Who Are You Really? Discover Your Core Values

Who Are You Really?

There’s a question. Many don’t dare to ask, never mind answer. It can be a scary place to learn who you are, what you believe in, what you stand for and what really matters to you. What if what we thought we were isn’t true? What if what we thought we stood for and believed in no longer matters to us?

You are going to change. You will develop, grow, have different thoughts and you will transform. The person completing this workbook today will not be the same person who completes a year from now.

So, we have to keep asking, ‘Who am I?’, is what I’m doing right now in alignment with who I want to be? Asking who you are gives you more options and choices.

Asking questions of yourself is constant learning. Asking questions allows you to get to the heart of the matter and give you a greater sense of meaning and purpose in your life. Asking questions can help you say no to what isn’t for, and yes to what is.

The journey to discovering who you are is never ending. Discovering who you are is not something with a start and end date, the constant exploring allows you to learn more, to go deeper, to reach greater understanding and in turn leads to a more authentic (self-authored) life.

Why Core Values?

The world is full of competing values and principles. The people around you are all living out of certain values—whether they know it explicitly or not. If you don’t get clear about your personal values, you will always be living in reaction to the value-based choices of the people around you. Either their values will shape your life, or your reactivity to their choices will. Neither of those is a life-giving, motivating, or dream-building way to live. God didn’t design you to live in constant reaction to others.  

If you want to make a change in your life, moving you into a more life-giving future, then having clear core values is an essential tool. 

More than ever before, we are faced with large and small decisions that affect our lives and the lives of the people around us. Decisions come at us faster and faster. In any given moment, we feel the stress of being pulled in many competing directions.

Finding out your core values is important because they serve as a guide for how you live your life and make decisions. Core values are deeply held beliefs that shape your priorities, attitudes, and behaviors. They are the foundation of your personal identity and give meaning and purpose to your life.

Having a clear understanding of your core values can help you to:

1. Make better decisions: When you know your core values, you can use them to evaluate different options and make decisions that align with your beliefs and principles.
2. Set and achieve goals: Your core values can help you to set goals that are in line with what you truly care about and make progress towards a fulfilling life.
3. Stay true to yourself: By living according to your core values, you can maintain your integrity and avoid acting in ways that are inconsistent with who you are.
4. Improve relationships: When you are clear about your core values, you can communicate them effectively to others, leading to stronger and more fulfilling relationships.

In short, knowing your core values can bring greater clarity, direction, and satisfaction to your life.

 

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Authentic vs Aspirational Core Values

The vast majority of core value lists floating around are aspirational core values. They are values that the person or company ardently wants to be true. They are qualities that the person admires and aspires to, but they are not currently true statements of reality. They may be an ideal. They may be a hope. But they are not the truth.  

In the best case, an aspirational core value isn’t a bad thing; it’s a great tool for casting vision. It’s a positive statement reflecting something we want to become one day. Values like this can also be called Outside-In Core Values. They are imposed from the outside or from above, with the hope that the internal reality will come into alignment with the value over time. Without very hard work and accountability, though, this just doesn’t happen.  

Unless you are clear in your mind that your values are aspirational, such values can be a problem. 

Having created a core value statement, you might think you’ve done the hard work. In reality, you’ve just created a list of hopes. That list of hopes can, without care, mask the real values that are driving you or your organization. 

Authentic core values are (unfortunately) the more powerful kind. Why? Because you already live according to your core values. Every day. Show me your life, and I will show you your core values. Core values are core because they reside at the centre of who you are, shaping your thoughts and actions. Even if you never draw up a list of core values and print it on fancy paper, they are what is already functioning within you. These can also be called inside-out core values.   

These are the qualities and desires that really, truly motivate your current behaviour. Sometimes these values lead to wonderful, noble acts. Other times they lead to choices that you’re ashamed of. They represent what is authentically true about you, both light and shadow. 

Here’s what’s true about your authentic core values: They motivate the choices you make—both good and bad choices. These are not a set of hopeful ideals that some imagined better version of yourself lives by. These are the real values at the core of who you are. 

Why does this matter?  

Identifying your authentic core values is incredibly important if you want to live an intentional life. 

• Knowing what drives you allows you to be thoughtful about your actions, instead of living through your reactions.  
• Knowing that your values have a shadow side allows you to be aware and step away from harmful choices, knowing what you could do and choosing not to do it.   
• Naming your values allows you to re-envision a better, healthier future for yourself. This won’t be an idealized imagined future, but a real future connected to who you actually are, where your God-given best self gets more of the stage time. 

If you’re wanting a more intentional life or a deeper, more life-giving spiritual journey, then getting clear about the values that drive you is an important place to start.

If you’re ready for the focusing clarity that comes with knowing your values, I’d like to walk you through the steps that will help you identify and articulate your authentic inside-out core values. 

The Workbook consists of:

1. 7 Steps to identify your core values and discover your authentic self.
2. Help you to give your values a presence in your life, so that you could lead values-based life.

Please download it here – Discover Your Core Values

Yours Loving  

Arjun Vijeth  

Peak Performance and Life Coach  

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P.S: 

As a Peak Performance/Life Coach, Mentor and Certified Lifebook Leader, I am pleased to share and provide a structured, proven method that helps anyone define or redefine their goals and purpose.  

Lifebook is a transformational lifestyle design system that empowers you to envision, plan, and achieve your very best life - on your own terms, and nobody else's. By breaking down the 12 key categories that make up your life, and implementing successful goals, you'll be equipped with the tools to take charge of your life in the best way possible. 

If you or anyone you know might be interested, please check out the link here.  

We've been given this one life, why not make the most of it?