Values: A journey of Self-Discovery

Dernière mise à jour de l'article le 8 May 2024

In this blog article, I invite you to take a journey of self-discovery into the world of values !

Values ​​are the foundations of our identity, the pillars on which we build our professional and personal lives. They guide our choices, influence our actions, and define what is authentic for us.

I am personally convinced that understanding and aligning with our own values ​​is essential for personal and professional development.

In today’s ever-changing and often demanding world, it’s easy to lose sight of our values . However, taking the time to explore and highlight them can be an enriching and enlightening process to strengthen our personal and professional alignment. This can not only strengthen our self-confidence, but also guide our career choices and improve our relationships (personal or professional).

I therefore suggest that we explore together the importance of values, how to identify them, and how to integrate them into your personal & professional development.

Because, after all, understanding our values ​​is about steering our lives in a direction that truly resonates with who we are 🍃.

Values… what are they?

I’m talking to you about your values ​​but… do you really know what values ​​represent ?

Perhaps some people (from my generation…) will remember this advertisement for Rillettes Bordeau-Chesnel which told us “we don’t have the same values!” 😉.

In short, before diving into this fascinating subject of values, perhaps we should agree on what we mean by personal values…

For this, I will start from the study carried out by psychologist Shalom Schwartz – the theory of basic values .

A value is a personal belief that we consider important to us. It is an essential benchmark that we use to make our decisions and guide our actions. In other words, our values ​​build our identity.

6 characteristics will define a value:

• Values ​​are beliefs associated inseparably with affects.
• Values ​​relate to desirable goals that motivate action.
• Values ​​transcend specific actions and situations.
• The values ​​serve as a standard or criteria.
• The values ​​are listed in order of importance relative to each other.
• The relative importance of multiple values ​​guides action.

In his study, Shalom Schwartz identified  10 categories of basic human values:

1. Autonomy  (or self-determination): This is the independence of thought and action, the ability to choose, create and explore.
2. Stimulation  : This value concerns enthusiasm, variety and new challenges in life.
3. Hedonism  : This refers to personal sensual pleasure or gratification.
4. Success  (or accomplishment): This value is linked to personal success obtained through the manifestation of socially recognized skills.
5. Power  : It concerns prestigious social status, control of resources and domination of people.
6. Security  : This value is linked to the safety, harmony and stability of society, relationships between groups and individuals, as well as the security of oneself.
7. Compliance  : This is the moderation of actions, tastes, preferences and impulses that may destabilize or hurt others, or transgress social expectations or norms.
8. Tradition  : This value concerns respect, commitment and acceptance of customs and ideas supported by the culture or religion to which one is attached.
9. Kindness  : It is linked to the preservation and improvement of the well-being of people with whom we frequently come into contact.
10. Universalism  : This value concerns understanding, esteem, tolerance and protection of the well-being of all and of nature.

This is a good basis to start working on your values. However, personally, I think that what is most important in defining our values  ​​are the words we use  to describe these values ​​that drive us and that speak to us. And beyond the word used, it is before the definition that we put behind each word.

For example, the value of  Freedom  can be completely different from one person to another…

As Jean-Paul Sartre said so well:

Values ​​are the meaning we choose to give to our life.JEAN PAUL SARTRE

It’s so true !

Our values ​​are much more than just abstract concepts , they are the driving force that pushes us to act and engage fully in life.

By identifying our values, we become aware of what really motivates us. They allow us to know ourselves better and understand why certain situations irritate us or make us uncomfortable.

Knowing our own values ​​is particularly useful in the professional world, for example. This understanding allows us to better understand situations where we feel unmotivated or dissatisfied. By taking a step back, we can refocus on ourselves and make decisions more aligned with our personal values.

I encourage you to take the time to identify your values ​​and understand why they are so important to you. This introspection will allow you to know yourself better and make decisions more aligned with your true essence.

And this is what I will suggest you see in the second part of this article.

How do values ​​influence our daily lives?

