When there is a distinct lack of connection between your core values and your business, the results can be disastrous for both your personal and professional lives over the long term. The simple reason being that it’s hard to distance yourself from the “real” you and function in a way that requires you to be less than authentic. So, what are core values really and how do you identify them? Most important of all, why is it important to sync them with how you do business?

What Core Values Are

Your core values are your most basic beliefs and principles that guide the decisions and actions you take in your life. You don’t really know who you are as an individual unless you have a code by which you function which brings personal fulfillment and satisfaction in compliance. Some examples of common core values are honesty, dependability, and consistency. A lot of times, in business, more out of compulsion than choice, one ends up making decisions contrary to personal core values with the end result that there tends to be a very palpable sense of being out of sorts and not really fulfilling what you were meant to achieve as an individual.

Why It’s Important to Know Your Core Values

Not knowing what your fundamental personal values are can mean that you drift through life without any clear sense of vision or purpose. If you know that one of your core values is honesty, you will make dedicated efforts to ensure that your actions and thoughts are aligned with your vision of honesty. You are more likely to feel self-fulfilled as a result because you are being true to yourself. This spills over into business in the sense of making your business more rewarding and enjoyable as it aligns with your real values in life.

How to Identify and Apply Your Core Values

There are many different strategies you can use to identify your core values. The easiest one is to look for values lists online and pick and choose your top 10. However, a much more comprehensive and illuminating method is using a process of reflection and self-inquiry. Take a notepad and pen, and ask yourself these important questions:

1. Think about occasions or important events where something you did felt particularly gratifying. What major personal value did you honor at the time?
2. Think about occasions where you felt disappointed with yourself or frustrated. What major personal value did you feel was let down by those specific occasions?
3. What are the really important things you must have to feel fulfilled?
4. What behaviors would you like to be known and remembered for?
5. What behaviors do you detest in others?
6. How do you rank these behaviors in terms of most important and least important?
7. Identify your top 3 and start to incorporate these into your business by reflecting on them every time you make a decision or take action. Add other values once you start to align them organically without thought.

You will find that life can be a lot richer and more meaningful when your work, business, and personal matters revolve around your personal core values as opposed to you having to fit or adjust them to meet expectations.

A coach can help you to identify your core values and apply them to your business.