Core Values: Charting Your Life’s Course with Intention and Purpose
The Life-Changing Power of Values Clarity
Growing up in a religious family, the concept of having a "good set of values" was top of mind. Yet somehow I reached early-adulthood without being able to articulate what “good values” are and why they’re important.
In 2020, I found myself feeling unfulfilled despite ‘having it all’ – a nice apartment, successful career and lots of flashy Instagram posts – you know the ones. Determined to find meaning, I embarked on a journey to realign my life with my passions, which led me to lots of pasta on lots of boats and even flashier Instagram posts. It was delicious, but something was still missing.
I realized I spent so much time and energy planning the future of other people’s businesses and no time planning my own life.
So once-again, determined to be more organized, I set out on a quest for meaning. What were my life goals? What brought me fulfillment? How should I spend my time? I was quickly overwhelmed with the myriad questions and felt ungrounded in my answers.
As I sat staring at a blank Google sheet struggling to figure out my life, it struck me. All of the strategic-planning I did at my old job – from refining a company’s mission, to setting long term goals – came rushing back. I realized I spent so much time and energy planning the future of other people’s businesses and no time planning my own life. I was angry! What had I been doing all these years? I channeled that anger into a two-hour flow state and emerged with my personal life planning strategy.
In the workplace, every strategic plan begins with company values. We would ask questions like: What are the company's core values? What do we stand for? Inspired by this approach, I turned those questions inward: What was it that I stood for? What was so core to who I am as a person, that without it, I was not “me”? And then I got to work.
What Are Core Values? Your Inner Compass
Think of core values as an internal compass, guiding you through the vast ocean of life’s choices and challenges. Just as a compass points towards magnetic north, your core values direct decisions and actions. “Good core values'' are true to who you are while serving as a moral beacon. Like a compass, core values provide a reliable reference point, helping you stay on course and navigate your journey with clarity, intention and purpose.
Core values go deeper than beliefs – they are inherent to who you are as a person. Values are imprinted on us from an early age. As we move through adolescence and early adulthood, we try these values on, draw inspiration from those we admire and fine-tune based on feedback from society.
Like a compass, core values provide a reliable reference point, helping you stay on course and navigate your journey with integrity, intention and purpose.
As we journey through adulthood, we are called to reconnect with and reflect upon our core values. When we neglect to acknowledge and honor our values, we risk drifting off course, living a life that feels out of alignment.
Download Our Free Core Values Worksheet
Today, I am clear on my personal values, long-term goals and personal mission. It’s been a heck of a lot of work to get here and an investment that I would make over again. As I navigate the world with my new compass, I feel confident in my decisions, excitement for the future and ease that I longed for in the past.
While the value discovery process is rewarding, it can also be challenging. Values are easily confused with behaviors, habits or skills. The work goes deeper still as you sort through which values are truly yours and which may have been unknowingly adopted from others.
Download our free Core Values Worksheet to get started on your journey to self-discovery.
Matria is a values- and mission-driven community. We’ve shared our mission with you – to empower and invest in women – and over the next few weeks we’ll share our business values and how they will shape our future. Until then, thanks for reading!
