what is your core values in life essay

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.

Essay on My Values

Students are often asked to write an essay on My Values in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on My Values

What are values.

Values are like invisible guides that help us make choices. Imagine them as a compass that points us to what feels right and good. They are the beliefs that we hold dear and they shape how we behave with others and how we treat ourselves.

My Important Values

Kindness is one of my top values. This means I try to be friendly and caring to everyone. Honesty is another; I believe in telling the truth. Lastly, respect is crucial to me. I aim to honor others’ feelings and views.

Values in Daily Life

Every day, my values guide me. When I share my toys, that’s kindness. If I make a mistake and tell the truth, that’s honesty. When I listen to my friends, even if we disagree, that’s showing respect. These values help me live happily with others.

Why Values Matter

Values are important because they help us live together peacefully. When we all use values like kindness, honesty, and respect, our school and home become better places. Values make us better friends, students, and family members. They are the heart of a happy life.

250 Words Essay on My Values

One of my main values is kindness. This means I try to be friendly and caring to everyone. If someone falls down, I will help them get up. Sharing my toys with others is also part of being kind. Kindness makes the world a happier place for everyone.

Being honest is another value I hold dear. This means I always tell the truth, even when it’s hard. If I break something, I admit it. Honesty builds trust, and when people trust you, they believe in you more.

Respect is treating others the way you want to be treated. I listen when others are speaking and do not interrupt. I also take care of things around me, like books and toys, because showing respect makes everyone feel valued.

I also believe in hard work. This means I try my best at school and when I help at home. Even when a task is difficult, I do not give up. Working hard teaches me that I can overcome challenges.

These values of kindness, honesty, respect, and hard work are like the roots of a tree. They keep me strong and steady. Living by these values makes me a better friend, student, and family member.

500 Words Essay on My Values

Introduction to my values.

One of my most important values is honesty. It means telling the truth and being fair. When I am honest, my friends and family trust me, and it makes me feel good about myself. It is like a clear sky without clouds, where everyone can see everything clearly. Being honest can sometimes be hard, especially if I make a mistake, but admitting it and trying to fix it is the right thing to do.

Kindness is like a warm blanket on a cold day. It is about being friendly, generous, and considerate to others. When I am kind to people, it can make their day better and it makes me happy too. It doesn’t cost anything to smile or help someone, but it can mean a lot. Even animals and plants deserve kindness because they are part of our world.

Responsibility

Being responsible is like being the captain of a ship. I am in charge of my actions and the choices I make. It means doing my homework, cleaning up my mess, and taking care of my things. When I am responsible, my parents and teachers trust me with more important tasks, and I feel proud of myself.

Perseverance

Perseverance is like a tiny seed that grows into a big tree, no matter how tough it gets. It means not giving up, even when things are hard. When I keep trying, I learn new things and get better at what I do. It’s okay to fail sometimes because that’s how I learn to succeed.

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Life Potential

What are core values 31 core values to live by.

Fact Checked. Our dedicated editorial team tirelessly evaluates every article we publish to ensure the information is factual, up-to-date and free of bias.

In a world that is constantly evolving and taking new forms, it can be somewhat overwhelming trying to make sense of this thing called life. One of the things that rarely changes in this world and what can provide a guiding light for you throughout your life are your core values.

Having core values will provide you with a sense of stability, direction, and peace of mind .

This concept is simple in theory, and it is quite easy to throw around words such as “values,” “honesty,” “compassion,” “trust,” and so on. However, actualizing these core values in your life is an entirely different thing. It takes practice and dedication.

If we take these values and put them through the filters of our own experience, we then understand what our true core values are.

Here’s a list of 31 core values to adopt and use when all else seems to be changing.

Table of Contents

What are core values, why are core values important, 1. acceptance, 2. adaptability, 3. awareness, 5. calmness, 6. community, 7. compassion, 8. creativity, 9. discipline, 10. empathy, 11. freedom, 12. gratitude, 13. happiness, 15. humility, 16. innovation, 17. knowledge, 18. leadership, 20. moderation, 22. purpose, 23. responsibility, 24. service, 25. spirituality, 27. understanding, 29. patience, 30. integrity, 31. curiosity, final thoughts.

By now, you’ve probably seen different lists of core values, but you may still be unsure what it really is.

Core values are principles or beliefs that you hold most dear and that are of central importance in your life. It also covers what you believe are important in the way you live and work . [1]

Your core values are a testament to your true self because they are what matters most to you when it comes to your personal and professional life. It is that little voice in your head that tells you whether or not to care about something and how you should prioritize your time.

When everything around you is changing, when the world is difficult to understand, and when you are riding up and down an emotional rollercoaster, your core values will always be there for you.

Some of these values are instilled from childhood. They can be cultural or learned through watching your family and hearing their discussions about things they’re passionate about.

Perhaps now, in adulthood, you realize you’re passionate about those same things. It’s not a bad thing to share core values with those around you, but it can be detrimental to live a life that doesn’t honor those core values once you’ve identified them.

Core values are important because they act like a compass to help you lead the amazing life that you want, no matter where you find yourself in this world.

Not only that, having the right core values can improve your decision-making, your productivity , your achievements and perhaps most importantly, your ability to love and be loved. They’re kind of a big deal. And it isn’t just us saying this, studies have shown core values to have a whole host of other benefits. [2]

Moreover, your values in life impact the decisions you make every day.

When you can identify your values and make choices that align with them, life suddenly becomes a little easier. But when you’re running on autopilot and not allowing your values to coincide with your choices, you can find yourself becoming incredibly unhappy, and maybe you don’t know why.

Discovering your core values don’t help with huge aspects alone; they impact seemingly small things, too.

Think back to that new phone you bought that you didn’t need. You decided that spending money wisely was not as valuable to you during that moment.

