Core Values: 150+ Common Examples of Personal Values

Living your personal core values is life-changing.

But what holds us back is the need for validation. We try to fit into traditional systems and conform to the expectations of others. 

It’s a recipe for disaster. 

When you act against your internal values, you’ll always feel like something is missing, no matter how much “success” you achieve.

And it leads to confusion and frustration.

The simple solution?

Uncover and live your key values.

When you align your decisions and actions with your values, you’ll achieve more success without sacrificing personal fulfillment.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know:

• What are core values exactly?
• Why are core values important for success and fulfillment?
• 14 Core value examples of inspiring change-makers
• List of 153 personal core values
• 4 Steps to discover your values
• Tips to start living your values

What are core values?

Core values are the fundamental principles and standards representing what’s most important to you. They form the foundation that guides your thoughts, decisions, behaviors, and actions.

You can see your personal core values as your inner compass.

It provides a sense of direction and purpose that empowers you to live a more authentic life. And it supports you in navigating life’s toughest decisions and challenges.

Why are values important for success and fulfillment?

Everyone has a set of personal values.

The question is, are you aware of your own?

Lacking awareness makes it challenging to act on your values. And violating your personal values feels inauthentic and frustrating.

It’s like finishing a puzzle but still missing some pieces.

However, when you know and act on personal values, you’ll feel congruent and true to yourself, purposeful, and more fulfilled.

They’re part of your identity.

Personal values also make you unique, which sets you apart in a global and increasingly more competitive marketplace.

Of course, not everyone will share your values. 

But that’s a good thing. 

Because when you stop seeking validation and start living your values, you’ll begin to attract only the people who share similar standards or, at least respect yours.

In summary, core values form the foundation for meaningful success, deeper relationships, personal fulfillment, and well-being.

The benefits of living your key values

Your personal values are an integral part of your identity and differentiate you from others. 

Here’s an overview of the benefits of living your values: 

• They emperor you to create your own path to success;
• Make you stand out in a crowded and global marketplace;
• Increase congruence and consistency in your actions;
• Lead to better, easier, and faster decisions;
• Enable you to tap into your intuition;
• Boost clarity and inner harmony;
• Reduce stress and anxiety.

Embrace your uniqueness and align with your core values to build a strong foundation to live your best possible life.

14 Core value examples of inspiring change-makers

Who do you admire?

And why?

Most of the time, it has to do with their core values. Either they align with your personal values, or you admire those people for their congruency.

First, let’s look at some core value examples of inspiring entrepreneurs.

Personal core value examples of admirable entrepreneurs

Below is a list of admirable entrepreneurs. And even if you disagree with this list, try to understand why others admire them. Here’s the list:

1. Elon Musk embodies the values of hard work, persistence, risk-taking, and dedication. No matter what you think of his decisions, he’s congruent with his personal values.
2. Jeff Bezos values innovation, customer obsession, and long-term thinking. And those values led to his success with Amazon.
3. Gary Vaynerchuk values hard work, empathy, and authenticity. He used those to build several companies and a popular personal brand that inspires millions of (aspiring) entrepreneurs worldwide.
4. Tim Ferriss embodies the values of experimentation, continuous learning, and lifestyle design. His book The 4-Hour Workweek and his podcast are clear products that stem from his values.
5. Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group. And he grew several Virgin brands under this umbrella by embodying the values of risk-taking, radical innovation, and social impact.
6. Brian Chesky is the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, a brand built around his values of community, empathy, and sustainability.
7. Jessica Alba embraces transparency, sustainability, and social responsibility. She built The Honest Company, an eco-friendly and non-toxic consumer goods company.
8. Travis Kalanick is the co-founder of Uber, known for his values around innovation, disruption, and growth. Say no more.
9. Evan Spiegel is the co-founder and CEO of Snapchat, known for his core values around privacy, authenticity, and creativity.

The value examples of those entrepreneurs show how a set of individual values can help you advance your career, build a successful business, or grow your reputation or personal brand.

