Reflect on why each value is so important. Rank your list of values in order of what’s most important to you (the stuff that’s non-negotiable to you and you are willing to fight for).
Find a quiet place where you can reflect without any distractions. Be well-rested.
Get a notebook or use your computer—whatever is most comfortable for you. Write down the most significant moments in your life and why they were important to you. What emotions were you feeling? Consider the times that you were proud or deeply satisfied or even times that you saw someone doing something that you really disagreed with. Why did you feel that way?
Example:
My family and I travel to India every few years. We like to buy cases of snacks like chips and cookies. We leave them in the trunk of the car, and every time we pass by families living in tents, we stop by and give snacks to the kids. Their eyes light up with so much joy and excitement, it absolutely warms my heart. The way I feel when I do something for someone else tells me how important it is for me to help others.
Reflect on the emotions associated with those moments. If you need help with coming up with a list, you can google a common list of values for inspiration. Aim for five to ten values that really matter to you.
Example:
Kindness
Integrity
Courage
Accountability
Honesty
Now take the top few (there’s really no minimum or maximum) and write a statement about why they are so important to you.
Example:
Help others and be kind. The universe will take care of you, your job is to help others.
Take 100 percent ownership, whether it’s good or bad. Learn to apologize sincerely and do what you say you’re going to do.
Place your core values somewhere you will be able to see them regularly. Seeing them so frequently will help validate what you created and keep reminding you what’s most important to you as you make decisions. As you grow and evolve, your values may shift, and that’s absolutely normal! Try this exercise again from time to time and make changes as you see fit. Important note…if some of the emotions that were most important to you were painful, this is the place to look for your purpose. Our positive emotional experiences help identify our Core Values (character), and our painful emotional experiences help us identify what we are most passionate about, our Purpose and Passion. For example, I’m writing this monograph for people out there who don’t know how to navigate their career or stand up for themselves. Everything I learned I stumbled through and made a thousand mistakes. I’m so passionate about helping people because I didn’t have blueprints or someone guiding me.
My go-to tools are:
Google or Outlook calendar
Evernote (some people use OneNote, either one works fine)
Smartsheet (or any project management system) Smartsheet is hands down the best project management tool I have used so far, and it’s really effective for managing multiple projects at work. If you aren’t able to use a paid project management tool, I created a basic Project Management Tool that you can download.
Make a copy of this sheet if you don't have a project management tracker.
*I was not paid to promote Evernote, Google, Outlook, or Smartsheet. I’m just a superfan!