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Why is identifying core values important to a fulfilling life?

I am in my early 40s. The milestone of 40 brought meaningful changes to how I think, where I spend my time, and made me think about "spontaneous" happiness (see Spontaneous Happiness (Part 1). I've been a heavy thinker since my childhood - thinking to the extent that, sometimes, there was more thought than action. I've reined that in over the past few years and focused on the most important ones. Today, we'll talk about core values and why knowing them is important to a fulfilling life:


What do you stand for? What frustrates you the most? What are you capable of?

As always, let us start with "Why". (see Why asking WHY matters)


Your core values are the deepest truth in you. When you know what they are and intentionally align your life with your core values, you'll live a fulfilling life. I wish someone had told me this earlier in my life. Well, it is never too late.



Here is what I did, and I hope this helps you.


  1. I defined four values (choose as few or as many as you like) that are close to my heart.

  2. I linked my values to my definition of "happiness" and created my own happiness index.

  3. I track myself on these every day on a scale of 1-10 (very seriously!)

  4. When I go off track, I journal what happened.

  5. I observe my journal and identify triggers.

  6. I watch out for those triggers and address them.

  7. Back to step 3. Rinse and repeat!


Identifying core values
Identifying core values. Image source: Wix Media

Of course, this takes time, patience and discipline. But if you focus on one day at a time, it is very doable. Below, I generalize the process so that you can create your own:


  1. Identify what is important to you. (e.g., religion/faith, being authentic, spending time with loved ones/nature/yourself, helping others, working on challenging problems, etc.)

  2. Define your baseline for these.

  3. Reflect daily in a journal. If you are a numbers junkie like me, use a scale. If not, note down how you did for the day.

  4. Observe patterns and identify triggers. This takes time to perfect and needs some trial and error.

  5. Prepare a mitigation plan and execute on getting back to your baseline.


This can help you solve many of your current life's disconnects with core values. E.g., you could identify and exit toxic relationships (work or personal), pivot to meaningful careers, or just be "happy" every day.


Hope this helps.


Coach Athma

Toronto, Canada






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