Discover your core values
The standards you hold yourself to, affect how you perform when you’re working towards a goal.
What are your core values?
If you have been following our content, you will have learned about the growth mindset and the ownership mindset and how they can benefit your results (and life). Once you have a good understanding of your mindset, the next step is to understand your core values.
The importance of core values
If you haven’t taken the time to decide how you want to show up, or figured out exactly what and who are important to you, you will always fall victim to your circumstances. Strength gain, muscle gain, body composition changes, fat loss… none of this will work optimally unless you are crystal clear on your values.
You can’t always control what happens to you. But when you understand and live your values - you develop clarity in how you show up, become intentional in what thoughts you give power to, and have choice in the behaviours you engage in. Living by your values is a vital step to living your best life both physically and mentally.
This provides you with the solid foundation necessary to take the step from wishing and hoping into doing and achieving, enabling purposeful and meaningful outcomes and results as you track towards your goals.
What exactly are core values?
Values are principles or standards of behaviour; one's judgement of what is important in life.
When you facilitate an expression of these values, you get a feeling of ease and purpose we call ‘alignment’.
The primary focus is to ecnourage you to show up wint intent and improving the results that stem from your training. However, we try to ensure your values in this area of life (training/nutrition) reflect those in the rest of your life as well.
Without this continuity, you’ll feel a lot of resistance in taking forward steps because of contrasting values. If you don’t value certain aspects that are essential for your training, then those goals will be hard to achieve.
It is important to remain aware and clear across the board so you are empowered by which values you choose to take precedence.
Examples of some core values:
Fitness: To maintain or improve my fitness, to look after my physical and mental health and wellbeing
Challenge: To continually challenge myself to grow, learn and improve
Persistence: To continue resolutely despite, problems, obstacles or setbacks
Flexibility: To adjust and adapt readily to changing circumstances
Self-awareness: To be aware of and the impact of my own thoughts, feelings and actions
Courage: To try something new, even if I feel afraid
Your principal core values can remain the same for a lifetime or change in just a week so it is worth revisiting them regularly. You may find what was important to you a few years ago no longer seems to matter quite so much.
All sounds cool, but nothing happens with tangible action.
Get started byknowing your core values
Step 1 - check out this list from James Clear - https://jamesclear.com/core-values
Step 2 - choose the 10 values that resonate most with you
Step 3 - select 5 of those values you are currently living in alginment with
Step 4 - consider how you could better express the remaining 5 values
In part two of our values article we will cover exactly how to levergae your values to make better choices in the moment
How often should you revisit your core values?
For most people, we’d highly recommend every 3 to 6 months.
Another good rule of thumb is every time you go through a major life event (moving, changing jobs, relationships, children etc). This will help you to keep on top of what you value and to shift aspects of your life and training to facilitate.
Once you’re clear on what your personal values are, you can start applying them to all areas of your life, including your decision-making.
For more on mindset, listen to Ep 19 of the STCfit Podcast - out on all your favourite platforms.