Now it’s the end of the month, and bills are due. Perhaps it would be really helpful to have that money back. That disconnect stems from living a life that doesn’t correlate with your core values. If you do follow your values, there is a snowball effect that leads to better choices and prolonged stress-free existence. And the best part is, there’s no hard work needed, just some introspection and self-awareness .

And if simply sitting alone for a few minutes could impact the rest of your life positively, wouldn’t it be worth it? After all, knowing your values helps you make important decisions , like accepting a job, starting a business, or making a big change.

31 Best Core Values to Live By

You might already have a few core values in mind or in your heart, which is great. If you need some other ideas or haven’t thought about your core values until now, here are our 31 favorite core values you can adopt right now.

The ability to accept what you can control and what you can’t control. Understand that on some days, you are the hammer, and on other days you are the nail. With acceptance as a core value, you can build either way and be happy.

Moreover, acceptance can help you love all parts of yourself – flaws and all. Practicing acceptance also helps you become more compassionate towards yourself. [3]

This healthy state of mind may be hard to practice at first, but it just needs practice. The key is to remember your inner child. When you keep your most vulnerable self in mind, you can be more understanding and gentle, especially if you face something difficult.

Life is going to throw you curve ball after curve ball, and if you aren’t ready for them, you are going to strike out. Your life and the life of those you surround yourself with are far too complex to confine yourself to one mold.

Be adaptable, ready, and willing to change when you need to. Do not be afraid to change depending on the situation life throws at you. When you adapt, you will become ready to take on any challenges.

Awareness is one of the best core values that you can adopt. Period. Awareness is the foundation of a strong character. It helps you understand who you are and what you can offer others.

Awareness means paying attention to yourself, to others, to the world around you, to emotions, and to situations. It means seeing everyone and everything clearly – most importantly yourself.

The question is: how can you cultivate awareness?

The ultimate way you can do this is to try meditation . This doesn’t have to be formal. You can start focusing on simple things like your breath and then move on to how tense your body is. Finally, move on to practice meditation when doing mundane tasks.

There are going to be times when you need to sprint in life, and other times when you are going to need to slow down. The yin and the yang.

Balance is one of the most important core values in many ancient cultures because it reflects nature for what it truly is: perfectly balanced and able to bend, rather than break.

Applying balance in your life is easier than you think. For example, you can start actualizing this tip in your personal and professional life by making sure that you make time for your hobbies and take time to recharge after a long day at work.

As well as being a sublime state of mind, many people forget that calm is a simple decision to make. You can be calm in any situation should you allow yourself to be. No amount of angry drivers, long queues, or frustrating technology can penetrate you when you adopt calmness as a core value.

Being calm takes practice. You can’t simply become a master at being calm when you decide to make it your core value. The secret to being calm is to make a conscious decision to avoid lashing out when things don’t go your way.

Every one of us is a social creature, whether we believe it or not, and community has been a key core value for us as a species for thousands of years.

We are hard-wired to socialize; to eat, drink, gossip, laugh, tell stories, share ideas, give and receive amongst ourselves. Community also enhances the effect of other core values on this list, such as creativity. [4]

No matter how much of an introvert you are, you must make time to form genuine connections with other people. This can give you an opportunity to grow as a person and experience new things. Forging friendships will also enable you to have someone to lean on when times get rough. Most importantly, being part of a community can help you become more empathetic to other people.

Compassion is taking the time to understand the suffering of others and, hopefully, being able to do something about it. There is a lot of struggle and suffering that can be alleviated in the world; with a core value like compassion, you might be able to help your fellow humans in some meaningful way.

Being compassionate is more than just listening to others. It’s about putting aside your judgment and trying your best to put yourself in the shoes of other people who need help. As mentioned in the last point, humans are meant to be social creatures. When you have compassion, you will be able to create stronger connections.

With technology taking most of the administrative jobs, creative people will be leading us into the future.

Someone who cherishes creativity can think up new and big ideas, see things that other people can’t, and see the world around them through their own lens, not somebody else’s.

Creativity has also been provided to lessen depressive symptoms, decrease anxiety, improve immune function, and increase positive emotions. [5]

One of the common mistakes of people is thinking of creativity only in terms of art. However, this shouldn’t be the case. Creativity will allow you to look at problems in a different light and solve them through innovation.

Discipline will lead you to the life you want, should you adopt it as a core value.

“Discipline Equals Freedom” is a term popularised by ex-Navy Seal Jocko Willink, and what it means is that if you can be disciplined in the right things, you will be free in the right things, too.

Discipline to work out means more freedom in your body as you age. Discipline to save means more freedom with your time and money in the long term.

The ultimate purpose of discipline is your acknowledgment that you need to make small and large sacrifices to get what you want. By having this perspective instead of only chasing immediate gratification, you can inspire bigger wins in your life.

There is perhaps no greater value on this list that will connect you deeper to not just the closest people in your life but to strangers, too.

Practicing empathy requires the understanding that other people have a nagging voice in their heads, just like you do. That they have a worldview different from yours based on their experiences. And that’s ok. It’s not easy to adopt empathy as a core value, but it is certainly worth it.

If you are empathetic towards others, you must be willing to put yourself in their shoes. This way, you can see the motivations behind their actions.

Freedom comes in many forms, and that is why it is one of the ultimate core values to have. This includes the freedom to choose, freedom to speak, freedom to live on your terms, and freedom to love and be loved.

If freedom becomes a core value of yours, watch how your life changes for the better. Freedom is not just about doing whatever you want. After all, every person’s meaning of freedom is different. At the end of the day, it just means following what you want.

Gratitude provides a powerful perspective shift whenever you feel yourself getting into a rut .

