DISCOVER YOUR INNER COMPASS Workbook IDENTIFYING & LIVING YOUR CORE VALUES PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM Hi there gorgeous! Congratulations on taking the time to discover your Inner Compass by identifying your core values and learning how you can use them to live an intentional life that brings you satisfaction and happiness. This work is really important because knowing your Inner Compass and core values gives you incredibly valuable insights that allow you to know more about who you truly are and give you guidance on how you can act in alignment with your values. Personally, doing this work allowed me to act with intention and purpose and this played a big role in me getting out of severe depression and self-hatred. Nowadays, I'm happier than ever and I'm proud of who I am. So, who am I to be talking about this stuff? I'm Sarah, an empowerment coach and self-love blogger who helps you to reclaim your power by reconnecting with who you truly are and living life on your own terms. I have battled severe depression and anxiety and "won" - I'm now happier and more fulfilled because I'm living my life with love and intention and I'm now passionate about helping others to do the same. Proud Happy Brave was started as a way to share the lessons I have learnt along the way that have helped me to be proud of who I am, create more happiness in my life, and be brave enough to go after my scariest, most audacious goals! ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | P R O U D H A P P Y B R A V E . C O M | P A G E 2 What are core values? Core values are qualities or aspects of life that we see as being crucial priorities or beliefs about how we want to act and behave. They can anchor you into who you are and be your guideposts for how you act. How to work out your core values 1 Use the prompts in this workbook to think about what's important to you and why 2 Reflect on your answers and use these to choose relevant core values - listen to your gut and intuition here 3 Group and refine your list of core values into something really meaningful to you What core values should I have? Your core values should be unique to you, so there aren't any "must-have" core values you need. Let yourself feel what core values are meaningful to you rather than trying to reason it out too much. For me, I know I've hit on a core value when the thought of acting in alignment with that value makes my soul "sing". For example, when I'm kind to others, it gives me a sense of rightness at my core. ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 3 Examples of Core Values If needed, use the following examples of core values as inspiration for your own - but don't be limited by these, feel free to create your own! fairness faith family financial security forgiveness freedom friends fulfilment fun gratitude growth happiness hard work harmony health history hope honesty humility humour independence individuality inclusion influence innovation insight integrity intelligence joy kindness knowledge lifestyle leadership love loyalty making a difference marriage open-minded optimism acceptance achievement adventure altruism ambition authenticity authority balance beauty being the best belonging bravery calm caring challenge charity comfort communication commitment compassion confidence cooperation control creativity dependability dignity discipline duty education efficiency empowerment encouragement energy engagement enthusiasm environmental equality ethical expertise ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM order originality organised passion patience patriotism peace positivity power practicality progress quiet realistic reliability religion resilience respect security self-expression self-reliance simplicity spirituality spontaneity stability strength success support sustainability teamwork tradition travel trust truth uniqueness unity vision warmth wealth wisdom | PAGE 4 Questions to ask yourself Q1. What areas of my life do I value most? Q2. What qualities do I value in myself and others? Q3. What makes me feel fulfilled and satisfied in life? ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 5 Questions to ask yourself Q4. What decisions have I made that I am most proud of? Q5. What news stories make me really happy? Which ones make me really angry or sad? Why is this? Here are some links to platforms that share good news stories: The Happy Newspaper Good News Movement Good News Dog ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 6 Questions to ask yourself Q6. How do I want to feel in my day-to-day life? (It might help to think about different aspects of your life, eg. how do you want to feel in your body, your relationships, your career, at home etc...) Use these prompts to help uncover desirable feelings you want to embody. ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 7 Group & Refine Reflect on your answers and find common threads. What elements of your answers felt really important to you? Are there values that overlap or can be grouped together? Note your groupings below. Try to come up with no more than 5 groups. ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 8 Choose your Core Values Now that you have your groupings, choose an "umbrella" value or term for each group that feels like it represents what that group means to you. Eg. The value "wellbeing" could encompass physical health, mental health, being resilient, good relationships, fun, creativity, mindfulness, positivity, wealth etc... Note: Don't worry about getting this 100% right! Your core values are fluid and can be changed as needed so don't get caught in overthinking here. Pick something that feels aligned and empowering then run with it! ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 9 Living your Core Values The next step is to think about what living your core values looks like for you. To help you do this, think about behaviours and actions that are in alignment with that value (aka supportive behaviours) as well as those that don't align (unsupportive behaviours). Doing this exercise gives you a framework for living your life intentionally using your core values. Thinking about this now means that when you are right in the middle of a situation where you need to make a choice about how to act, you have this framework to guide you in making an aligned, values-based decision. This might not always save you from acting out of alignment, (for example, if you're dead tired after a long day's work and you can't be bothered working out even if good health is one of your top core values!) but it does help most of the time. Here's an example of how to do this exercise, straight from my own journal... Core Value: Kindness - for me, this is about always treating others with respect, no matter who they are. Supportive behaviours: 1. Being open-minded and non-judgmental 2. Being mindful of how my words and actions impact others 3. Using kind words and thoughtful actions with others 4. Speaking up when someone is being cruel/mean to others 5. Disengaging with people who aren't being kind to me or others Unsupportive behaviours: 1. Being inconsiderate of others 2. Mindlessly imposing my desires or judgments onto others 3. Speaking rudely to others 4. Giving unhelpful feedback just because I want to rant ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 10 1. My Core Value: What does this value mean to me? Supportive behaviours include: Unsupportive behaviours include: ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 11 2. My Core Value: What does this value mean to me? Supportive behaviours include: Unsupportive behaviours include: ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 12 3. My Core Value: What does this value mean to me? Supportive behaviours include: Unsupportive behaviours include: ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 13 4. My Core Value: What does this value mean to me? Supportive behaviours include: Unsupportive behaviours include: ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 14 5. My Core Value: What does this value mean to me? Supportive behaviours include: Unsupportive behaviours include: ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 15 My Top Core Values 1 2 3 4 5 Keep your core values top of mind... Here are some ideas of how to keep your core values top of mind so that you remember what they are and how to act in alignment with them! 1 Use the template on page 16 to list out your top values & stick it somewhere you see regularly 2 Tag your answers in your journal and then look over your values during your morning routine 3 Set up reminders on your phone to prompt you to think about your values throughout the day What's next? Well done on working out your core values and creating a framework for living in alignment with them! I really hope you find this process as impactful as I have and that you feel incredibly proud of yourself as you start to live your life with more intention and purpose! I'd love to know how you get on - send me an email at hello@proudhappybrave.com or message via my social media channels by clicking the icons below. Much love, Sarah xo ©️ S A R A H M C L E A N | PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM | PAGE 17 C o p y r i g h t ©️ 2 0 2 3 Sarah McLean of Proud Happy Brave All rights reserved. This workbook and related trainings or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a review. We acknowledge and deeply respect the traditional custodians of the land we operate our business on, the Gundungurra people. We are grateful for the privilege of living and working on your land every day. We acknowledge and pay our respects to elders, those who have come before us, are with us today, and those who lead into the future. Proud Happy Brave PO Box 225 Marulan NSW 2579 AUSTRALIA PROUDHAPPYBRAVE.COM