3 Step Strategy to Build Your Core Value Foundation

By Erika Fehrenbach

Have you ever heard of or read the hilarious children’s book The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt? It’s one of those books that entertains adults as much as kids. Without giving too much away, this kid’s crayons all decide to quit for one justified excuse, I mean reason, or another. Why in the world am I bringing this up? Well, three days from now on January 21 is the average day that people quit their New Year’s goals and resolutions. 3 weeks into the year...donesies. Not this year, DreamChaser, not this year! Quitting was sooooo 2020...knocking it out of the park is what 2021 is going to be about.

If you haven’t noticed yet, your SoulShine Life Connections Inspiration Catalysts have been hitting at some of the big topics to help you on your journey to your best life. Today is no exception...it’s time to get down to basics, the very foundation of getting those goals and dreams, of finding that purpose, of living your fun, inspired, intentional, best life! 

Ready? 

I thought so!

I am alluding to none other than core values, DreamChaser. Core values are your fundamental beliefs - the guiding principles that dictate your behaviors. They help you make sense of the world and your place in it. Core values are your highest priorities, your most deeply held beliefs, the fundamental driving force behind everything in your life. 

Deep, I know. That’s why they are called core values...they are the essence of you! That is also why it’s so incredibly important to know what these are. Core values are the foundation of EVERYTHING you dream, wish, hope, and go for. If you want to find your purpose in life or really get that life you have dreamed about f-o-r-e-v-e-r, the first stop is uncovering your core values. I’m going to be real here; skipping this step sets you up for a cycle of continued failure. Seriously, they are that crucial to this best life, goal getting, dreamchasing process.

Before you get worried this is going to take a long time,  we got you! We are going to walk you through a strategy to uncover your top 4 core values. Why 4, you ask? Because you are building your table! Let me explain. 

I find having an image to visualize is very helpful to make these abstract concepts more concrete. Imagine a table. How many legs does that table have? 4, right? This makes it nice and sturdy so that it can stand up to forces and do its job. If you take away a leg on the table, what happens? It becomes tippy and everything on top comes crashing down! Our objective today is to find your top 4 core values to build you a solid table, or foundation, that you can then build your vision, purpose, and goals on top of. Once you have this solid core value foundation, these other pieces start to fall into place. Let’s get to work!

SoulShine Build Your Core Value Foundation Strategy:
Step 1: Quiet Reflection
Find a quiet place to do this exercise. It’s nearly impossible to concentrate and focus amid the chaos of life. Start to get your mindset into discovery mode by considering these questions. You may want a journal handy to jot down what comes to mind.
    -What brings you joy?
    -What can’t you live without in your life?
    -What gives meaning to your life?
    -What drives you?
    -What do you want to achieve?
This line of questioning often will start uncovering your core values. These also illustrate how core values are the glue that holds your vision, purpose, and goals together!

Step 2: Uncover Your Core Values 
Rather than searching for core values or trying to come up with the right words, we want to make it easy, peasy, lemon squeezy for you. We have compiled a list of core values for you here -->  https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/v84aAjV/corevalueslist

Download and print this off. Simply go through the list and start crossing off the words that do not resonate with you. This will be easy at first and get progressively harder. Once you get down to 10, the real work begins. Really look at these remaining words, perhaps look at their actual definitions. Reflect on what they really mean and how they show up in your life. Continue cutting words until you have the 4 you could not live without. If you get stuck, take a break to process and gain clarity. As an aside, try not to be upset that a word is being removed; this does not mean it isn’t important to you or doesn’t have a place in your life. It just means it isn’t the core of what makes you, you!

Step 3: Take Them With You
Phew...you narrowed it down to your 4 core values. The more you can keep these top of mind, the better you can continue to align your vision, life purpose, and goals with them. Download this image below. Using your favorite image editing app, add 1 of your core values to each of the table legs. Save to your phone. Now, you have this visual reminder with you all the time

Good job on uncovering your core values! This is a huge step on your goal-getting journey, DreamChaser. Take a moment to celebrate this win! With your core values foundation in place, your table is solid and ready to support your vision, purpose, and goals. 

As always, shine on!