Living life according to your core values is one of the best ways to experience personal fulfillment and alignment with your inner truth. Defining your personal core values will not only help you figure out what’s truly important to you but also reduce anxiety and lead to making better decisions in your life.
Here’s the easiest core values exercise that will literally take you 10 minutes to do:
Personal Core Values Exercise
Now, here’s what you’re going to need for this exercise: a piece of paper and a pen. The rest you’ll find in this article.
I want you to list the three most important things in your life right now. Example: freedom, health, love. Try not to overthink it, just list three.
If you’re having trouble defining them, here’s a list of core values that you can choose from:
For many people it’s hard to choose only three, that’s why there’s another approach you can try. Pick 5-10, whatever number feels comfortable to you.
Then, ask yourself: How important is that value to me? On a scale of 1-10.
Example:
Health – 10
Spirituality – 8
Love – 9
Freedom – 10
Success – 6
Family – 8
Adventure – 5
Wisdom – 8
Now, pick your top 3 (and if there are more – narrow them down and keep grading them until you’re left with only three) and proceed to the next step.
How To Implement Your Core Values Into Your Life
The most straightforward answer is to incorporate everyday activities that are in accordance with your core values.
In our example, health is one of the top 3 values. How can you live your life according to this value? Make healthy choices every single day: eat healthy food, have enough sleep, take care of your body and your mind.
Another example: love. Do things out of love, not out of fear. Go out with people who are important to you and show that you appreciate them. Be kind and compassionate to strangers. Spend time with your partner or family, but also don’t forget to have quality time with yourself. Love and accept every part of your past, cherish your scars, and be kind to yourself, no matter what happens. Love your job, love your country, love your home. Find a way to enjoy everything that surrounds you, even if you’re having a bad day.
And if one of your top values is freedom, spend time doing things that make you feel free: work for yourself, take regular breaks, travel to new places, meet exciting people, climb a mountain, meditate by the ocean, etc.
Find things that are easy to do. For some people who value their freedom, it may not be easy to quit your 9-5 job and start your own business, but you can maybe take on a hobby or find a side hustle. There’s always a way to implement your core values into your life.
Conclusion
No matter what your top values are, chances are that you neglect them on a day-to-day basis, just because you feel like you have too much on your plate. Life is too short to waste it doing things that don’t leave you with a sense of joy or fulfillment.
Whenever you feel like something doesn’t feel right, sit down and do that exercise. Lists are useful, especially if they’re handwritten, so don’t just check off boxes in your mind – actually sit down with a piece of paper and write your values down.
Every single day you have the choice to live a life that’s according to your core values, or according to someone else’s. So choose wisely.
Love,
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