Focus on Physicians:
Insights, Ideas, and Strategies
Define Your Values to Create Your Ideal Life a Physician
Your values are integral to your identity. They’re the deeply personal forces that shape your decisions, your relationships, and the way you move through the world. And although they are fundamental to who you are, it’s surprisingly easy to drift out of alignment with them. In this article, I’ll guide you through a simple exercise that will help you clarify your personal values.
An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in January , 2023.
Your values are integral to your identity. They’re the deeply personal forces that shape your decisions, your relationships, and the way you move through the world. And although they are fundamental to who you are, it’s surprisingly easy to drift out of alignment with them. Responsibilities, expectations, and the sheer momentum of daily pressures can pull you off course.
When you take time to clarify and name your values, you may find that they readily crystallize into five or six core ideas. These become the anchors that bring your life meaning, purpose, and steadiness.
In this article, I’ll guide you through a simple exercise that will help you clarify your personal values. As your bring your values into the light, your awareness will sharpen and your decisions will start to feel more intuitive and connected. You’ll recognize which of your many opportunities are worth a wholehearted “yes,” which ones deserve a thoughtful “no,” and how to move toward your next step, even when the path seems rocky and untraveled.
First, Define Your Values
The first step towards living your values is to define them. This can feel a little unnecessary at first, since you likely know intuitively what matters to you. But putting a name to your values and seeing them written out in black and white can be surprisingly illuminating.
For this exercise, think of a value as a single word that captures an idea, a belief, or a way of being in the world. I’ve created a list of values for you to get started with. You can find them here. Or you can get a guided Values Workbook for free when you sign up for my newsletter.
Go through the list and circle the values that speak most strongly to you. Don’t overthink it. Your values may change over time, and that’s completely normal. There are no right or wrong, or good or bad, answers.
Once you have circled your top values, write them out. Take a good look at what you have written and see if you can narrow them down into five groups. From there, discover what themes emerge. These are your core values.
Next, Put Your Values into Action
Now, thinking about your core values, consider how you might choose to elevate these values in your daily life. Don’t try to make sweeping changes. Instead, think of small actions or choices that might more completely align your values with your life.
If you notice a wide gap between your values and the way you’re currently living, it may be a sign to pause and reassess your path.
Translating values into daily practice isn’t always straightforward. If it feels cumbersome or misaligned, you don’t have to navigate this process alone. A physician coach can be a valuable partner, helping you build deeper self-awareness and explore options that will help you to honor your unique values and aspirations.
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