What Are Values ? 

Values are your heart’s deepest desires for how you want to behave as a human being. Values are not about what you want to get or achieve; they are about how you want to behave or act on an ongoing basis.
There are hundreds of different values, but below you’ll find a list of the most common ones. Probably, not all of them will be relevant to you. Keep in mind there are no such things as ‘right values’ or ‘wrong values’. It’s a bit like our taste in pizzas. If you prefer ham and pineapple but I prefer salami and olives, that doesn’t mean that my taste in pizzas is right and yours is wrong. It just means we have different tastes. And similarly, we may have different values. 

The Value Exercise : 

Read through the list below and write a letter next to each value: V = Very important, Q = Quite important, and N = Not so important; and make sure to score at least 10 of them as Very important. And then in the second round at least 4 or 5 of them as the most important

1. Acceptance:  to be open to and accepting of myself, others, life etc
2.  Adventure: to be adventurous; to actively seek, create, or explore novel or stimulating experiences
3. Assertiveness: to respectfully stand up for my rights and request what I want
4.  Authenticity: to be authentic, genuine, real; to be true to myself
5. Beauty: to appreciate, create, nurture or cultivate beauty in myself, others, the environment etc
6. Caring: to be caring towards myself, others, the environment etc
7. Challenge: to keep challenging myself to grow, learn, improve
8. Compassion: to act with kindness towards those who are suffering
9. Connection: to engage fully in whatever I am doing, and be fully present with others
10. Contribution: to contribute, help, assist, or make a positive difference to myself or other
11. Conformity: to be respectful and obedient of rules and obligations
12. Cooperation: to be cooperative and collaborative with others
13. Courage: to be courageous or brave; to persist in the face of fear, threat, or difficulty
14. Creativity: to be creative or innovative
15. Curiosity: to be curious, open-minded and interested; to explore and discover
16. Encouragement: to encourage and reward behaviour that I value in myself or others
17. Equality: to treat others as equal to myself, and vice-versa
18. Excitement: to seek, create and engage in activities that are exciting, stimulating or thrilling
19. Fairness: to be fair to myself or others
20. Fitness: to maintain or improve my fitness; to look after my physical and mental health and wellbeing
21. Flexibility: to adjust and adapt readily to changing circumstances
22. Freedom: to live freely; to choose how I live and behave, or help others do likewise
23. Friendliness: to be friendly, companionable, or agreeable towards others
24. Forgiveness: to be forgiving towards myself or others
25. Fun: to be fun-loving; to seek, create, and engage in fun-filled activities
26. Generosity: to be generous, sharing and giving, to myself or others
27. Gratitude: to be grateful for and appreciative of the positive aspects of myself, others and life
28. Honesty: to be honest, truthful, and sincere with myself and others
29. Humour: to see and appreciate the humorous side of life
30. Humility: to be humble or modest; to let my achievements speak for themselves.
31. 31. Industry: to be industrious, hard-working, dedicated
32. Independence: to be self-supportive, and choose my own way of doing things
33. Intimacy: to open up, reveal, and share myself — emotionally or physically – in my
34. close personal relationships
35. Justice: to uphold justice and fairness
36. Kindness: to be kind, compassionate, considerate, nurturing or caring towards myself or others
37. Love: to act lovingly or affectionately towards myself or others
38. Mindfulness: to be conscious of, open to, and curious about my here-and-now experience
39. Order: to be orderly and organized
40. Open-mindedness: to think things through, see things from other’s points of view, and weigh evidence fairly.
41. Patience: to wait calmly for what I want
42. Persistence: to continue resolutely, despite problems or difficulties.
43. Pleasure: to create and give pleasure to myself or others
44. Power: to strongly influence or wield authority over others, e.g. taking charge, leading, organizing
45. Reciprocity: to build relationships in which there is a fair balance of giving and taking
46. Respect: to be respectful towards myself or others; to be polite, considerate and show positive regard
47. Responsibility: to be responsible and accountable for my actions
48. Romance: to be romantic; to display and express love or strong affection
49. Safety: to secure, protect, or ensure safety of myself or others
50. Self-awareness: to be aware of my own thoughts, feelings and actions
51. Self-care: to look after my health and wellbeing, and get my needs met
52. Self-development: to keep growing, advancing or improving in knowledge, skills, character, or life experience.
53. Self-control: to act in accordance with my own ideals
54. Sensuality: to create, explore and enjoy experiences that stimulate the five senses
55. Sexuality: to explore or express my sexuality
56. Spirituality: to connect with things bigger than myself
57. Skilfulness: to continually practice and improve my skills, and apply myself fully when using them
58. Supportiveness: to be supportive, helpful, encouraging, and available to myself or others
59. Trust: to be trustworthy; to be loyal, faithful, sincere, and reliable
60. Insert your own unlisted values here:

Once you’ve marked each value as V, Q, N (Very, Quite, or Not so important), go through all the Vs, and select out the top 4  that are most important to you. Mark each one with a 4, to show it’s in your top 4. Finally, write those 4 values out below, to remind yourself this is what you want to stand for as a human being.