Are your values aligned to your actions?
When your values align to your daily actions it leads to living a purposeful, authentic, and fulfilling life. It enhances your relationships, decision-making, and personal growth, ultimately leading to a greater sense of happiness and contentment. When your values do not align with your actions, it can lead to various consequences and feelings of inner conflict. It can result in emotional turmoil, strained relationships, and a reduced sense of well-being. Recognizing the inconsistency and taking steps to realign your actions with your values can help mitigate these negative effects and lead to a more authentic and fulfilling life.
- What are your core values? (What is important to you?)
- With one value at a time, review this chart to evaluate if your value is aligned or misaligned with your actions.
- On a scale of 1 (Misaligned) to 10 (Aligned) identify areas where you need to improve the balance between your identified values and your actions.
- Complete the 5-minute cup filler exercise for any values you have a low score for on which you want better alignment.
Misaligned |
My Score |
Aligned |
| Inner Dissonance: There’s a mismatch between what you believe is important (your values) and what you actually do. This dissonance can create emotional discomfort and unease. | Inner Peace and Fulfillment: Living in accordance with your values brings a sense of inner peace and fulfillment. You experience less inner conflict and guilt because your choices align with what you believe to be right and meaningful. | |
| Stress and Anxiety: Living in contradiction to your values can cause stress and anxiety. You may worry about the moral or ethical implications of your actions. | Satisfaction and Happiness: Living a life that reflects your values is closely linked to overall life satisfaction and happiness. When you prioritize what truly matters to you, you are more likely to lead a fulfilling life. | |
| Guilt and Regret: You may experience feelings of guilt and regret when your actions go against your values. This can negatively affect your self-esteem and well-being. | Positive Impact: Aligning your actions with your values allows you to make a positive impact on the world. You can contribute to causes and initiatives that matter to you, thereby making a difference in the lives of others. | |
| Inauthenticity: You may feel like you’re not being true to yourself, which can lead to a sense of inauthenticity. Living a life incongruent with your values may feel like wearing a mask. | Authenticity: When your actions reflect your core values, you are living authentically. This alignment allows you to be true to yourself and not compromise your principles, which fosters a sense of self-integrity. | |
| Relationship Strain: Inconsistent values and actions can strain relationships with others, particularly if your actions are hurtful or offensive to them. | Enhanced Relationships: Others can rely on you when your actions are consistent with your stated values. This reliability can enhance your reputation and trustworthiness in both personal and professional spheres. | |
| Confusion: You might experience confusion about your identity and purpose. This can lead to a sense of being lost or lacking a clear sense of direction. | Clarity and Direction: Your values serve as a compass, providing direction and purpose in your life. When you align your actions with your values, you have a clear sense of what you want to achieve and how to get there. | |
| Reduced Life Satisfaction: When your values and actions are misaligned, it can negatively impact your overall life satisfaction and happiness. | Satisfaction and Happiness: Living a life that reflects your values is closely linked to overall life satisfaction and happiness. When you prioritize what truly matters to you, you are more likely to lead a fulfilling life. | |
| Missed Opportunities: Failing to act in accordance with your values may cause you to miss out on opportunities and experiences that would be more in line with what you truly want. | Personal Growth: Living in harmony with your values often leads to personal growth. It encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and take on challenges that align with your principles, fostering growth and development. | |
| Career Dissatisfaction: If your values clash with your job or career, you may experience dissatisfaction, burnout, and reduced motivation. | Career Satisfaction: When your job or career aligns with your values, you are more likely to experience career satisfaction, increased motivation, and a sense of fulfillment. | |
| Impact on Well-Being: A long-term misalignment between values and actions can impact your physical and mental health, potentially leading to issues like depression, anxiety, or other stress-related conditions. | Increased Resilience: People who live in accordance with their values tend to be more resilient in the face of adversity. Your values act as a source of motivation and determination during challenging times. |
5-Minute Cup Filler
BECOME AWARE: Name an area where your values are misaligned to your actions. How does this impact you? How would it impact you if they were aligned?
BE GRATEFUL: Rephrase your original observation into the choice you can be grateful for. What is the “better version of you” you choose instead?
I am grateful for __(insert what you became aware of)___ because it gives me a chance to __(insert what you will do differently)___ .
TAKE ACTION: What is one action (as you become aware again) you can make to improve the outcome? Name an additional action you choose to take throughout the day to reinforce.
IDENTIFY EXTERNAL DEPENENCIES: After you have reflected on your ability to drive alignment. Identify if there are any external dependencies (people or circumstances) that you just can’t change and no matter what choices you make and actions you take you still have misalignment.
As an example, you can create a prioritized chart that has your value, where the misalignment is and what you can do to correct.
| Value (alignment score) | Alignment Area (What have you become aware of?) | Actions (What actions can you take to resolve?) |
| Live with Purpose Score – 3 |
Inner Dissonance: There’s a mismatch between what I believe is important (my purpose) and what I do. This is causing emotional discomfort and unease. | Re-evaluate time requests to focus on activities aligned with my purpose instead of just having fun / going with the flow.
External Dependency: I will need to manage expectations to those I have to say no to. |
| Live with Purpose Score – 5 |
Reduced Life Satisfaction: I am not satisfied with neglecting my purpose and it is negatively impacting my overall life satisfaction and happiness. | Create a list of activities that align to my purpose and how I might apply that to all aspects of my life and schedule time to include them. |