Personal value examples of historical figures

Of course, there are also core value examples of non-entrepreneurial yet inspiring people. Who do you admire?

10. Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian independence activist and one of history’s most famous nonviolent resistance leaders. His key values were nonviolence, truth, and self-discipline.
11. Mother Teresa devoted her life to serving the poor and sick in India. Her personal values were compassion, service, and humility.
12. Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who became the country’s first black president. His core values were forgiveness, perseverance, and courage.
13. Martin Luther King Jr. played a key role in the civil rights movement. His values were equality, justice, and nonviolence.
14. Albert Einstein was one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. His core values were curiosity, creativity, and humility.

These core value examples demonstrate how they can help you live a more authentic, happier, and successful life.

So, let’s dive into the list of core values to help you discover your own values in life.

List of 153 personal core values

The idea of providing a list of core values is to inspire you to identify your own. The following values encompass different themes and topics.

But although we cover all topics, stay creative. 

The perfect naming convention of your personal values might differ from these examples. There are no strict rules for setting or naming your values – as long as they feel authentic.

That said, here’s the list:

1. Accountability: taking responsibility for your actions.
2. Adaptability: being able to adjust to changing circumstances.
3. Adventure: seeking excitement and new experiences.
4. Assertiveness: confidently expressing your thoughts and opinions.
5. Authenticity: being genuine and true to yourself.
6. Awareness: being aware of your surroundings, thoughts, and feelings.
7. Balance: achieving equilibrium in all aspects of life.
8. Boldness: taking risks and being courageous in pursuing your goals.
9. Caring: demonstrating empathy and compassion towards others.
10. Challenge: embracing and pursuing difficult obstacles or tasks.
11. Charisma: having a magnetic and inspiring presence.
12. Clarity: having a clear mind, understanding, and communication.
13. Cleanliness: maintaining a neat and organized environment.
14. Collaboration: working together towards a common goal.
15. Commitment: dedicating yourself to a cause or goal.
16. Communication: expressing yourself and listening actively.
17. Community: being part of a larger group and contributing to it.
18. Compassion: showing kindness and empathy towards others.
19. Competence: possessing the necessary skills and abilities.
20. Confidence: believing in yourself and your abilities.
21. Connection: forming meaningful relationships with others.
22. Connectivity: being connected to yourself, others, and the world.
23. Consistency: maintaining a steady and reliable pattern of action.
24. Contentment: being satisfied with your current circumstances.
25. Courage: being brave during difficult times.
26. Creativity: using imagination to generate innovative ideas.
27. Curiosity: seeking knowledge and learning through exploration.
28. Decisiveness: making clear and timely decisions.
29. Dedication: putting in consistent effort and hard work.
30. Dependability: being reliable, consistent, and trustworthy.
31. Determination: having a persistent attitude towards achieving goals.
32. Diversity: valuing and celebrating differences in others.
33. Drive: having a strong desire and motivation to achieve your goals.
34. Efficiency: achieving goals in a timely and effective manner.
35. Empathy: understanding the emotions and feelings of others.
36. Empowerment: helping others to achieve their goals.
37. Encouragement: providing support and motivation to others.
38. Enthusiasm: being energetic and having a positive mental attitude.
39. Environmentalism: caring for and protecting the natural world.
40. Equality: promoting and practicing fairness and equality for all.
41. Excellence: striving for the highest possible standard.
42. Exploration: seeking new and exciting experiences.
43. Fairness: treating everyone the same way.
44. Flexibility: being adaptable and open to change.
45. Focus: staying attentive and committed to a task or goal.
46. Forgiveness: letting go of anger and resentment towards others.
47. Freedom: valuing personal liberty and independence.
48. Friendship: forming close and supportive relationships with others.
49. Fun: enjoying life and finding joy in simple pleasures.
50. Generosity: giving and sharing with others without expectations.
51. Gratitude: appreciative and thankful for what you have.
52. Growth: continuously developing and improving yourself.
53. Happiness: finding and cultivating happiness in your life.
54. Harmony: promoting and maintaining peace and balance.
55. Health: valuing physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
56. Heart: having a strong and compassionate spirit.
57. Honesty: being truthful and sincere.
58. Hope: maintaining a positive outlook for the future.
59. Hospitality: welcoming and caring for others.
60. Humility: being humble in your accomplishments and abilities.
61. Humor: finding joy and laughter in everyday life.
62. Imagination: exploring the depths of the mind and creativity.
63. Inclusivity: creating a welcoming and accepting environment for all.
64. Independence: being self-reliant and self-sufficient.
