essay about core values

Essays About Values: 5 Essay Examples Plus 10 Prompts

Similar to how our values guide us, let this guide with essays about values and writing prompts help you write your essay.

Values are the core principles that guide the actions we take and the choices we make. They are the cornerstones of our identity. On a community or organizational level, values are the moral code that every member must embrace to live harmoniously and work together towards shared goals. 

We acquire our values from different sources such as parents, mentors, friends, cultures, and experiences. All of these build on one another — some rejected as we see fit — for us to form our perception of our values and what will lead us to a happy and fulfilled life.

5 Essay Examples

1. what today’s classrooms can learn from ancient cultures by linda flanagan, 2. stand out to your hiring panel with a personal value statement by maggie wooll, 3. make your values mean something by patrick m. lencioni, 4. how greed outstripped need by beth azar, 5. a shift in american family values is fueling estrangement by joshua coleman, 1. my core values, 2. how my upbringing shaped my values, 3. values of today’s youth, 4. values of a good friend, 5. an experience that shaped your values, 6. remembering our values when innovating, 7. important values of school culture, 8. books that influenced your values, 9. religious faith and moral values, 10. schwartz’s theory of basic values.

“Connectedness is another core value among Maya families, and teachers seek to cultivate it… While many American teachers also value relationships with their students, that effort is undermined by the competitive environment seen in many Western classrooms.”

Ancient communities keep their traditions and values of a hands-off approach to raising their kids. They also preserve their hunter-gatherer mindsets and others that help their kids gain patience, initiative, a sense of connectedness, and other qualities that make a helpful child.

“How do you align with the company’s mission and add to its culture? Because it contains such vital information, your personal value statement should stand out on your resume or in your application package.”

Want to rise above other candidates in the jobs market? Then always highlight your value statement. A personal value statement should be short but still, capture the aspirations and values of the company. The essay provides an example of a captivating value statement and tips for crafting one.

“Values can set a company apart from the competition by clarifying its identity and serving as a rallying point for employees. But coming up with strong values—and sticking to them—requires real guts.”

Along with the mission and vision, clear values should dictate a company’s strategic goals. However, several CEOs still needed help to grasp organizational values fully. The essay offers a direction in setting these values and impresses on readers the necessity to preserve them at all costs. 

“‘He compared the values held by people in countries with more competitive forms of capitalism with the values of folks in countries that have a more cooperative style of capitalism… These countries rely more on strategic cooperation… rather than relying mostly on free-market competition as the United States does.”

The form of capitalism we have created today has shaped our high value for material happiness. In this process, psychologists said we have allowed our moral and ethical values to drift away from us for greed to take over. You can also check out these essays about utopia .

“From the adult child’s perspective, there might be much to gain from an estrangement: the liberation from those perceived as hurtful or oppressive, the claiming of authority in a relationship, and the sense of control over which people to keep in one’s life. For the mother or father, there is little benefit when their child cuts off contact.”

It is most challenging when the bonds between parent and child weaken in later years. Psychologists have been navigating this problem among modern families, which is not an easy conflict to resolve. It requires both parties to give their best in humbling themselves and understanding their loved ones, no matter how divergent their values are. 

10 Writing  Prompts On Essays About Values

For this topic prompt, contemplate your non-negotiable core values and why you strive to observe them at all costs. For example, you might value honesty and integrity above all else. Expound on why cultivating fundamental values leads to a happy and meaningful life. Finally, ponder other values you would like to gain for your future self. Write down how you have been practicing to adopt these aspired values. 

Many of our values may have been instilled in us during childhood. This essay discusses the essential values you gained from your parents or teachers while growing up. Expound on their importance in helping you flourish in your adult years. Then, offer recommendations on what households, schools, or communities can do to ensure that more young people adopt these values.

Is today’s youth lacking essential values, or is there simply a shift in what values generations uphold? Strive to answer this and write down the healthy values that are emerging and dying. Then think of ways society can preserve healthy values while doing away with bad ones. Of course, this change will always start at home, so also encourage parents, as role models, to be mindful of their words, actions and behavior.  

The greatest gift in life is friendship. In this essay, enumerate the top values a friend should have. You may use your best friend as an example. Then, cite the best traits your best friend has that have influenced you to be a better version of yourself. Finally, expound on how these values can effectively sustain a healthy friendship in the long term. 

We all have that one defining experience that has forever changed how we see life and the values we hold dear. Describe yours through storytelling with the help of our storytelling guide . This experience may involve a decision, a conversation you had with someone, or a speech you heard at an event.  

With today’s innovation, scientists can make positive changes happen. But can we truly exercise our values when we fiddle with new technologies whose full extent of positive and adverse effects we do not yet understand such as AI? Contemplate this question and look into existing regulations on how we curb the creation or use of technologies that go against our values. Finally, assess these rules’ effectiveness and other options society has. 

Highlight a school’s role in honing a person’s values. Then, look into the different aspects of your school’s culture. Identify which best practices distinct in your school are helping students develop their values. You could consider whether your teachers exhibit themselves as admirable role models or specific parts of the curriculum that help you build good character. 

In this essay, recommend your readers to pick up your favorite books, particularly those that served as pathways to enlightening insights and values. To start, provide a summary of the book’s story. It would be better if you could do so without revealing too much to avoid spoiling your readers’ experience. Then, elaborate on how you have applied the values you learned from the book.

For many, religious faith is the underlying reason for their values. For this prompt, explore further the inextricable links between religion and values. If you identify with a certain religion, share your thoughts on the values your sector subscribes to. You can also tread the more controversial path on the conflicts of religious values with socially accepted beliefs or practices, such as abortion. 

Dive deeper into the ten universal values that social psychologist Shalom Schwartz came up with: power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity, and security. Look into their connections and conflicts against each other. Then, pick your favorite value and explain how you relate to it the most. Also, find if value conflicts within you, as theorized by Schwartz.

Make sure to check out our round-up of the best essay checkers . If you want to use the latest grammar software, read our guide on using an AI grammar checker .

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

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What Matters Most to You and Why: Uncovering Your Core Values in Essays

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on April 6, 2024

Categories Creativity , Education

Exploring the depths of what matters most to you isn’t just a reflective exercise; it’s a cornerstone of authenticity and self-awareness. You might often find yourself caught up in the daily rush, seldom pausing to consider this reflective question.

Yet, understanding what drives you and gives your life meaning is essential. Whether it informs your choices in life, shapes your goals, or steers your relationships—pinpointing these core values is a journey worth taking.

As you peel back the layers of your ambitions and fears, you reveal your personal narrative —a story only you can tell. This isn’t just about reaching a moment of epiphany but rather acknowledging the rich tapestry of experiences that defines you.

