5 Reasons Knowing Your Core Values will Change Your Life

Knowing your core values

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Knowing your core values will change your life.

Do you ever interact with someone and think, “Damn, how do they just know who they are?” And then you’re flopping around over here with the rest of us indecisive, confused schmucks, wondering what life lesson you missed out on?

That life lesson was the importance of core values, and you didn’t miss out on it. You probably just weren’t ready to hear it (or maybe you decided to play hooky that day of life and binge watch Lost instead).

Either way, it’s okay – it’s not too late. If you’re ready to hear it, you can get one step closer to becoming that confident, self-assured enigma of a person today.

What are core values?

Core values are the deeply held beliefs that people have about themselves and the world. Just like pillars are the foundation for a house, core values provide you the foundation – and vantage point – to live your life.

For the seven steps of self-awareness, core values are the first step.

They guide you in making choices and deciding what is right and wrong.

While you might associate values with clear rule statements (i.e., stealing is wrong, be kind to others, subscribe to Kara’s blog), core values are often one word.

Integrity, adventure, and family are examples of core values.

Think of core values as your own individualized Magic Eight Ball. You know how, when you have to make a difficult decision, you ask the Magic Eight Ball a question and shake it up to see the answer?

Your core value Magic Ball will give you a direct guide for what to follow when you have a difficult decision.

This is much better than an actual Magic Eight ball, which gives vague and unhelpful answers (“Try again later”… “You will tell me NOW, dammit!”).

Magic Eight Ball

We develop our core values over time.

We aren’t born with core values (although can you imagine the baby shower if we were? “It’s a girl, she will live a life of fun, teamwork, and authenticity!”).

Instead, we develop them over time through experience and choice.

Our core values represent what is most important to us at a certain point in life.

As such, they can change as we develop new outlooks on the world.

If you’re already thinking, “Hey, these core values thingies sound pretty cool. Think I’m gonna get me some,” read my next post about how to discover your core values (also please read up on proper grammar).

If you still need convincing, check out the five reasons below for why it’s important to be self-aware of your values.

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5 Reasons Knowing your Core Values Will Make Your Happier

1. You will experience easier decision making

Every day we are faced with thousands of decisions. Sure, some of them are easy (Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs?), but often decisions arise with higher stakes.

Perhaps you need to solve a work conflict or choose a course of action in your relationship. Or maybe you simply need to decide what to do for the two hours of free time you have every evening.

These decisions can be difficult because there is no clear right or wrong.

At times, there also can be an infinite number of things you could do in a given situation.

This freedom of choice actually can lead to less happiness, since we aren’t built to handle so many options (psychologist Barry Schwartz calls this the paradox of choice).

By knowing your core values, you can help to narrow your choices and come to an answer sooner. They can guide your decision-making and provide a sort of “life filter” for what you should do.

Let’s say Terrence knows that his friend his cheating on his other friend. He’s not sure if he should tell his friend’s partner or not about the situation.

If one of Terrence’s core values is loyalty, he might understand that the best decision for him will be to stand by his friend and provide support for him. Conversely, if Terrence’s core value is honesty, he might feel compelled to reveal the cheating to be truthful.

Unfortunately, core values don’t deliver a fortune cookie-esque slip of paper saying, “Make this exact decision.”

They can, however, provide a guide that will allow you to experience smoother decision-making.

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2. You will pursue goals in line with what is important to you

We won’t get into the whole “finding my life purpose” thing right now (more to come on that later), but it’s essential to be self-aware of your goals. As you begin to develop your self-awareness, you can build a list of ambitions you want to accomplish.

Building this list isn’t easy, but knowing your core values can significantly help the process.

Imagine if you walk into a clothing store, and each article of clothing represents a different life goal. Having no idea what you want, you will spend hours trying on different outfits, styles, and colors.

You might even make a few impulsive purchases and then try to return them later, dissatisfied with your choice (or, if you’re like me, you’ll leave an untouched shirt sitting in your closet for three years before finally discarding it).

Now imagine if you went into the store with a narrower focus. You know that you want shirts and sweaters, and you look best in pastel greens and blues. Suddenly, you have a specific starting point for trying on new clothes.

Not only will you save time and stress, but you’ll probably be more satisfied with what you walk out with.

Knowing your core values is like knowing what style of clothing you’re looking for. It helps to narrow your search, give you clarity, and make choices in line with what is important to you.

core values

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3. You will identify misalignment in your life and understand it

Have you ever felt like what something was “off” in your life? (And no, I’m not talking about that weird new mark on your skin… you should see a dermatologist for that).

Sometimes situations arise that make us feel unsettled or off-kilter. We lose the balance in our life, whether it be because of a decision we made, an environment we’re stuck in, or a series of interactions with other people. We’ve all been in situations that make us think, “This doesn’t feel quite right.”

This “not right feeling” often stems from a lack of authenticity.

On some level, we recognize that we’re not doing something that we believe in. As a result, we might experience negative emotions or engage in negative patterns.

By knowing your core values, you can identify why you feel this misalignment in your life and better address it.

