Live Your Core Values: 10-Minute Exercise to Increase Your Success
How are you showing up at work? In your personal relationships? For yourself? How you show up in the world is determined by your core values.
It doesn’t take years of self-reflection to uncover your core values. This simple exercise can help you determine them so you can start aligning your personal goals with them. How long will it take? About 10 minutes, well worth the investment!
Grab a pen and piece of paper and let’s go!
1. Determine Your Core Values
From the list below, choose and write down every core value that resonates with you. Do not overthink your selection. As you read through the list, simply write down the words that feel like a core value to you personally. If you think of a value you possess that is not on the list, write it down.
| Abundance Acceptance Accountability Achievement Adventure Advocacy Ambition Appreciation Attractiveness Autonomy Balance Being the Best Benevolence Boldness Brilliance Calmness Caring Challenge Charity Cheerfulness Cleverness Collaboration Community Commitment Compassion Consistency Contribution Cooperation Creativity Credibility Curiosity Daring Decisiveness |
Dedication Dependability Diversity Empathy Encouragement Enthusiasm Ethics Excellence Expressiveness Fairness Family Flexibility Friendships Freedom Fun Generosity Grace Growth Happiness Health Honesty Humility Humor Inclusiveness Independence Individuality Innovation Inspiration Intelligence Intuition Joy |
Kindness Knowledge Leadership Learning Love Loyalty Making a Difference Mindfulness Motivation Optimism Open-Mindedness Originality Passion Performance Personal Development Peace Perfection Playfulness Popularity Power Preparedness Proactivity Proactive Professionalism Punctuality Quality Recognition Relationships Reliability Resilience |
Resourcefulness Responsibility Responsiveness Risk Taking Safety Security Self-Control Selflessness Service Simplicity Spirituality Stability SuccessTeamwork Thankfulness Thoughtfulness Traditionalism Trustworthiness Understanding Uniqueness Usefulness Versatility Vision Warmth Wealth Well-Being Wisdom Zeal |
2. Group All Similar Values Together from the List of Values You Just Created
Group them in a way that makes sense to you, personally. Create a maximum of five groupings. If you have more than five groupings, drop the least important grouping(s). See the example below.
| Abundance | Acceptance | Appreciation | Balance | Cheerfulness |
| Growth | Compassion | Encouragement | Health | Fun |
| Wealth | Inclusiveness | Thankfulness | Personal Development | Happiness |
| Security | Intuition | Thoughtfulness | Spirituality | Humor |
| Freedom | Kindness | Mindfulness | Well-being | Inspiration |
| Independence | Love | Joy | ||
| Flexibility | Making a Difference | Optimism | ||
| Peace | Open-Mindedness | Playfulness | ||
| Trustworthiness | ||||
| Relationships |
3. Choose One Word Within Each Group that Represents the Label for the Entire Group
Again, do not overthink your labels – there are no right or wrong answers. You are defining the answer that is right for you. See the example below – the label chosen for the grouping is bolded.
| Abundance | Acceptance | Appreciation | Balance | Cheerfulness |
| Growth | Compassion | Encouragement | Health | Fun |
| Wealth | Inclusiveness | Thankfulness | Personal Development | Happiness |
| Security | Intuition | Thoughtfulness | Spirituality | Humor |
| Freedom | Kindness | Mindfulness | Well-being | Inspiration |
| Independence | Love | Joy | ||
| Flexibility | Making a Difference | Optimism | ||
| Peace | Open-Mindedness | Playfulness | ||
| Trustworthiness | ||||
| Relationships |
4. Add a Verb to Each Value Label
Add a verb to each value so you can see what it looks like as an actionable core value. For example:
Live in freedom.
Seek opportunities for making a difference.
Act with mindfulness.
Promote well-being.
Multiply happiness.
This will guide you in the actions you need to take to feel like you are truly living on purpose.
5. Finally, Post Your Core Values Where You See Them when Faced with Decisions
Where should you post them? Write your core values in order of priority in your planner, so they are available as an easy reference when you are faced with decisions. Put them on a sticky on the edge of your computer screen. Or make a background with them on it for your cell phone. For example:
1. Live in freedom.
2. Act with mindfulness.
3. Promote well-being.
4. Multiply happiness.
5. Seek opportunities for making a difference.
Now Live Your Core Values!
If we can get to the place where we show up as our genuine selves,
and let each other see who we really are,
the awe-inspiring ripple effect
will change the world.
