Life is interesting! Whether we are working in a company or have our own business, it’s easy to get side-tracked from our vision. I don’t believe we necessarily go running away fromour values. It’s more like we go wandering away, and one day, we wake up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.
I hear this over and over again in conversations I have with clients and I believe this can be especially true in larger organizations. We get so caught up in systems and processes that we sometimes lose sight of why we are there in the first place. How often do we ask ourselves: What is our goal; our true vision? This feeling is not just limited to business. It can happen to individuals as well. If this is true for you, how can you get back on track?
What are Core Values?
Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. They are the guiding principles that dictate behavior and action. Core values assist people in understanding right from wrong; they can help companies determine if they are on the right path and fulfilling their business goals; and they create an unwavering and unchanging guide. There are many different types of core values and many different examples of core values depending upon the context.
Regardless of whether you are a company or individual, we all have core values or internal beliefs that dictate how life is to be lived. For companies, core values are the guiding principles that help to define how the corporation behaves. They are usually expressed in the corporation’s mission statement.
Finding Your Core Values
One of the biggest challenges is clarifying and identifying what’s truly important to you. While some people or companies might expressly publish their core values, often the best way to identify these values is to watch how they act and behave. A core value is only a true core value if it has an active influence and if the people or companies manage to live by it, at least most of the time.
Here’s a link to my website where I have listed what’s important to me https://www.thecentreforleadingandliving.ca/what-we-stand-for/. I encourage you to write down your core values so you are clear are what they are for you. Define how these values show up for you and how you incorporate them into your daily living. The true test is in how you live your life. If your core values don’t match your daily actions, it’s time to re-evaluate what is truly important to you.