3.2 Knowing your values

A person’s core values can be thought of as a set of principles that shape their attitudes, behaviour and decision making, influencing their interactions with other people or groups. Core values can relate to personality traits or characteristics, for example being kind, honest or truthful and they can be shaped by life experience, culture and background.

In Session 1 you answered the question ‘Who am I?’ and you may have identified some of your core values through that exercise. You can see what you wrote here.

You may also have your own important principles, such as honesty and integrity, that you do your best to follow. In this section, we will explore how you can become more aware of your core values, thinking about how they can be used to help you to make decisions that affect your life.

Activity 6: Core values

15 minutes

Read through the list and consider any values that speak to you. If you would rather print this off and circle them, download the list here.
Add any other core values that you have already identified, that do not appear on this list.
Look at all the values you have circled (and any you have added) and choose 6 that seem most significant to you. These can be described as your core values.

Table 4: Core values (part 1)

Accountability	Curiosity	Honesty	Parenting	Success
Achievement	Dignity	Hope	Patience	Teamwork
Adaptability	Diversity	Humility	Patriotism	Thrift
Adventure	Environment	Humour	Peace	Time
Altruism	Efficiency	Inclusion	Perseverance	Tradition
Ambition	Equality	Independence	Personal fulfilment	Travel
Authenticity	Ethics	Initiative	Power	Trust
Balance	Excellence	Integrity	Pride	Truth
Beauty	Fairness	Intuition	Recognition	Understanding
Being the best	Faith	Job security	Reliability	Uniqueness
Belonging	Family	Joy	Resourcefulness	Usefulness
Career	Financial stability	Justice	Respect	Vision
Caring	Forgiveness	Kindness	Responsibility	Vulnerability
Collaboration	Freedom	Knowledge	Risk -taking	Wealth
Commitment	Friendship	Leadership	Safety	Well-being
Community	Fun	Learning	Security	Wholeheartedness
Compassion	Future generations	Legacy	Self-discipline	Wisdom
Competence	Generosity	Leisure	Self-expression	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)
Confidence	Giving back	Love	Self-respect	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)
Connection	Grace	Loyalty	Serenity	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)
Contentment	Gratitude	Making a difference	Service	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)
Contribution	Growth	Nature	Simplicity	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)
Cooperation	Harmony	Openness	Spirituality	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)
Courage	Health	Optimism	Sportsmanship	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)
Creativity	Home	Order	Stewardship	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)

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Now in the table below enter your 6 core values across the top. For each core value, try to identify an area where you have practised this core value already in your life and an area where you would like to practise this value in future (see the examples below).

Table 4: Core values (part 2)

Core values	Example: kindness	Value 1	Value 2	Value 3	Value 4	Value 5	Value 6
What I have done	Helped a friend fix their bike.	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)
Things I could do	Be kinder to my sister, who I tend to shout at.	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)	(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)

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Once you are aware of your core values you can think about how certain choices might be in keeping or in conflict with your core values.

Take a look at this example: Alex has listed kindness and friendship as two of her core values. Within her friendship group she becomes aware that Josie has been giving Susan a really hard time, calling her names and excluding her from the group.

Consider Alex’s options below and choose which are compatible with her values and which are in conflict with them?

As you think about your future, keep your core values in mind. This will help you in making decisions that feel right for you, rather than doing what others expect of you or making decisions that don’t seem compatible with your values. By being true to your values in how you act, this will also help you achieve your aspirations for how others see you.

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