What are Personal Core Values?  Personal Core Values are the standards you live by.  Whether you are conscious of it or not, your Core Values are guiding the decisions you make in your life.  They are your greatest priorities!

In this article, we will be taking a deeper dive into how your Core Values influence decision making, determine how you spend your time, and decide whom you surround yourself with.  Let’s get to it!

Personal Core Values are articulately created by our belief systems.  Since you were born, people have been influencing your belief systems, instilling you with certain beliefs of what is right and wrong.  This probably started with your parents.  Teaching you things like saying please and thank you, being honest, and respecting your elders are all examples of values your parents instilled in you.  As you got older and started to have more experiences, you probably started having preferences.  Preferences in the people you spend time with, preferences in the work you choose to do, and preferences in the places you like to live.  All of these preferences add to your belief system, and ultimately, shape your core values.

Your morals are the basis of your belief system.  Morals are the strong beliefs we hold about what is right and what is wrong.  And morals co-exist with core values.

Core values will be shaped by your moral standards.  It is impossible to have core values that contradict your morals.  For instance, you cannot have a core value of fame if you morally link selfishness to fame.  Your core values will compliment your moral standards.

Consciously understanding your core values is a big step in understanding your truest self.  Your truest self is guided by what you believe in.  Your truest self is shaped by the things you value the most.

Understanding yourself at a deeper level can bring about more confidence, self- esteem, and authenticity.  This is at the core of living the most fulfilling life possible.  However, it is easy to adopt other’s core values.  Media, friends and family can all influence your core values.  It’s important to reflect upon the values you hold, and make sure they are truly yours.

Living by someone else’s core values can lead to unhappiness.  This is because no one is going to prioritize the exact same things as you.  It’s important to adopt your very own core values in order to lead you to your most fulfilling existence; your truest self.

Have you ever met someone who seems to value the exact opposite things as you?  I bet you have, and that’s probably because this person’s Personal Core Values are vastly different from yours.  Our most important values are the leading (or sometimes invisible) light that guides us in the decisions we make.

Our values make us unique from one another.  If everyone had the same values, everyone would make very similar decisions in their careers, relationships, and daily lives.  How boring would that be?

So, how do our core values influence our decisions exactly?

When people have to make decisions they often get caught up in thinking there is either a good decision or a bad decision.  In reality, there is no such thing as a good or bad decision.  But because of our deeply rooted belief systems, we develop a sense of right and wrong around making decisions.  And as mentioned before, our core values are shaped around our belief systems.

People are inclined to make the decision that aligns with their morals, beliefs, and personal core values.  This is because people associate better outcomes with things that align with their morals, beliefs, and personal core values.

When faced with decisions, defining your core values can bring about a lot of clarity.  Consciously, or unconsciously, all our decisions are guided by our values.  But when we consciously make decisions based on our core values, our sense of what is right and wrong can become clearer.  Personal core values are at the basis of all decisions.

Who you chose to spend your time with is actually determined by your core values!

As humans, we are constantly trying to connect with people.  And sharing core values with someone is what makes them relatable.  In most casual friendships, these values are not outwardly spoken about, but we make decisions about people based on their actions.  If their actions align with our basis of right and wrong, we’re more likely to connect with them.

This goes for romantic relationships, family relationships, and friendly relationships.

Core values influence every aspect of our lives, including our environment.  That is why some people prefer to live in the bustling city, and other people prefer the quiet country.  Depending on what your personal core values are, a specific environment is going to be more important to you than another.

Now that you have a deeper understanding of what Personal Core Values are, and why they are important, it’s time to adopt your own core values.

Core Values are often represented through a list of words that hold deep meaning to you.  Here are 50 words that could be adopted as personal core values.  Feel free to add your own meaningful words to the list.  These are just a few examples of values one might hold.  Pick out 5 words that hold a lot of meaning to you; 5 words that you prioritize, value, and live by.

1. Love
2. Wealth 
3. Freedom
4. Success
5. Courage
6. Commitment
7. Respect
8. Resilience
9. Honesty
10. Integrity
11. Joy
12. Happiness
13. Wisdom
14. Abundance 
15. Optimism
16. Adventure
17. Knowledge 
18. Growth
19. Gratitude
20. Imagination
21. Balance
22. Wellness
23. Health
24. Fitness
25. Family
26. Connections
27. Confidence
28. Empathy
29. Patience
30. Strength
31. Humor
32. Excellence
33. Fame
34. Influence 
35. Trust
36. Kindness
37. Spirituality
38. Charity
39. Excitement
40. Charisma
41. Peace
42. Community
43. Curiosity 
44. Creativity
45. Loyalty
46. Stability
47. Tradition
48. Simplicity
49. Authenticity
50. Inspiration

Did you chose 5 words that you value?  Great!  Now let’s go one step further and organize your personal core values.  Below, there is a simple worksheet you can print out.  On the worksheet, there are five spaces for you to write down your top values.  And below each value, there is a space for you to give your words even more meaning.

Core Values Worksheet PDF

In the subcategories, write down up to three things that you associate with your core values.  For example, one of my core values is Freedom.  In the subcategories for that value, I wrote…

• Self- Employment
• Citizenship
• Travel

These three subcategories are things that I value about Freedom.  I value being self- employed, being an American citizen, and having the freedom to travel.  All of these things correlate and support my core value of Freedom, and therefore give more meaning to this value.

In conclusion, Personal Core Values are one of the most unique things we hold as human beings.  They are something worth understanding, and something worth living by.  Here’s to a life guided by our deepest core values…