Knowing your values creates clarity and focus, helps you to be mindful about your choices, and empowers you to live authentically and with integrity. Your values are guiding principles that point you in the right direction like a compass.

Core values

Core values are the values that are of highest importance to you. They may be values of intrinsic worth that are fairly universal among cultures and religion. Many of these values are based on respect and responsibility for ourselves and for others. Developing character often involves core values.

Personal Values

Some values can vary depending on individual preferences, and may come from personality traits or work values. One person may value adventure and freedom, while another values safety and security. Some people like working with others, and some prefer to focus on tasks. Personal qualities are sometimes called character strengths. Some of these values can be more subjective and variable.

Different kinds of values can be explored with tools at Map Your Values.

Look at Your Values is Part Five of Discover U in Ten Steps, and one of the weekly activities for a Year of Personal Development. Find a free printable self-assessment form at the Brand and Purpose Toolkit, and links to online tools at the Discover U Toolkit at Wakelet.

Once you identify your most important values, you can create a value statement a mission statement or a Unique Selling Proposition that pinpoints what you do and why. It is a concise, clear statement of the special benefit that you provide. It is the power tool for Purpose, one of the Four Ps of Positive Shift that organize the 12 practices that have been shown by positive psychology to increase happiness.

Discover U in Ten Steps

1. Discover your heroes
2. Identify your strengths
3. Explore your skills
4. Examine your beliefs
5. Look at your values
6. Develop a mission statement
7. Learn about your personality and interests
8. Think about your talents and goals
9. Tell your story
10. Express yourself

Brand and Purpose Toolkit at Resources

Beliefs may be either spiritual or mental. Some of the biggest obstacles we encounter are the ones that we create ourselves. Our own fears, limiting beliefs, desire for the comfort zone, or distractions can prevent us from acting with agency to accomplish what we want to do. They can prevent us from connecting with others. They can stop us from making a meaningful life. RECLAIM agency to get unstuck.

• Remember realistic optimism
• Expand the comfort zone
• Cultivate courage and creativity
• Look at limiting beliefs
• Address distractions
• Improve and build strengths
• Master a growth mindset

Examining your beliefs is one way to Discover U, and part four of a Year of Personal Development.

Hyrum Smith, CEO of Franklin Covey, talks about his “Franklin Reality Model” in the book “The 10 natural laws of successful time and life management.” Look at your beliefs to determine: 1 ) are they are based on truth? and 2) do the results of choices based on those beliefs work for you? Beliefs are learned and may have been formed in situations that were something less than perfect. If they are not working for you, they can be changed. Sometimes we internalize negative messages. For example, Instead of learning great communication, we may have gotten the message that it’s not ok to talk about certain things. We can choose new positive beliefs like “I can talk about things that are important to me.”

In the Franklin Reality Model, our belief window is a filter as we take actions (behavior) as we attempt to meet our perceived needs. Examine beliefs, actions and long term results to determine if needs are met.

In this example, the current need is the addiction of smoking, which is driven by the belief that “smoking may hurt others, but not me.” The short term result is the positive pleasure from nicotine. The long term result is the negative effect on health. An alternative belief is based in reality: “smoking is too big a health risk to take.” Quitting smoking is difficult in the short term, but leads to a longer and healthier life in the long term. Read more about the Franklin Reality Model at Franklin Covey Synthesis.

Our mindsets can have a big effect on our lives. Positive affirmations are first person present tense descriptions. Pay attention to what you say when you talk to yourself and choose positive self-talk rather than saying critical and negative things.

“The Four Agreements” is a book by Don Miguel Ruiz that describes how we form beliefs based on fear. When we change our agreements, we can change our lives. The four agreements are:

1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

Beliefs and our emotions

One of the Emotional Intelligence activities is a look at Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to see how beliefs lead to emotions, which helps us Understand Emotions.

Make a list of your beliefs about yourself, others, and life. For each one, ask if it works for you. If it doesn’t, re-write it.

Discover U in Ten Steps

1. Discover your heroes
2. Identify your strengths
3. Explore your skills
4. Examine your beliefs
5. Look at your values
6. Develop a mission statement
7. Learn about your personality and interests
8. Think about your talents and dreams
9. Tell your story
10. Express yourself

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Skills are learned abilities. In this post, you will learn how to:

• Assess current skills
  • Types of skills
• Identify skills to learn
• Develop skills
• Describe skills

ASSESS current skills.  Look over the Work Skills List. Do you have the top skills that employers want? The Career Search Process can help to evaluate skills. At Discover U in Ten Steps, find a free printable self-assessment form and links to free online tools. More tools to explore skills are at the Discover U Toolkit at Wakelet or via Google. The Skills Assessment at CareerOneStop and at onetonline.org are great places to start identifying your skills.

Types of Skills – Identifying your skills at dol.georgia.gov describes these skills:

1. Job skills are specific to an occupation, like special computer software or reading blueprints.
2. Transferable skills are general work skills like the ability to use a computer program or writing a report.
3. Self management skills are personal qualities like being analytical or reliable.

More Skills (see more links at the Work Skills List)

• Work Skills like customer service and meetings
• Leadership Skills like coaching and team building
• Soft Skills like communication and working with others
• Computer Skills like word processing and email
• Life Skills like goal setting and time management.

See The Work Skills Toolkit for more information.

The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) identified skills needed for success in the world of work. They categorize skills as: Basic Skills, Thinking Skills, and Personal Qualities. People Skills are included at Career Key. Try an online assessment of SCANS skills.

Look at your work experience and list the different skills you have used. You can look at it two ways:

1. Specific to general: what job duties were performed? what projects were accomplished? What transferable skills and self-management skills were demonstrated? or
2. General to specific: How have you demonstrated self-management and transferable skills in your work?

IDENTIFY a target skill to develop. Which skill, if improved, would have the most impact? Use a development plan and find learning activities to set a goal for developing the skill.

DEVELOP the skill. Find many resources at Develop Work Skills and The Development Center at the Daily PlanIt Sticky Wiki. Find more links at the Work Skills Pinterest Board.

DESCRIBE skills. Learn how to describe your accomplishments with specific examples at Marketing U.

Discover U in Ten Steps

1. Discover your heroes
2. Identify your strengths
3. Explore your skills
4. Examine your beliefs
5. Look at your values
6. Develop a mission statement
7. Learn about your personality and interests
8. Think about your talents and goals
9. Tell your story
10. Express yourself

Brand and Purpose Toolkit at Resources