Knowing what matters: A list of values
This is a list of values: the qualities of being and doing that we want to embody in daily life. As you read, notice what already feels true to you. Notice what makes you lean in. Let go of the shoulds. Let me know if some are missing.
List of Values
Acceptance: Openness to experience as it is, without judgment or resistance
Accomplishment: Satisfaction from working toward and completing meaningful goals
Agency: The capacity to make choices, take action, and shape one's own life
Altruism: Genuine care for others' wellbeing
Ambition: Pursuing elevated and meaningful objectives
Authenticity: Being true to oneself, one's values and deepest convictions
Autonomy: Thinking and acting for oneself without excessive dependence
Adventure: Opening to new, stimulating, sometimes risky experiences
Awareness: Clear consciousness of one's internal and external experiences
Balance: Maintaining equilibrium between different areas of life
Beauty: Appreciating aesthetic qualities that bring pleasure or satisfaction
Boldness: Willingness to take risks despite fear or the opinions of others
Care: Attending to others' or one's own needs with gentleness
Challenge: Engaging with difficult situations that stimulate growth
Clarity: Understanding clearly and expressing precisely
Collaboration: Working cooperatively with others toward shared goals
Community: Feeling of belonging and connection to a group sharing interests or values
Compassion: Sensitivity to others' suffering accompanied by desire to alleviate it
Connection: Building genuine bonds with others and oneself
Contribution: Adding value to others' lives or to society
Courage: Facing fear and discomfort in service of what matters
Creativity: Expressing oneself and bringing new things into being
Curiosity: Approaching life with genuine interest and openness
Decisiveness: Making choices clearly and promptly
Determination: Firmness of purpose and resolve
Dignity: Maintaining self-respect and honoring others' worth
Diligence: Careful and persistent effort in one's work
Discernment: Wise judgment about what's true or right
Discipline: Self-control and structured approach to goals
Diversity: Valuing and embracing differences
Ecology: Care for the natural environment and sustainable living
Effectiveness: Achieving desired results, doing what works
Embodiment: Living in and through the body
Empathy: Understanding and sharing others' feelings
Engagement: Being actively involved and present; dedication to promises, people, or causes
Enthusiasm: Passionate interest and excitement
Equity: Fairness based on individual needs and circumstances
Ethics: Living according to moral principles
Excellence: Striving for the highest quality
Exploration: Investigating and discovering new territories
Expression: Communicating one's inner experience outwardly
Faith: Trust and belief in something beyond proof
Forgiveness: Letting go of resentment and anger
Freedom: Ability to act and choose without constraint
Friendship: Relationships built on affection, trust, and mutual support
Generosity: Giving freely of oneself and one's resources
Grace: Generosity of spirit; treating others (and oneself) with kindness that needs no earning
Gratitude: Appreciation for what one has and receives
Growth: Continuous evolution toward becoming more fully oneself
Harmony: Living in accord with oneself and others
Heritage: Honoring one's roots and traditions
Honesty: Speaking and living truthfully
Hope: Believing in positive possibilities
Hospitality: Welcoming and generous treatment of others
Humanity: Recognizing our shared human experience
Humility: Modest view of one's importance
Humor: Finding lightness and playfulness in life
Imagination: Creating mental images and possibilities
Impact: Making a significant difference
Independence: Standing on one's own and being self-sufficient
Individuality: Honoring one's unique qualities
Influence: Having a positive effect on others
Innovation: Creating new methods or ideas
Insight: Deep understanding of people, situations, and oneself
Integrity: Aligning actions with values
Intensity: Living and feeling deeply
Intimacy: Deep closeness and knowing with others
Introspection: Examining one's own thoughts and feelings
Intuition: Trusting inner knowing
Joy: Experiencing and creating moments of delight
Justice: Standing up for what's fair and right
Kindness: Gentle, caring treatment of others
Leadership: Guiding and inspiring others toward goals
Learning: Ongoing engagement in acquiring new knowledge and skills
Legacy: Creating something lasting beyond oneself
Liberation: Freedom from what has held you back
Lightness: Approaching life without heaviness
Love: Deep feelings of affection, care, and attachment
Loyalty: Steadfast devotion to people or principles
Mastery: Achieving expert skill in an area
Meaning: Finding purpose and significance
Mindfulness: Present-moment awareness
Minimalism: Living with simplicity and less
Mysticism: Connection to spiritual mystery
Nature: Connecting with the natural world
Nonconformity: Thinking and acting independently of convention
Openness: Receptivity to experience and others
Optimism: Hopeful and positive outlook
Order: Systematic organization and structure
Originality: Being unique and creative
Passion: Intense enthusiasm and desire
Patience: Calm endurance without frustration
Peace: Inner calm and harmony in relationships
Perseverance: Continuing despite difficulty, refusing to give up
Perspective: Seeing situations with balanced wisdom
Philanthropy: Generous giving to benefit others
Piety: Devotion to spiritual or religious practice
Playfulness: Engaging in activities purely for enjoyment
Pleasure: Enjoying sensory and emotional satisfaction
Presence: Being fully here, now
Privacy: Maintaining personal boundaries
Proactivity: Taking initiative rather than reacting
Reciprocity: Mutual exchange and give-and-take in relationships
Reflection: Thoughtful consideration of experience
Religion: Connection to faith and spiritual practice
Resilience: Bouncing back from adversity
Respect: Honoring the dignity of self and others
Responsibility: Being accountable for one's actions and duties
Rest: Allowing time for restoration and stillness
Romance: Expressing love with passion and care
Sacrifice: Giving up something for a greater good
Security: Feeling safe and stable
Self-acceptance: Embracing oneself as one is
Self-awareness: Knowing one's own nature
Self-care: Attending to one's own wellbeing
Self-compassion: Treating oneself with kindness
Self-discipline: Training oneself toward goals
Self-expression: Communicating one's authentic self
Self-reliance: Depending on one's own capabilities
Self-respect: Valuing one's own dignity
Sensitivity: Awareness of subtle feelings and signals
Sensuality: Enjoying physical and sensory pleasures
Serenity: Deep peace and calm
Service: Acting for others' benefit
Sexuality: Expressing one's erotic self
Silence: Valuing quiet and stillness
Silliness: Allowing foolish playfulness
Simplicity: Choosing what's essential over excessive
Solitude: Valuing time alone with oneself
Sovereignty: Taking authority over your own life and choices
Spirituality: Connection to something beyond the material
Spontaneity: Acting naturally without overthinking
Stability: Consistency and steadiness
Support: Providing help and encouragement
Tenacity: Holding firm to purpose
Tenderness: Gentle affection and care
Tolerance: Accepting differences without judgment
Tradition: Honoring established customs and practices
Transparency: Openness and clarity in dealings
Trust: Willingness to believe in others' reliability and good intentions; being open to depending on people
Truth: Commitment to what is real and honest
Vitality: Aliveness and energy in daily life
Vulnerability: Willingness to be seen and take emotional risks
Warmth: Expressing kindness and affection
Wisdom: Deep understanding and sound judgment
Wonder: Awe aand curiosity about existence