For example, my friend Sarah thrives on efficiency. In fact, sometimes she spends more time trying to find an efficient way to do something even when it would have taken less time to do the inefficient way in the first place. When she feels like she’s working on something inefficient, she becomes frustrated.

By knowing that efficiency is one of her core values, she can better anticipate inefficient situations and how to react to them.

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4. You will establish your individuality

You know when someone says, “Everyone is unique,” and then someone replies with, “If everyone is unique, than no one actually is.”

Well, I’d like to respond with, “You’re both missing the point.”

First, it’s imperative to accept the fact that nobody is uniquely special. In fact, we’re all pretty average most of the time. But just because you aren’t a youtube sensational, award-winning inspirational, stand-out generational human (even if you can rhyme five-syllable words) doesn’t mean we can’t have individuality. Cue: your core values.

Knowing your core values can help establish your individuality.

Unlike basic societal norms, core values are not universally shared. In fact, there can be over 200 core values.

Start stirring some together, mixing them with other things, and you’ve got yourself a considerable number of original recipes.

If the baking metaphor didn’t get a rise out of you (and you didn’t realize at that beautifully-placed pun), allow me to use a different example.

Let’s say Johnny and Joey are identical twins who grew up in the same household. They have the same interests, the same experiences, and the same general rules for life. Not very individualized, right?

But Johnny’s core values might include humor, compassion, and courage. As such, he lives a life that is both bold and kind. Meanwhile, Joey hangs his hat on creativity, compassion, and consistency. Joey is also kind, but his life is filled with greater creativity and less fluidity.

Your core values develop out of circumstance and choice.

Living by them will help you establish your individuality.

knowing your core values

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5. You will empower yourself

Have you ever seen the footage of a sports team during a big game? The athletes are zeroed in on the game, putting all of their energy into pursuing a win.

The same is true for activists during a rally or event; they are dedicating themselves to the cause. After an outcome, both athletes and activists exhibit both sides of the emotional spectrum: jubilation after success and sadness after failure.

The reason these people are so emotionally attached is that they believe in what they’re doing. They’re working for something as well as working toward something.

Knowing your core values can empower you in a similar, albeit less emotionally-charged way.

Let’s say I’m guided by a strong belief in optimism. This doesn’t just mean I like to walk around with half-full glasses because it makes me feel good (although it might make you feel good).

It also means that I believe in the power of optimism and the benefits they can have on my life and others.

I believe in what I am doing, just like the athletes or activists believe in their causes.

Core values give purpose for your actions.

Whether you use them to make small decisions or to pursue life goals, they provide you with confidence and pride in what you’re doing.

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Core values provide both an anchor and an engine

Core values possess the unique ability to act as both an anchor and an engine in your life.

In a confusing and convoluted world, they provide an anchor for which you can stay true to yourself and your beliefs.

So, rather than feeling like a plastic bag drifting through the wind, ready to start again, you can be grounded in something steadfast.

Furthermore, knowing your core values can ground you without trapping you.

Because of their guide-like nature, you aren’t chained to them any more than you want to be. Instead, they provide a grip for you to pull yourself up with if you so choose.

As you’ve read, this core value-anchor will help you experience smoother decision-making, identify misalignment in your life, and establish your individuality.

knowing your core values anchor

Knowing your core values also can keep you inspired and moving forward. When you find yourself stalled, you can turn to your core values to propel you purposefully in a specific direction.

Your core values will help you pursue goals and empower yourself in the process.

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Discover your core values

If I’ve convinced you that knowing your core values is valuable in your life, take the next step in discovering your core values.

You will find that choosing your core values is not as simple as pulling a few words from a hat. (Although let’s take a moment to consider a Harry Potter-like Sorting Hat for core values and how great that would be.)

Keep in mind that your core values can change throughout your life.

In particular, as you try to discover yourself at each new stage (a new college, a new job, a new town, a new relationship), you should reexamine your values.

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Conclusion

Core values are deeply held beliefs that help guide you in life. They are often one-word qualities that you want to run your life by.

There are many benefits of knowing your core values, including:

  1. You will experience easier decision making
  2. You will pursue goals in line with what is important to you
  3. You will identify misalignment in your life and understand it
  4. You will establish your individuality
  5. You will empower yourself

Core values provide both an anchor and an engine for your life. As such, they can serve a vital role in developing your self-awareness on your way to greater happiness.

Do you have guiding principles in your life right now that help empower you? Are you convinced of the importance of core values? Leave your thoughts in a comment below!

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FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS

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Comment below with answers, ideas, and more questions, or contact me to collaborate on a future post!

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EXPLORING YOURSELF

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When have you felt misalignment in your life?

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Can you recognize which of your core values have changed over time?

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Have you ever been faced with a difficult decision? What did you use to help guide you?

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EXPANDING YOUR WORLD

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Why do humans respond negatively to too many choices (i.e. the paradox of choice)?

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What is self-empowerment, and what practices lead to self-empowerment?

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What are the most common catalysts for someone changing their core values?

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