“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

Values represent the deepest desires of your heart for how you wish to conduct yourself as a human being. They are not about the tangible outcomes you wish to achieve but rather about the ongoing actions and behaviours you exhibit; essentially, how you choose to treat yourself, others, and the world around you.

The range of values is extensive, with countless possibilities. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most common values. Not all will resonate with you, and that’s entirely normal. Think of values like your preferences in dog breeds – you might favour the playful and energetic nature of a Labrador while someone else prefers the quiet dignity of a Greyhound. Neither choice is right or wrong; they simply reflect different preferences. Similarly, our values may differ, and that’s perfectly okay.

Choose a domain of life you’d like to enhance, review the list below, and mark each value as follows: E for Essential, I for Important, and S for Secondary, specifically in relation to the domain you’ve chosen.

• Acceptance: Being open to and accepting of myself, others, and life.
• Adventure: Seeking, creating, or exploring novel or stimulating experiences.
• Assertiveness: Respectfully standing up for my rights and requesting what I want.
• Authenticity: Being genuine, real, and true to myself.
• Beauty: Appreciating, creating, nurturing, or cultivating beauty in myself, others, and the environment.
• Caring: Showing care towards myself, others, and the environment.
• Challenge: Continually challenging myself to grow, learn, and improve.
• Compassion: Acting with kindness towards those who are suffering.
• Connection: Fully engaging in whatever I am doing and being present with others.
• Contribution: Helping, assisting, or making a positive difference to myself or others.
• Conformity: Respecting and being obedient to rules and obligations.
• Cooperation: Working cooperatively and collaboratively with others.
• Courage: Being brave and persistent in the face of fear, threat, or difficulty.
• Creativity: Being creative or innovative.
• Curiosity: Being curious, open-minded, and interested; exploring and discovering.
• Encouragement: Encouraging and rewarding behaviour that I value in myself or others.
• Equality: Treating others as equal to myself, and vice-versa.
• Excitement: Seeking, creating, and engaging in activities that are exciting, stimulating, or thrilling.
• Fairness: Being fair to myself or others.
• Fitness: Maintaining or improving my fitness and looking after my physical and mental well-being.
• Flexibility: Adjusting and adapting readily to changing circumstances.
• Freedom: Living freely, choosing how I live and behave, and helping others do likewise.
• Friendliness: Being friendly, companionable, or agreeable towards others.
• Forgiveness: Being forgiving towards myself or others.
• Fun: Seeking, creating, and engaging in fun-filled activities.
• Generosity: Being generous and giving to myself or others.
• Gratitude: Being grateful for and appreciative of the positive aspects of myself, others, and life.
• Honesty: Being honest, truthful, and sincere with myself and others.
• Humour: Seeing and appreciating the humorous side of life.
• Humility: Being humble or modest, allowing my achievements to speak for themselves.
• Industry: Being industrious, hard-working, and dedicated.
• Independence: Being self-supportive and choosing my own way of doing things.
• Intimacy: Opening up and sharing myself emotionally or physically in close personal relationships.
• Justice: Upholding justice and fairness.
• Kindness: Being kind, compassionate, considerate, nurturing, or caring towards myself or others.
• Love: Acting lovingly or affectionately towards myself or others.
• Mindfulness: Being conscious of, open to, and curious about my present experience.
• Order: Being orderly and organised.
• Open-mindedness: Thinking things through, seeing from others’ perspectives, and weighing evidence fairly.
• Patience: Waiting calmly for what I want.
• Persistence: Continuing resolutely despite problems or difficulties.
• Pleasure: Creating and giving pleasure to myself or others.
• Power: Strongly influencing or wielding authority over others, such as taking charge, leading, or organising.
• Reciprocity: Building relationships with a fair balance of giving and taking.
• Respect: Being respectful towards myself or others; being polite, considerate, and showing positive regard.
• Responsibility: Being responsible and accountable for my actions.
• Romance: Being romantic and expressing love or strong affection.
• Safety: Securing, protecting, or ensuring the safety of myself or others.
• Self-awareness: Being aware of my own thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Self-care: Looking after my health and well-being and meeting my needs.
• Self-development: Continuously growing, advancing, or improving in knowledge, skills, character, or life experience.
• Self-control: Acting in accordance with my own ideals.
• Sensuality: Creating, exploring, and enjoying experiences that stimulate the five senses.
• Sexuality: Exploring or expressing my sexuality.
• Spirituality: Connecting with things bigger than myself.
• Skilfulness: Continuously practising and improving my skills and fully applying myself when using them.
• Supportiveness: Being supportive, helpful, encouraging, and available to myself or others.
• Trust: Being trustworthy, loyal, faithful, sincere, and reliable.
• [Insert your own unlisted value here]:
• [Insert your own unlisted value here]:

Once you’ve marked each value as Essential, Important, or Secondary, review the Es and select the top three that are most crucial to you in this domain of life at this moment. The next step involves finding ways to embody these values in this area of life; actions and words guided by these principles.