Self-awareness is a powerful tool. It allows you to navigate life with more intention and clarity. When you articulate what matters most to you, you’re not just mapping your internal motivations but also setting the groundwork for a life that resonates with purpose. It’s about honoring your individuality and the unique impact you aspire to make.

Defining Your Core Values

Your core values are the guiding principles that dictate your behavior and actions. They shape your personal and professional life, influencing your choices and interactions with the world.

Influence of Family and Friends

Family and Friends contribute significantly to shaping your values. The morals and principles you’ve observed and absorbed from your family from an early age form a foundation for your values. For instance, if honesty and integrity were highly regarded in your household, they likely feature prominently in your value system.

Similarly, your friends can impact your values through their perspectives and actions, further defining what matters most to you.

Professional Experiences and Career Aspirations

Your career aspirations and experiences in the workplace play a critical role in shaping your values. The desire for achievement and professional growth may lead you to prioritize values such as diligence and innovation.

Reflection on how to find, define, and use your values professionally can help align your career trajectory with your personal value system, ensuring that what you do resonates with who you are.

Academic and Extracurricular Passions

Lastly, your academic interests and extracurricular activities are a playground for expressing your values. Whether you value creativity, which could be reflected in pursuing arts and literature, or if you prize knowledge and are drawn to research and science, your academic life enhances and reflects your values.

Similarly, hobbies and passions complement your academic pursuits, giving a fuller picture of what matters to you – be it community service, sports, or any other field that allows you to express your intrinsic values.

Narrating Your Journey

In narrating your journey , you’re not just recounting events but reflecting on the turning points that have shaped who you are. Your narrative will encapsulate your struggles, passions, and the wisdom gained through life experiences.

Significant Life Moments

Think back to the milestone events in your life. Maybe it was the joyous day you graduated from college, illustrating your passion for education. These moments are vital chapters in your story that highlight your evolving character and the values that drive you.

Overcoming Challenges

Challenges are inevitable, but your resilience in the face of obstacles showcases your growth . Whether it was a professional setback or a personal loss, how you rose from these times speaks volumes about your strength and commitment to personal growth .

Moments of Personal Growth

These are the times when you learn the most about yourself. Perhaps it was a tough decision that taught you the weight of regrets and the importance of making choices aligned with your values. Reflect on these experiences as pivotal points in your story where you saw significant personal growth.

Articulating Your Purpose

Discovering and articulating your purpose involves deeply exploring your passions and dreams to establish a clear vision for your future that resonates with your desire to make a positive impact.

Envisioning Your Future

Think about where you want to be. Sketch out a roadmap for your life that’s guided by your deepest aspirations. Instead of vague wishes, identify specific goals that align with your passions. For example, if you dream of becoming an educator, outline the steps to get you into the classroom, the educational philosophy you want to embody, and how you aspire to influence your students’ lives.

Making a Positive Impact

Identify the mark you wish to leave on the world. Reflect on areas where you’re driven to make a change—be it in your community, workplace, or a broader scale. This might mean volunteering for causes you’re passionate about or pursuing a career that enables you to address issues close to your heart.

Documentation of previous experiences with positive impact can fuel your commitment and give a clearer picture of the path forward.

Essays on What Matters Most to You

Structuring Your Essay

When you sit down to convey what matters most to you and why, structuring your essay can be as critical as the content itself. Your goal is to create a narrative that answers the essay question and captivates the reader with clear intention.

Employing a Clear Narrative

Start your essay with a compelling hook to draw your reader into your world. A personal anecdote can be a window into what drives you as a foundation for the narrative you intend to weave through your essay.

The body of your narrative should be a journey that methodically reveals layers of your character and values, culminating in a climax that resonates with the essence of the prompt.

• If leadership is central to your story, begin with a moment that epitomizes your leadership qualities.
• Should you focus on a personal transformation, choose an instance that best illustrates that pivotal change.

Maintaining Clarity of Purpose

The soul of your essay lies in its purpose. Consistently ask yourself, “Does this sentence serve my central theme?” Maintain a laser focus on answering the ‘why’ component of the essay prompt. Each paragraph should advance your narrative and underscore your central message, leading to a reflective and insightful conclusion that underscores your central thesis.

Quick Tips:

• Bold key sentences that directly address the question to ensure they stand out.
• Use italics for emphasis, particularly when reflecting on the significance of your experiences or beliefs.

Showcasing Authenticity

When it comes down to what matters most, being true to who you are and confidently sharing your journey can set you apart. Showcasing authenticity involves embracing and expressing your unique qualities and experiences.

Being Genuinely You

Your authenticity is your distinct fingerprint in a world teeming with duplication. To embrace your true self , consider these points:

• Values : Your core beliefs guide you. Recognize them, stand by them, and let them be known.
• Personality : Celebrate your quirks. They make you, you .

Likewise, understanding your weaknesses is just as crucial as knowing your strengths. This level of self-awareness breeds a deep-seated authenticity.

Sharing Your Unique Story

Each of us has a tale that’s uniquely ours. How you share that story can make an enduring impression. Keep these storytelling elements in mind:

• Context : Provide the background that shapes your narrative. This gives your story a foundation.
• Authentic Moments : Details about turning points or lessons learned showcase growth and character.

Remember, your authentic story isn’t just what you’ve done but also why you’ve done it — the motives and passions driving your actions. Being authentic means that you’re not just sharing a narrative but also the diverse emotions and thoughts that come with it.

Reflecting on the Influence of Relationships

In this journey of life, your relationships profoundly shape your emotions, experiences, and the paths you choose. Here’s how:

Relating Through Emotion and Experiences

You navigate life’s highs and lows through a complex web of emotional connections with others. Imagine the shared laughter over a meal that turns strangers into friends or the silent empathy from a loved one during tough times.

These interactions aren’t just fleeting moments; they are the threads that weave the fabric of your life. For instance, couples often find self-reflection critical for healthy relationships, suggesting that how you perceive and adjust in relationship contexts is vital to your personal growth.

• Emotional Support: Your bonds can offer comfort and a safety net, enhancing your life satisfaction.
• Shared Experiences: The joint adventures you embark on enrich your narrative and personal development.

Navigating the Admissions Process

When applying to a college or MBA program, it’s vital to understand the inner workings of the admissions process. This knowledge can give you a competitive edge and align your application with what admissions committees seek.

