What do value most in your life? What do you strongly believe in? What do you hope to leave behind for future generations? It’s all about your core values.
A few days ago, I had my bi-weekly meeting with my widow coach Sarah, and we talked about Core Values: what were my values throughout the stages of my life: as a young kid, a teenager, an adult (as a wife, as a mom and as a widow). Have they changed over the past year? Yeah, I’d say so.
She started by asking me what the core values were that my parents taught me that are still holding truth today and which ones don’t. That was a bit of a challenge. Service was probably the number one thing I still value to this day. I recently saw a video of actor Rainn Wilson state that the entire purpose of life is “service to others”. He went on to explain that we are put on this earth to take care of others and the astrological Cancer sign in me (the sensitive, natural nurturer) was like, HELL YEAH!
As we went on, she showed me a list of 30 core values. WHOA. She said pick the ones that jump out at you instantly that you feel are your core values.
(Panic starts to set in) Oh, …Okay.
As I would love to admit that I agreed with all 30 values, I did not. And I’m okay with that.
Here’s the list.
Core Values List
- Authenticity – Living in alignment with your true self.
- Compassion – Treating yourself and others with kindness.
- Courage – Facing challenges and fears with strength.
- Family – Prioritizing connection, support, and legacy.
- Freedom – Having autonomy over your choices and life.
- Growth – Continuously learning, evolving, and expanding.
- Honesty – Speaking and living your truth.
- Integrity – Acting in alignment with your morals and beliefs.
- Joy – Finding and embracing moments of happiness.
- Legacy – Leaving a meaningful impact for your children and others.
- Love – Giving and receiving deep, meaningful connection.
- Resilience – Bouncing back from hardship with strength.
- Security – Seeking stability, safety, and peace in life.
- Self-Respect – Honoring your worth, boundaries, and needs.
- Independence – Valuing self-reliance and personal empowerment.
- Connection – Prioritizing meaningful relationships and support systems.
- Purpose – Living a life that feels meaningful and aligned.
- Healing – Prioritizing emotional and mental well-being.
- Trust – Believing in yourself and others.
- Spirituality – Connecting with something greater than yourself.
- Creativity – Expressing yourself in unique and fulfilling ways.
- Empathy – Understanding and sharing in others’ emotions.
- Patience – Giving yourself and others grace through the journey.
- Adventure – Embracing new experiences and stepping outside your comfort zone.
- Wisdom – Seeking truth, knowledge, and insight.
- Hope – Believing in a future filled with possibility and light.
- Community – Surrounding yourself with supportive and like-minded people.
- Self-Expression – Showing up as your full, unapologetic self.
- Gratitude – Finding appreciation for life’s big and small moments.
- Service – Helping others and making a difference in the world.
Like I said, WHOA. I chose 18 on this list that spoke to me instantly. Two of them were brand new to my mindset: Courage and Adventure.
Courage has been a new word, a new feeling, a new sense to me since 2023, but has been more prominent since last year.
Adventure is new for me for 2025. I’m not one for spontaneity, at least not all the time. I like a plan. As 2025 drew near, I promised myself that I was going to do more outside of my comfort zone. I took a last minute solo plane trip across the country to see one of my best friends. I polar plunged in her pool. ON PURPOSE. AND FILMED IT. I came back to work after that trip just to find out that my job had been eliminated. Looking back, it was honestly one of the best things to ever to happen to me. I decided to take a long overdue break for myself. It’s been an adventure. I’m discovering what makes me happy. What doesn’t work for my life anymore, what I want to accomplish this year.
Then, Sarah says to me, “Now for your homework, out of those 18 you chose, which one would you remove?”
I’M SORRY, WHAT? I can’t do that! (I did finally choose one, but it wasn’t easy). I won’t reveal it but I have a good reason why I was able to decide on removing it from my list.
Then she asked what was one value that is a non-negotiable: Self-Respect. You have to have it. May not be number one for me, but it’s something I’m learning and getting better at.
Then she asked for my top five: Service, Joy, Empathy, Gratitude, Resilience. These core values are definitely the ones I want to pass on to my daughter. Hands down.
So look over the list, what resonates with you? What value(s) do you feel deep in your soul?
Which ones would you like to have more of? Have less of? Be more aware of? Challenge yourself. Try the list with a partner or friend. See how you compare and differ. Talk about it. Gain some perspective. Learn about each other, keep and open mind.
You Can Do Hard Things 