Live an Authentic Life By Identifying & Living Your Values

Understanding - and intentionally living - our values helps us stay grounded and empowered, and gives us greater self-awareness and agency, which ultimately leads to living a more authentic life.

Identifying and understanding our core values is the first step - when our behaviors and actions are congruent with our values, we feel ourselves expand and experience more self-awareness, happiness, creativity and flow.

In my coaching practice, I emphasize partnering with clients to identify their values so they can live a life that’s true to themselves. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.

The Differences Between Values and Beliefs

Beliefs can sometimes prove to be no more than surface-level assumptions. They’re contextual and formed by what we have experienced, seen, and heard around us. It’s when we examine ourselves more closely that we find what we actually know to be true – and this is where the concept of values comes in.   

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Values are fundamental to each of us, and they’re more enduring than beliefs. They can be violated if we don’t understand them fully – which can lead to stress, guilt, and shame. This is why recognizing your values and having them aligned with your life is so important. At Blue Ocean Coaching & Consulting, I dig deeply into values because I know that will be the foundation of the rest of the work we’ll do together. I provide clients with a range of exercises, including a core beliefs assessment and the creation of a values wheel. I also invite my clients to develop an understanding of how values and beliefs affect communication, decisions and actions. 

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Try the following sample exercises to begin discovering your values: 

●       Think of a time when you were at your best - what values and beliefs motivated your actions? Write these down.

●       Gather some of your favorite quotes, and circle some words that stand out to you. Using these words, come up with one sentence that explains who YOU are. Share this with someone you trust and get feedback.  

Complete this free Personal Values Assessment‍

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If you feel like you've drifted off course, are feeling overwhelmed, misaligned (work/life balance), or would just like to get to know yourself better, contact me today to learn more about how we can work together!

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