What are values?

Most people want to live lives that are fulfilling and purposeful. People want their lives to have meaning. Values are words or qualities which describe the type of life you want to live. Other ways to describe values include your desired personal qualities, the things you wish to stand for, or the ways you wish to act in life (Harris, 2019). Values have a simple purpose: They are used to provide guidance and inspiration for how you wish to live your life. One useful metaphor compares values to a compass. Just like a compass points north and guides travelers on their journey, values can point you towards the things that matter most in your life.

Characteristics of Values

One useful definition of values suggests that they are “desired global qualities of ongoing action” (Hayes et al., 2006, p. 16). Russ Harris breaks this down further into three components, (Harris, 2019): 

Ongoing action. Values describe the ways you wish to behave on an ongoing basis. Note the key word action in this definition. Values are tied to your behavior, which we discuss more later in this module. If values don’t influence your behavior, their ability to make your life better is limited. The other key word in this component is ongoing. If you wish to be kind, trustworthy, and fun, you could say that these are your values. You’d also presumably wish to incorporate these qualities into your life continually, rather than only behaving this way for a day, week, or month. Values include ongoing action that continually guide your life.

Global Qualities. Values describe global qualities of ongoing action. In other words, values are words that broadly describe how you wish to act across a variety of situations. Imagine again what type of friend you wish to be. As you imagine this, you might see yourself getting together with friends frequently throughout your life (ongoing action), but how do you wish to act when you are with friends? Do you wish to be compassionate, kind, energetic, or funny? Additionally, these qualities should apply to many patterns of action. For example, if you wish to be a compassionate friend, there are many things you could do to show your compassion to others. In other words, there is not one prescribed way to live your values, and there is some flexibility in how these values will be applied across various situations.

Desired.  Values describe qualities that are desired. Another word which we could use here is “chosen”. Values describe global qualities of ongoing action that you choose to incorporate into your life. All of us grow up and are told to value certain things over others. However, values are not about what you need to do or should do. Instead, you get to decide what values are important to you. It is important to recognize that you can choose values that your family, religion, or other groups also tell you are important. A value can be both personally desired and shared with others at the same time. Ultimately, when you choose your values they are more likely to make a difference in your life.

In addition to these three components of values, we also include “flexibility” as an important characteristic of values.

Flexibility. Values describe qualities of behaviors that are flexible. Throughout your life, the values you hold will likely change and be shaped by your life experience. This is okay, and even important to our growth and well-being. When people hold on to their values too tightly they can feel restrictive. They can become rules that they feel like they need to follow instead of principles that guide their actions. You can tell that your values are becoming too restrictive when you hear a voice in your head saying things like “you should have been more compassionate,” or “you aren’t doing that right''. Your values should guide your behavior, but they shouldn’t be rigid rules that you must follow. To return to the compass metaphor, if you are on a journey you don’t want to constantly be watching your compass to make sure you are on the right path–you will miss all of the beautiful sights around you! Instead, carry it in your pack and pull it out when you need to get back on track.

What Values are Not

Now that you understand some important characteristics of values, it is also important to understand what values are not. Values are not goals. Let's return to the compass metaphor once more. 

Values are represented by the compass. A compass points north, and helps you know when you are traveling in your intended direction. It acts as a reference that you can use to make sure you are on track. However, the compass does not point you toward a specific destination. On the other hand, goals are represented by specific landmarks along your journey. Both the compass and the landmarks play a role in helping you navigate along your path, but while you can arrive at landmarks (or achieve important goals in your life), a compass will never stop guiding you on your journey. In other words, there is no “end” to living your values. 

There are a couple important things to point out about this metaphor. First, if you are following your compass (living our values), you will likely reach many important landmarks (achieve important goals) along the way. Goal attainment is often a pleasant byproduct of living a value-centered life. 

Second, if you focus on following the compass (or living a value-centered life), you can be satisfied with your progress even when you haven’t  yet reached any of the landmarks (or goals). In reality, not everybody is able to attain every goal they set. A runner who loses the use of his legs in an accident may never make it to the Olympics. However, if he is focusing on his values of health and caring for his body, he may find other ways to incorporate those principles into his life. He may find happiness in living a value-centered life despite his circumstances. In other words, focusing on values rather than goals helps you find satisfaction and joy in your life even when life throws you a curveball. 

Watch this short video by Russ Harris on living a meaningful life to learn more about values and goals: