Clarifying Your Values: Enhance Your Life Direction
By David Hennessy, Clinical Psychologist
David the Psychologist
Hennessy Clinical Psychology
Clarifying Your Values: Enhance Your Life Direction
Consistently persisting in our own best interest is a universal human struggle. When we clearly articulate our values, create consistent actions, and then schedule those actions in our lives, it becomes a guiding beacon. It is similar to a lighthouse that helps us navigate the seas of ever–changing emotional wind and waves.
Values act as compass points for our lives. They are not simply goals or desires but deeply held beliefs that reflect who we are and what genuinely matters to us. Understanding and applying our values is foundational to psychological health. When we articulate our values, translate them into consistent actions, and schedule those actions into our routines, we strengthen our capacity for direction, resilience, and wellbeing.
Research supports that clarity of values and consistent values–based behaviour enhances psychological flexibility, emotional regulation, and overall life satisfaction [1][4][8].
Clarifying Your Values | What Exactly Are Values?
Values are enduring principles that guide how we want to behave and what we choose to prioritise. They influence how we make decisions, how we relate to others, and how we shape our futures.
Common values include:
- Honesty
- Compassion
- Authenticity
- Courage
- Growth
- Connection
Values differ from goals. Goals are achieved or completed. Values are ongoing life directions that can be expressed repeatedly across different situations.
The study of human values has a long history, with early conceptual understanding emerging from behavioural science and personality theory [3]. Contemporary psychological research consistently shows that values clarification is a powerful mechanism for change, particularly through its influence on behaviour and emotional wellbeing [1][4][6][8].
Why Are Values Important?
When our actions align with our core values, we experience a greater sense of purpose, meaning, and satisfaction. This alignment supports emotional stability and strengthens resilience during challenging times.
Living out of alignment with our values often creates distress, anxiety, and a sense of internal conflict. Values provide clarity during periods of uncertainty and help us make choices that support long–term wellbeing rather than momentary relief [1][7][9].
Values–based living is central to evidence–based approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, where values guide committed action and support psychological flexibility.
How to Clarify Your Values
Clarifying what genuinely matters is a deeply personal and rewarding process. Helpful steps include:
- Reflect on meaningful moments Think about times when life felt fulfilling, grounded, or energising
- Identify what mattered Notice the traits or behaviours that made these experiences significant
- List your values Write down themes that appear repeatedly
- Prioritise Rank the values so you know which ones are central for you
Validated tools such as the Bulls Eye Values Survey and Values and Committed Action Inventory may be useful for deeper exploration and clarity [4][10].
Taking Action
Once you have identified your core values, examine how your everyday activities and life goals align with them.
Small and consistent adjustments that reflect your values can profoundly influence wellbeing and direction. Values–based action builds strength, steadiness, and authenticity over time.
Living according to your values is not about perfection. It is about intention. It is about choosing gentle, meaningful steps that move you toward the kind of person you want to be.
Related Articles
- What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
- Psychological Flexibility Explained
- Behavioural Activation and Wellbeing
- Managing Strong Emotions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to live according to your values?
Living according to your values means making choices that reflect what matters most to you, even when emotions are difficult or circumstances are uncertain.
How are values different from goals?
Goals are outcomes that can be completed. Values are ongoing life directions that guide behaviour across many situations.
Can values help with anxiety or stress?
Yes. Research shows that values–based action supports psychological flexibility and resilience, which can reduce distress and improve wellbeing.
Do values change over time?
Core values tend to remain stable, but how they are expressed can change depending on life stage and circumstances.
References
- Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change. Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1037/e527452014-001
- Wilson, K. G., & Murrell, A. R. (2004). Values work in acceptance and commitment therapy. In S. C. Hayes et al. (Eds.), Mindfulness and acceptance. Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1037/e576112013-006
- Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. Free Press. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035332
- Lundgren, T., Luoma, J. B., Dahl, J., Strosahl, K., & Melin, L. (2012). The Bulls Eye Values Survey. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 19(4), 518–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2012.01.004
- Paez Blarrina, M., Luciano, C., Gutierrez Martinez, O., Valdivia Salas, S., & Rodriguez Valverde, M. (2008). Coping with pain through values. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2012.09.003
- Vilardaga, R., Hayes, S. C., Atkins, D. C., Bresee, C., et al. (2013). ACT smoking cessation outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81(4), 691–703. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032463
- Bolderston, A., O Brien, M., & Harris, R. (2020). Values–based practice. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 15, 165–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.01.005
- Smout, M. F., Davies, M., Burns, N., & Christie, A. (2014). Values–consistent behaviour. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3(2), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2014.04.003
- Gloster, A. T., Walder, N., Levin, M. E., Twohig, M., & Karekla, M. (2020). Empirical status of ACT. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 18, 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.09.009
- Ciarrochi, J., Bilich, L., & Godsell, C. (2010). Values and committed action inventory. Journal of Clinical Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20701
Enquiries / Appointments
If you would like assistance clarifying your values or strengthening alignment between your values and daily actions, you are welcome to make contact.