Understanding What Admissions Committees Look For

Admissions committees select candidates who showcase academic prowess and potential for future success. There are specific attributes that matter:

• Academic Achievement : A solid academic record with competitive grades and test scores is crucial.
• Professional Experience: Relevant work experience can set you apart for MBA admissions .
• Personal Essays : Your essays should reflect clarity of thought, leadership qualities, and long-term goals.
• Letters of Recommendation : Strong endorsements from professionals or academics who have witnessed your capabilities intimately.
• Extracurricular Activities : Engagement outside the classroom signifies a well-rounded applicant.

Aligning your application with these focal points can significantly impact the impressions you leave on the admissions committee.

Crafting Your Essay

It’s important that you inject your personality into your writing while maintaining the right balance of professionalism. You want the essay to truly reflect who you are.

Writing with Wit and Humor

Wit can be a sharp tool in your essay-writing arsenal, allowing you to express your thoughts engagingly and memorably. However, use humor with caution; it should feel natural, not forced. Your essays will stand out if you can make the admissions committee chuckle without veering off-topic or sacrificing your essay’s core message.

Balancing Professionalism with Personality

You’re not just a professional but a person with unique traits and experiences. Infuse your personality into your essay, but do so professionally. This means avoiding overly casual language and ensuring your anecdotes and reflections are relevant to the essay’s prompt. Being professional doesn’t mean being devoid of personality; it means presenting yourself as a well-rounded candidate.

Managing Essay Length and Details

Your essays should be concise yet detailed. Aim for a sharp focus rather than a sprawling narrative. When discussing what matters most, every word should serve a purpose.

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Free Core Values Essay Example

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: People , Value , Integrity , Authenticity , Life , Goals , Courage , Compassion

Published: 12/05/2021

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Core values

Core values are principles that guide the behavior of people and also supports the goals and purpose of an individual. They usually define who the person is. They are necessary virtues that guide people in achieving their visions and missions. Different people have different core values that assist them in their respective areas of duty. I have different core values that define who I am. Core values cannot be helpful to a person unless they maintain the integrity with them. I have been able to achieve different goals and targets because of living a life that is aligned with my core values. Core values enable people to have meaningful lives, thereby giving them the feeling of satisfaction that comes when one achieves the goals and mission. The most important personal values I observe are integrity, authenticity, courage, compassion, truthfulness, and trust. My first core value is integrity. It is a quality that enables people to live with honest and observing strong moral values. It allows me to maintain upright morals and good ethical standards in whatever I do. Standing by the value of integrity is hard. For that reason, I treat integrity as the only option. It acts as an internal compass that directs the person to the right directing whatever he or she is doing. The other core value I observe is authenticity. Through this value, I live genuinely by being honest with me. It helps me accept my limits, knowing what I’m capable of and what I’m not capable of doing. It is a significant value since it helps me abide by other core values by being aligned with them. There are many ways through which I enhance the authenticity virtue. It is possible through being courageous to self-disclose what I can, being transparent, and gauging myself to know my limits. Courage is the other value that is associated with authenticity. With courage, you do everything without fears of what other people may think of you. It helps me take risks and doing what I think is integral to me. Compassion is the fourth core value I observe. Being kind and sensitive to other people is important. Understanding people and being empathetic to them during problems increases the chances of the same people helping you during the problem. People usually forget what you say, but they will never forget what you do. Therefore, compassion helps to perform good deeds for other people. The said core values have different roles they play in my life, although they assist in one goal that is self-development. I live by my values in everything I do. By so doing, I always find myself mostly doing the right thing. I am always constantly principled with making a change in my life, and this becomes the critical reasons why I adopted the said core values. Core values are not permanent and are sometimes broken depending on the circumstances. Values are not laws and are not enforceable hence I can at some situations break them. Some situations can make me reconsider my core values or at some stages change them. In the case where I am involved in crime, and there is the possibility of facing conviction, I will be forced to reconsider some of the values. For instance, it can be a situation whereby if you tell the truth, you will be found guilty, the only option will be going against the value of integrity to avoid the sentence. That is an example of a situation where I will reconsider my values.

Dennis, S. (2012). The Strength perspective in social work practice. Pearson Higher Ed. Jerzy, S. (2007). Core Values and Cultural Identity. Ethnic and racial studies, 4(1), 75-90. Shalom, S., & Vittorio, G. (2010). Basic Personal Values, Core Political Values, and Voting: Longitudinal Analysis. Political Psychology, 31(3), 421-452. Wreight, M. (2015). Personal core values. Retrieved from The integrity coach: www.theintrgrity coach.com?personal-core-values

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How to Focus on Your Values in Your Personal Statement

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by CEG Essay Specialist Kaila Barber in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered: 

Identifying your own values, demonstrate your values with examples.

• Reflecting on Your Experiences

It’s important to keep in mind what your reader is hoping to learn from your personal statement. The statement is an opportunity to reflect on your experiences and demonstrate how you think about and relate to the world around you. Specifically, what are some of your values? What’s meaningful to you? What do you find important? 

Personal values can be things like communication, patience, nature, health, personal development, courage, self-love, authenticity, healthy boundaries, or even humor. Before you start drafting your personal statement, take a moment to reflect on the things that you find important and why. 

We’re all very different people coming from different backgrounds, and we have different experiences that impact our individual values. While some of your values will overlap with those of other people, your personal reflection on the values that resonate most with you will separate your statement from someone else’s. 

The best way to include your values, skills, and traits in your essay is to pair them with specific examples and anecdotes. Each anecdote should align with at least one of the values that you find most important and should be accompanied by your personal reflection on the value and its related experience. 

Here’s an example. A student does not have a parent or guardian around to shoulder the expenses of caring for them and their younger sibling. In their outline, the student says that they value autonomy, financial stability, and family. Throughout the essay, they demonstrate these values by talking about getting a part-time job to help support the family and caring for their sibling at home. They also excel academically and even petition to have an AP Physics II course offered at their school. 

The student has shown autonomy by taking the initiative to petition for the new course and by getting a job. They have also demonstrated that both financial stability and family are important to them by pitching in to support their parent and sibling.

Your examples should show your reader your values by being specific and personal to your background and experiences.

Reflecting on Your Experiences 

Reflecting on your values is an equally important part of the personal statement. Your reflections or insight should focus on not only your experiences but also who you are and who you want to become. The insight you include in your essay shows that you’ve really found meaning from your personal experiences.

Insight can take a few forms. A common way to show insight is by writing about a growth experience. Show how you went from point A in your life to point B, and share the lessons you’ve learned along the way. For example, people often reflect on how navigating a strenuous activity or challenge changed the way that they thought about themselves and what they could handle. Reflecting on that change in confidence is one way to demonstrate insight.

One of the clearest ways to explore insight is to self-reflect and write about how something has either connected you to, influenced, or reframed how you think of your own values. Maybe you once pushed yourself too hard, and that experience showed you the value of rest and mindfulness. Or perhaps a change in circumstances shifted or redefined your values to an extent. 