Terrie M. Williams
The most important thing you can do for your personal success today is to know your core values and use them as your guide.
Knowing core values is important because when we need to choose or decide something, you can do so easily by simply determining if the choice lines up with your true core values. A life lined-up with personal values is a well-lived, purpose-filled life.
Want to learn more? Join us at the next Global TapRooT® Summit!
Can I get the pdf version of the values exercise?
I was wonderful to know my core values!
great
Thank you so much I understand it’s better. This helps me out.
independence, kindness, honesty, mindfulness is my core values
Inspirational, Ambition, Dependability, Creativity, Encouragement is my core values.
I was glad to know that Inspirational, Ambition, Dependability, Creativity, Encouragement is my core values.
Thank you I really enjoyed this information.
I understand it better now
this really help in a way i didnt know before
Great exercise. This will definitely help center me when I need encouraging or just in general.
Thanks you! Great Exercise for brainstorming
I teach leadership classes often to police officers and incorporate some of these lessons when I talk to students…can I use this “as is” or is it incorporated in some way
Yes, feel free to use!
Dependable, Honesty, Selfless, Caring
Great core values!
Thank you so much for this exercise, I appreciate learning more about myself. Very helpful!!!!
You’re welcome! Glad it is helpful.
very interesting way of finding out the answers that we may see in ourselves but now say out loud.
Thanks for the information, I learned something new.
Thank you for letting us know, Justine. Core Values is a very well-received topic and it’s easy to see why.
Abundance, Creativity, Security, Growth & Community.
Good to review them from time to time as values can change in life.
Thanks for the step by step guide to explore one’s core value. I found it very helpful.
Thank you very much for sharing the valuable intellectual property. I am a pastor teaching a small group of people in their 50+ and would like to help them find their core values through this exercise with your consent. I will acknowledge the source from you if permitted.
Boldness, Leadership, Humor, Caring, and Cheerfulness are my core values.
Boldness,leadership,Humor,Caring,and cheerfulness are my core values.
Honesty, Mindfulness, Kindness, and Family are my score values.
Just wondering … when they are your core values if you, of course, would think they are the best core values.
Thankyou for a different way of exploring Values and moving them seamlessly onto the front page of living.
Very helpful and insightful! When I have done similar exercises, I believe my values have stayed similar or the same.
Great to revisit and keep in mind who, and what makes me, Me!
I am learning everyone is a leader in their own lives. I am learning the cycle of being a student of life and a leader at intervals in my own life are becoming more apparent. Thanks everyone for your feedback. I am currently the student observer learning from all of you.
Self-Control, Wisdom, Vision, Professionalism, Fun
I truly enjoyed learning something new.
Self-Control, Wisdom, Vision, Professionalism, Fun
This was enlightening.
Self-Control, Wisdom, Vision, Professionalism, Fun are my Core values.
This was enlightening.
yes
Always show LOVE
Be ACCOUNTABLE
Know that I can MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Express JOY, for it is strength for a good WELL BEING
How can I have access
Have Acceptance in your mind, Make Friendships, Be Peaceful, Maintain Relationships, Be Safe
Maintain Independence, look forward to your Growth, Have Self-Control, Keep your Honesty, and keep your Responsibility.
Every now and again I come back to this post just to read what everyone learned about themselves and it always fills me with joy. Put your core values into action and increase your level of happiness, fearlessness and authenticity.
People have clicked on this blog article over 100,000 times. Over 30,000 times in 2022. Who would have guessed?
Great core values! I learned so much.
I learned so much.
I learned a lot today about my core value.
Thanks.
Ohh this one soo cool even I don’t know actually what I am. bUT now I can read myself. I learn my core value. And if I wanna say in one word I am a very sensitive person.
Hello! We use this for faculty and students at our institution. What is the best way to cite the resource to give credit to you all? Additionally, we are interested in tracking impact in our faculty and students. How do I get permission to use this for educational research at our institution? Thank you!
This was a very eye opening exercise.
This module helped me enough to understand my children and families more.
It’s great to have the knowledge to serve my community
Excellent training to have an open mind
Advocacy. empathy, loyalty, responsability, reliability.
Advocacy. empathy, loyalty, responsability, reliability.
This module is very sensitive and gives us a lot of knowledge
this helped me be able to talk effectively to my father
this helped me be able to talk effectively to my father and talk about my emotions
Openminded, Self Control, Fun, Family, Intuition
Open minded, Kindness, Self- belief, Responsibility, Compassion
Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Teamwork and Accountability