a teamwork enviroment or prefer to work alone? Are you someone who works better in a clearly defined role or do you like to learn as you go? In what type of enviroment do see yourself thriving? What gives you energy and what drains it? All of these can help you begin to identify your values.

Personalmente, me ha funcionado un sencillo ejercicio para identificar mis valores fundamentales: Imagínese Ud en su propio entierro, ¿qué le gustaría que las personas que lo scompañan dijeran? ¿Cómo le gustaría que hablen de Ud? Y principalmente, ¿qué le gustaria que dijera su epitafio? Ahí está la clave.

Identifying your core values involves reflecting on fulfilling and frustrating experiences, noting recurring themes. Consider admired role models and the qualities you appreciate in them. Recall peak moments and analyze the contributing elements. Examine your priorities; they often align with your values. Use online tools for values assessments to gain insights. Discuss values with others to broaden your perspective. Regularly review and refine your values list as they can evolve.

This is very essential because: It leads to an increased Self-Awareness which involves understanding your core values and gives you a clearer picture of who you are, what motivates you, and what brings you a sense of fulfillment. It can also improve your decision-making power because, when faced with choices, your core values can act as a guiding compass, helping you make decisions aligned with what truly matters to you. And let's not forget that it also helps in Enhancing Relationships. Because, knowing your core values allows you to connect with others who share similar value. Plus,It also fosters better communication and understanding in your existing relationships.

One tool that I've found extremely useful is the VIA Institutes character strengths values survey. A highly recommended freer esource for self-reflection and selfcare.

After reviewing a list (many are available online), allow yourself to start with as many words as you sense have extra energy for you, even if it's a hundred. Then, take a day or two to NOT think about it. Come back to your list and again, notice which words have more energy than the others. You'll also start to see how the words are related to one another and are just different ways of expressing the same sense. What you're looking for are words that help you connect to a place within you that enlivens you, gives you vitality, and holds wisdom and guidance for you. The word you choose to describe your Core Value isn't as important as the experience it points to.

Quizás la manera más real y transparente para que podamos identificar nuestros valores por los que nos regimos en nuestro día a día sea a través de nuestras acciones que tomamos en cada decisión. Vale decir, no basta con hacer una lista de los valores que creo forman parte de mi ser (memorizar lo podemos hacer todos) sino ser críticos agudos con nosotros mismos en relación a de qué manera enfrentamos cada decisión. Analicemos qué prevalece en nuestro pensamiento y en nuestro sentir cada vez que tomamos decisiones. Desde mi aprendizaje y experiencia, tengo una manera diaria de corroborarlo. Me pregunto antes de acostarme al finalizar el día "¿hoy dormiré tranquilo sabiendo que hice lo que considero ha sido lo correcto?"

When you define your Core Values, it will be easy to believe that they are meant to measure your success or failure, or even your worthiness. For example, was I honest today? If the answer is no, then you've failed. Instead, creating a relationship to the experience that your particular value words point to will allow you to enliven them. As you do, you experience greater clarity, vitality, and meaning. Start by describing how you feel when that value is fully enlivened in your life. This can be challenging because you'll need to rely on your Sensory and Emotional Intelligences. This isn't what your Rational Intelligence thinks is important or worthy. It's what your Deep Inner Wisdom knows.

When you are defining your values this can be both reflective - what are the core values that I have carried with me for a long time, as well as aspirational - what values do I want to develop to guide in the next chapter.

Yeah this part is absolutely essential. You may value understanding but what that means is context dependent. Consider why you value it and how you know what. Reflect on a time of misunderstanding, and how would understanding have helped solve the problem?

Reflect on times when you've felt really good about yourself or proud of something you've done. What was happening then? What made those moments special? Those feelings could point you toward your core values. Once you have identified them, you can prioritize according to the most and the less significant values

Defining your values is like sifting through sand to find the precious gems. It's a process of exploration and refinement that helps you identify the core values that truly shine through and guide your life.

When testing your values, reflect how these values have shown up in your past experiences and interactions. Did they cause a positive or negative experience? Knowing what you know now, how would you react differently? How can you use your values to guide your future decisions and interactions?

question: are you human? if so, humanity is likely something you identify with. question? do you like it when you can experience an atmosphere of trust with friends and your loved ones? if so, then trust is likely one of them. values are present, they got to be revealed if perceived to be absent. creating values is a bit like printing your own money.

Half-hearted implemented values can ruin a company’s culture, and your public reputation. If a company doesn’t live up to a stated set of values, it diminishes market trust. Not only is it 10x harder to regain a customer after you’ve lost them, but it is also 20x harder to regain market trust once diminished. Just ask some big banks and automotive companies caught in a scandal.

In my work, I share 4 Phases of Core Values Mastery: 1. Awareness: Accepting that Core Values exist and have power over the quality and conditions of your life. Awareness is knowing the names of your Core Values. And, how they're related to one another. 2. Fluency: This goes beyond knowing what you call your Core Values to consciously articulating how you feel when you're experiencing them. Why they feel important to you. 3. Immersion: This is where you'll identify where they're being enlivened in your life and where they're not. You'll articulate what, if anything, you want to shift and how. 4. Actualization: Creating direct and measurable applications of your Core Values to situations and people in real time.

Once we've identified our core values, including explanations of what they mean to us, we're wise also to map them to our story. Go back to the highlights and lowlights of our lives and note where our values showed up and where they didn't but perhaps should have. When did we honor and uphold our values, and when did we fall short on that? (Nobody's perfect, so we're wise to give ourselves grace.) Also, who influenced our values (e.g., parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, friends, society)? Mapping our values to our life in this way will help make them more concrete and tell a deeper story that will help us understand and uphold them going forward.

In my experience and maybe yours as well, Core Values tend to be spoken of as ideas that live somewhere outside of us. We use language like 'I need to live up to my values.' 'I need to be aligned with my values.' 'I need to meet my values.' So, in Core Values Mastery, I have shifted the language around Core Values. They are no longer externalized ideas that you need to reach for or work toward. Instead, they are powerful, rich currents that already live inside you. And they have been directing your life this whole time before you even knew what they were or what you would call them. So, much like flowing with the currents on a river, when we live in ways that enliven our Core Values, we’re going to experience more ease in life.

I experimented this exercise with clients. A starting point was to firstly define it and each individuals defined them differently. It seemed conceptual at first. However, when we could stay close in, in stillness and very close in to our senses, and started to ask ourselves differently, we simply experienced that it was the very thing we have hold dear. And it talked back : yes! this is “who we are”. This is “what we are”. Core values are a combination of “meaning making” process and “sensing process”. When it is a practice through vocally express and we feel align with what we sense inside. Notice the energy; a sense of alignment, authenticity, and solidity inside. That core value becomes a truth and we positively feel impacted by it.

Company values are the linchpin, the secret sauce, and the through-line bond that ignites an organization into a powerful unified force. (Read "The Beautiful Business") A recent LinkedIn survey found that employees would rather sacrifice lower pay (65%) and forego a fancy title (26%) than deal with a bad workplace environment. Going further, the same survey showed that employees care about whether companies foster environments where employees can be themselves (47%) and have a positive impact on society (46%). When values are fully baked into the organization, they show up everywhere—inside and outside the company walls.

Analyzing our past experience is the best way to identify the core values of an individual. So rather than overthinking focus on your past experience. Because today's maturity is defined by yesterday's moments.