For example, a person might say that while they craved stability as a child because of their home life, they now see the value of risk-taking and adventure in enriching their own knowledge and experiences. In this example, both security and risk are important to the speaker, but their experiences ultimately shifted weight from one value to another.

Regardless of how you approach your personal statement, insight is the overarching meaning that you take away from the relevant experiences and values you’ve shared.

Are you looking for more guidance as you draft your personal statement? Check out this post on how to come up with a strong topic that wows your admissions reader!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Reflecting on Our Core Values

In an earlier article , I shared an exercise that I did with my team, an exercise to identify and share our core values. The exercise was inspired by Brené Brown's book Dare to Lead . The goal was to improve our self-awareness and, by sharing our core values with our colleagues, foster understanding and encourage the psychological safety that is an essential element of a high-performing team.

As Brené writes:

"If we don't make our values priorities, we can't ask others to do it for us." —Brené Brown

When we explicitly identify our core values, we can look for leadership opportunities that resonate with these values. In expressing our values to our colleagues, our colleagues can support us in our values. The impact on our work is more alignment, less conflict, improved understanding, lasting connection, and greater purpose.

Even if we identify a value as a strong driver, not all of our values are core values. Some values can be aspirational, tied to our aspirations, or the aspirations of others. Other values can be associated with judgement, either from judging ourselves, or in feeling judgement from others. When our values are applied in the wrong context, they can be in conflict with our work. It is also important to ask the question, "Is there a difference between our work values and our personal values?"

When there is misalignment in our values, or when we are driven more by shame, judgement, or aspirations, we may not always be true to our core values. This is an essay about reflecting on our values to understand what drives them—including aspirations, judgements, context, and our work—in order to separate our core values from these other strong drivers.

Aspirational Values

Most people will identify with a few values that are aspirational. Some of our values just take a very long time to develop. For example, a young person may value wealth , financial stability , or job security , but these are things that can take decades to achieve. Other aspirational values are values that one can never achieve. Excellence and knowledge can fall into this category. Once a person has achieved a certain level of excellence or knowledge, that person may crave a new level of excellence, or even more knowledge, unsatisfied with their current level, even if it is impressive to others. Aspirational values are values that you are always striving towards, no matter what you have accomplished in the past.

From the perspective of someone hoping to eventually have children, values like family or future generations are aspirational, whereas someone who holds a connection to their family or mentoring future generations as a core value—something important to them day in and day out—would not view the same values as aspirational. Giving back is similar. For some people, it might be aspirational—they hope that one day they will have the financial means or independence to give back. For others, it will be a core value: they will need to give back on an ongoing basis, as a means to feel fulfilled.

Some aspirational values are related to ideals that people feel a connection to, but wish they were more dedicated to. Things like health , financial stability , self-discipline , or giving back . They might know what to do to eat healthily and exercise, or spend their money wisely and save for their goals, but they may never truly live up to these values, making decisions that, in hindsight, are not aligned with these values. Because these values are things that people feel like they should be doing, rather than things that they are doing, makes them aspirational, and not core values. When exploring your values, resist holding on to words that resemble something you've been coached to be, or values that never felt true to you.

Most people will associate a few of their values with judgement. This is noteworthy, but not surprising. The specific values that one associates with judgement will vary from person to person, but the emotions they evoke will be similar. For instance, I already mentioned health as an aspirational value, but it can also be a value filled with judgement for someone who is trying to be healthier, but failing. The judgement can be compounded if you are perceived by others as being dedicated to your health, while struggling with the shame of trying to keep various eating habits, exercise routines, self-destructive thoughts, or even substance abuse, your personal secret.

Judgement can be connected with values like achievement , career , legacy , parenting , self-discipline , success , and wealth . For example, feeling like your parents or siblings are judging you because you never finished university and have not been as successful as your older sister, who is a distinguished doctor, lawyer, or engineer.

Self-discipline is a value I identified with. It is also a value to which I attached some judgement. I was raised in a country and a culture heavily influenced by Protestant values, so values like hard work, discipline, frugality, and a stiff-upper-lip are connected with respect, success, and social acceptance. Even the ability to show self-restraint in the expression of emotion can be an important value in these cultures. Learning to control our emotions and keep our true feelings opaque, or even display an emotion that is the opposite of what we are really feeling, becomes part of maturing from a child into an adult.

There were two values on Brené's list that I did not identify with, but I did associate judgement: personal fulfilment and self-respect . I thought, "Who wouldn't be true to these values, especially at work?" I did not identify them in my list of values because I take them as a given. To me, they are fundamental. I realize other people are coming from different experiences and perspectives. People may be focusing on improving their self-respect after struggling with feelings of not being smart enough, successful enough, good enough, or slim enough; or focusing on their personal fulfilment after years of putting other people first. Whether you identify strongly with values like personal fulfilment or self-respect , or consider them a given, one judgement that I think is fair to make: If you are not being true to these values, something is not right, and eventually needs to change.

We will often feel conflicted by values associated with judgement. These values are more about how others perceive us, or how we want to be perceived by others, rather than how we fundamentally perceive ourselves. There can also be some aspirational aspects to these values, like wanting to be healthier, or striving to have more self-discipline. While the values that we associate with judgement are not our core values, they can still be very strong drivers of our behaviours. To develop more understanding, there is a lot of value in identifying them and sharing them with other people whom we feel safe with.

Values in Context

Context matters when considering our expectations of values. For example, Tom Brady is the six-time Super-Bowl-winning quarterback of the New England Patriots. His coach for all of those wins was Bill Belichick. If you heard that Brady or Belichick had the core values success , achievement , being the best , ambition , or confidence , you would not be surprised. But if someone you work with expressed these same core values, it might result in distrust and disconnection, unless you see these values balanced with other values like team work , community , trust , and loyalty . [1] You might be suspicious that the person is driven by ego, title, compensation, and competition, and that they would hang you out to dry in an instant, if it helped them get ahead. As my colleague said to me, "It would be reasonable for Brady and Belichick to have those core values: Their goal is to win the Super Bowl every year. Winning the Super Bowl, annually, is not the goal of most engineering teams."

Changing context, I am willing to bet that Brady and Belichick would say that being the best , success , achievement , legacy , are elusive values that they are constantly striving towards, but not values that they have ever achieved, unconditionally. My guess is that for them, these are aspirational values, rather than core values. If these were core values, they would probably feel more complete, and they would not have been so wildly successful, so consistently, for so long. I imagine their core values are values like ambition , commitment , excellence , leadership , learning , dedication , and perseverance .