I think I could write a book on the subject 😁.
So, what I suggest to you is to take an example and then if you are interested in exploring other examples, I invite you to explore the other articles on this site, I have written lots of them on values ​​😉 .

I will explain to you the notion of internal conflicts of values .

An internal conflict of values ​​occurs when you feel a disagreement within yourself, or when you have difficulty making a decision. This manifests itself when you have to choose between two divergent paths, dictated by two values ​​important to you. Sometimes this conflict can also emerge within the same value, but result in different behaviors.

I will explain to you using the 10 basic values, identified by Shalow Schwartz, the origin of this type of conflict of values.

As you can see from this diagram, our personal values ​​are actually linked and can be represented in a circular form.

How are these values ​​classified? They are structured according to two main dimensions:

• The first dimension corresponds to the opposition between openness to change  (independence of action, thought and sensations; search for new experiences)  and continuity / preservation  (self-restriction, order and resistance to change) .
• The second dimension opposes self-transcendence/self-transcendence  (well-being and interest of others and nature)  to self-affirmation  (self-interest, even if this may have negative repercussions on others) .

This structure comes from the fact that when we act according to a value, whatever it may be, it has consequences: either these values ​​come into conflict with certain values, or they are compatible with other values.

The values, which are side by side in the circle, share common motivations. We will tend to say that they are compatible.

Conversely, values, which are far apart in the circle, can come into conflict. In this case, we will say that they are antagonistic.

For example, if you have a personal value that is in the “Stimulation” category, this means that you tend to seek novelty and change. If you also have a personal value in the “Tradition” category, it means that you place great importance on preserving customs.

By looking at the circle, you will notice that these 2 categories “Stimulation” and “Tradition” are in opposition.

Know that we can have antagonistic values, that’s not a problem. Generally, we try to fill, satisfy these values ​​with different actions and contexts.

But sometimes this is not the case… and this is where the conflict of values ​​comes into play. Hence the importance of knowing ourselves well and in particular our values ​​😉.

OK.

Okay, now that we understand a little better why our values ​​are important, how can we identify them?

Values: How to identify them?

Ah! This is THE question.

Contrary to what one might think, it is both simple and… complicated.

The ‘simple’ version.

Here are 3 methods you can use to identify your values:

Method 1 – called the ‘Traditional’ method: The List of Values

From a list of several values, select the 5 values ​​that seem most important to you. Next, you must describe what these 5 values ​​represent for you. Ultra important, because beyond the selected word, it is above all what this value concretely represents for you that is important.

Method 2 – called the ‘Experimental’ method: Observe your environment

It is called experimental because I don’t think a study has been carried out on this method 😁.

Over 1 month, identify the activities on which you spend the most time. Analyze your most common expenses, Observe the objects that are important to you in your environment.

Your values ​​are hidden there.

We tend to spend our time and money on what matters most to us.

Method 3 – called the ‘Digital’ method: The Online Test

To get a first idea of ​​your ranking of the 10 basic value categories, you can go to this site architectedetavie.com/valeurstest and take the online test.

The ‘more complicated’ version.

As you can see, there are several ways to identify your personal values.

However, several external factors can influence our thoughts in identifying our values ​​and therefore make their identification more difficult than it seems.

Our personal values ​​will arise from our past experiences, the education received from people such as our mentors, our environment and the society in which we evolved. All of these elements influence our value system .

And it can happen that a value that you consider important is in reality an important value for someone around you who has passed it on to you (for example through your family).

When we were growing up, we were often told what to do or what not to do. As we learn, we have inherited some of these values, whether consciously or unconsciously.

And another point: we have the desire to become the best version of ourselves.

Sometimes, unconsciously, we idealize our current state, wishing that the person we aspire to become would manifest right now. Could this aspiration not influence the values ​​that you think are yours today?

You may idealize values ​​that you consider important to you today, although this is not the case (yet).

All this to say that once you have identified the 5 most important values ​​for you, it is important to challenge it to ensure that these are indeed your values…

As you can read, personal values ​​are a vast world to explore and which can have surprises in store for us!