Values Clarification

Tended Path Counseling, PLLC

Your values are the qualities and directions that make life feel meaningful to you. They are not destinations — you don't achieve them and check them off. They are more like compass headings: ways of being and moving through the world that matter to you regardless of the outcome.

Values are different from goals. "Get promoted" is a goal. "Be someone who contributes meaningfully at work" is a value. This worksheet is designed to help you find your compass headings.

Part 1 — Reflection

Before looking at any lists, start with your own experience.

Think of a time when you felt most fully yourself. What were you doing? What were you honoring?

What is something you've been hurting about lately? What does that pain tell you about what matters to you?

Imagine it's years from now, and someone who knows you well is describing the kind of person you were. What would you most want them to say?

Part 2 — Life Domains

For each area of life below, consider: what kind of person do you want to be here? What qualities matter most to you in this domain?

Relationships

What kind of partner, friend, or family member do you want to be?

A value I hold here:

Work & Contribution

What kind of worker, colleague, or contributor do you want to be?

A value I hold here:

Personal Growth

How do you want to continue learning or developing as a person?

A value I hold here:

Health & Body

How do you want to relate to your body and physical wellbeing?

A value I hold here:

Community & Belonging

How do you want to show up in your broader community or the world?

A value I hold here:

Leisure & Creativity

How do you want to spend time that is just for you?

A value I hold here:

Spirituality & Meaning

What gives your life a sense of meaning or connection beyond yourself?

A value I hold here:

Other

Is there a domain of life that matters to you that isn't listed above?

Domain:

A value I hold here:

Part 3 — Values vs. Goals

It helps to know the difference. You can achieve a goal; you live a value.

A Goal (achievable, checkable)	The Value underneath it (ongoing, directional)
"Get promoted"	Contribution, growth, recognition
"Call my mom more often"	Being a caring family member
"Run a 5K"	Honoring my body, perseverance

Part 4 — Inherited Values

Some of our values were handed to us — by family, culture, faith, or community. These aren't bad or good on their own. But it's worth knowing which ones you've truly chosen, and which ones you've inherited.

A value I inherited

Where it came from:

Do I still choose this?

What choosing it means:

A value I'm still deciding

What's making it hard to decide:

My Top Values

Looking back over everything — what three to five values feel most central to who you want to be? Name them, and write one sentence about what living in their direction looks like.

Value