When our core values are discordant with our context, it can make us unhappy and unproductive. Reflecting on discordant values can help us identify values or contexts that we want to change or evolve. Which brings me to my final reflection on our values: our work values and our personal values, and what to do when they are not aligned.

Work Values and Personal Values

Brené writes that she is often asked, "Do you want me to identify my professional values or my personal values?" Since I used this as a team-building exercise, I asked my colleagues to identify the values that are most important to them in their work. However, it was immediately clear that everyone's core values went well beyond their work and were values of great importance to everything in their life.

We only have one set of values. They do not change based on context, even if some values are expressed more prominently. This does not mean that we are always living or working in a way that is aligned with these values. Whenever our work is in conflict with our values, we must seek change, either by actively evolving our work or our organizations, or recognizing that the two are incompatible, and moving on to a new opportunity that is more aligned with our values.

Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; it's choosing what's right over what's fun, fast, or easy; and it's practicing your values, not just professing them. —Brené Brown

When our values and our work are not aligned, it can lead to intense feelings of frustration, anger, disconnection, and even depression. If we are not explicitly aware of our values, we may not even know why we are experiencing these strong feelings. But when we have identified the values that drive us, we can see when our work and our values are misaligned, and take concrete steps to remedy the situation. We can use techniques like Nonviolent Communication to make specific requests to address our needs. This is empowering and can keep destructive emotions and behaviours at bay.

The following questions from Brené's book can help us reflect on the impact of our core values on our work:

• What are behaviours that support your core values at work?
• What is a slippery behaviour that makes you feel like you are living outside your values at work?

When someone shares their values with you, you want to understand the reasoning, motivation, reactions, and guiding principles behind those values. As much as possible, avoid your own interpretations and focus on listening for deeper meaning. As a leader with a deeper understanding and connection—a manager, a mentor, a teammate, a friend—we can then guide and support our colleagues in their values, and they can do the same for us.

Even if you are conflicted in your values at work, as long as you have awareness, you can choose to sit with this conflict, without it becoming destructive. For instance, maybe inclusiveness or diversity is one of your values and you are not satisfied with the spectrum of representation in your organization. If you have tried to improve the situation and you are not seeing any progress, obstructed by a culture that is resisting change, it may be time to move on to resolve this conflict. But even if you are seeing slow but steady progress, you can appreciate the impact of living into your values over the long-term.

The more we are able to connect our feelings to our own needs, the easier it is for others to respond compassionately. —Marshall Rosenberg

Identifying our core values and sharing them with others is a powerful exercise. Interpreting when a value is aspirational or involves judgement can help differentiate key drivers that do not rise to the level of core values. Appreciating the context in which we are applying our values can help us identify conflicts. Understanding that there is no distinction between our work values and our personal values can help us find work that we are passionate about and identify our opportunities for leadership.

Developing our awareness of our values can help us be true to our values, reducing conflict, providing agency, and making our work more enjoyable and fulfilling. Developing an understanding for the values of our colleagues means we can support each other in our shared or complimentary values, and it provides the foundations for a psychologically-safe and high-performing team.

If you try this exercise, either personally or with your team, please let me know how it goes.

No doubt, team work , community , trust , and loyalty are values that also bring balance for Brady or Belichick within a game, a practice, or a season. ↩︎

61 Personal Values Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best personal values topic ideas & essay examples, 💡 interesting topics to write about personal values, ✅ good essay topics on personal values.

• Personal Values and Beliefs in Ethical Issues Therefore, the constructs of deontology have enabled me to make decisions based on my responsibilities and obligations as per the expectations of society.
• Role of Personal and Organizational Values in Job Satisfaction The relationship between the organizational and personal values is often referred to as the value congruence that generates various organizational values and individual predilections to understand how well the individual match to the organization as […]
• The Effects of Modern Popular Culture on Personal Beliefs and Values I persisted with this behavior until I was admitted to the university where the modern culture dwells on wearing casually. This essay has showed that modern popular culture changes the beliefs and behaviors of people […]
• Daniel Roth’s and Sam Hazen’s Personal Values in Leadership Hazen’s primary personal values in his leadership style are commitment, which was mentioned previously, and interpersonal connection: Hazen constantly aims to improve the relationships with his juniors.
• Comparing Personal Values With Core Values The justification for personal and core values is that, in a workplace setting, employees are happier and more motivated to perform their jobs when their values coincide with those of the business.
• Personal Values and Sexuality in Christianity As a Christian, I think that there is life after death which means that I will be accountable for the sins I did of fornication and premature sex.
• Taking Into Account the Personal Values of a Patient First of all, the preceptor illustrated the active participation in the policy of the hospital unit and healthcare organization as a whole.
• Purchase of Fast Fashion Clothing and Ethical & Personal Values On the other hand, the emergence of the practice threatened the aesthetic value and ethical approach based on the utilization of the available facilities.
• Personality and Values in Human Services Practice In order to overcome this problem, I plan to find a colleague who can help me review the plans and assessments of current situations to ensure that I cover all the basic issues.
• Nursing Ethic: Personal, Cultural and Spiritual Values The value of integrity is crucial in my nursing practice because it helps me to be honest in my profession and adhere to nursing standards and code of ethics.
• Personal Values and Counseling Sessions However, non-verbal clues may reveal the personal values of the counselor to the patient. Counselors should pay special attention to trying to avoid the impact of their personal values on the counseling process and advice […]
• Personal Values and Cardinal Values of the Social Work The proponent of this paper will identify the personal values that are congruent and those that are in conflict with social work’s professional values and what can be done to resolve the conflict in order […]
• Nursing Values: Professional and Personal The nurse manager encourages staff to implement innovations in care and try new approaches to enhance the quality of services. It is possible to conclude that the nurse manager at my workplace presents the professional […]
• Core Values in Personal Belief System These are my core values and include happiness, family, friends, pleasure and financial security and stability. In conclusion, I agree that values are important to my life.
• Personal Values Importance in Child and Youth Care These three values that are of importance to me fall under the category of values that I acquired as a result of my socialization.
• Career Path Aligned With Personal Values As such a person has to be aware that the goal of writing a text is to communicate and not to merely write thereby choosing the appropriate writing skills.
• Personal Values and Its Contributions on Life Mission As it would be observed, the list of personal values is endless, and this means that different people in the world have different types of personal values that they tend to implement into their lives.
• Business Ethics: Job Requirements vs. Personal Values As underlined by the client, the management’s attitudes to proprietary information are relaxed, and most of the employees would go to great extents to obtain the information required for their projects.
• Personal Values vs. Organizational Values In such a situation, an employee can always refer to the statement when compelled to perform tasks that violate personal values.
• Business Protocols and Personal Values Conflict In order to avoid such conflicts, Chappell asserts that if faced with this type of conflict, one may leave the workplace, do what is required, or come up with a strategy that addresses the issue […]
• Comparison of the Personal Values in America
• The Relationship Between Advertising and Social and Personal Values
• Comparison of the Business Protocol and Personal Values
• Basic Personal Values, the Country’s Crime Rate, and the Fear of Crime
• Business Strategy Management: Alois Hofbauer Personal Values
• Conflict Between Personal Values and Organizational Goals
• Culture and Personal Values: How They Influence Perceived Service Quality
• Difference Between Personal Values and Personal Beliefs
• The Relationships Between Employment and Personal Values
• Factors That Affect Our Personal Values
• Ethical Beliefs and Personal Values of Top Level Executives
• Managers Should Leave Their Personal Values at Home
• Health Professional’s Personal Values Affecting Patient Care
• Relations Between Ethics Awareness Inventory and Personal Values
• How Does Society Shape Our Personal Values
• Differences Between Business Leadership, Social and Personal Values
• Human Services, Legal Issues, Ethical Codes, and Personal Values
• Identifying Personal Values and Appreciating Diversity
• Managing the Diversity: Board Age Diversity, Directors’ Personal Values, and Bank Performance
• How Personal Values Influence Management Style
• Moving Through the Political Participation Hierarchy: A Focus on Personal Values
• Defining Personal Values, Culture, and Religious Beliefs
• Nursing Personal Values’ Development
• Differences Between Personal Values, Ground Rules, and Ethics Development
• Comparison of Organizational Culture and Personal Values
• Personal Values and Attitudes of a Disability Support
• Importance of Personal Values in Counseling
• Social Values: What Is a Personal Value?
• Importance of Personal Values in the Medical Field
• Personal Values: Meaning and Value of the Work Environment
• The Relationship Between Personal Values and Ethical Standards
• Relations of the Moral Compass and Personal Values
• The Importance of Personal Values and Professional Ethics
• The Controversy Between the Personal Values and Social Media
• Personal Values Supporting Enterprises’ Innovations in the Creative Economy
• The Discussion of the Top Five Personal Values
• The Interactions Between Personal and Professional Values
• Relationships Between Personal Values and Leadership Behaviors in Basketball Coaches
• Importance of the Personal Values in Social Work
• The Relationship Between Personal Values and Success
• Integrity Questions
• My Family Research Topics
• Personal Ethics Titles
• Self-Awareness Research Topics
• Extinction Research Topics
• Professionalism Research Ideas
• Respect Essay Topics
• Charity Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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On Humans: Grappling with the Intersection of Nature, Work + Technology

