Core Values

Written By Kyle Ligon - MovementLink.FIT Head Coach

Who do you want to be and how does that person act? Most of the time, we just know when something feels right or wrong, but sometimes being the person we want ourselves to be is a much more challenging road. In those moments, having a clear set of core values can give you confidence in your choices.

Taking the time to define who I want to be, revisiting it, and continuously challenging and updating my core values has been one of the most impactful exercises I have done along my self-improvement journey. I am committed to my core values and use them to drive my decision making, especially when the decision is hard. When I am upset with something I have done or wish I had done something differently, I reflect on my core values to see either where I fell short or what changes or additions need to be made to my list in an attempt to make my list exhaustive and universal.

These values have evolved over time with much reflection and outside help and will continue to evolve as I gain wisdom in this life. They represent who I want to be and how I aspire to act. When I realize something I am doing is at odds with my values, change comes easily.

My Core Values

It’s My Life

I keep my Focus on what I can Control. I cannot control outcomes, but I can control the amounts and types of efforts I put in.
I am Extremely Proactive with everything in my world.
Everything is a Choice. I don't let fear or what feels like the easy path override my ability to make the choices that would help me become who I want to be.
I take Extreme Ownership of everything in my world. I don't sit back and blame others. I identify my role, no matter how big or how small, and I do everything I can to improve everything in my world.
I Plan and Over-Prep for the Knowable. I don’t expect this process to make everything go smoothly. When the unknowable shows up, I simply show up, rely on the buffer I have created, keep trying, and hang in there for as long as I need to.
Instead of letting how I feel dictate my actions, in the moment I Simply Follow-Through on what I want myself to have done. The in-the-moment versions of me tends to want to make choices that seek comfort and ease which is why that version doesn’t get to make the decisions. I make decisions when I am strong and simply follow-through on those decisions in the moment.
I Do Not Automatically Accept the Status Quo as the best option or the best practice. Instead of blindly following what others do, even experts, I seek to understand and then test and adopt what works within my specific contexts. This process is never ending.
To maximize the choices I have in life, I Create a Buffer Zone of Health and Functional Fitness. I embrace the reality that there are certain aspects of lifestyle, like sleep, nutrition, exercise, non-exercise activity, stress management, etc., that need to be prioritized to be able to take advantage of life’s opportunities for as long as possible.

I Maintain a Growth Mindset

My Past is the Reason Why, but Not an Excuse to Continue. I accept the reality that ideas, feelings, successes, and failures are only snapshots of all of life’s efforts and experiences to that point. These moments do not say anything about how I (or others) will think, how we will choose to act, or what we are capable of in the future.
My Successes and Failures Say Nothing Inherent About Me and are ultimately determined by my past experiences and the type and quality of my efforts.
I Embrace and Learn from Failure. As failures are inevitable and an extremely good teacher, I plan for and embrace the scenario of failure. Not planning and not acting is the only failure, so I simply plan and get out there, so I can get closer to the right track sooner. "An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a particular field." - Neils Bohr
Challenge is Enhancing. The path to growth is inherently challenging. Each challenge may feel like a set–back in the moment, but experiencing challenges with the appropriate mindset and perspective allows those experiences to enhance my prosperity when things inevitably turn around.
I Simply Need to be Brave. If I am scared or uncomfortable, it is simply an opportunity to be brave. I do not let the inevitable emotions of fear, nervousness, and anxiety stop me from doing what I want or need to do. I don't have to be perfect or fearless, just brave.
I am a Lifelong Learner, seek to take an honest look at myself, and develop our weaknesses. I seek the truth and understand that even though I try to be right, I am and will be wrong about many things, so need to stay open-minded.
I communicate and take feedback with Candor and Compassion with the intent to understand and help.

Every Person Every Time

Is on My Team and is made to feel welcome and like they belong.
No One is More or Less Important than I am.
If my actions are Multiplied by a Million, I want each of them to have an overall neutral or positive effect on the world.
Everyone deserves to have a Fair Opportunity and the freedom to do whatever they want with those opportunities. When opportunities arise, I am going to take advantage and help other people take advantage of everything we can.
Before I judge or provide coaching, I Seek First to Understand. Until the person in front of me knows that I understand their story, they cannot fully trust what I have to offer and I cannot provide a valuable perspective. They are the experts on themselves.
I only fight for Win-Win-Win.

How to Create Your Own Core Values

Ultimately, we are looking for 3 to 5 top-level categories that we can add descriptions to, but don’t worry if you have way more when you start brainstorming. When I started, I hadn’t quite recognized how some could be grouped together under a larger umbrella.

What helped me get started was simply looking at a list of general core values and selecting words that resonated with me. Here is a list I got from James Clear’s website:

Core Values List

Authenticity
Achievement
Adventure
Authority
Autonomy
Balance
Beauty
Boldness
Compassion
Challenge
Citizenship
Community
Competency
Contribution
Creativity
Curiosity
Determination
Fairness
Faith
Fame
Friendships
Fun
Growth
Happiness
Honesty
Humor
Influence
Inner Harmony
Justice
Kindness
Knowledge
Leadership
Learning
Love
Loyalty
Meaningful Work
Openness
Optimism
Peace
Pleasure
Poise
Popularity
Recognition
Religion
Reputation
Respect
Responsibility
Security
Self-Respect
Service
Spirituality
Stability
Success
Status
Trustworthiness
Wealth
Wisdom

Once you’ve got some words that resonate with you, additional brainstorming can help deepen your understanding of why these things are meaningful to you. I did some self reflection and asked myself:

What types of things do I do that make me proud?
What types of things do I wish I did better?
What types of things do I do that make me wish I did better or didn’t do?
What types of things do other people do that you admire?
What types of things do other people do that annoys you?

My ultimate goal was to define who I want myself to be and how that person acts and sifting through my thoughts on these things helped me start narrowing it down. Just get something on paper. If you take your core values seriously, it is likely that they will go through many, huge revisions in the next few years as you reflect on how well they represent real life circumstances.

Journal

For some time, I did the 5-Minute Journal each AM and PM. Part of my PM entries was recording one thing I wish I did better each day. Journaling the different ways I could improve not only helped me do the things I wanted myself to do, but comparing these to my core values reinforced who I wanted to be and also helped me fill in gaps and update my values.

Some people will schedule time quarterly, semi-annually, or annually to reflect on how they are living life and review their core values. Because I use my core values as examples when working with new coaches and my personal health coaching clients, I have moments naturally built into my life that provide me an opportunity to review and reflect.

Whether it’s breaking bad habits, improving my willpower, setting goals, or simply trying to act like the person I want to be, having defined core values gives me a clear path as I try and become the best version of myself.