Words to Live By: Define Your Best Life with Core Values

Welcome, my friends, to the next step in your transformative journey of self-discovery and purposeful living. Today, we're diving deep into the realm of Core Values – those guiding principles that shape your decisions, actions and reflect the very essence of your beliefs, what you stand for and who you are. Whether you're an individual looking to enhance your personal life and relationships, or an entrepreneur aiming to level up and serve more inside and outside your business, this guide is your roadmap to defining and living by Your Core Values. So, buckle up because we're about to embark on a journey that'll change your life's direction!

 

Shining a light: What Are Core Values?

At its core (pun intended), your values are the heartbeat of your existence. They're the non-negotiable principles that define who you are and what you stand for. Identifying them is like turning on a light in the dark – suddenly, everything becomes clear.

Take Mental Action:

1. Remember five experiences that have deeply impacted you.

2. Identify common themes or principles that resonate across these experiences.

3. Reflect on a challenging experience and note what principles helped you overcome it.

 

Beyond the Individual: Applying Core Values in Business

Entrepreneurs, listen up! Your personal life will totally transform when you live your best values. And your business will also thrive when rooted firmly and deeply in core values. They're the secret sauce that attracts the right clients, partners and personnel, nurtures a positive company culture, and guides strategic planning, decisions and growth.

Take Mental & Physical Action:

1. Identify values that align with your best life and business purpose. How will you serve all with pride?

2. Integrate these values into the heart and soul of your business, its internal company culture and its actions with customers and community.

3. Regularly assess your business plans, goals and decisions against your Core Values.

 

The Treasure Hunt Within: Discovering Your Core Values

Now that you have a taste of this Value Equation, and why they're an essential ingredient to your best life and business, let's dig deeper to find the core of why they mean so much to you. Recall those sweet and spicy moments that made your heart race or your soul sing. These magical experiences often hold the secret key to unlocking your True Core Values.

Take Mental & Physical Action:

1. Consider some magical moments when you felt truly, deeply fulfilled – what values were at play?

2. Focus on the positive beliefs and behaviors that have served you while serving others too.

3. Now, let's take a deep dive to uncover and embrace Your Core Values by following the guide below.

CORE VALUES GUIDE

STEP 1: Choose 12 Values that represent The Best You.

Choose from this little short list of 246 below, or add any other inspired Value that guides your best actions and decisions every day. 12 may feel like too many, but you will select 3 to 6 Core Values by the end of this exercise.

