Coaching Tip: Identify Your Core Values
Published on 3 Aug 2008 at 9:31 am.
10 Comments.
Filed under Attraction, Coaching Tips, Personal Development Strategies, Spirituality & Inspiration.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
One of the first places I start with new clients is doing values work. Many people have never even thought about what their values are. Have you? I mean really looked at your values?
Why is it important?
Your values are the principles, beliefs and attitudes that guide your decisions, actions and behaviors. Your core values reflect who you are and represent your heart. They define and distinguish who you are as a person – what matters most to you, what you stand for (and stand on) as your inner foundation. When you act in a way that is in conflict with your heart, your life feels more like a struggle, unhappiness grows, you can feel disconnected from your SELF. When you make choices and take actions that line up with your values, you will experience greater peace and abundance.
According to works of Louis E. Raths, Sidney B. Simon, Merrill Harmin, Howard Kirschenbaum and Leland Howe (The VALUES REALIZATION INSTITUTE), a value must meet seven criteria:
- It must be prized and cherished
- It must be chosen from among alternatives
- It must be chosen freely, without coercion
- It must be chosen after thoughtful consideration of the consequences of each alternative, not impulsively, and after careful critical thinking.
- We must be willing to publicly affirm it
- We must act on it, and act on it repeatedly
- It must be consistent with the other values we profess or claim to hold
So, do you know what you value most? What do your care about deeply and passionately?
I suggest writing down your 5-10 core values – the ones that represent the essence of who you are. Next, define them so they aren’t just words on a page. Create language to capture the spirit of each value – what does it mean to you – AS YOU?
For example:
Integrity is a core value for me. My definition is: “Showing up” and taking 100% responsibility for my thoughts, feelings, and actions in all areas of my life. Sharing my gifts, talents, passions, and skills in service to humanity.
Give yourself some time to refine your definitions so you reveal the heart of what each value means to you. (It’s not unusual for me to work with clients for several weeks on this exercise!).
Identifying core values is one of the steps in my blue print for making rock-solid decisions. Discover all five steps in How Do I Choose? eBook. It’s one of my signature products folks rave about.
Have a great week!
Blessings,
Lorraine
www.powerfull-living.biz
Maria on 4 Aug 2008 at 7:59 am: 1
Lorraine,
Your coaching tips are very helpful. I’ve been guided over last several days that I need to do a Vision Board and have been struggling on how to start. I think today’s tips on core values are a great place to start!
Thank you!
lorraine on 4 Aug 2008 at 8:12 am: 2
That’s a great place to start Maria
Take a look at the post I wrote about creating a Treasure Map or Vision Board. You can also see mine.
http://www.powerfull-living.biz/blog/2008/01/04/using-treasure-mapping-to-attract-your-vision/
Thanks for stopping by and adding your comments!
Warmly,
Lorraine
Robert@MindPowerMarketing on 5 Aug 2008 at 7:58 am: 3
Hi Lorraine
Great tip as taking time to understand and align with your values can make a huge diffrence to the success of your business - and your enjoyment of it as well.
Regards
Robert
Anne-Marie on 5 Aug 2008 at 8:01 am: 4
Even if you go about this backwards - looking at your work and wondering what it has in common - you realize that you may be working from core values already. It’s a “nice accident” when you see things work out that way.
Brennan Kingsland on 5 Aug 2008 at 9:55 am: 5
Dear Lorraine,
I LUV my vision board. I started one back in 1980 (we called them “Wish and Want cards” back then).
My current, and frequently updated, vision board is on the wall above my monitor so I can look at it on and off all day while I’m working.
Thanks to the internet and color printers, I can now quickly add the most current photo, if I find something more in line with what I’m visualizing.
Ain’t modern technology wonderful? No more digging through magazines - it’s all on the World Wide Web. (Pictures work better for me).
I love my vision board and I love the results!
Your friend,
Brennan
lorraine on 5 Aug 2008 at 10:24 am: 6
There is something about translating our desires and wants into something visual - ya know. I think it makes it more real and compelling.
Sounds like you have fun with yours Brennan which is important. We can become soooooooooooooooooo serious.
Your comments are always so welcome Brennan
lorraine on 5 Aug 2008 at 10:28 am: 7
That’s my position Robert
There is a synergy between what matters most to us and what our life reflects. So often folks wonder why they are unhappy and feel conflicted. Knowing what you stand for affect every area of your life - who you are and what you do. They are not separate.
Have a great week
Blessings,
Lorraine
lorraine on 5 Aug 2008 at 10:30 am: 8
So true Anne-Marie
It’s fun to realize you’ve been “listening to yourself” without being fully conscious. Then you can become more deliberate in aligning your values with all areas of your life.
It’s very freeing
Blessings,
Lorraine
Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Map on 5 Aug 2008 at 10:47 pm: 9
Getting to know what one’s core values are is an important part of getting to know oneself. Here are my thoughts about integrity:
Integrity is likewise very important to me. It is also about “showing up”. It is about doing what I say that I would do, to the very best of my abilities. It is being true to who I really am and treating others with due respect.
lorraine on 6 Aug 2008 at 10:48 am: 10
I like your definition of integrity Evelyn
It’s similar to mine
That’s a core value we share. No wonder we like each other