About Trust, Part Six – A Deeper Dive Into Core Values

By Mark Abbott

At the core of every company is people. Everyone says this, so it reads trite, but anyone who has ever worked in a company knows this to be true. They also know that their level of life satisfaction, and their level of well-being, is fairly dependent upon their level of satisfaction with their work. Not only that, their satisfaction with work is significantly dependent upon their satisfaction with their relationships at work. In short, I believe High Trust Company’s (HTC’s) are those where the vast majority of employees genuinely love not just their Work but their Workplace (yep, another intentional capital W).

The other major item that comes into play for almost every worker is their belief that their work matters (aka they buy into the company’s purpose). Deep down inside I believe we all want to matter (and that to matter, we need to make life better). This is consistent with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If we matter, we will have a reasonable likelihood of developing self-esteem. I write “developing” because you cannot give it to someone. That was one of the big flaws with the self-esteem movement that began in the late 20th century. You have to earn self-esteem because then it’s yours. You earned it. You own it. You can take it with you if you want to move to another tribe (aka company). I like to say: to matter, you have to matter. By that I mean you can’t just want to matter, you have to earn it.

It’s like an insight I acquired decades ago which is: You don’t make money because you want to make money; you make money because someone values what it is you do / have.

This simple idea applies to individuals and companies. At the risk of stating the obvious, all of this Work needs to be executed reasonably well if the company operates in a market where competition exists.

The consequence of all of this is that HTC’s have cultures that not only recognize the importance of people, and their need to matter, but minimize the inherent friction associated with all these different types of people (each of whom wants to matter) coming together and breaking apart to do Work. And one of the most important things HTC’s do is develop high trust cultures that are built upon a small collection of very well developed “Core Values.” Without a clear set of deeply shared values… there is no enduring connection ).

HTC’s inevitably develop cultures that minimize the inherent friction associated with…different types of people coming together and breaking apart to do Work.

As I wrote about in “ Being Human: 101 ,” thousands of years ago we developed values to make it easier for us to survive and flourish as social beings. The consequence of this is values are ubiquitous in all groups (religious or secular).

After a couple of decades or so of living on this planet, most of us have come to learn that there are all sorts of groups out there. Some we’re attracted to and comfortable within, and some we’d rather not be a member of. It feels almost wrong to write the last sentence, but it’s true. This doesn’t mean we cannot co-exist and thrive without belonging to all groups. And it certainly doesn’t mean that different groups cannot get along.

What it does mean is we are not well suited for all groups and, frankly, not all groups want us. Some groups need a certain level of Competency we don’t possess (e.g., an NBA team for >99.999% of humans) and some require a Character that we may not possess (e.g., a spy ring for me — I couldn’t lie well enough to save my life), and many are composed of values that don’t match well with ours (e.g., a dictatorship — I am not a big fan of being told what to do. You?).

This is my first essay where we’re going to take a deeper look at some of the more complex ingredients associated with the Three Dimensions of Trust. I’m starting these “deep dives” by unpacking the Core Values component of the Connections-Based Trust dimension (which I have come to believe could also be called the Social-Based Trust dimension but the “Three C’s of Trust” generally resonates better for me — feel free to comment). I’m starting with Core Values because it’s one of the most common ingredients that companies focus on if they have any interest in building an HTC.

So what are values?

According to Wikipedia: “In ethics, value denotes the degree of importance of some thing or action, with the aim of determining what actions are best to do or what way is best to live (normative ethics), or to describe the significance of different actions. Value systems are prospective and prescriptive beliefs: they affect ethical behavior of a person or are the basis of their intentional activities. Often primary values are strong and secondary values are suitable for changes. What makes an action valuable may in turn depend on the ethical values of the object it increases, decreases or alters. An object with “ethic value” may be termed an “ethic or philosophical good” (noun sense).”

