Identifying your values ​​will help you focus on the goals in your life that are not only the most important, but also the most fulfilling. Many times it is difficult for us to make decisions because we do not know exactly what our values ​​are. I’ve had a general idea of ​​where my values ​​are for a while now, but doing this exercise has helped me develop them. The general rule here is, if you are fulfilling the most important value over the least important value, you will be happier and more fulfilled. I recently spent some time figuring out my top 10 values ​​in life. Here is my list of values:

1. Family
2. Integrity
3. Success
4. freedom of time
5. independence
6. personal freedom
7. Financial Freedom
8. sexual/relationship freedom
9. Friendship
10. Worked

Ok, so what are the steps to list your values ​​you ask for? Here we go:

1. Make a list of the 10 most generic and important things in your life: go a little crazy and listen to your gut a little. This whole process is going to be a bit tricky anyway, so write things like love, friendship, family, money, health, honesty, etc. Do not censor yourself, whatever comes to mind. If casual drunken sex is very, very, very important to you, write it down.
2. Be more specific with each one: So let’s say you put money down. Well, what does that mean to you? It could mean that having a steady source of income is important, so write “steady source of income.” Or the money could mean working 20 hours a week just to cover the rent so you can spend your free time writing your novel. Type “Minimum Security” as the value. Again, this whole process is very subjective and being honest with yourself during this process will give you an idea of ​​what is important to you. On my list, I have a definition of 4 of what I call “The 5 Freedoms”. They started out as money, relationships, love, etc. but then I spent some time developing what each one means to me. Do the same with your generic list.
3. List them in any order by instinct: Again, don’t overthink it, just list them from 1 to 10 without thinking about them. This will change in the next step, but you need a place to work from. My final list is completely different than my original list. (Turns out friends are a lot less important than I originally thought they were…)
4. Bubble Sort Your List – When I was studying for my Computer Science degree, we learned how to do bubble sorting, which is basically starting with #1 on your list and asking yourself, honestly, if # 1 is more important than #2. If so, skip to #3. Ask yourself, honestly, is #1 more important than #3? If so, continue with #4. Continue down the list until you find something that tops #1. If #7 exceeds #1 in importance, #7 is moved to the top of the list. Your most important values ​​will ‘bubble’ to the top of the list. To make this easier for you, ask yourself questions about each value as you go through this process. For example, friends started pretty high on the list, until I asked myself, “Is going out and getting drunk with my friends more important than success in life? Would I rather be successful or spend all my time with my friends? If I had to choose between a night out with my friends or working on something that will lead me to success, which would I choose? Then friends went down the list very, very quickly. Like, run away quickly from a robbery. This really surprised me as I originally thought Friends came right after Family. Don’t get too cerebral with these questions, you’ll end up in analysis paralysis, just think of some examples and listen to your gut.

Once you’re done, type them into a word processor and post them somewhere you’ll see them often. Not only will this visual reminder help you stay on top of the most important things in your life, it will also allow you to make easier decisions. How? If I have to choose between my family and my integrity, I’m not going to think too much about it, but I’m going to choose my family. Why? They are higher on the list.