The Power of Aligning Your Goals with Your Core Values
When setting any goals in life, whether that be fitness, business, or anything in between, it’s important to take a look at yourself and your values and goals. Why? Because if you’re not sure what’s truly important to you, or if you don’t know why you’re working towards these goals then your motivation is going to come up short.Section: Goal-setting is more than just setting goals, it’s taking a deeper look into who you are and what you want to accomplish.
Goals based on your core values will be: actionable, verifiable, and motivational.
When you align your goals with your core values, you are connecting a specific action to something that is important to you.
What do we mean by “aligning”? Think of it as setting up a map, so that you can see where you want to go and how you are going to get there.
A goal is just a wish unless you know how to make it happen. A goal needs energy, motivation and focus in order to be achieved. When they are aligned with your core values, they will be actionable, verifiable and motivational.
When you are focused on achieving your goals and staying motivated, it’s easier for others to support your efforts because they know what matters most to you.
When we take the time to identify our core values, we can create a clear picture of who we are and what is most important for us in life. We can then use these values as guides when setting goals for ourselves or helping others set goals for themselves.
Goals that are aligned with your core values are great life tools to help you get where you want to go.
You might be wondering what the heck I’m talking about.
If you’re like most people, you probably have a good idea of what your core values are. They might even be written down somewhere or you may have talked about them with a close friend or family member. However, if you’re like most people, chances are that your goals don’t align with your core values.
Let me explain…
We all have a set of core values that define who we are as individuals. These values tell us how we want to live our lives and how we want others to treat us. They also guide our decision-making process when faced with challenging situations or decisions.
For example, one person’s core value might be “I always do the right thing.” Another person’s core value could be “I am very generous with my time and money.” While another person’s core value might be “I am very reliable.”
When it comes to goal setting, many people make the mistake of choosing goals without considering their core values first. This happens because they don’t realize that by aligning their goals with their core values will help them achieve greater success in life!
If you’ve never thought about what your core values might be, here is a quick exercise that can help:
Take some time out of your day (maybe when you’re having coffee or lunch) and write down 10 things that you believe in strongly enough that if someone were attacking them verbally, you would defend them. Those are probably your core values. If you don’t know how many core values there are, ask yourself this question: What would happen if every single one of these things were taken away from me?
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Why do you want to accomplish this goal?
- Is this goal in line with my core values?
- What do I need to do in order to get there?
Your core values are the beliefs and principles you live by. They are your guiding principles for life and your compass when making decisions.
Aligning your goals with your core values is a powerful way to create a successful mindset for success in life.
Here’s how it works:
Ask yourself why you want to accomplish this goal. Is this goal in line with my core values? What do I need to do in order to get there?
If the answer is no, then re-evaluate your goal. If it doesn’t align with what is important to you, then it will not be worth pursuing.
For example, say that you have an upcoming interview with a company that offers great benefits and an amazing work environment but is located far away from family and friends. You’ve been offered a job at this company before but declined because of its distance from home. Now they’re asking again if you’d like to accept the position this time around — and they’re offering even more money! You’re feeling torn because you know that this is a great opportunity, but you also realize it’s not what’s best for you personally. You don’t have to say no if that’s what your heart tells you, but it might be time to re-evaluate why you’re pursuing the job in the first place. What do they offer that other companies don’t? What would make accepting this position worth more than all the others?
I obviously cannot answer that for you. But what I will say is that life is not easy and making challenging decisions can still be challenging even with core values in place.
Why?
Because there are just times when what we think we want is in direct conflict with what’s in front of us. It’s not about being strong or weak, it’s about being honest with yourself and your core values because you are the one who ultimately has live with outcome of your choices. So whatever your choice, just make sure it’s worth it.
Taking a moment to define what’s important to you, and how your goals reflect that can make or break your success as a person and in your career. When you know what’s important to you, you can make decisions that are aligned with those values. It’s a big challenge for many people because it requires us to take a look at our lives as a whole and think about how each part of our world fits together like pieces of a puzzle. The more pieces that fit together, the easier everything else will be – especially when it comes time to making choices.
Would you like to read more articles like this? Enter your email below and get these articles and more inspiring notes sent right to your inbox!
