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Discovering your Core Values is a key to finding your mission in life.

All life - from the lowest single-celled creature to the highest order mammals - seeks value. The lowest lifeforms seek lower level values, mainly survival and food. As we go up the food-chain, we start seeing higher order values, such as shelter and community.

When it comes to humans, we see the whole gamut of values in play. Turn on your TV in the evening and on the evening news programs you will see nothing but the lowest values on exhibit. You will see unbelievable crimes and misdeeds motivated by values like food, sex and greed.

On the other hand we also have an angelic side to us which invites us to live our highest level values. All the great things that humanity has achieved have come from our highest values.

Core Values

Each of us values a lot of different things and experiences, but there are a handful of values that really speak to our highest selves. These are the so-called Core Values, such as achievement and freedom, that we want to embody to get that feeling of fulfillment.

What do they have to do with financial freedom? In my mind, financial freedom is a tool. It's a great and very liberating tool, but a tool nevertheless.

Unless you have a compelling story behind WHY you want to be financially independent, you will have a hard time achieving that goal. And even if you did get there, you will have a hard time staying financially free.

Discovering your Core Values and constructing your Mission Statement enable you to create that sense of meaning in your life, which gives a purpose to that financial freedom.

Look Inside

How do you discover what you value most? Here is one process that is often used.

Start with a list of what you want in your life. If you are like the typical human, your list will include money, shelter, companionship, family, good food, nice clothes, etc.
Next, for each of these items, you ask yourself, "What does this item mean to me?" Look beyond the item to its deeper meaning. For example money could mean power. It could mean freedom. It could mean safety.
As you start working down the list, you will get inside your own mind! You will begin to understand what values drive your desires. Make a list of these values. Certain values will also start recurring. Pay special attention to them. They will be at or near the top of your list.
Once you have that list, you can work on ordering it. Compare the first two items and ask yourself, "Which one of these is more important to me?" Then compare items 2 and 3, and go down the list. When you reach the bottom of the list, do a couple more passes until you feel that you have reached a satisfactory ordering of your values.

At this point the top of your list will be the values that are most important to you. The top 3 or 5 are usually considered to be your Core Values. These values determine what success means to you. After all, personal success is all about living in alignment with your Core Values.

Once you have this short list of values that speak to your highest self, you are ready to create that Mission Statement.

Return from Core Values to Know Thyself!

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