You can become grateful for the big things like having shelter, food, and great people in your life. You can also become grateful for the small things like the cup of coffee you just drank or the soft sheets on your bed.

Having gratitude will ensure you don’t take anything for granted. When you forget this core value, you will only see the negative things in life, and you’ll be stuck with a negative mindset that will stop you from reaching your full potential. Gratitude is also extremely important because it helps you relish experiences, improve your health, deal with challenges, build relationships, and feel positive emotions. [6]

When you are grateful, it also guides your decision-making and helps you realize how unimportant superficial things like money and status are.

Happiness is a powerful core value and is not just restricted to your own happiness but also to your friends and family.

When happiness guides your decision-making rather than superficial things like money and status, you will find yourself in a much more satisfying position than if you chase other people’s ideas of happiness.

Remember that happiness starts from within. Whatever problems and challenges you face today, you will feel better if you adopt happiness as your core value because it will shift your mindset.

They say that a healthy man has a lot of dreams and wishes, whereas a sick man only has one. Health is the precursor to every other core value on this list; if you don’t have your health, you can’t do much else until you do. Because of this, health has to be a core value in your life.

So how can you do this? First, realize the importance of eating healthy. Explore new ways to cook vegetables and enjoy fruits as a sugar substitute. Fill your fridge with healthy snacks. More than that, try your best to stay active and keep your body moving. Walk to work, try yoga, or stretch every morning.

Humility is the antidote to arrogance and selfishness and is a value to adopt if you want to keep your feet firmly on the ground. It is said that you are never as good or as bad as people say you are.

Humility recognizes this and keeps you moving towards your goal, no matter what anyone else says.

When you practice humility, you are acknowledging that you are not perfect, and you will never achieve perfection – there is nothing wrong with that. Even if you achieve something people praise you for, humility means understanding that if not for the help of other people, you would not be where you are standing today.

The act of innovation involves taking one existing thing and making it better. Although images of whacky car designs and complicated technology can spring to mind when thinking about innovation, it doesn’t have to be that grandiose.

Simply seeing something small and making it better in your own life is enough to make a difference. Use this core value to look at things from a new perspective. For example, if you have a ton of discarded papers at home, you can use them to make paper mache vases that you can give to friends and family.

Knowledge is power. Not power in the 14th-century medieval banker-sense but in the power to change your life. Knowledge about yourself, others, and the world allow you to understand everything that you see a bit better. When you see things for what they are, you can act accordingly and get to where you want to be.

When you adopt knowledge as a core value, it means you are acknowledging that it’s impossible for you to learn everything. Each day will serve as a lesson for you to build your knowledge and become a better person.

It takes guts, determination, confidence, and humility to lead. All of these qualities are both rare and admirable and are the reasons why leadership is such an excellent core value.

When you become a leader, you can not only help yourself excel but other people as well. You will serve as their guide, especially if they need help directing their efforts, resources, and focus into something with more potential. By giving yourself and others purpose, direction, and clarity, you can serve as an inspiration.

The future is dark and unknown but also full of hidden treasures. We need someone to lead us, will it be you?

It can be argued that all of the core values on this list can be tied together by the one, all-encompassing value of love.

When you value love deeply and try to show it in everything you do, you make your world and the world of others a much better place.

By actualizing this core value in your everyday life, you can support the people you love in the best way possible through thick and thin. Love can also do wonders for your personal experiences since it drives you to become more dedicated to the things you deem important. This could be your career, hobbies, kids, and many more.

Whether its dieting, overworking, or even eating your favorite foods, keep in mind that moderation is key.

Not acting in moderation can also have damaging consequences, especially for your health. [7] As much as eating omega-3 foods are good for the body like fish oil and flax seeds, there are side effects that come with overconsumption including high blood sugar and nausea. [8] What works well for all people is everything in moderation.

Have a slice of your favorite cake. Buy yourself the shoes you want. Go on a vacation. Just don’t be too excessive about it. If so, you may end up swallowing more than what you can chew. This can lead to feelings of regret or hate.

Peace is another core value that takes years of practice to perfect. However, its rewards are boundless, with both the journey and destination full of rewards.

Many people think of peace as a situation where there is no conflict of any kind. However, that’s not what peace is all about. Peace is all about having tranquil peace of mind. It’s about staying calm and grounded even if you face adversities.

Peace enables clear decision-making, and freedom in thoughts and actions, as well as providing a deep understanding of the special life that you live.

Purpose can be doubled up with ‘meaning’ as these are two values that provide the drive in any endeavor that you might pursue.

Purpose gets you out of bed every morning, it is why you sacrifice what you sacrifice and often entails something bigger than yourself. If you don’t have a purpose, it is unlikely that you will find much meaning in your life.

If you don’t have a clear purpose , it’s like driving at night without your headlights on. So what’s your purpose? Think hard about it. It could be your family, your partner, or to make a difference in this world.

It is also important to acknowledge that your purpose can change over time. After all, your priorities and view of the world aren’t constant. If you experience this, don’t beat yourself up.

Nobody likes having to take the dog on a walk, having to clean the dishes, or do things that they are reluctantly responsible for. However, responsibility can be an awesome way to add meaning and value to your life.

When other people depend on you and you fulfill your role as provider, not only are they better off, but you get the satisfaction that comes along with it too.

When you meet someone responsible, you don’t just admire him for his accomplishments, you admire him for carving out a purpose for himself and sticking to it, regardless of what others might think or say.

Being responsible means holding yourself accountable for something that impacts the people you love or care about. It also means that you are responsible for your own happiness and fulfillment.

Similar to the responsibility point above, when you adopt service as a core value, you will have very little time to wallow in any self-pity, anxiety, or existential angst because you will be busy making the world a better place.

