Values & Morals

I remember when I was raising my daughters I used to tell them, “Never forget your values and morals because they are your foundation. Just like your ground, if you lose it you fall down”.

Today I'm reflecting on it, reflecting on how my core values have supported me during my life and if the ones I had when I was younger are the same ones I have today. I came to the conclusion that my core values and morals have always been the same.

They have been my guide and have led me when making the most important decisions of my life to this day. My priorities might have changed, but the same core values have been there and have shed light on the pathway guiding me towards the meaningful life I'm living today.

Let’s understand what values are

Values are your compass, values guide you on where to go and what to do. Values help you set up boundaries, to say “No” or “Yes” to the things that are aligned with your values.

These guiding principles dictate your behaviour and can help you understand the difference between right and wrong.

How to define your core values

When it comes to core values, there is no rule to approach them because everyone is different. But we all have specific core values and morals that rule our behaviour.

To get a sense of what your core values are, think about what is important to you in every single area of our life, and ask yourself:

1. What activities bring you the most joy, or what could you not live without?

2. What gives your life meaning or what do you want to achieve?

If you can articulate those answers, you'll likely see a pattern that you can boil down into a single concept, such as a consistently positive attitude or using your creativity to make the world a better place.

List of core values

• Authenticity

• Achievement

• Adventure

• Authority

• Autonomy

• Balance

• Beauty

• Boldness

• Compassion

• Challenge

• Competency

• Contribution

• Creativity

• Curiosity

• Determination

• Fairness

• Faith

• Fame

• Friendships

• Fun

• Growth

• Happiness

• Honesty

• Humour

• Influence

• Inner Harmony

• Justice

• Kindness

• Knowledge

• Leadership

• Learning

• Love

• Loyalty

• Meaningful Work

• Openness

• Optimism

• Peace

• Pleasure

• Poise

• Popularity

• Recognition

• Religion

• Reputation

• Respect

• Responsibility

• Security

• Self-Respect

• Service

• Spirituality

• Stability

• Success

• Status

• Trustworthiness

• Wealth

• Wisdom