I love this definition because there is so much to unpack here. Let’s list a few of the values of values:

• Some values are strongly held (e.g., what is good and important, tend to endure and are typically widely held by a group [e.g., democracy])
• Some values are more personal and subject to change (e.g., what is useful, beautiful, desirable and constructive)
• Most of us have values that reflect our personal beliefs on what “ought to be”
• Every value can be categorized along three sub dimensions: – Importance (to me, to the group) – Relevance (to me, to the group) – Time (durability)
• Since values help us understand the degree of importance, they are hierarchical in nature
• Since values are hierarchical, and we care more about things that deeply matter to us than those that don’t, they also help us form a hierarchy for feeling (from strongly for, to indifferent, to strongly against)
• Values have value and consequently can be thought of as a good (i.e., something whose value can be measured)
• The value of values can, with a bit of work, be measured and consequently values make it easier to objectively assess options so we can undertake cost / benefit analyses, make informed decisions and do what our team calls GSSD™ (“Get Smart Stuff Done™)
• Consequently, values help us form a hierarchy for thinking, feeling and doing (all three of which are needed to create and innovate) that not only simplify our choices but make it significantly easier for us to Work, and through our Work, make life better

What Core Values are Not

If you’ve been following this series, you may recall I purposely inserted the Core Values component into the Connections-Based Trust dimension and that, for purposes of clarity, I highly recommend you think of Core Values as traits that are not commonly associated with Character and Competency. I’ve worked with dozens of companies that mix these concepts and their Core Values are far more effective, and durable, when they don’t dilute them with Character-based traits (e.g., honesty, integrity) that are, in the words of Patrick Lincioni, “permission to play” or Competency-based traits that are not appropriate for every single seat in our company (e.g., detail oriented, innovative, organized).

Some Guiding Principles for Creating a Company’s Core Values

Core Values are a short list (typically 3 to 7) of behavioral norms, philosophical beliefs, and / or guiding principles that a company finds sacrosanct (aka important, relevant and enduring). The best Company Core Values score 10/10 across all three dimensions (recall, I love being able to understand the math associated with trust ).

Well-defined and genuinely embraced Core Values:

• Clarify who we are
• Articulate what we stand for
• Guide us on who we hire
• Help explain why we do business the way we do
• Guide us on how to teach
• Inform us on how to reward
• Help us to better understand why some people don’t fit
• Help us let people go
• Unify the whole organization
• Inform our business processes
• Guide / are compatible with our value proposition
• Require no external justification

There are numerous approaches to developing your company’s Core Values. If you haven’t already enumerated them or if you are not sure yours are right, here’s a brief summary of how I help my clients find theirs:

• I have them collectively create a list of 10–15 employees they love working with (the more that are known by most of those in the room, the better).
• I present the Three C’s of Trust framework and ask them to list the behavioral traits (repeat: not character, not competency) that they love about each one of these people.
• I write the words and short phrases (e.g., Get Stuff Done, Do the Right Thing) that they use to describe the traits that they love up on a white board.
• Once we’re done building the list of traits, I ask each of them to share the names of some colleagues (present and / or past) who they find / found really difficult to work with. My goal is to get 5–7 names and then have them share what behaviors / traits they find difficult to work with. Almost all the time, they tend to be the antithesis of some of the behaviors that they found so attractive in the colleagues that they loved working with.
• As they share their list of what I call “antitheticals,” we star the attractive / opposite behaviors.
• Finally, we work to consolidate the list into about five Core Values (90% of my clients have five).
• I know we’ve built Core Values that will last when the words we choose are words they were using all of the time. Words that they obviously use in the workplace. Words that are authentic, clear and easy to remember.

90% of the time, we get a very good initial list of Core Values within an hour, we load them into the Core Values section of Ninety.io (forgive the plug but it’s true), add some descriptors, and the teams find the exercise almost magical.

I then ask them to sleep on our Work and tweak as needed until they deeply love them. 90% of the time they are ready to publish / share their Core Values by the end of our second or third session together.

While I love all aspects of being a coach, helping teams nail their Core Values is probably not only one of the most rewarding things I do, but it’s probably the easiest Work I do.

If you’ve already built out your Core Values, are you and your colleagues confident they will stand the test of time?

Rock-solid values have three common “core” traits; they are important, relevant and enduring . It’s a worthy exercise to run each of your proposed values up against each of these. Is this value truly important to us as individuals and as an organization? Is this value relevant — does it matter as essential to who we are? And as time rolls on and we navigate future changes (some yet to be anticipated), will this value endure as we evolve?

Also, avoid diluting Core Values with words, concepts or traits related to Character or Competency . As referenced earlier, Character-Based Traits (e.g., “integrity”) are table stakes and add little value. Incorporating Competency-Based Traits (e.g. “innovative”) that typically don’t apply to every seat in the company will not stand the test of time if your using your Core Values to assess every person in your company and every candidate you consider hiring. What follows is a simple diagram you can use to assess your current Core Values if you already have them or to help you develop yours if you haven’t.

If the answers aren’t checked straight across the board, you may want to schedule an hour with your senior team and run through the exercise I shared earlier.

As Jim Collins and Jerry Porass masterfully presented in Built to Last (the book that unquestionably launched my career), enduring companies are founded, and later led, by individuals who not only provide their organizations with strong and well-defined philosophical belief systems but endeavor to ensure the systems persevere.

In short, genuine, well crafted, Core Values are one of the essential ingredients you’ll find in virtually every HTC. They help us distinguish between important and not important, desirable or not desirable. They help us find our kind of people and steer clear of the wrong people for us. They are tightly aligned set of lights that guide us toward and away from actions. They are one of the key ingredients associated with building and maintaining a High Trust Company.

Executive Summary

• A person’s well-being in general is influenced by the level of satisfaction with their Work, with their relationships within the workplace and the belief that their Work matters (aka they buy into the company’s purpose).
• You don’t make money because you want to make money; you make money because someone values what it is you do / have.
• An organization’s Core Values are a key component of the Connections-Based Trust dimension, one of the most common ingredients that companies focus on if they have any interest in building an HTC. This typically is a short list of behavioral norms, philosophical beliefs, and / or guiding principles that a company finds important, relevant and enduring.
• While there are different approaches to develop Core Values, well-defined and genuinely embraced Core Values will help clearly define who the company is, what it stands for, who belongs in it, who doesn’t, and make it much easier to not only attract but retain your kind of great people.
• Over the longer run, great Core Values accelerate our ability to build, and sustain, a High Trust Company.

About the Author

This article is part of a series by Mark Abbott. Mark is the Visionary / Founder of Ninety.io and a sought-after business leader, writer and executive-team coach. With nearly four decades of experience with early stage, small and mid-sized companies as a lender, investor and business builder, his passion centers on helping people build extraordinarily productive, humane and resilient companies.

