Define Your Values to Create Your Ideal Life a Physician

Your values are integral to your identity. They are a very personal and multifaceted set of foundational qualities that have the power to provide a guiding light, leading you towards a life that feels in harmony with your true and ideal self. While they are a fundamental aspect of the complex person that you are, external pressures, social circumstances, and even inertia mean that it’s common to live out of sync with your values. But once you give your values a name, the way forward becomes far more clear.

Most of the time we can distill our core values into a set of five or six concepts that give our life meaning and purpose. In this article I’ll guide you through a simple exercise that can help you to get clarity on your own values. From there, you may begin to see patterns of alignment, or perhaps misalignment, in your life.

Through this process of awareness, you’ll find that your decisions become more clear. You’ll begin to feel the confidence to say “yes” to the opportunities that serve your higher purpose. You’ll find a way to energetically reach towards the next foothold, even when it’s challenging. And you’ll feel more certain when you say “no” to those choices that are not the right fit.

First, Define Your Values

The first step is to define your values. This might seem a little contrived, because you may feel as if you know yourself well enough to understand what matters to you. But putting a name to your values, and seeing them written out in black and white, can be surprisingly enlightening. For the purposes of this exercise, a value is a single word that encompasses an idea or belief in a certain way of being in the world. I’ve created a list of values for you to get started with. You can find them here.

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 there is a big disconnect between your values and your life, it might be time to reconsider your path. It is often challenging to get a handle on these ideas and put them into practice. If so, a physician coach can be a great ally. Through coaching, you will generate greater self-awareness and discover options and opportunities that more completely align with your unique set of values.

If you’re not ready for coaching, but want some clarity, consider downloading my free Values Workbook. It’s free when you sign up for my newsletter.

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in January , 2023.

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