Find out what makes you or your team tick by whittling down this template of 210 values
Jerry from Soul looking at a soul-pass
Despite being released at the height of the pandemic, the 2020 Disney animation film Soul gained great popularity (as well as two Academy Awards). It asks questions that many of us struggle with: What is your purpose? What makes you you? How do you go through life making sound choices? What's your spark, your values?
As we learn in the movie, your values don't represent your interests, passions, and your purpose directly, but the underlying motivations for why you might pursue any of them. They guide all your decisions and actions and embody what you draw energy and satisfaction from.
Becoming intimately familiar with your values helps in many ways: It's the foundation for evaluating where you are in your life versus where you want to be and gives you confidence in pursuing what drives you. Your values are your guiding light, particularly in turbulent times. When you hit a junction in the road, you might consult them and ask: which direction is most consistent with my values? Values also help you say no to the things that don't align - a very helpful thing in our busy lives.
You might already have a vague understanding of your values. Whenever you consider your life goals or at regular intervals, take a moment to define and refine them. This brings them front-of-mind and makes them more actionable. Consider them well, prioritise them, be specific about their meaning to you. Much will move into focus if you do.
Of course, you can transfer this to all kinds of different contexts and even team activities to open a discussion about what you collectively and individually care about most.
I've prepared a template in Miro for you to get started. It contains over 200 values and takes you through the above process. Let me know how you get on and leave a ❤️ if you can spare a second. I'm rooting for you!