Funnily enough, by serving others, many people find that they are internally served with feelings of satisfaction and contentment. This could mean volunteering in underprivileged communities or simply helping a friend out.

When you have this core value, remember to use it in coordination with other items in this list, especially love. This will make your service more worthwhile.

Of course, there is the importance of physical health, mental health, and emotional health, but spiritual health is also of value.

Spirituality has nothing to do with religion, it simply means taking the time to listen to your body, to watch your thoughts, to connect with and appreciate the world and the universe that you find yourself in.

When you prioritize spirituality, you will constantly be in search of deeper meaning. This will ensure that all your experiences and connections will never be superficial. It will all have a purpose. One great way to practice spirituality in your life is through meditation .

Trust is a core value on this list because it requires many other difficult skills that help develop you as a person.

To be able to trust and be trusted, you need strong relationships, an ounce of risk, a healthy dose of vulnerability, and humility. All of this creates a recipe for a very positive life with trust at the center.

When you have trust as a core value, you will enjoy a sense of safety that you can rely on others and yourself to do the right thing.

Understanding comes from a place of acceptance of what is, not what should be or could be.

It is the ability to recognize someone else’s viewpoint without trying to change it. It is learning that it is useless to fight against the way the world and other people, and instead learn to dance with them.

Understanding can help you respond better to any situation. This will enable you to look at problems with a perspective to help instead of judge.

However, it’s worth noting that understanding is not the same as empathy. The former means aligning yourself with a set of knowledge, while the latter means aligning yourself with other people’s feelings.

Not in the monetary sense but in the “having everything that you need sense.” Someone who is truly wealthy possesses great relationships, plenty of freedom, a life filled with joy, as well as many of the other values on this list.

Adopt wealth as a core value that will act as a magnet to other incredible things.

Let go of the mindset that wealth is all about money and material things. Instead, take it as a lesson in how to make happiness and abundance a way of life. Learn to see wealth as a way of expression and a method of sharing gifts with the world.

Lost in the chaos and shuffle of our go-go-go, our hyper-achievement-focused society is the value of patience . We want it all, and we want it now.

But life doesn’t always work that way. While you’ll certainly have some quick wins and successes if you stick with it, that’s not the norm.

Let me be clear that patience doesn’t mean just sitting around and waiting for success and happiness to find you. High achievers take massive amounts of action to achieve the successes they desire.

But the joy is in the journey, and patience is a necessary part of crafting a life you love. When you mix patience with calculated action, you set yourself up for great amounts of happiness and success.

Integrity is when you do the right thing, even when you’re not being watched. It’s being consistent and honest in your beliefs and decision-making. Having a strong level of integrity means you have a sense of character, trustworthiness, and honesty. These will build your reputation as a dependable person.

When you are an upstanding person who has strong integrity, you become the type of person people want to associate with. Being able to build these stronger relationships opens you up to finding greater levels of success and happiness in your life.

For life in general, the value of curiosity is something important to creating a life of happiness and success. Curiosity sparks creativity and innovation. It also allows us to discover things about ourselves and life that we otherwise wouldn’t know.

If you want more success and happiness, the value of curiosity is going to play a big part in that journey.

Naturally, we tend to gravitate toward people, friends, groups, and companies that share the same core values. Our core values are not something we only find within ourselves but in others; it’s a boundary we don’t allow others to cross or violate.

It’s important to note that it’s just as important to be on the receiving end of those values. If leadership and knowledge are values you admire, know it’s not always about being a leader but honoring and admiring the leadership traits in others. Now you have a good idea of some of the core values that you can adopt, it’s time to decide which are most important to you and integrate them into your daily lives.

Don't have time for the full article? Read this.

Core values guide your decisions in your most difficult moments. It also covers what you believe are important in the way you live and work.

Having core values will provide you with a sense of stability, direction, and peace of mind.

It’s important to also be a receiver of these core values;  if you value knowledge, it’s important to receive knowledge from others.

Discovering your core values don’t help with huge aspects of your life; they impact seemingly small things, too.

Adaptability, awareness, and acceptance are powerful core values when dealing with life’s unexpected changes , whereas creativity, innovation, and leadership offer a compass for making life decisions.

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What Is the RICE Prioritization Model And How Does It Work?

4 Exercises to Improve Your Focus

What Is Chronic Procrastination and How To Deal with It

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Are Depression And Procrastination Connected?

Procrastination And Laziness: Their Differences & Connections

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Key Philosophy I: Fluid Progress, Like Water

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Key Philosophy IV: Three Goal Focus

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My Values And Beliefs (Essay/Paper Sample)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Who we are and what we do are largely shaped by important values and beliefs in life. It’s important that we are aware of these two as they are the True North of our decision-making. They also guide our personal relationships.

This custom essay tackles my beliefs in life, as well as my main values. This is my simple way of checking in on my personal life and assessing my code of ethics.

Would you like to write your own essay about beliefs and good values? Connect with Essay Basics so that we can help you in your creative process.

What are my values and beliefs essay

I grew up under my parents’ care. Throughout my life, they consistently told me that the beauty of life is experienced fully only by those who work hard.

As a kid, that did not sound relevant to me. My parents made sure I was looked after well; food, shelter, clothing, schooling, and healthcare were all easily accessible to me. I was comfortable without even breaking a sweat. All I did was just ask for what I wanted.

I never thought to consider what my parents were going through to make ends meet. I thought that every kid had it good like me. My parents never seemed anxious, even if they know they had to find a way to provide for the family.

How I’m doing today

I am all grown up now. I am about to complete my studies and start a fresh chapter of life – living independently, not requiring financial support from my parents. Thanks to the example they set, I now know the true value of hard work. It’s ingrained in me.

