Have you ever seen someone do something and thought, “That’s wrong.” Well, where do you think that feeling comes from? It comes from something deep within us which tells us that the action was wrong. Those things that pull on your heartstrings and help you make the right decision, those are values. This is the answer to the first part of the question – what are values? Unfortunately, the answer to the second isn’t as straight forward.

So, Why Do Personal Values Matter?

There are literally hundreds of different values that we could have. Each of us will differ in how much importance we put on them. My values aren’t going to be the same as yours. In the same way, your values are likely to be different than those of your neighbors, friends, and family. They are specific to you. This is what makes them matter. Your personal values are unique to you and at the center of who you are.

Personal Values and Personal Growth

Values are also the markers through which we gauge personal growth and personal development. Or, at least, they should be. When you perceive yourself to have achieved something, it is because you believe that you have lived up to a value that you believe is important. The value, however, is not always a personal value. Sometimes we calculate our success using someone else’s scale. The result is that we start to set new goals by these standards and values and not our own.

 

In short, your personal values are the keys to your personal growth. If you don’t understand what your personal values are you may continue to set goals and even achieve them without ever really growing. By lining your personal values with your goals you are setting yourself up for huge benefits:

  • More Motivation: When you set goals based on your own personal values, your motivation skyrockets because you are truly focused on what is most important to you.
  • More Satisfaction: Achieving goals that match up with your personal values gives a much higher level of satisfaction and offers the most personal development.
  • Bigger Dreams: Once you start building your goals and dreams around your personal values you start to realize how much you can accomplish. The result is that you dream bigger and achieve more!

How Do I Discover my Personal Values?

This is where things really start to get exciting. I’m not saying the process is easy, but it is certainly a journey like no other. Discovering new things about you is an eye-opening experience that offers insight and encouragement. To get started to ask yourself the most basic question:

“What are my Values?”

This is the best place to start because it opens the door to get you thinking. What do you value in life? It is an important question and one that we don’t ask ourselves enough. As you begin to write things down or make a mental list one of the things that will naturally start to happen is that you will subconsciously rate the values you think of. Your hobbies and interests will hold some value, but perhaps your family and friends more so. This selection process that your mind goes through will help you as you begin to define which values are your personal values and which aren’t.

Getting too Personal Values

In order to have your personal values drive your personal development, you have to figure out what those core values are. They will be the best description of you – your wants and desires. The trouble is that there are so many things that we value. If you want to understand what your most personal values are then you need to probe further.

Ask, “What is most important to you?”

Now that you’ve spent some time thinking about your values and assessing them, can you think of what matters most to you? Is it one thing or several? Basically, I want you to go from asking yourself, “What are my values?” to, “What are my core values?” By doing this you force yourself to think more deeply about your values and how much they really matter to you.

 

Get Help Understanding my Personal Values

The process of uncovering your personal values or core values is not short or simple. It is easy to lose focus, become apathetic, and fall back into the same patterns which got you here. Thankfully, however, there is a help. There are many people, both professional and personal, that want you to succeed. Not only that, there are some equipped with the tools needed to ensure your success. These people are called life coaches.

A life coach, if you don’t know, is a person who has dedicated their lives to helping others succeed. They want the best possible situation for you. What makes them stand out apart from your friends and family (who undoubtedly want the same thing) is that they have the tools and training to make a significant impact on your life. If you are seeking to get a deeper understanding of your personal values and connect them with goals that matter, life coaching can really help.

Life Coaching with Scott Epp and Abundance Coaching

Understanding your personal values is an important step to unlocking the power of your potential and living a life of abundance. It is not easy, but it is something that anyone can accomplish if they are willing to try. Even if you aren’t sure exactly what you want to change, contact Abundance Coaching about a free coaching session. You might be surprised to find out how much life coaching can help transform the way you think about your life.

For those that are simply looking to get a better understanding of their values, Scott Epp and Abundance Coaching have created a program just for you. It’s called the Abundance Coaching Values Game and it will definitely help you separate which values are truly important and which are not.

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