How to Identify Your Primary Core Values and Incorporate Them into Your Daily Life
Have you ever heard the term "core values"? It's often tossed around in corporate circles — "Choose the right core values for your company today!" — yet it's not always clear that core values are also for us as individuals. In fact, defining your personal core values can help bring clarity to your daily life and guide you toward living a full, purpose-aligned, and free life.
But what are core values? Where do they come from and how many should we have? Are core values really worth caring about? Below, you'll find the answers to these questions, as well as a step-by-step guide on how to identify, define, and live into your own core values.
Ready to dig deep?
What Are Core Values?
Core values, or guiding values, are the deep-seated beliefs that a person holds on to and operates from. Core values are the principles that guide a person's behavior, actions, and interaction with others. Core values are important because when we clearly define them for ourselves, we are able to intentionally lean-in to the life we desire. Core values can also make us feel more fulfilled in our lives because we are living within a set of principles that are important to us.
We so go through life knowing our likes and dislikes, favorite things, and/or what gets us excited, yet we rarely pause to consider how we can add more of these things to our day-to-day lives. I'm here to tell you that core values are the answer! When we have clarity around what makes us "tick," we can seek those things frequently and intentionally.
Where Do I Find Lists and/or Examples of Core Values?
There are a number of core values lists across the internet, but the below sources are my favorites. These lists are extensive, hearty, and alphabetical. (Ooh la la!)
Examples of Core Values: 100 Powerful Principles | This list is a favorite because it categorizes core values by area of life (e.g., core values for behavior, core values about rights, etc.).
Defining Your List of Core Values & Beliefs with 102 Examples | This list is great because it's so extensive! I like that it has unconventional core values, such as renewal, and gives examples of how to put your core values into action.
75 Impactful Company Core Values Examples | While this list is technically for companies, its examples will push your thinking & get you outside of the box.
As you come up with your personal core values, use these lists as tools to help you identify the core values that most resonate with you. Of course, these are my favorite lists — if they don't work for you, a quick Google search will give you plenty more options.
How Do I Identify My Top 3-10 Core Values?
Step One | Write Your Own Obituary
To identify your core values, you're going to begin by writing your own obituary. Yes, you read that correctly — to pinpoint what is most valuable to us, we must first imagine what living a full, free & authentic life for 75+ years would ideally look like. While it's uncomfortable to imagine that you've passed away, it also gets right to the heart of identifying our greatest wants, needs and desires.
Find a quiet spot where you have the time and space to daydream without interruption. Then, use the below sentence starters to write your own obituary. Each of your sentences can be as long or short as you desire, but I greatly encourage you to get vulnerable & lean-in to your wildest imaginings.
Step Two | Notice the Common Themes
Once you've written your obituary, read it over again and underline any words or sentences that especially resonate with you. Do you notice any common themes arising? Are there words or phrases that you used multiple times? Are there certain sentences that excite you more than others?
For example, in my own obituary, the common themes were experiencing new things, travel, connection, openness, and reading. I underlined these words and phrases to guide me as I moved into the next step.
Step Three | Create a First Draft of Your Core Values List
As you begin to have more clarity around what living a free, authentic, and fulfilled life looks like for you, go back to the list of core values. Are there certain values that connect directly with what you wrote in your obituary? Are there words that you keep coming back to or can't stop thinking about? Do any of the words bring up especially resonant memories for you? Write these words down on a separate piece of paper. Don’t be picky or over think it — write whatever stirs feeling in you. We'll narrow down this list in the next few steps.
Step Four | Identify Your Most Resonant Core Values
Review the words and values that stood out to you. Below each of these words/values, free write the emotions, experiences, and/or thoughts that they bring to mind. As you write, notice which values you're able to write about most fluidly and easily — ease of writing indicates which core values resonate most deeply with you.
For example, one of my core values is "Connection, Communication & Sharing Ideas." Beneath it, I free wrote: "Seeking improvement as an individual through sharing thoughts and ideas. Clear, honest, open communication. Sparking inspiration through talking with others. Enjoying connecting with others, bonding, and sharing culture, beliefs, goals, and support with others. Intentionally nurturing authentic, honest, and trustworthy friendships and relationships through open communication."
Give yourself the time and space to write freely and see what comes up. When you're finished free writing, put a star next to the core values that you were able to write about most fluidly and easily. This will help you to narrow down your list of core values in the next step.
Step Five | Narrow Your List Down to 3-10 Core Values
For the final step, start by taking a look at the core values you starred. If you have fewer than 10 core values, you're all set; you've identified the values that resonate most with you & that you want to guide your life! Go you!
If you have more than 10 core values, you'll need to narrow your list down. Why? Our core values are meant to guide us toward living our most authentic, free and full lives. The more core values we have (11+), the less "potently" we can incorporate them into our day-to-day life. On the other hand, if we have 10 (max) core values, we'll be able to much more easily remember, reference, & incorporate them into our lives. If you’re having trouble narrowing your list, ask yourself: Will this value guide me toward a life of ________? If the answer is "maybe," "kinda," or "not really," you'll know that that core value can be removed from your list.
You're also more than welcome to "cheat" and combine similar core values into one. You can see that I did exactly this with a few of my core values — e.g., "Creativity/Self Expression."
How Do I INCORPORATE My 3-10 Core Values into my daily life?
Now that you've identified your primary 3-10 core values, you'll want to begin incorporating them into your day-to-day life. Remember that our core values are meant to guide us toward living as our most authentic and free selves. If we don't consider or refer to our core values frequently, we won't achieve a new framework for our lives.
Step One | Write Out Your Core Values & Put Them In High-Traffic Areas
Take your core values and largely write or print them out. I'm talking 11 x 17 minimum! If you're creative, spend time decorating the poster — add designs, collages, or cut the edges in a unique pattern. Whatever you do, make sure that your poster of core values is something you'll enjoy looking at day after day. (And if you really want to commit, make your core values list the screensaver of your phone!)
Once your posters are created, put them in the high-traffic areas of your life. Maybe one poster hangs in your office, another in your bedroom, and a third in the family room. Wherever you choose, make sure it's a spot that you pass by multiple times a day and/or spend a significant period of time in. You want your core values posters to serve as a daily reminder of the ideal life that you want for yourself.
Step Two | Have Frequent Core Value Check-Ins
On a weekly basis, "check in" with your core values & compare your list to your current day-to-day actions. Below are the 7 categories that our lives typically break down into:
For each of these categories, ask yourself: Do my present day-to-day actions in this area of my life align with my core values? Which core values am I incorporating well into this area of my life? Which core values can I incorporate more? From there, you can make a list of goals and/or intentions for the upcoming week that will better-incorporate your core values.
Step Three | Make a Core Values List for Specific Areas of Your Life
As you become more accustomed to referencing and integrating your core values into your daily life, consider other areas of your life that could use a core values list as well. For example, maybe you want to have a deeper sense of achievement in your career; to reach that goal, you can create a separate core values list with career-specific values (e.g., "teamwork" or "contribution"). Similarly, you can create a core values list in-tandem with a partner, friend, and/or your family. The more core values lists you create to guide you in the various areas of your life, the more you'll become comfortable with living in & leaning toward the life of your dreams.
