Core Values
Core values aren’t just words — they’re your mental home. A place to retreat when life gets chaotic, a compass when you’ve lost your way, and a foundation that grows with you. Mine began with a seed: creativity. Took root in love and resilience. And bore fruit through action. Here’s how I found them — and how you can start planting your own.
People often ask how to define their own core values — how to actually go about identifying them.
For me, it’s always been something I did instinctively. Since childhood, I’ve reflected on my place in the world and shaped my beliefs. I used to think it was something everyone naturally did — that there was no need to explain how to develop core values. But over time, I’ve realized naming and nurturing them is a skill in itself.
Why Core Values Matter
Before getting into how I defined mine, it’s important to understand why I did.
Core values are the foundation of my life — the quiet motivators behind my actions. When I set mine, I’m building a mental and emotional home. Just like we need a physical space to retreat, recharge, and feel safe, we also need a mental space — one that keeps us grounded in who we are and who we want to become.
And like any home, it needs upkeep.
The world is always shifting — culturally, socially, economically. If our values are too rigid, they can crack under pressure. I’ve seen that happen — in others, and in myself. That kind of breakdown can feel like burnout, confusion, even depression. And rebuilding isn’t easy.
So I’ve learned to make my foundation strong, but not brittle. I admire integrity, but unchecked rigidity can turn into fragility. Values need flexibility to remain useful and relevant.
Core Values Keep Me Grounded
Life gets chaotic — family, career, dreams, setbacks. It’s easy to lose sight of what really matters. That’s where core values step in. Core values bring clarity when the noise clouds my view of the bigger picture.
When it comes to developing your own, I think of it like growth — a process with three natural stages: the Seed, the Root, and the Fruit.
The Seed: Passion as the Origin
Ask yourself:
What are your interests? What do you love? What drives you?
For me, it’s creativity. As a kid, we didn’t have much, so I built toys out of scraps around the house. I was always curious — breaking things apart and putting them back together. My stepdad saw that spark and encouraged it. That support meant everything. It helped me fall in love with the act of creating.
My Core Value #1: Creativity can solve anything.
The Root: What Grounds You
This phase is your emotional compass — the value that keeps you present and aligned when things get messy.
I love life, and I love the people in it. I want to protect what brings me joy and show up for the ones I care about. As simple as it sounds…
My Core Value #2: Love is the base of all actions.
I also believe in honoring desire. Needs are important, yes — but so are wants. Sometimes our wants are our needs, in disguise. I’ve learned not to surrender to circumstances but to shape them.
My Core Value #3: Rule over your circumstances.
The Fruit: Values in Motion
If all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, then all talk and no action makes him a lazy one.
This is where values become real. You take everything you believe and turn it into something you can touch, see, measure, or feel. It’s about showing up and doing the work. It’s about finishing.
My Core Value #4: Achieve results.
These values didn’t arrive all at once. They formed slowly — through reflection, trial, failure, and growth. They’re not rules etched in stone, but truths I return to when I feel lost or distracted.
If you’re on the journey to define your own core values, start small:
What excites you? What centers you? What keeps pulling you forward?
Your values won’t just define your actions.
They’ll define your home — the one you carry with you, wherever you go.