Mastering the Personal Vision Statement: Your Values

Good day, Purposeful Hearts! I’m so excited to continue this journey with you of creating your personal vision statement. Working my way through this process has been infinitely rewarding in the past, and I’d love for you to experience the same benefits! Stay with me!

Last week, we laid the foundation for your personal vision statement by exploring your passions – the activities without which your life would feel empty or unfulfilling. I hope you have your results handy; if not, find your notes or open the document you created last week so we can build upon your excellent work.

Today, we’re jumping headfirst into your personal values. I’m going to provide you with a list of values, and I’d like for you to choose your five favorites. What should grant a value admission to your top five list? Well, it should capture what you believe life is all about – it should encompass the patterns of behavior, treatment of others, modes of working, or guiding principles that you feel the world needs most. Let’s get started!

Here's your list of values to choose from:

Altruism, dependability, integrity, generosity, courage, gratitude, sustainability, self-respect, adaptability, uniqueness, assertiveness, open-mindedness, flexibility, frugality, self-reliance, innovation, accountability, curiosity, commitment, determination, creativity, innovation, compassion, empathy, social justice, teamwork, community, authenticity, customer service, forward thinking, growth-mindedness, achievement, adventure, agility, charity, dignity, discipline, harmony, honesty, balance, belonging, daring, intensity, kindness, mastery, meticulousness, practicality, restraint, thoughtfulness, trustworthiness, motivation, originality, relaxation, spirituality, structure, wisdom

Whew! That’s quite a list. Yes, and I hope you found it helpful as you generated your list. If you’re like me, chances are that you found it difficult to narrow it down to only five values, and you likely chose the words that captured a few similar patterns of thought.

Now that you have your list of values, your exercise for this week is to verify your choices. As you go about your days, watch for evidence of these values in your life. Pay attention to the events that impact you most; what values are at the heart of that impact? Pay attention to how you treat others; what values are guiding your behavior? Get the idea? By next week, you should have a newfound appreciation for your deepest values, which will translate into a vision statement that truly represents your purposeful heart!