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Do You Value Your Core Values?

Nicolette Wilson-Clarke

DO YOU VALUE YOUR CORE VALUES?


If the last year has revealed anything, it has highlighted what really matters to us all and what we truly value most in life.

From home becoming our place of work, to work needing to happen at home our ordinary world has been transformed into an extraordinary place of uncertainty without clear boundaries. 

Health, connection, accessibility and resilience have all been replaced by episodes of illness, disconnection, inaccessibility and fragility.

As a creative navigating an ordinary day and procuring your own clients/gigs/projects can often feel like living on the precipice of life. Throw in a pandemic and you have a sure-fire recipe for real-life cliff hangers!

Research conducted by the NHS in October 2020*, found that almost 20% of the UK population are going to need additional or new mental health support following the pandemic.

However, research by Vitality discovered that over half of those surveyed now have a better perspective on life because of what the pandemic has taught them**.

To support this, a survey conducted by Theta Global Advisors last year*** found that 40% of Brits now realise how poor their work-life balance was pre-lockdown. They expressed the significance of prioritising the important stuff.

How wonderful that the teachings of the last year are being acknowledged however it's all quite futile if nothing is being put in place by you to reinforce the shifts.

This is why I want to talk about the relevance and magnitude of values because as you grow due to challenges and life experience, so too can your values change.

What Are Values?

Values are basic and fundamental beliefs that guide and motivate your actions and attitudes towards life experiences. When determined, they inform your identity, choices, confidence and the dynamics within your relationships.

Values start in childhood. They can change, remain the same throughout your life or sometimes be in conflict with your actions i.e. working in an environment that tolerates bullying when one of your values is kindness or staying in a dysfunctional, abusive relationship when you believe in dignity, inner power and self-respect. 

When there’s incongruency around your values, you’ll notice an internal unrest together with feelings of disharmony and unless you’ve explored what you stand for, you may be ignorant to why.

Due to life’s disruptions, traumas and even peer pressures your values can be completely lost, abandoned or ignored. You may also find that your everyday actions are underpinned by outdated values that no longer serve how you’re living today.

This is exactly why it is really useful to visit/revisit your values - to rebalance the scales of what truly matters to you and to reflect on how you’re presently showing up for yourself and others everyday.

As the UK prepares for its exit from the pandemic, perhaps it’s time for you to prepare yours.

Here’s how.

CORE VALUES EXPLORATION

This is your opportunity to delve into what’s important to you.

If you’ve never done it before, take some quality time whilst in it to sit with this exercise and connect with the feelings that arise.

Exercise

  1. Below is a long list of words that represent core values. If you wish to add to it, please do.

  • Family

  • Freedom

  • Security

  • Loyalty

  • Intelligence

  • Connection

  • Creativity

  • Humanity

  • Success

  • Respect

  • Invention

  • Diversity

  • Generosity

  • Integrity

  • Finesse

  • Love

  • Openness

  • Religion

  • Order

  • Advancement

  • Respect

  • Joy/Play

  • Forgiveness

  • Work Smarter and Harder

  • Excitement

  • Change

  • Goodness

  • Involvement

  • Faith

  • Wisdom

  • Beauty

  • Caring

  • Personal Development

  • This Too Shall Pass Attitude

  • Honesty

  • Adventure

  • Kindness

  • Teamwork

  • Career

  • Communication

  • Learning

  • Excellence

  • Innovation

  • Quality

  • Commonality

  • Contributing

  • Spiritualism

  • Strength

  • Entertain

  • Wealth

  • Speed

  • Power

  • Affection

  • Cooperation

  • Love of Career

  • Friendship/Relationship

  • Encouragement

  • Pride in Your Work

  • Clarity

  • Fun-Loving

  • Charisma

  • Humour

  • Leadership

  • Renewal

  • Home

  • Be True

  • Contentment

  • Friendship

  • Courage

  • Balance

  • Compassion

  • Fitness

  • Professionalism

  • Relationship

  • Knowledge

  • Patience

  • Change

  • Prosperity

  • Wellness

  • Finances

  • Gratitude

  • Grace

  • Endurance

  • Facilitation

  • Effectiveness

  • Fun

  • Fame

  • Justice

  • Appreciation

  • Willingness

  • Trusting Your Gut

  • Giving People a Chance

  • Patience

  • Forgiveness

  • Self-Respect

  • Abundance

  • Reciprocity

  • Enjoyment

  • Entrepreneurial

  • Happiness

  • Harmony

  • Peace

  1. Now pick 10 values that fully resonate with you

  2. Consider these and then choose 5 that meaningfully describe you

  3. Whittle this down to 3 values

  4. Now reduce this to the number one value that wholly represents who you are today

As you digest your findings, contemplate the following questions.

  1. What part do these values presently play in your everyday encounters? 

  2. Are they aligned with how you’re currently living or is there some conflict?

  3. What values are non-negotiable? 

  4. What values have expired and need replacing? 

  5. How could exploring your values now positively impact all of your present and future relationships?

  6. What actions might you take to further align with your unearthed values?

If you feel somewhat uneasy about any of the results, why not try again in a couple of days. The space and time might offer you additional clarity.

Practicing this exercise at least once a year can be like giving yourself a values MOT. It will highlight what’s no longer serving you and replace it with sparkling new visions, aspirations and beliefs to underpin your everyday actions.

By uncovering your core values, you can reveal a way of seeing the world that’s extremely liberating and empowering. 

It can assist you with:

  • difficult decision-making

  • underpin conflict resolution

  • inform your present/new relationships

  • result in bags of joy and fulfilment

As we draw closer towards reinstating connection and touch this will be a very much appreciated emotion for us to enjoy.

If you’d like to explore your values or perhaps you have something on your mind, why not reach out to Nicolette to see how she can support you.


References:

*https://www.vitality.co.uk/ - Covid-19 and the Nation’s Mental Health, Centre for Mental Health/NHS, October 2020 -

**https://www.vitality.co.uk/ - Vitality Survey, September 2020

***https://www.vitality.co.uk/ - Returning to Work Post-Covid, Theta Global Advisors, July 2020