Defined Core Values Equals to Better Life
You will experience great fulfilment if you live by your values.
Have you ever interacted with someone and you thought to yourself, “Wow, this person knows exactly what they want in life?” They describe their journey so clearly from the start to the intended end goal.
Here you are confused, indecisive, wondering what you are going to have for lunch. You have no plans, even for the near future.
I met a friend for brunch over the weekend and she had a question for me. She wanted me to state the mission and core values of the organization that I work for. I immediately listed them without hesitation. She went ahead to ask me about my mission and core values. I didn’t have an answer to that question then. “Do people have those, and do they even need them?” I wondered.
Why Core Values?
Just like pillars are the foundation of a house, core values provide you with a foundation on which to base your decisions and behaviour. They help you achieve your mission.
Without a mission, you don’t have a destination in which you are seeking to arrive, and any road will lead you there. Without core values, you lack the means to help you achieve your mission.
Mostly we have found ourselves in places where we never wanted to be and living in constant regret. We hate being there, and we badly want to leave our current lifestyle. The real question is do we know where we want to be? Mostly the answer is no.
It’s never too late, and if you are ready, I will take you through the first step of becoming the best version of yourself.
Define your mission
Defining a mission should be fun. You just need to close your eyes and view yourself 30 years from now. Where would you want to be? What do you wish to have accomplished?
I would like to be reading books to my grandchildren. Well, the books that would have been authored by me. My mission statement hence should be in line with that goal. “To use my writing skills to inspire and educate others around the world”, would be a good example.
With this exercise, you may view yourself in more than one way which is okay. List all your views down, then start evaluating what to prioritize. You can then combine what matters most, and coin your mission statement from that.
Create Core Values
Keep in mind that your core values determine your character, and your character determines your destiny.
Enjoy these five simple steps to creating your core values.
Consider the people you admire most — Think of all the people you admire most, and list down the values that make you admire them. These serve as an already existing model of where you want to be.
Consider your mission — This is your main goal. List down the values that you think would help you get to your destination. These serve as a clear view of the target.
Consider behaviours derailing your progress — Write down everything you do that you think may prevent you from achieving your mission. Derive values from them. This assists you in knowing what to eliminate.
Group all the values into related groups — Combine the similar values into one. This assists in narrowing down your options to choose from.
Final Decision — From these groups, select the values that come out strongest and make them your core values.
Happiness is the state of consciousness that proceeds from the achievement of one’s values — Ayn Rand.