65. Innovation: creating something new and original.
66. Inspiration: inspiring and motivating others to achieve their goals.
67. Integrity: upholding strong moral and ethical principles.
68. Intellectualism: valuing knowledge and intellect.
69. Interdependence: appreciating the interconnectedness of all things.
70. Intuition: trusting and following your inner voice and instincts.
71. Joy: finding happiness and contentment in life.
72. Justice: seeking fairness and equality for all.
73. Kindness: being compassionate and generous towards others.
74. Knowledge: valuing and seeking knowledge and education.
75. Leadership: guiding and inspiring others towards success.
76. Learning: valuing and enjoying the process of learning.
77. Love: feeling deep affection and connection towards others.
78. Loyalty: standing by others through difficult and tempting times.
79. Mindfulness: being present and aware of your surroundings.
80. Modesty: avoiding excessive pride and arrogance.
81. Non-judgment: avoiding judgment towards yourself and others.
82. Nurturing: providing support and care towards others.
83. Openness: being receptive to new ideas and experiences.
84. Optimism: having a positive outlook and attitude.
85. Order: having a sense of organization and structure in your life.
86. Organization: maintaining a structured and orderly environment.
87. Originality: valuing uniqueness and creativity.
88. Passion: having joy and enthusiasm towards your pursuits.
89. Paternalism: taking care of and protecting others.
90. Patience: being able to wait calmly for prolonged periods.
91. Peace: promoting a state of calm and tranquility.
92. Performance: striving to achieve at the highest level.
93. Perseverance: persisting through challenges and difficulties.
94. Persistence: a continuous effort to overcome challenges.
95. Persuasiveness: influencing and convincing others.
96. Philanthropy: donating time, resources, and energy to others.
97. Playfulness: having a light-hearted and joyful approach to life.
98. Positivity: focusing on the upsides of life and situations.
99. Power: having the ability to influence and make a difference.
100. Pragmatism: being practical in your approach to life.
101. Presence: being fully engaged and present at the moment.
102. Proactivity: taking the initiative and acting before issues arise.
103. Productivity: efficiently using your resources to achieve goals.
104. Professionalism: demonstrating competence and respect at work.
105. Punctuality: being on time and reliable.
106. Purpose: having a clear direction and motivation for your actions.
107. Quality: maintaining a high standard of excellence in all endeavors.
108. Rationality: using logic and reasoning to make decisions.
109. Recognition: acknowledging the contributions of others.
110. Reflection: taking time to reflect on your experiences and actions.
111. Reliability: being consistent and dependable.
112. Resilience: bouncing back from adversity and setbacks.
113. Resourcefulness: finding creative solutions to problems.
114. Respect: treating others with dignity and honor.
115. Responsibility: taking ownership of your actions.
116. Risk-taking: taking chances and embracing uncertainty.
117. Security: feeling safe and protected.
118. Self-actualization: achieving your full potential.
119. Self-awareness: understanding your own emotions and motivations.
120. Self-care: taking care of your physical, emotional, and mental health.
121. Self-discipline: having control over your actions and behavior.
122. Self-expression: conveying yourself freely and authentically.
123. Self-improvement: continually improving and developing yourself.
124. Selflessness: putting the needs of others before your own.
125. Self-reliance: being independent and self-sufficient.
126. Self-respect: valuing yourself and setting healthy boundaries.
127. Sensitivity: being aware of your and others’ emotions.
128. Service: helping and contributing to others.
129. Simplicity: enjoying the simple things in life.
130. Spirituality: connecting with a higher power or purpose.
131. Stability: maintaining a steady and predictable environment.
132. Strength: demonstrating physical, emotional, and mental fortitude.
133. Success: achieving your goals and desired outcomes.
134. Support: providing assistance and encouragement to others.
135. Sustainability: promoting environmentally-friendly practices.
136. Synergy: working collaboratively to achieve greater results.
137. Teamwork: working together with others towards a common goal.
138. Tenacity: persisting through obstacles and difficulties.
139. Thankfulness: expressing gratitude and appreciation.
140. Thoughtfulness: considering the needs and viewpoints of others.
141. Time management: effectively managing and using your time.
142. Tolerance: accepting and respecting differences in others.
143. Trust: having faith and confidence in yourself and relationships.
144. Trustworthiness: being honest and reliable.
145. Understanding: empathizing with the perspectives of others.
146. Unity: fostering a sense of togetherness and commonality.
147. Vision: having a clear and inspiring picture of the future.
148. Vitality: having energy and enthusiasm for life.
149. Willpower: having the strength to persevere through difficulties.
150. Wisdom: using knowledge and experience to make good decisions.
151. Wonder: maintaining a sense of awe and wonder towards the world.
152. Worthiness: feeling deserving of love, respect, and success.
153. Zeal: having passion and excitement for your pursuits.