However, living in the 21st century is quite a challenge, thanks to the state of the world we live in. With the issue of gender equality yet to be completely resolved, it is even harder for us women. It’s only those who somehow manage to get heard that get a seat at the table.

Doing honest work and giving it my best brings me sheer joy and satisfaction. Over the years, I have earned the respect of my peers and mentors because of what I stand for. I believe in sowing good seeds in fertile ground for an abundant harvest.

Courage and confidence

I made one of my life-altering decisions at the young age of 15. I embraced courage and confidence. Standing in front of a multitude of people at a conference hall to deliver a speech is just like a walk in the park for me.

Nowadays, I can approach anyone without fear and I can achieve anything I put my mind to. However, the early stages of my teenage life were a mess. I was shy and got picked on, bullied, and harassed many times.

Throughout that ordeal, I tried to fit in and be accepted by the cool girls in my school. I would do the impossible for them – even sneak in contraband just to please them. How naïve of me! Still, they never accepted me. Experiencing this shone a light on the real state of my heart and mind.

Openness and transparency

My life is such an open book. There is nothing I have to hide. I love talking about all my experiences, emotions, dreams and goals, especially with people younger than me. I have gone through a lot in life, and I am sure that I am neither the first nor the last to experience what I have experienced.

Equal rights and respect for all

I believe that regardless of one’s race or gender, everyone is equal and should be treated with the uttermost respect and dignity. Observance of human rights is paramount to maintaining a civilized society.

Discipline, hard work, and positivity

I have always believed that discipline and hard work are like ingredients in a recipe to achieve one’s goals and aspirations. At the same time, maintaining a positive attitude and drive undisputedly translates to success and prosperity. I believe these are core values that have shaped me into who I am today.

In as much as I always strive to do my best in everything tasked to me, I understand that not everything I plan will pan out as expected. It’s so important, therefore, to maintain a positive attitude regardless of the outcome of my efforts.

In life, there are always ups and downs. I seek to stay happy and content whether I succeed or fail. I am in no way perfect, but thanks to my personal values, I am able to attain this.

I encourage you to make your own personal values your moral compass. It will help you become a better person and help you pursue your personal goals.

Short Personal Beliefs Essay

What is your personal code? What are the values and beliefs that define you as a person?

It is important for us to be aware of our beliefs and values as they tell us what our convictions are and how much we are willing to sacrifice to uphold them. They inform us what is important to us at the end of the day.

Personally, I adhere to the following values: honesty, responsibility, and unconditional love. These three for me are the key foundations to healthy personal relationships.

Honesty enables me to be transparent in sharing my unmet needs and expectations of others. Any relationship that withholds this kind of information will never flourish.

Responsibility for me is taking ownership of your role in any relationship. You hold yourself accountable for any action you take towards a person. It means you don’t get defensive if your intent was not recognized. Instead, you own up to the consequences of your decisions no matter the motivation.

Finally, unconditional love is the cornerstone of all these. Being able to dispense grace and not expecting anything in return is the key to a forgiving and nourishing relationship. Love doesn’t hold grudges.

Difference Between Values and Beliefs

Both values and beliefs have a place in culture, and they actually inform each other. A value answers the question, ” What is good?” while a belief answers the question, “What is true?” Values are the manner by which you approach or respond to a person or situation. Beliefs are the convictions or inner narratives we hold that define our values. The two combined are a reflection of our worldview or our perception of reality.

Why are values and beliefs important?

They are important because they are part of our DNA. Our identity and our sense of worth are rooted in what we value and believe in. Without having high self-awareness, we will not be able to identify what values or convictions hold true for us. They influence our moral compass and drive us to respond the way we do. They are a crucial way of understanding ourselves better and knowing what we need to work on. They are part of us knowing ourselves in relation to others. We must recognize the weight of their impact on our decision-making. Without both, we would always be susceptible to our blind spots and weaknesses. Knowing what is valuable to us allows us to choose whose opinions ultimately matter. It also guides us in resolving conflict. They give us a sense of personal right and wrong. They allow us to reflect accurately. Finally, it allows us to apply wisdom in every aspect of our lives.

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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

Ethical Values in Everyday Life Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Values in life are crucial elements in learning and the working environment; therefore, the development of a human character depends on moral values and ethics. As human beings, following moral aspects is essential since they are association and relationship tools. These tools build life principles through honesty, respect, responsibility, and compassion. Though many, dignity lifts the essence of ethics to a particular level by allowing someone to have self-discipline. This helps determine the good and wrong and guides people in daily activities. Personal qualities that portray principle standards build a character that markets an individual and is used in places like receptions. Morally, people are expected to show respect to the elderly though important to respect everybody. In most cases, school life and daily activities present tough situations, but when we apply ethics, we become moral.

Sometimes people offer tokens requesting favors which creates ethical dilemmas. In other cases, we are tempted o receive credit on behalf of others. This action is immoral and unethical, but the dilemma means the options are possible, though wrong. This hits the decision-making aspects that control how right or right a person seems in society. Interacting with a business exposes many people to ethical and moral dilemmas. These situations may present straightforward solutions though some people find it had to apply. This situation requires critical thinking to employ the best solutions that are morally upright. The challenges need a sensitive person who considers humanity in daily activities. The first step is to analyze the problem at hand in a logically refuted way. Considering the best ethical way possible is vital, leaving out the evil to remold new problem-solving ideas. Alternative means may be formulated to reunite the broken bonds between co-workers and business partners.

