Georgia Shaffers 40 Coaching Value Questions

  Your values shape your life and influence all your relationships. They influence the decisions you make. Have you ever taken the time to consider what values are most important to you? Do you have clarity on what your priorities are?

As part of my training to become a life coach years ago, I had to identify my top five core values. I didn’t think the exercise was important and completed the assignment only because it was a requirement. Over the years, however, I’ve come to realize how critical identifying our values is. When you know what you hold dear and don’t lose sight of it, you’ll be less apt to spend your time and resources on activities that compromise your core values. And you will be more likely to make wise choices if you consider your values before making major decisions, such as accepting a new job or getting into a relationship.

To help you get started on clarifying what is most important to you, here are 40 values, such as adventure, followed by a question: “Do you appreciate new and thrilling experiences?” This list of values is by no means a complete list, but it’s a good beginning.

First, read the list. Then, reread it and choose ten values that you feel describe what’s important to you. Put your list of ten values aside for a few days or weeks and observe how you make decisions. Would you say those ten choices are an honest reflection of you and the choices you have made? If so, take that list of ten and narrow it down to five core values that best represent what’s most important to you.

If the original ten values you chose do not reflect your actions, then reconsider your list again by observing how you spend your time and make decisions. Sometimes what you identify at first as being very important might not end up being a core value for you. One of my coaching clients chose humor, adaptability, and achievement as three of her top five values. When she reflected on her choices over a period of time, she realized that humor, adaptability, and achievement were valued at work but they weren’t in fact most important to her. Although she had skillfully learned how to display those characteristics in order to reach her career goals, in reality her top five values were faith, family, generosity, simplicity, and authenticity.

Once you clarify your top five values, continue to pay attention to them by frequently revisiting them. One question you can ask yourself to focus on the big picture is this: Do my actions, my calendar, and my checkbook reflect the values I say are most important to me?