Did you find a couple (or many) that felt relevant to you?

4 Steps to discover your personal values

Let’s make your core values super concrete with a small exercise.

Doing so will increase your conviction about your list of personal values and empower you to take action and make better decisions.

Here you go:

1. Write down all values that resonate with you from the list above. Pick as many as you want. Struggling to pick values? Identify who you admire and try to ask yourself why you admire them.
2. Shortlist your selection to a top 10 and get rid of the rest. Or move to the next step if you identified fewer than ten core values.
3. Shorten your list to a top 3. I’ve found that three values are most effective in day-to-day use. Alternatively, pick 4 or 5. But if you do, challenge yourself to rank them from highest to lowest value.
4. Live your key values by prioritizing them in your decision-making and action-taking processes.

A clear top 3 will work best for most people in day-to-day decisions and actions. It provides more clarity and makes you feel more congruent with your actions and decisions.

You can experiment with five core values.

But having more than five core values will dilute your clarity and reduce its effectiveness in the decision-making process.

However, you can still reflect on your top 10 list of personal values, as they’re great for understanding your thoughts, feelings, behavior, and actions in the bigger picture.

And self-awareness is key to a great life.

Tips to start living your values

Here are some final tips to start living your core values: 

• Commit to your values and be intentional. Make decisions and take action even if they’re not an easy or popular choice.
• Take action on your personal values. Say your core value is taking responsibility. Then take action when bad stuff happens rather than complaining or blaming others.
• Review your actions and decisions daily. Raising awareness is always the first step to making change. Did you act in alignment with your core values today? What could you do differently to live your personal values even more?
• Seek support and surround yourself with people who share your values or support you in living them. Having a community with shared values is an excellent way to improve your well-being, achieve more success (together), and feel fulfilled.

What’s next?

Hopefully, you took action, identified your personal core values, and feel empowered to start living them.

Still trying to figure out your individual values?

That’s okay. 

Start taking action anyway. Doing so will lead to more clarity, enabling you to return to this list of values, repeat the exercise, and feel more certain about your top 3.

That’s a good tip in general, btw. 

Your core values can change over time. Or you might discover that your naming convention no longer feels right. Life happens. Things change.

Again, there’s no right or wrong approach.

But the only rule to remember is that personal core values should always feel authentic and meaningful to you.

Besides your core values, embark on your self-discovery journey and learn more about:

• The best free tests to uncover your personality
• Discover your personal strengths
• Explore your interests and passion
• Find your life’s purpose

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