How to Define Your Core Values and Beliefs
Let’s play a game of would you rather....
Would you rather… spend time with your friends or Netflix and chill at home alone?
Would you rather… work a 9-5 or be a spirit-led entrepreneur?
Would you rather… buy an all-inclusive cruise to your fav destination or the red bottoms you’ve always dreamed of?
The way you answered these questions depends on your personal values.
Whether you know it or not, everyone has core values and beliefs that they live their life in alignment with.
If you don’t have a clue what these are, you could be in trouble. Or this could be the revelation that unlocks the answers to why your life is just not as vibrant as you’d like it to be.
A simple awareness of your core values and a shift in your beliefs could take you from getting it out of the mud to effortlessly living your best life.
Sign me up… you say?
Keep scrolling and you will learn how to find your personal values, along with how to identify and challenge your core beliefs.
What are core values and beliefs?
Values are universal concepts that influence our actions and decision making. On the other hand, beliefs are ideas or assumptions about the world we hold to be true.
Personal core values and beliefs are often influenced by society at large, your culture and your family. An Empress is a sovereign ruler of her empire, including the beliefs and values she chooses to live by.
Why are personal values important?
Personal values are important for many reasons. They can be shaped and influenced by the following sources:
Your location
Your religion
Your family’s beliefs
Your friend’s beliefs
Your culture
Life experiences
Personal core values impact all the core areas of your life, which are spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, financial, social, environmental, and occupational.
Core values are important to your social wellness, which includes the most juicy subject of all... relationships!
You should surround yourself with people who value the same things as you. If they don't, it can cause huge problems that no one wants in relationships.
For example, let’s say that spirituality is number one on your values list. If your significant other doesn’t even have a spirituality in their top 10 list, then that can really cause misalignment in the relationship.
How? If spirituality anchors you and that person has success as their top value, those are conflicting values that will cause you to make decisions completely differently. 9 times out of 10 you may disagree on big and small decisions that you make in your life.
Let’s briefly touch on your occupational wellness and how it can impact what career or employer you choose. Many workplaces are all about the bottom line, profitability and financial success. If family comes before financial freedom on your list, that can really cause problems when you have a family emergency or want to get home on time to see your family everyday.
Other areas of life that values play an important role are friendships, family structures, place of residence, lifestyle choices, religious beliefs, eating habits, etc.
Identifying and honoring your core values list can help create harmony in all areas of life.
How to find personal values
Have you ever heard the phrase, “instill good values into your kids.”
This is not just a Southern or Midwestern cliche. When we're young, we take on the values and beliefs of our family, culture, environment, and society.
Core values truly influence one's life. Most people hold certain values because they are important to someone else around them, not because they actually cherish the concept.
Ideally, when you become an adult, you should first question your values. Then, keep the ones you align with and chuck others that no longer serve you.
Unfortunately, the average person only has a shift in values if additional points of views and information are presented to them or a major life event occurs. And even then, their values may not be questioned.
So, how do you identify your core values?
Typically, you want to have 10 core values that you anchor your life with.
The following exercise will help you to learn how to find your personal values:
Step 1: Download this Personal Core Values List Worksheet for free.
This alphabetical list includes over 100 core values that can potentially resonate with you.
Step 2: Identify your personal values.
Take a look at the list of words on the “Personal Core Values List” worksheet. Think about which of them you truly treasure in your life. Choose 15 of them that stand out to you and check the boxes next to them.
15 Examples of Core Values:
Authenticity
Commitment
Exploration
Freedom
Fulfillment
Growth
Home
Leadership
Loyalty
Passion
Respect
Security
Unity
Wealth
Wellness
Step 3: Prioritize your personal values
Think back on your life and ask yourself whether this value is always important, sometimes important, or rarely important.
You should end up with five values for each category:
Category #1: Always important. This is going to be one of your values that is always important, all the time. These personal values will likely influence your decision making on a daily basis.
Category #2: Sometimes Important. This means that depending on the situation that you’re in, it can be important, but they are secondary to category #1. You will likely lean on these values when making broader life decisions.
Category #3: Rarely important. These stand out to you from the list, but they're super flexible and you can make changes to them at any time.
After you have ranked them, write them into the “My Core Values” worksheet.
Try to memorize your top 5 core values, as you will access these almost daily.
Numbers 5-10 of your personal values may give you great insight when you are unsure about a broader life decision.
The last five can help you understand how you are changing and developing as time goes on.
And that, my friend, is how to prioritize your personal values.
In the next section, you will learn what beliefs are, why they are important, and how to both identify and challenge them.
Why are core beliefs important?
Core beliefs run your life.
Core beliefs are integral when it comes to creating your dream life, because beliefs are the stories that we tell about ourselves, others, and the world around us.
If your core beliefs do not align with where you want to be in life or the person that you want to be in life, you are going to really struggle to create the life of your dreams.
You may be able to dream it, but the actual practical application of it is not going to happen, so you won't be successful at it. Here’s why:
Your vibe is off. The frequency of who you are and who you desire to be are out of harmony.
You have sabotaging beliefs. You’re in alignment, but your beliefs are secretly ruining any chance of success.
The stories that you tell yourself can create healthy or toxic thought patterns. When these thoughts are repeated enough times, beliefs about yourself, others, and the world begin to form.
Speaking of stories...
Once upon a time…
There were two identical twin girls Jaida and Jade. Born to the same mother, at the same time, in the same place.
Plot twist… their mother was poor. She struggled with making ends meet, all of her life.
After seeing their mom struggling, both of the girls formed thoughts about it.
Jade formed the belief that because my mom is poor, that’s why I will be rich.
Jaida formed the belief that because my mom is poor, that’s why I will be poor.
Do you see how a shift in one word could change the lifestyle of these twins forever? That is how powerful your beliefs can be.
One shift in the story you are telling yourself about the world, others, or yourself, has the ability to upgrade your entire situation.
How to identify core beliefs
Step 1: Download this Personal Core Beliefs List Worksheet for free.
The worksheet includes a list of 30+ core positive and negative beliefs that you can have about yourself, the world, and others.
Step 2: Identify your positive core beliefs.
Go through the list of belief statements and rank them on a scale of 1-5.
1 = completely untrue of me
2 = mostly untrue of me
3 = neutral
4 = moderately true of me
5 = describes me perfectly
Then, use your answers in the "Core Beliefs List" to choose your top positive
"I am", "People are", and "The world is" statements and write them into the “Personal Belief Statements” page.
These are your top positive beliefs statements that you should continue to speak about yourself, others, and the world.
How to challenge core beliefs
Step 3: Challenge your negative core beliefs.
Choose one negative belief you have about yourself, others, and society.
Next, remember a time or a situation when the opposite has been true.
Finally, write a positive affirmation to replace it.
Now, you have to put these new positive beliefs on repeat to rewire your subconscious for good. Here are some ways to reprogram your beliefs:
Write the new mantras on post-it notes to hang around your home.
Record the positive affirmations in a voice note on your phone and listen to them each day.
Create a screensaver for your computer and phone with the new positive beliefs.
Pretty soon, you will find that your beliefs are completely changed and so will your life.
Cheers to you!
You’ve identified and prioritized your personal values.
Plus, you’ve identified positive core beliefs and challenged your negative beliefs about you, others, and the world.
You betta work, Empress!
Your newly discovered core values and beliefs to yourself are sure to make your life effortless.