Finding Your Core Values — And Why They Matter More Than You Think
I was having a conversation with a client the other day and it really got me thinking. Have you ever felt like you were doing all the right things, working hard, staying busy, checking every box …. yet something still felt like it was missing?
That quiet sense of disconnection often points to one thing: you’re living out of alignment with your core values.
What Are Core Values?
Core values are the internal standards that shape how we live, love, and make decisions. They’re the principles that, when honored, make us feel grounded, fulfilled, and at peace… and when neglected, leave us feeling unsettled or “off.”
Values can look different for everyone. For some, it’s integrity, growth, and compassion. For others, it might be family, creativity, or freedom. What matters most isn’t the words themselves - it’s how they translate into your daily choices and priorities.
Why Core Values Matter
When your life aligns with your values, things flow more easily. You’re more confident saying no to what doesn’t serve you, and more intentional about saying yes to what does. You make decisions that feel true to who you are, not who others expect you to be.
This alignment builds an unshakable sense of self-trust. It’s what allows you to look back at your day and feel, “Yes ,I lived well today.”
Values Change as We Change
Here’s something many people overlook: your values aren’t fixed. They shift and evolve as you move through different seasons of life.
What mattered most to you a decade ago might not fit your life today , and that doesn’t mean you’ve lost your way; it means you’ve grown.
Maybe career success once topped your list, but now connection or health feels more important.
Maybe adventure used to drive you, but now you crave stability.
Giving yourself permission to re-evaluate and redefine your values is part of living intentionally. Growth doesn’t mean abandoning who you were ,it means honoring who you’re becoming.
How to Discover (or Reconnect With) Your Core Values
Start by reflecting on moments in your life when you felt most alive and fulfilled.
What were you doing?
Who were you with?
What values were you honoring in those moments?
Then think about times when you felt frustrated, drained, or disconnected.
What was being compromised?
What boundaries were crossed?
Patterns will start to emerge -those are your guideposts.
Once you identify your values, use them as your personal compass. Let them guide your goals, your boundaries, and your daily choices. The more your outer life reflects your inner truth, the more peace and purpose you’ll feel.
Finding your core values is unique to you, there isn’t really a right or a wrong, but it’s about awareness.
It’s about living in alignment with what matters most to you in this season of life. Because when your values lead the way, everything else … balance, clarity, fulfillment just naturally follows.
~Marilyn
