Core Values Guide

Core Values Guide

Your core values are your internal compass—quiet guides that point you toward what truly matters, even when the path gets cloudy. They’re not about grand gestures, but the small, steady choices that shape your days, relationships, and sense of peace. When you align with your values, life feels purposeful, not just busy.

Common Core Values

Here are 15-20 values many people find meaningful. Reflect on which resonate deeply with you:

• Integrity (being honest, even when it’s hard)
• Growth (learning, evolving, embracing challenges)
• Family (love, connection, nurturing bonds)
• Creativity (expressing, innovating, playing)
• Respect (treating others, yourself, and the world with care)
• Sustainability (caring for people and planet, long-term thinking)
• Curiosity (wondering, asking, seeking understanding)
• Resilience (bouncing back, finding strength in difficulty)
• Community (belonging, contributing, supporting others)
• Authenticity (being true to yourself, not pretending)
• Gratitude (noticing and appreciating the good)
• Balance (honoring rest, work, and joy)
• Courage (acting despite fear, speaking up)
• Kindness (small acts of compassion, seen and unseen)
• Freedom (autonomy, self-determination, open-mindedness)

Discovering Yours

Your values aren’t handed to you—they’re uncovered through reflection. Try this gentle exercise:

1. Recall a recent moment when you felt deeply satisfied or proud. What were you doing? What was true about that moment? 2. Imagine a "perfect day" without constraints. What values would be present in that day? 3. Ask yourself: "If no one was watching, what choice would I make that aligns with my heart?"

Don’t rush. Your values might surprise you—they’re often found in the quiet spaces between the noise.

Living Your Values

Discovering your values is just the beginning. Living them means weaving them into your daily life, gently and consistently:

Start small: Choose one value to focus on this week. Example:* If "Kindness" resonates, send one thoughtful text or offer help without being asked. Notice the gaps: When you feel stressed or disconnected, ask: "Am I acting against my values right now?"* This isn’t judgment—it’s awareness. Align your "why": Before decisions (big or small), ask: "Does this choice honor what matters most to me?"*

• Be patient: Living your values isn’t about perfection. It’s about noticing when you drift and gently steering back. Each small step builds a life that feels deeply true.

Your values guide you home to yourself. They’re not a checklist, but a quiet, steady light. Trust them. The compass is already within you.