Time aspect inflicts change in everything regarding values, ethics, and morals. In the past times, moral values revolved around physical activities. The elderly and youth had existing backgrounds regarding communication and greetings in cultural setups. In the present, technology has brought people together regardless of age and culture. These interactions create work-based ethics in their interactions and apply work and business principles. All skills applied in the current work environment are acquired from a learning perspective. Core values result from different codes of life that present moral uprightness. Based on events and places, moral values fit the particular situation. For instance, greeting in Africa is a custom that youth must follow whenever they meet the elderly, especially in village life. In other situations, it is considered ethical when people treat each other equally. Traveling and interacting with different cultures changes some ethical aspects making some values inapplicable.

The current generation is insensitive to moral values, and most aspects are under technical masks. Most people think you only talk when talked to, and they do not consider answering a must. Sometimes if you are in a problem and need some advice and approach someone rude, it creates a barrier to your assistance towards the same in the future. These aspects make it hard to apply ethics in every situation because most people deny their mistakes which can be solved ethically. Individual encounters with immoral people influence the person, meaning the person may fail to express all the moral values. Moral judgments are dissimilar and applied in various ways, and fitting in every ethical aspect is challenging.

Through a hard situation, Being ethical is a personal decision trying to close eyes to all immoral behaviors. Humanity aspect is a key to all ethical rules that improve personal character. It is recommendable to treat all people just the way you would like them to treat you. Sometimes it is good to forget culture since it may be against others ethically. A civil person is respectful to everyone and can fit in every situation; it is advisable to consider being civil in ethics. Through ethics, people enhance the lives around them, and they add value to each other. Mistakes are common, but it is good to take responsibility when committed. Change is evitable through personal reflection, and one’s behavior can be improved. All ethical considerations enhance individual well-being and interpersonal interactions.

Based on ethics, a learning tool is better portrayed to society so that people will gain ideas from you. Life is short and should be enjoyed positively with all the shortcomings and immorality. Though some things are challenging, your approach may train people to relate with their friends and family. This interaction becomes mutual when respecting each other and considering life’s positive side. When someone makes a mistake and another is furious, it will be great if they are correcdted through great ideas you ever used to solve your problems. Calm Handling every situation is a divine idea that makes one a gem in a community. The family prides on ina good and civil person since they trust his life approaches. The positivity left behind improves principle standards which build a great society. Learning through a person provides reviews and new ideas on the sacredness of life.

• Examining Christian Ethics in Light of Virtue Ethics
• Ahmad's Breach of Research Ethics
• The “Why Abortion Is Immoral” Article by Don Marquis
• Everyday Sexism in Relation to Everyday Disablism
• Sociology of Everyday Life
• Utilitarianism and Deontology Application
• Ethical Concerns in the Stanford Prison Experiment
• Ethical Analysis of Conflict of Interest in Prison
• Bioethics: The Work of the Surrogate Woman
• Ethical Idealism in Science: A Look at Einstein's Legacy
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, May 26). Ethical Values in Everyday Life. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-values-in-everyday-life/

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IvyPanda . 2024. "Ethical Values in Everyday Life." May 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-values-in-everyday-life/.

1. IvyPanda . "Ethical Values in Everyday Life." May 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-values-in-everyday-life/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Ethical Values in Everyday Life." May 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethical-values-in-everyday-life/.

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Core Values List

Below is a list of core values commonly used by leadership institutes and programs. This list is not exhaustive, but it will give you an idea of some common core values (also called personal values). My recommendation is to select less than five core values to focus on—if everything is a core value, then nothing is really a priority.

• Authenticity
• Achievement
• Citizenship
• Contribution
• Determination
• Friendships
• Inner Harmony
• Meaningful Work
• Recognition
• Responsibility
• Self-Respect
• Spirituality
• Trustworthiness

Note: many of the personal values listed above came from a list I received while working with The LeaderShape Institute.

Integrity Reports

I use my core values to create my annual Integrity Reports . Writing these reports is a yearly ritual that forces me to think about how I am living out my core values in real life.

30 Days to Better Habits: A simple step-by-step guide for forming habits that stick

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• Career Advice
• Carpe Careers

Integrating Values Into Your Career

By  Laura N. Schram

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While in graduate school, I participated in a learning community of graduate student teaching consultants at my campus’s teaching center. We consulted with graduate student peers across the campus on their teaching and engaged in dialogue about our consulting practices. Our group’s facilitator and mentor -- Mary Wright , now director of the Sheridan Center of Teaching and Learning at Brown University -- designed a range of professional development activities for us to grow as reflective teachers.

One of her activities, designed as a process to help us uncover our teaching philosophies, was transformational for my career development. We brought our draft teaching philosophy statements to one of our learning community meetings, but rather than exchanging them to share feedback, we began with a generative interviewing exercise Wright created. It involved partnering with a colleague and taking turns playing the role of interviewer.

My interviewer asked me several questions that solicited storytelling about my teaching -- for example, she asked me to share a memory of my favorite student -- and she then actively listened to my responses and took careful notes. After the interview concluded, she spent several minutes processing and responding to a series of prompts that required her to integrate my answers and analyze what she as an interviewer heard about me as a teacher. One of those prompts asked my interviewer to tell me what I enjoy most about teaching, and she informed me that I was most energized by the one-on-one interactions with my students. She asserted that I most appreciate coaching, advocating, mentoring and watching an individual student’s long-term growth.

I was shocked to hear that -- I had not at all articulated it in my teaching philosophy. But her insight resonated very deeply with me. As I imagined the contexts in which I most frequently was supporting and advocating for others, I realized that I engaged in coaching in my teaching center work, significantly more than my disciplinary teaching. That sparked the beginning of my serious pursuit of educational development as a career path.

Why was that such a pivotal moment for me? Because my interviewer had uncovered a core professional value of which I was not conscious.

In my work at the University of Michigan, I now coordinate our Rackham Program in Public Scholarship and help students explore diverse career options. As I was, the students with whom I work are strongly motivated by their core values. And I expect that if you are someone pursuing a doctoral degree, you selected your field of graduate study because your scholarship aligned not just with your academic interests but also with some fundamental personal values or intellectual commitments that you hold.

