{"id":55769,"date":"2021-12-09T23:34:02","date_gmt":"2021-12-10T03:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=55769"},"modified":"2021-12-13T01:13:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T05:13:31","slug":"clarify-your-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/clarify-your-values\/","title":{"rendered":"Clarify Your Values Before You Set Your Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are your values<\/a> in life? In other words, what’s most important to you? Why is it important to define your core personal values? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your values are like a compass\u2014they show you a clear path forward and guide every decision you make as you work toward your goals. If you\u2019re unclear about your values, you won\u2019t be able to make decisions that move you in the right direction, resulting in frustration and a lack of fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s why it’s important to clarify your values<\/a> before you embark on a goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Clarify Your Values<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you start setting goals, it’s important to clarify what\u2019s important to you. Tracy says that this is an important step because goals that aren\u2019t aligned with your values will inevitably lead to unhappiness. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Tracy, one way to clarify your values is by reviewing your past.<\/strong> Reflect on the experiences that have increased your self-esteem and the choices you made in stressful situations because these tell you what\u2019s important to you. Keep in mind that your past choices may not reflect who you are<\/a> now, so consider if you would make different choices today.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another Way to Clarify What\u2019s Important to You<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To clarify your values, you could mine your past experiences as Tracy recommends. However, this may feel a little overwhelming: You\u2019ve probably had dozens, if not hundreds, of experiences that increased your self-esteem or involved overcoming stress. It may be difficult to filter through all of these experiences to find what really<\/em> matters to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re struggling with Tracy\u2019s method for identifying your values<\/a>, you could use this more structured four-step exercise<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer \u201cWho am I?\u201d<\/strong> Get 10 sheets of paper, then write \u201cWho am I?\u201d at the top of each page. On each page, write one descriptive answer, but keep it succinct. For example, you might write \u201ccreative,\u201d \u201chighly ambitious,\u201d or \u201cwriter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask \u201cWhy?\u201d <\/strong>Do a root cause analysis on each page by asking \u201cwhy\u201d you have these traits five times (or until you run out of answers). For example, answers to your \u201cwhys\u201d for \u201chighly ambitious\u201d might be, \u201cBecause I want my company to grow,\u201d and, \u201cBecause I want to make a difference.\u201d These answers reveal that leaving a legacy is important to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find common themes. <\/strong>Look at all 10 sheets, then group together the pages that have some similarities; each group represents a core value. Arrange these core values<\/a> in order of their importance to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Live your values. <\/strong>Determine how you can live by your values<\/a> by thinking about the behaviors you need to do more of and less of.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are your values in life? In other words, what’s most important to you? Why is it important to define your core personal values? Your values are like a compass\u2014they show you a clear path forward and guide every decision you make as you work toward your goals. If you\u2019re unclear about your values, you won\u2019t be able to make decisions that move you in the right direction, resulting in frustration and a lack of fulfillment. Here’s why it’s important to clarify your values before you embark on a goal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,43,6],"tags":[545],"class_list":["post-55769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","category-spiritual","tag-goals","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nClarify Your Values Before You Set Your Goals - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your values show you a clear path forward and guide your decisions as you set and work toward your goals. 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