What's REALLY important to you?

One of my very favourite tools for taking stock is a values assessment. Values define who we are and what matters to us. When we find ourselves in situations where our values are compromised, we can become stressed and anxious. When we hold goals that are in conflict with our values or don’t address enough of our values, we tend to procrastinate because the tension stops us being able to make progress. Values do change over time depending on circumstances. By being aware of our values, we are in a better position to:

• define what is truly important - I have worked with a number of people who realise that they are not channeling their energies towards what they value the most.
• clarify motivation - when someone is trying to achieve a goal that is in conflict with their values, they will feel a lot of resistance. The answer is to consider how to reframe the situation so that there is a natural alignment.
• identify areas where circumstances as in conflict with most important values - values definition is particularly useful when people feel “stuck”, because they tend to find that they are aiming for goals they don’t believe in.
• separate externally sourced goals from those acquired externally - many of our ambitions are shaped by our culture and society. When we take stock, we are better able to understand what our own ambitions are and what truly inspires us
• evaluate circumstances and identify goals that align with values - knowing our values, we can assess our circumstances and identify and resolve conflicts

​Use this list to identify the 10 values that are most important to you. Then order them in terms of their importance to you. 

Achievement Adventure Ambition Appreciation Authority Autonomy Balance Beauty Caring Character Civility Compassion Citizenship Commitment Communication Community Compromise Connection Contribution Creativity Curiosity Dedication Determination Devotion Drive Fairness Faith Fame Family Fitness ​

Friendship Fun Grace Gratitude Grit Growth Happiness Hard Work Health Honesty Humor Imagination Influence Ingenuity Justice Kindness Knowledge Leadership Learning Listening Love Loyalty Making a difference Meaning Motivation Openness Optimism Passion Patience Peace ​

Perseverance Persistence Pleasure Popularity Purpose Recognition Religion Reputation Respect Responsibility Sacrifice Security Self-respect Serenity Service Sharing Spirituality Sportsmanship Stability Stewardship Success Status Team Work Trustworthiness Unity Vision Volunteering Wealth Wisdom Work ​

Click here if you would like an at-a-glance page summarising the tool. Please get in touch if you have any questions and do share your experiences of using this tool in the comments area below.