Why Values Matter

By defining and living your values, you’re not just creating a life of intention — you’re laying the groundwork for a life that aligns with your highest potential and deepest purpose. You are like a train, firmly on track, moving inexorably toward your destination. That’s why values matter!

Title Photo by SenuScape

Don’t Get Derailed

Imagine a powerful train barreling across the countryside. Its engine roars with potential, capable of pulling massive loads and traveling great distances. Now picture that same train without any tracks. Without the steel rails to guide it, the train is directionless. It might lurch forward, crash, or grind to a halt in the middle of nowhere. The power is there, but without tracks, it can’t go anywhere meaningful.

Values are like those tracks. They provide the guidance, clarity, and purpose we need to move through life with intention. When your life aligns with your values, you’re like a train gliding effortlessly toward its destination. But without values — or when you veer off your personal “tracks” — you can feel stuck, aimless, or even out of control, expending energy without real progress. That’s why values matter.

Many people experience this misalignment without even realizing it. They wonder why they feel unsettled, frustrated, or drained, never stopping to consider whether they’re living in harmony with their core values. But just as a train depends on its tracks, we rely on our values to give us direction and stability. Without them, life becomes a struggle of wasted potential and lost momentum.

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Use Your Values as Your Guide

Think of your core values as your internal compass. Just as a compass points north regardless of where you stand, your values provide a clear direction for your life, helping you make decisions, prioritize actions, and choose your path. When you’re in touch with your values, life becomes more intentional and meaningful.

When you have to make a difficult decision, reflecting on your values often clarifies what action aligns with who you are and what you stand for. And living according to your values gives you a sense of authenticity and integrity. You are true to yourself, so others can trust and respect you because your actions are consistent with your beliefs.

Values are the “why” behind what you do. They create clarity. Without values guiding your way, you may drift aimlessly, feeling overwhelmed or stuck.

Living in Alignment with Your Values

When your decisions and actions align with your values, life feels in harmony, fulfilling, and rewarding. This alignment:

  1. Builds Inner Peace: You feel confident and at ease, knowing you’re making choices that reflect who you are at your core.
  2. Boosts Motivation: Living in alignment with your values makes even challenging tasks feel meaningful. For instance, if you value service, dedicating time to help others energizes rather than drains you.
  3. Fosters Resilience: When you’re anchored in your values, you’re less likely to be swayed by external pressures or distractions. This gives you the strength to persevere when the going gets tough.

This is a major reason why values matter.

The Disconnect: Living Out of Alignment

When your actions don’t align with your values, you may experience an inner sense of discord, frustration, or even guilt. This disconnect can manifest in subtle yet powerful ways.

Stress and Burnout: Imagine someone who deeply values family but consistently sacrifices family time for work. Even if she’s achieving success in her career, she may feel empty or exhausted because her life isn’t aligned with her true priorities.

Lack of Fulfillment: A disconnect between your actions and values often leaves you feeling unfulfilled. For example, someone who values creativity but spends all his time in rigid, uncreative tasks might feel stuck or unhappy.

Inner Conflict: This is the nagging feeling that something is “off,” even if everything seems fine on the surface. Your values act as a kind of subconscious alert system, reminding you that you’re not living authentically.

This misalignment doesn’t just affect you internally; it can impact relationships and lead to poor decisions. For instance, if you value integrity but feel forced to compromise your morals in a work situation, it can lead to resentment, diminished self-respect, and strained relationships with others.

How to Practice Your Excelerated Values™

Here is a 3-step process to begin practicing your Excelerated Values™.

Step 1: Identify your core values. (For example, reflect on times you felt most fulfilled or proud).
Step 2: Define what these values mean to you in concrete terms.
Step 3: Develop habits and routines that reflect these values.

If you want to take a deeper dive into what it means to live from your Valid Values, try the workbook for Excelerator JumpStart – Values. The Excelerator JumpStart provides quick actions you can take right now to JumpStart your Excelerated Life™ and to begin defining and living your Valid Values.

Plus, if you’ve never completed the Valid Values Excelerator (or it has been a while since you’ve done it), it is included in the appendix of the Valid Values JumpStart workbook. You can download your free copy here.

why values matter

Photo by Brett Jordan

How to Realign with Your Values

If you feel out of sync with your values, you are not alone. The good news is you can recalibrate. Here’s how:

  1. Identify Your Core (Valid) Values: Reflect on what truly matters to you. What principles would you never compromise? What drives your decisions and gives your life meaning? What would you “cross the I-beam” for?
  2. Assess Your Current Life: Look at the different areas of your life — relationships, career, health, possessions, hobbies. How well do they align with your values? Where is there misalignment?
  3. Make Conscious Adjustments: Once you’ve identified the gaps, take small, deliberate actions to bring your life back in alignment. For example:
  • If you value health but haven’t been prioritizing it, commit to daily movement or meal prepping.
  • If you value connection but have been neglecting relationships, schedule time to reconnect with loved ones.

Living in alignment with your values doesn’t mean you’re doing things perfectly. It’s making progress in the right direction that counts. As you take steps to realign your actions and your values, you’ll notice a shift in your sense of clarity and purpose.

Values in the Excelerated Life™

Within the Excelerated Life™ model, honoring your values is more than simply identifying what you care about; it requires actively living by those values. When you do this, you create a solid foundation for every other aspect of your life. Your values guide your decisions, energize your actions, and serve as a constant reminder of what matters most.

Here is the power of Excelerated Values™:

  • A person who values courage might step outside their comfort zone to take on a new challenge.
  • Someone who values freedom may work toward financial independence or make lifestyle changes to feel more autonomous.
  • The person who values learning might dedicate time to ongoing education or new experiences, even when it’s not easy.

If you’re ready to live more fully in alignment with your Valid Values, ask and answer these questions.

  • What are your top 3 core values?
  • Are your daily actions aligned with these values? If not, what could you change?

Why Values Matter

Many years ago, when I was much younger and my children were small, I said that my family was the most important thing to me, that I valued my relationship with them more than anything else. And I believed this was true. However, my actions showed something different. I spent much more time at work than at home. I frequently went in early and worked late, and I often brought work home with me and usually worked on the weekends. I said I valued time with my family, but my actions demonstrated a different value — work and career advancement. It was only when I became aware that my actions were not in alignment with my core values that I began to make changes.

Once I had this realization, I saw that I had two choices. I could change my actions to match my values. Or I could have realized that my “real” values were not what I thought they were and continued to live consciously by the values I had chosen. You have that choice as well. If you realize that your actions and your values don’t mesh, either change your actions to match your values or acknowledge your true values and consciously live by them.

By defining and living your valid values, you’re not just creating a life of intention — you’re laying the groundwork for a life that aligns with your highest potential and deepest purpose. You are like a train, firmly on track, moving inexorably toward your destination. In fact, you are on the path to embracing your Excelerated Life™!

Pick one core value and list five ways you can begin honoring that value.
Select one of the activities and do it now – or as soon as you possibly can.
Notice how you feel.
Share your experience by leaving a comment below.


Excelerated Values™ – defining and living your Valid Values – is one practice for creating your Excelerated Life™, a life of flourishing and well-being, and a life of meaning, purpose, and service.

Read more about the Excelerated Life.


This blog post includes research information and suggestions provided by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI. The content was generated with AI assistance and is intended to provide information and guidance. Please note that the suggestions are not official statements from OpenAI. To learn more about ChatGPT and its capabilities, you can visit the OpenAI website.

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