Why Knowing Your Core Values Changes Everything

Using your CORE Values to make your choices

Key Takeaways:

• Core values are the inner standards that guide your behavior, decisions, and life direction.

• When you know your values, you can live more authentically and make aligned decisions.

• Unclear values often lead to frustration, disconnection, or a lack of purpose.

• Identifying your values improves relationships, strengthens wellness, and increases clarity at work and in life.

What Are Values, Really?

Values are the principles and standards of behavior that a person considers most important in life. They are like a compass that guides how we behave, interact with others, make career choices, and ultimately, how we bring meaning into our lives.

When you have clarity about your values—especially your core values—you’re more likely to live authentically, making decisions that reflect who you truly are, not who you think you're supposed to be. But when you’re unclear, it’s easy to absorb what family, friends, culture, or society tell you to value. That might look like chasing success, people-pleasing, staying in roles or relationships that no longer fit, or pushing yourself to meet standards that don’t reflect your truth.

That kind of misalignment can show up as restlessness, stress, burnout, or a quiet sense of dissatisfaction. You might feel stuck or disconnected from your purpose—and not fully understand why.

Here’s the thing: your values can shift over time. What mattered to you a decade ago might not feel relevant anymore. But if your life hasn’t shifted with them—if you’re still living in old routines or systems—you’ll likely feel that tension. A conflict between what you value now and how you're actually living.

This is where coaching can help. A coach offers space to explore what truly matters to you, right now—not to your parents, your friends, or society. When you gain clarity on your core values, you begin to make intentional choices that reflect your present-day truth—not your past or your programming.

Why Values Matter More Than You Think

Your values are always at play—whether you're conscious of them or not. They influence everything:

• In Relationships: Knowing your values helps you communicate clearly, set healthy boundaries, and choose people who support your growth.

• At Work: Values can help you find meaning in your work—or realize what’s missing. They help you navigate decisions, leadership styles, and career shifts.

• In Your Health & Well-being: Living in alignment reduces stress and increases vitality. Living against your values can manifest as chronic frustration or even illness.

• In Everyday Life: Values help you decide what’s worth your energy and what’s not. They guide how you spend your time and who you become.

How to Start Figuring Out Your Core Values

Here are a few ways to explore your values:

• Look back: When were you proud of yourself? What were you standing for?

• Get curious about discomfort: What situations feel wrong or upsetting? They often point to a value being ignored.

• Notice your energy: What lights you up? What drains you? That contrast tells a story.

Want to Go Deeper?

Try reflecting on these five powerful questions to help uncover your core values and reconnect with what truly matters:

• What do I consistently return to, no matter how much time passes?

• What brings me joy that doesn’t depend on praise or approval?

• When have I felt like I was betraying myself?

• What decision have I made in the past that felt deeply right, even if it was hard? What value was I honoring?

• If someone described me at my best, what would they say I stood for?

These questions can help you slow down, listen inward, and start to hear the quiet wisdom of your values more clearly.

Once you start naming your values—putting words to them—you’ll notice a pattern. Many of your decisions, conflicts, and joys trace back to the same core values. It’s a beautiful way of getting to know yourself on a deeper level.

Final Thoughts: Core Values Help You Come Home to Yourself

Clarity around your core values leads to clarity in your life. You stop second-guessing every choice. You learn to trust yourself. You align your actions with your inner compass.

And the best part? You don’t have to figure it out all at once.

Your values are already within you. You’ve just been too busy, too overwhelmed, or too externally focused to hear them clearly.

When you slow down, get support, and tune in—you can begin to build a life that actually feels like yours.

Want support in discovering your core values and aligning your life with what matters most?That’s what coaching is all about. I’d love to help you get clear.