Identifying personal values

First, on a sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle. On the left-hand side, list the
things in life that are most important to you. List people, things, ideals, activities – whatever it
is that is very important to you and to your personal happiness. For example, a list might look
like this:
• Family
• Health
• Integrity
• Friends
• Work
• Church
• Pets
• Reading
• Children
• Painting
• Travel
Now on the right-hand side, list your strengths and skills. Think about things you know how
to do from a work or knowledge perspective, and that you actually enjoy doing. So your list
might look something like this:
• Working with people
• Training others
• Learning new skills
• Supervising others
• Understanding complex ideas
• Solving problems
• Writing
• Public speaking
• Helping people
• Working with my hands
Now, take a moment to compare the two lists for some areas that cross-over. For
example, if you enjoy working with your hands and are good at training others, and you know
that working with children brings you joy, what kind of careers could you follow that would
allow you to do all of those things? If you enjoy helping others and you enjoy pursuing better
health, what kind of a career could you have that would allow you to do both?
There are no right answers here – this is a brainstorming exercise to get you to start
thinking outside of whatever career path you might already find yourself on. It doesn’t mean
that you have to change the current career path that you have been following – but it might
point you to ways that you could enjoy your current career path more. Perhaps you could
focus on developing a new skill set that will allow you to take advantage of the experience
you have but apply it to a new role. Just think creatively – how can you combine your
passions and your skills into a career you would love?

Make a ‘Strengths’ List

Start a journal where you list your significant achievements. You certainly know some areas
where you excel already, and you can get additional areas of strengths from feedback from others like
your boss or your co-workers. You can refer to this list from time to time when you need to remind
yourself of all the things you are good at.