6 Steps to Discover Your Core Values

To learn about your values, think back to the best and most painful moments in your life. Consider what these experiences reveal about your core values. For example, if you won an award for teaching, it’s possible that motivating others and leadership are important values for you. A painful experience may have taught you that empathy and compassion are important to you.

Now you have a master list of values. Next, review the list and see if you can group the values into categories.

For example, you may have written down growth, learning and personal development. These values are all related and could be placed in one category.

Once you have categorized your values, choose a word that best represents the group. You can leave the other words in the group in parentheses next to the central theme word to give the primary value more context.

Rank the top values in order of importance. While the number of core values people have can vary, it’s typically best to narrow them down to five to 10. If you have more than 10, ask yourself what values are essential to your life. You may want to leave them for a day and come back to them later to see if they truly reflect your core values and if they are in the correct order.

• Finding your purpose: Knowing your values helps you figure out what you want out of your life.
• Guiding your behavior: They help you behave in a way that matches who you want to be.
• Helping you make decisions: When you’re facing a decision, you can ask yourself what someone who values the things you do would choose.
• Helping you choose a career: When you know what matters to you, it’s easier to choose the right career path.
• Increasing your confidence: Identifying your values brings a sense of safety and stability into your life because you know what you want and what’s important to you.