Our personal values are central in defining our identities, they drive our behaviours and affect our quality of life. Personal values are the strongly held beliefs and standards that shape who we are. They frequently operate subconsciously, but influence our decisions and actions and affect our relationships.
Overall, our day-to-day decisions are a reflection of our personal values. Our values are often greatly influenced by external factors such as family, the media and society at large. Therefore, it is worthwhile checking in with ourselves to see whether we are actually living by what is really important to us and not by what we have been fed over the years by others.
The reason it is so important to know your values is that they create your sense of self and identity. If you’re living according to someone else’s values, you can lose big parts of who you are. Fundamentally, true happiness is a product of authenticity, and we can’t live an authentic life if we live by other peoples’ values.
Additionally, our interactions and relationships with others are shaped by our personal values. They affect how we connect, communicate and work together. We are more likely to build deep, lasting relationships when our values align with those around us.
Conversely, disputes can occur when our values differ, emphasising how important it is to recognise that others may hold different personal values, and that’s okay. Furthermore, personal values function as a moral compass that .
