How To Identify Core Values & Align Them With Your Goals

Today's guest post is by Abi Unwin discussing how to discover what drives you. And based on your goals, your values that are currently driving your life may not be the right ones. They might just need reshaping. That's what she wants to touch on today. Over to Abi!

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY CORE VALUES?

Core values are personal ethics or ideals that guide you when making decisions, building relationships and solving problems. People who identify their core values and align them to their goals are more likely to achieve success and fulfilment in their work.

Identifying the values that are meaningful to you can help you develop and achieve personal and professional goals. It can also help you find jobs and companies that align with your ideals. 

HOW CAN I FIND WHAT MY EMOTIONS ARE?

Think about times in your career when you were happy, successful and proud. Write down details using your examples. What were you doing? Who were you with? What were your main tasks and objectives? What was your manager like? Can you describe the environment and culture you were in? 

Have a think about the common factors here. You might find that they centre around people, for example, and that in all three situations you were working as part of a team. Or it may be that you were given responsibility and felt you had autonomy over your work. This could then help you to see that team work or leadership are core values of yours. 

I have created an activity to help you identify core values. You can download it here from my career coaching page to have a go yourself. Ideally set aside at least 30 minutes and find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. 

ALIGNING YOUR CORE VALUES

Once you’ve identified what your values are, the next step is to align them with your job, employer or business. When your core values are aligned with the environment, culture, and people surrounding you, things feel so much easier. You are far more likely to use your strengths and skills when you feel that your core values are aligned with your work. 

You might like to try writing a values statement based on what you have discovered. What are the core values that drive your relationships? Which are the values that drive wellbeing and good health? Are there particular values that help you to drive positive behaviours? 

Reflecting on these questions can help you gain a better sense of self awareness and work out how you can out your values to use in your work and personal life too. I really like to reflect regularly on this and ask myself if I am staying true to my own core values. 

I hope this helps you get started and as always, feel free to contact me with any questions you have. Coaching can support you to challenge your thinking and get more clarity on how to incorporate your values into goals and actions.