Uncovering Core Vales

You are invited to reflect on the list below to help uncover your core values.

  • Acceptance – to be accepted as I am

  • Accuracy – to be accurate in my opinions and beliefs

  • Achievement – to have important accomplishments

  • Adventure – to have new and exciting experiences

  • Attractiveness – to be physically attractive

  • Authority – to be in charge of and responsible for others

  • Autonomy – to be self-determined and independent

  • Beauty – to appreciate beauty around me

  • Caring – to take care of others

  • Challenge – to take on difficult tasks and problems

  • Change – to have a life full of change and variety

  • Comfort – to have a pleasant and comfortable life

  • Commitment – to make enduring, meaningful commitments

  • Compassion – to feel and act on concern for others

  • Contribution – to make a lasting contribution in the world

  • Cooperation – to work collaboratively with others

  • Courtesy – to be considerate and polite toward others

  • Creativity – to have new and original ideas

  • Dependability – to be reliable and trustworthy

  • Duty – to carry out my duties and obligations

  • Ecology – to live in harmony with the environment

  • Excitement – to have a life full of thrills and stimulation

  • Faithfulness – to be loyal and true in relationships

  • Fame – to be known and recognized

  • Family – to have a happy, loving family

  • Fitness – to be physically fit and strong

  • Flexibility – to adjust to new circumstances easily

  • Forgiveness – to be forgiving of others

  • Friendship – to have close, supportive friends

  • Fun – to play and have fun

  • Generosity – to give what I have to others

  • Genuineness – to act in a manner that is true to who I am

  • God’s Will – to seek and obey the will of God

  • Growth – to keep changing and growing

  • Health – to be physically well and healthy

  • Helpfulness – to be helpful to others

  • Honesty – to be honest and truthful

  • Hope – to maintain a positive and optimistic outlook

  • Humility – to be modest and unassuming

  • Humor – to see the humorous side of myself and the world

  • Independence – to be free from dependence on others

  • Industry – to work hard and well at my life tasks

  • Inner Peace – to experience personal peace

  • Intimacy – to share my innermost experiences with others

  • Justice – to promote fair and equal treatment for all

  • Knowledge – to learn and contribute valuable knowledge

  • Leisure – to take time to relax and enjoy

  • Loved – to be loved by those close to me

  • Loving – to give love to others

  • Mastery – to be competent in my everyday activities

  • Mindfulness – to live conscious and mindful of the present moment

  • Moderation – to avoid excesses and find a middle ground

  • Monogamy – to have one close, loving relationship

  • Non-Conformity – to question and challenge authority and norms

  • Nurturance – to take care of and nurture others

  • Openness – to be open to new experiences, ideas, and options

  • Order – to have a life that is well-ordered and organized

  • Passion – to have deep feelings about ideas, activities, or people

  • Pleasure – to feel good

  • Popularity – to be well-liked by many people

  • Power – to have control over others

  • Purpose – to have meaning and direction in my life

  • Rationality – to be guided by reason and logic

  • Realism – to see and act realistically and practically

  • Responsibility – to make and carry out responsible decisions

  • Risk – to take risks and chances

  • Romance – to have intense, exciting love in my life

  • Safety – to be safe and secure

  • Self-Acceptance – to accept myself as I am

  • Self-Control – to be disciplined in my own actions

  • Self-Esteem – to feel good about myself

  • Self-Knowledge – to have a deep and honest understanding of myself

  • Service – to be of service to others

  • Sexuality – to have an active and satisfying sex life

  • Simplicity – to live life simply, with minimal needs

  • Solitude – to have time and space where I can be apart from others

  • Spirituality – to grow and mature spiritually

  • Stability – to have a life that stays fairly consistent

  • Tolerance – to accept and respect those who differ from me

  • Tradition – to follow respected patterns of the past

  • Virtue – to live a morally pure and excellent life

  • Wealth – to have plenty of money

  • World Peace – to work to promote peace in the world

— Adapted from Personal Values Card Sort by William R. Miller, Janet C’de Baca, Daniel B. Matthews, and Paula L. Wilbourne