Accept Risks

Acceptance

Accountability

Accuracy

Achievement

Action

Adaptability

Adventure

Agreement

Altruism

Ambition

Assertiveness

Attention

Authenticity

Authority

Autonomy

Awareness

Balance

Be-The-Best

Beauty

Belonging

Bliss

Boldness

Bravery

Calmness

Candor

Caring

Challenge

Cheerfulness

Citizenship

Clarity

Collaboration

Commitment

Common Sense

Communication

Community

Compassion

Competency

Competition

Confidence

Confidentiality

Conservation

Consistency

Consistent

Contentment

Continuous Improvement

Contribution

Control

Cooperation

Courage

Courtesy

Creativity

Curiosity

Customer Satisfaction

Data-Driven

Decisiveness

Dedication

Democracy

Dependability

Determination

Dignity

Diligence

Discipline

Discretion

Diversity

Effectiveness

Efficiency

Elegance

Empathy

Energy

Engagement

Enjoyment

Enthusiasm

Environment

Equality

Equanimity

Equity

Ethic

Excellence

Excitement

Expertise

Exploration

Fairness

Faith

Fame

Family

Fidelity

Fitness

Flexibility

Flow

Fluency

Focus

Forgiveness

Freedom

Friendship

Fun

Generosity

Grace

Growth

Happiness

Hard Work

Harmony

Have Fun

Health

Helping

Holiness

Honesty

Honor

Humility

Humor

Impact

Impartiality

Improvement

Independence

Influence

Ingenuity

Initiative

Innovation

Inquisitiveness

Insight

Integrity

Intelligence

Intention

Intuition

Involvement

Joy

Justice

Kindness

Knowledge

Leadership

Learn

Learning

Legacy

Listen

Long-Term-Vision

Love

Loyalty

Make-The-Difference

Mastery

Meaning

Meaningful work

Money

Natural Environment

Non-Attachment

Non-Judgement

Obedience

Openness

Opportunity

Optimism

Order

Organization

Originality

Ownership

Participation

Partnership

Passion

Patience

Peace

Perfection

Persistence

Personal-Development

Pleasure

Poise

Popularity

Positivity

Power

Practicality

Preparedness

Prestige

Prevention

Productivity

Professionalism

Profit

Progress

Protection

Prudence

Purpose

Quality

Recognition

Relationships

Reliability

Religion

Reputation

Resilience

Resourcefulness

Respect

Responsibility

Restraint

Results

Sacrifice

Safety

Satisfaction

Security

Self-Actualization

Self-Control

Self-Discipline

Self-Improvement

Selflessness

Self-Motivation

Self-Reliance

Sensitivity

Serenity

Service

Short-Term-Vision

Simplicity

Socialization

Soundness

Speed

Spirituality

Spontaneity

Stability

Status

Strategic

Strength

Structure

Success

Support

Sustainability

Teamwork

Temperance

Tenacity

Thoroughness

Thoughtfulness

Time-Management

Timeliness

Tolerance

Tradition

Transparency

Trustworthiness

Truth

Understanding

Uniqueness

Unity

Vanity

Variety

Vigor

Vision

Vitality

Wealth

Wellness

Willpower

Win

Wisdom

Work-Ethic

Work-Life-Balance

Zeal

Crafting Your Manifesto: Putting Core Values into Compelling Words

Now that you've completed the guided exercise, discovered and embraced Your Core Values, it's time to own and articulate them with even more personal clarity. Creating a values statement isn't just another bureaucratic exercise; it's Your Personal Manifesto. It's a declaration of the principles that will drive your new personality; your thoughts, words, decisions and actions.

Take Mental & Physical Action:

1. Write a concise active statement for each Core Value, expressing why it matters to you.

2. Combine these statements into a powerful, cohesive Values Manifesto.

3. Use this Values Manifesto as your personal Mantra, and in your business Purpose, Vision and Mission Statements.

 

Walking the Talk: Living Your Values Daily

Identifying and articulating values is just the beginning; the real magic happens within and without, when you integrate them into your daily decisions and actions. Memorize your Values Manifesto Mantra and let it guide your walk, your talk and your thought.

Take Mental & Physical Action Daily:

1. Prioritize your Values when faced with every decision – big or small. It takes time for your old personality (and those around you) to embrace the New Better You.

2. We Think, Do, Say, and Decide countless conscious and sub-conscious things daily. Make a new regular ritual to remind yourself of Your Core Values.

3. Celebrate every moment you live authentically according to Your Values. You deserve it! And, celebrate those around you that embrace this New You. They deserve it too!

 

Navigating Challenges: Overcoming Obstacles with My Core Values

Life is unpredictable, my friends. Whether you're in deep or shallow friendly waters, or on the most violent stormy seas, Your Core Values are your compass, depth finder and anchor, helping you navigate every challenge, discovery and success with courage, resilience and determination.

Take Mental & Physical Action Daily:

1. Identify a perceived challenge or opportunity and reflect on how your values can guide your response.

2. Seek inspiration from stories of individuals who overcame extreme adversity with their values intact.

3. Embrace challenges as opportunities for faith, growth and alignment with your values.

 

The Reality Check: Ensuring Alignment and Authenticity

Values, my friends, are not set in stone. You are constantly growing, right? And they should grow along with you, in the divine direction of the best light. Right? So, it's crucial to validate them regularly, just like yourself. But, ensure everything aligns only with the beliefs and aspirations that make you better and better.

Take Mental & Physical Action Daily:

1. Recite and review your Values Manifesto, noting how it helps you stay aligned and on course.

2. Seek feedback from close friends, colleagues, or customers on whether your actions align with your stated values. And be alert to advice that subverts your faith, beliefs and Core Values. 

3. Embrace your unique journey. Only you, as the captain, can set and maintain your course over calm seas and violent storms. So, trim your Values Up if needed, but always stay true to the Values that steer you toward The Best You Ever! 

 

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've just equipped yourself with the key tools to define and live by Your Core Values. Remember, your journey is renewed every day, and as you grow and develop, so will your values. Embrace the process, stay true to yourself, and watch as your life transforms into a masterpiece sculpted by your very own Words to Live By. Now, go out there and conquer the world with your new belief, courage and purpose!