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About Trust, Part One – A Forever Work in Progress

About Trust, Part Two – What is Trust

About Trust, Part 7a - A Deeper Dive Into Connections, Culture and Hierarchies

Essay on Values for Students and Children

500+ words essay on values.

Importance of Values

For an individual, values are most important. An individual with good values is loved by everyone around as he is compassionate about others and also he behaves ethically.

Values Help in Decision Making

A person is able to judge what is right and what is wrong based on the values he imbibes. In life at various steps, it makes the decision-making process easier. A person with good values is always likely to make better decisions than others.

Values Can Give Direction to Our Life

In life, Values give us clear goals. They always tell us how we should behave and act in different situations and give the right direction to our life. In life, a person with good values can take better charge.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Values Can Build Character

If a person wants a strong character, then he has to possesses good values such as honesty , loyalty, reliability, efficiency, consistency, compassion, determination, and courage. Values always help in building our character.

Values Can Help in Building a Society

If u want a better society then people need to bear good values. Values play an important role in society. They only need to do their hard work, with compassion, honesty, and other values. Such people will help in the growth of society and make it a much better place to live.

Characteristics of Values

Values are always based on various things. While the basic values remain the same across cultures and are intact since centuries some values may vary. Values may be specific to a society or age. In the past, it was considered that women with good moral values must stay at home and not voice their opinion on anything but however, this has changed over time. Our culture and society determine the values to a large extent. We imbibe values during our childhood years and they remain with us throughout our life.

Family always plays the most important role in rendering values to us. Decisions in life are largely based on the values we possess. Values are permanent and seldom change. A person is always known by the values he possesses. The values of a person always reflect on his attitude and overall personality.

The Decline of Values in the Modern Times

While values are of great importance and we are all aware of the same unfortunately people these days are so engrossed in making money and building a good lifestyle that they often overlook the importance of values. At the age when children must be taught good values, they are taught to fight and survive in this competitive world. Their academics and performance in other activities are given importance over their values.

Parents , as well as teachers, teach them how to take on each other and win by any means instead of inculcating good sportsman spirit in them and teaching them values such as integrity, compassion, and patience. Children always look up to their elders as their role models and it is unfortunate that elders these days have a lack of values. Therefore the children learn the same.

In order to help him grow into a responsible and wise human being, it is important for people to realize that values must be given topmost priority in a child’s life because children are the future of the society. There can be nothing better in a society where a majority of people have good values and they follow the ethical norms.

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Core Values Personal Essay Example

Whether one can identify them or not, everyone has values that they live by and relate with. These values and beliefs shape a person’s character, from the way they hold themselves, interact with others, and what their motivations are. My values come from my upbringing, and strongly reflect the values of my parents, and of others close to me. Things like my schooling, living in China, and my bond with my family also determine what aspects of life I deem as the most important. These values undoubtedly reflect my actions, and throughout my life, I have found that the core values which influence me the most are learning, venturing, and familial relationships. 

I consider learning and accumulating knowledge to be a very important value to me. The act of learning is a constant in any aspect of life, and it allows me to be as prepared and qualified as possible to handle various situations. It is also something that brings me a sense of productivity and accomplishment, which is beneficial to my mental health. This value presents itself in my life when maintaining my proficiency in the languages I speak. Due to the fact that I have much less exposure to French and Mandarin, I work very hard to make sure I do not lose my ability to speak these languages. I like to learn passively as much as possible, meaning that I will read books, listen to music, or watch shows in my target language rather than traditional forms of language study. This means that not only am I subjected to different languages, but also different cultures, which helps me learn a much broader range of information. I also learn through traditional means when I need to brush up on my grammar and conventions, and I believe that educating myself on other cultures and languages allows me to live a more rounded life, as well as benefit me in my future education and career. Learning helps me to better understand our world, and therefore my place in it, making it essential to my being. 

Similarly, I also find that venturing or exploring is a core value to me. I have a fundamental desire to travel and explore the world, and experience as much as I possibly can within my life. I believe that because I grew up outside of Canada, I have had the opportunity to see that there is so much to see and be experienced beyond our country. This is reflected in my current actions as a student, and many decisions that I make. For example, I work a part-time job partially to support my post-secondary education, but also so that I can have the ability to travel as soon as possible on my own. I also try to take advantage of any opportunities which broaden my horizons and allow me to venture. This means that I am arranging my education and my future in accordance with my craving to see the world, and so I can live out the life I wish to have, even though I have very limited ability to carry out this value currently. The countries that I would most like to visit include Japan, Peru, Switzerland, and Australia, but I hope to be able to see much more and live outside of Canada for a period of time. The aspiration to venture and explore is a constant motivator in my life, and brings me a lot of joy and excitement when I think about all the possibilities that I will have in my lifetime. Maybe include places you would like to visit?

Lastly, family values are of the utmost importance to me. I am very close with my family, and family relations are a huge part of my life. Family is something that lasts forever, and they are the forefront of Chinese culture, meaning that it is essential to maintain strong family values. This is illustrated in my life as I spend a lot of time with my family, and make sure that I am always dedicating some of my time to them. We support each other, and help with whatever we can. We put a lot of effort into our birthdays because they are very significant to my family and will allow me to look back very fondly on my childhood. Being in Canada makes it difficult for my family to experience the same sense of festivity and celebration for Chinese New Year as we had in China, so we tend to go all out for the holiday to replicate the feeling. The time we spend allows us to have steady, healthy communication. My family laid out the foundation for my life, and my identity, which is why this value is so important to me. My parents chose to move to Canada so that my sister and I could have a better education and more opportunities for our future, and I will always be trying to find ways to show them my appreciation. This relationship brings a lot of joy, stability and a sense of security to my life, and I wish to reflect this relationship with my future family as well. A bit more info maybe explaining the significance of those particular holidays or the specific opportunities your family has provided if you wanted to add more detail.

In essence, educating myself, exploring, and my connection to my family are the cardinal and fundamental values which determine my actions and motivators. This is represented through the amount of time I dedicate to strengthening my knowledge, giving myself freedom to travel in the future, and the time I spend with my family. You can learn and understand a lot about a person from the values they hold, and I believe that these core values, and ones beyond what are stated here, are what makes me an individual, and what allows me to find my way in life.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Values — Values and Their Role in Our Lives: A Personal Reflection

Values and Their Role in Our Lives: a Personal Reflection

• Categories: Customer Values

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Words: 1523 |

Published: Dec 3, 2020

Words: 1523 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, what are values, why is it important for me as a coach to discover my client’s core values, decision making, fulfillment.

• Decision making
• the connection between my client’s core values and his behavior, decision making, motivation and fulfillment
• the impact of my client’s core values on each of these aspects, especially through examples.

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