What Do I Mean by Values?

I studied political psychology as a graduate student, so when I refer to values, I do not mean the Merriam-Webster definition of “relative worth, utility or importance,” but rather the way that social psychologist Daphna Oyserman defines them in her chapter “Values, psychological perspectives” in the International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences , as “internalized cognitive structures that guide choices by evoking a sense of basic principles of right and wrong (e.g., moral values), a sense of priorities (e.g., personal achievement vs. group good) and that create a willingness to make meaning and see patterns (e.g., trust vs. distrust).”

Values are your priorities that guide your choices and help you to make meaning of your experiences; your core value is the thing or things you see as your mission in life. Sylvia Gale , director of University of Richmond’s Bonner Center for Civic Engagement and founding director of Imagining America’s Publicly Active Graduate Education Initiative , advises you to identify your core value by asking yourself what your “central commitment” is or “the thing that you are for .” As I will describe below, she has developed a deep reflection activity that starts with your identifying what you stand for and then mapping how that is central to your professional roles.

Much of the conversation -- and even my own advice -- about career exploration focuses on skills and the importance of identifying your own skills. However, as professionals, we often don’t take the time to step back and think about our values and how they connect to our skills and play a role in our professional lives. Integrating your values into the center of your career exploration process can help you to crystallize the roles that most align with not just your skills but also with what motivates you at a deeper level.

For example, in my most recent career shift, I was invited to take on a new role that involves advocating for doctoral students interested in a range of career options. I had not even been looking for a new opportunity, as I was deeply satisfied in my work as an educational developer supporting faculty members and graduate students. At that time, I articulated my core value as coaching others in their teaching. Yet I was drawn to this role supporting doctoral students exploring multiple careers particularly because, as a doctoral student myself, I had not found adequate resources to explore careers beyond the traditional faculty path. I began interrogating my core values and how they connected to my skills. Did I like consulting and coaching about teaching? Or would I enjoy consulting and coaching about career development just as much? Did I have other commitments to which this role was drawing me?

For example, after participating in our teaching center’s organizational change effort to place value on teaching on a research university campus , did I want to now apply my skills to rethinking how we prepare doctoral students for their career possibilities? The questions that ultimately guided my decision about which role I wanted to pursue weren’t simply focused on my skills -- they were focused on how my skills connected to deeper commitments.

Gaining Clarity on Values

In any career exploration or job search, I suggest reflection before, during and after new professional experiences. Reflection on experiences plays an integral role in helping you to gain clarity on your goals, values and next steps. If you are currently engaged in career exploration, spending some time reflecting on your values can transform your process and change what you decide to do.

First, you want to discover your core value(s), about which you may already have a strong sense or -- as in my case as a midcareer graduate student -- you may not have full clarity. While reflection on powerful questions can help with affirming your values, it is difficult to surface unconscious values on your own. Generative interviewing is a good activity for affirming or revealing your values in conversation with a colleague. Melissa Peet describes generative interviewing in her 2010 article “The Integrative Knowledge Portfolio Process: A Program Guide for Educating Reflective Practitioners and Lifelong Learners” as a process of discovery that happens through “a series of guided questions and prompts that support people in telling detailed stories about their experiences.”

Although you may not be trained in the formal method of generative interviewing, you can take insights from the generative interviewing framework and use its technique of asking powerful questions and telling stories to help you identify your core professional values. Take a colleague who is also interested in their own professional development to coffee, and conduct the following interview process with each other. Your colleague should play the role of interviewer and ask these questions:

• What was your proudest moment professionally?
• What led you to pursue your scholarly interest(s)?
• What was a pivotal moment for you as a professional?
• Who is a mentor to you, and what is one example of when this person transformed or shaped you professionally?

Your partner should actively listen and take notes. After you’ve shared your stories, give your partner time to process, synthesize and look for themes in your responses to these four powerful questions. Then, your colleague should share a value affirmation with you, mirroring back to you a response to this statement: your professional commitment is _____________. They should use examples from your stories as evidence to illustrate how they integrated your responses to identify your core value(s). Then swap roles and interview your partner so they can also benefit from the process.

Whether you engage in generative interviewing or not, if you have a clear sense of your core value(s), Gale has designed a second transformative reflection exercise that begins with focusing on your “central commitment.” This exercise is designed to map and connect your central commitment with the various roles, activities and projects in which you engage, and her chapter in Collaborative Futures: Critical Reflections on Publicly Active Graduate Education outlines each reflection step of this exercise carefully.

You begin with placing what you stand for/your central commitment at the center of a large, blank piece of paper. Around this central commitment, you place your current professional roles, then the roles you hope to take on and finally those that don’t connect to your central commitment. For each of these, you use some visual way to distinguish them from one another -- whether that is a different color or different types of lines or shapes. Then you engage in identifying priorities and connections, as well as pressures and disconnections.

The University of Michigan has employed Gale’s activity in several professional development programs. Students find it incredibly transformative in helping them to see the associations and gaps between their professional work and their core values. One student even said that, several years after he did the exercise, he keeps the drawing he created pinned on his wall as a reminder of his central commitments and the types of professional roles he would like to pursue. As I noted earlier, values help to guide your choices and make meaning of patterns, and this student found the drawing he created was a constant visual reminder of what he prioritizes and how he makes meaning across his varied projects.

If you are seeking an in-depth, holistic reflection exercise to assess how you integrate your values, skills and professional activities, I encourage you to set aside an hour to invest in Gale’s powerful activity. Her chapter is a wonderful narrative about her professional development as a publicly engaged scholar and the process by which she came to design this activity.

