Why is each experience truly important and memorable? Use the following list of common personal values to help you get started – and aim for about 10 top values. Step 4: Determine your top values, based on your experiences of happiness, pride, and fulfillment

What other factors contributed to your feelings of fulfillment?.

How and why did the experience give your life meaning?.

Step 3: Identify the times when you were most fulfilled and satisfiedĪgain, use both work and personal examples. What other factors contributed to your feelings of pride?.Did other people share your pride? Who?.Use examples from your career and personal life. Step 2: Identify the times when you were most proud What other factors contributed to your happiness?.This will ensure some balance in your answers. Step 1: Identify the times when you were happiestįind examples from both your career and personal life. A good way of starting to do this is to look back on your life – to identify when you felt really good, and really confident that you were making good choices. When you define your personal values, you discover what's truly important to you. and you can't quite figure out why.Īs you go through the exercise below, bear in mind that values that were important in the past may not be relevant now.

You should continuously revisit this, especially if you start to feel unbalanced. This is why keeping in touch with your values is a lifelong exercise. But after you have a family, work-life balance may be what you value more.Īs your definition of success changes, so do your personal values. For example, when you start your career, success – measured by money and status – might be a top priority. Also, as you move through life, your values may change. Values are usually fairly stable, yet they don't have strict limits or boundaries. So, take the time to understand the real priorities in your life, and you'll be able to determine the best direction for you and your life goals ! Should I follow tradition, or travel down a new path?.Should I compromise, or be firm with my position?.When you know your own values, you can use them to make decisions about how to live your life, and you can answer questions like these: In these types of situations, understanding your values can really help. If you value family, but you have to work 70-hour weeks in your job, will you feel internal stress and conflict? And if you don't value competition, and you work in a highly competitive sales environment, are you likely to be satisfied with your job? Life can be much easier when you acknowledge your values – and when you make plans and decisions that honor them. Values exist, whether you recognize them or not. Click here to view a transcript of this video.

Personal leadership exercises