Follow your core values to create the life you want by Alana Ruoso, certified career coach

Dear Mavens,

Let’s talk about core values, a part of personal development that I feel is very easy to overlook (maybe it sounds boring? 🤷)

So, what are core values?

Core values are your most deeply held priorities.

The key word here is deep - they’re the kind of priorities that are in your bones and uniquely define yourself as an individual. They are deeply personal. Getting clear on your core values will help you feel in alignment with your life, like you are connected to what matters and you are living an authentic life.

Examples of core values: Connection, family, leadership, freedom, creativity, generosity and health.

Your core values will change throughout your life so you want to take stock of them regularly.

One of my core values is an interesting one–it’s space. I didn’t actually realize this until about five years ago when I really dove into coaching work. I need physical, emotional and energetic space in order to feel calm and grounded - which is an ongoing goal of mine.

I can’t have a lot of clutter, I need a lot of alone time and I really, really need a ventilated calendar. I learned that term from actress Kate Walsh and I love it. I need space in my calendar every day to process my workload and to avoid that once-so-familiar feeling of struggle. I can’t be running around frantically from A to B to Z because that really messes with my physical and mental health. {Read more about my need for space here.}

When I see clients who have a “dream job”, but they feel really unfulfilled or constantly stressed, I always like to check in with their core values.

I once had a client, I’ll call him Andrew, who had this incredible job at an ad agency, he actually really liked the work and the fast pace, BUT he could never take more than a couple days off work at a time because it was just chaos and mayhem all the time. And Partnership was one of his top core values. He loved being with his partner and traveling with him, not just hanging out with him for two hours after work…

So Andrew had to make the (difficult) decision to leave that job and go somewhere where he had way more autonomy over his calendar so that he could make his partnership a top priority. Of course this increases his level of overall fulfillment, connection to his partner and that feeling of yeah, I’m living the life I really want to live. Not the life someone else expects me to. No surprise that Andrew felt so much empowered and in alignment with his life once he made honoring his core values at the top of his priority list.

So I encourage you to really dig deep on your core values and get clear on what our priorities are. Build your life around your core values and watch your fulfillment soar.

What are you core values and is it time to put them on the front burner??⚡️⚡️

To your brave success,
Alana