Career Exploration as a Value-Driven Process

Identifying and placing your core value(s) at the center of your career exploration process can help you to make more meaningful connections between your skills and career interests. The two reflection activities described above are designed to help you gain clarity on your distinct professional values. They are transformative because knowing what you stand for as a professional can help you to make meaning of how your many professional pursuits are integrated, to prioritize your work and to make decisions about what professional opportunities you want to pursue.

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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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What Are Your Personal Values?

• Jennifer Nash

Three exercises to help you get to know yourself better.

Learning about what matters to you is key to the decisions you make in your life. Author Jennifer Nash shares how she re-discovered her values during a workshop.

• As a successful career professional and a new entrepreneur, Jennifer thought she was content with her life until she realized all that she had sacrificed to get there — friendships, finances, and family.
• Through the workshop, she learned that being vulnerable and open to change helped her deal with uncertainty better.
• She shares three activities that helped her learn more about herself — a life-wheel concept, a journey map, and reframing your thinking.

Early this year, I attended a three-week long workshop to help me improve my productivity and wellbeing. Walking into my first session, everything seemed normal. I met 19 other people from across the globe, we introduced ourselves, and then, we were asked to complete a self-reflection exercise. We were each handed a sheet of paper with a circle printed at its center. The circle was divided into eight equal segments: Career. Romance. Health. Family. Relationships. Spirituality. Fun. Finances.

• Jennifer Nash , PhD is an executive coach to senior leaders at Fortune 50 organizations, including Google, Exxon Mobil, JP Morgan, Boeing, and Verizon. A former executive at Deloitte Consulting, she is the CEO of Jennifer Nash Coaching & Consulting, helping successful leaders and organizations elevate performance. You can download her Success Toolkit here.

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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

About this sample

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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10 Templates for Writing Core Values for a Company (+Examples)

Good core values reflect what your company truly stands for and what makes it unique. In this article, you will find templates that can help you craft strong core values for your business. With the right template, you can create values that inspire your team and resonate with customers.

Understanding Core Values

Core values are key beliefs that shape a company’s culture and guide decisions. They help businesses stay true to their purpose and connect with customers and employees.

Definition and Importance

Core values are the fundamental beliefs that drive a company’s actions. They shape how a business operates and treats its stakeholders. These values act as a compass, helping you make choices that align with your company’s identity.

Core values matter because they:

• Guide decision-making
• Attract like-minded employees and customers
• Build a strong company culture
• Set your business apart from competitors

Core Values vs. Mission Statement

While related, core values and mission statements serve different purposes. Your mission statement explains what your company does and aims to achieve. Core values describe how you’ll behave while pursuing that mission.

Think of your mission as the destination and your core values as the rules of the road. For example, a company’s mission might be “to provide affordable, eco-friendly products.” Its core values could include innovation, sustainability, and customer focus.

Identifying Company’s Unique Values

To find your company’s core values, start by thinking about what matters most to you and your team. Ask yourself:

• What principles guide your decisions?
• What behaviors do you praise in employees?
• What do your best customers appreciate about you?

Look for patterns in your answers. These common themes often point to your true core values.

Once you’ve identified your core values, make sure they’re:

• Clear and easy to understand
• Actionable in daily work

Core Values: Templates and Examples

You can use these templates to create core values that fit your company’s culture and goals:

• We [action] with [quality] Example: We innovate with passion
• [Quality] in everything we do Example: Excellence in everything we do
• We believe in [value] Example: We believe in sustainability
• [Action] for our [stakeholder] Example: Deliver for our customers
• [Value] is our priority Example: Integrity is our priority
• We are committed to [goal] Example: We are committed to continuous learning
• [Action] with [value] Example: Lead with empathy
• Our foundation is [value] Example: Our foundation is trust
• We strive for [goal] Example: We strive for positive impact
• [Value] drives us Example: Creativity drives us
• More examples: 250+ Best Inspirational Company Core Values (Examples by Industry)

When choosing your core values, you can involve your team in the process. This helps ensure everyone feels connected to and invested in these guiding principles.

Once you’ve selected your core values, make sure to communicate them clearly: you can display them in your office, include them in employee handbooks, and refer to them often in meetings and decisions.

What are some examples of company core values in the workplace?

Common core values include integrity, innovation, and teamwork. Some companies focus on customer service or sustainability.

How can one create a compelling value statement for a company?

• Start by brainstorming ideas that reflect your company’s beliefs.
• Choose 3-5 key values that truly represent your organization. (Make them clear and memorable.)
• Use action words to inspire your team.
• Get input from employees at all levels to ensure buy-in.

What are the best practices for writing core values for a business?

• Keep your core values short and simple.
• Use language everyone can understand.
• Make sure they align with your company’s mission and goals.
• Be specific about what each value means in practice.

How do you effectively communicate and display a company’s core values to its team?

• Include core values in onboarding materials for new hires.
• Display them prominently in the office or on your website.
• Discuss them regularly in team meetings.
• Recognize employees who exemplify these values.
• Use them to guide performance reviews and decision-making processes.

Can you provide guidance on formulating a statement of core values?

• Start with a brainstorming session involving key team members: think about what makes your company unique; consider your long-term goals and company culture.
• Draft a list of potential values and narrow it down to the most important ones.
• Use clear, action-oriented language to describe each value (see the templates above).
• 20+ Core Values: Examples for Travel and Accommodation Companies
• 20 Best Core Values: Examples for Real Estate Companies
• 20+ Best Core Values: Examples for Healthcare Industry
• 250+ Best Inspirational Company Core Values (Examples by Industry)
• How to Write Inspiring Core Values? 5 Steps with Examples
• 30+ Best Core Values: Examples for Food and Beverage Companies