Live By Your Values

Quick Win

Determine your top priorities in life and let them guide you.

Try This Today 

• Identify your values. Consider the different facets of your life, and think about what matters to you most. What do you cherish in your relationships, career, friendships, health and leisure time?
• Make a list of your top values. Place it somewhere that you’ll see it often, like on the fridge or in your wallet.
• Share your values with your network. If you value honesty, for example, make sure that your family knows that you’d rather be given constructive criticism than have a situation sugar-coated. Align yourself with people who honor your values instead of those who try to get you to stray from them.
• Mind your commitments. Make sure the things you are committing your time to fit your current values. If incorporating certain values for the first time, think of actionable ways to honor them. For instance, commit to at least three 20-minute walks a week if health is a top priority.
• Before making a big decision, ask yourself “Does this support my values?” If you crave financial stability, for example, ask yourself if a pricey purchase will take you further from or closer toward what you value.
• Take stock and evaluate. Before bed, take a moment to run through your day. If you did something outside of your values, note how you could handle the situation differently next time. Life events can change your priorities, so reevaluate them periodically.

Why

Your values are the principles that drive your actions. They are the beliefs and characteristics that you hold most sacred in this world. But stop and ask yourself: “Am I truly living with my values in mind?” A meta-analysis published in 2019 in Personality and Individual Differences that reviewed 51 studies found that the more authentic people are—the truer they are to their beliefs and principles—the greater their sense of well-being and engagement.