How values reveal your why

A short exercise to uncover your ‘why’ through your values.

Values might just be the most undervalued (pun intended) tool in entrepreneurship.

You’ve likely done a values exercise at some point - most of us have. But what did it really do for you? I bet not much. And that’s a shame because values are a goldmine of information about ourselves, how we see the world around us, who we surround ourselves with, and what fuels our passions and purpose.

I’ve spent the past 10 years exploring, studying, and experimenting with foundational clarity in entrepreneurship - and here’s what I’ve found. That deep need to unearth our WHY remains the most pervasive…and elusive quest for entrepreneurs.

Why is WHY so hard?

One of the most exciting elements of values in entrepreneurship is what they reveal about our why.

I’m a huge fan of Simon Sinek too, but what snags most of us up is that getting clarity on our WHY is actually quite hard. It’s hard because there’s not much tangible evidence in our lives that point directly at our why.

Not to worry, there’s a much easier path to getting there!

Values are like an internal GPS

Values are like internal instructions for HOW to show up in alignment to our WHY.

In other words, our ‘why’ is like the destination we enter into our GPS and our values are the GPS system itself.

When we’re living in alignment to our strongest values, we feel fulfilled & purposeful. When we’re not, we feel off-course, uneasy, or even guilty, resentful, or judgemental.

The challenge for most of us is that we’re not walking around actively thinking about our values. In fact, most of us struggle to articulate them even when we’re pressed. Instead , we usually end up relying on our feeling to align to our values. But feeling can be confusing or even deceptive when life gets hairy.

Here’s the good news - there’s tons of tangible evidence all around us that reveal our values to us if we’re looking.

Here are a few ways to pull out your values;

• Think about the people you trust and respect the most. What qualities to they exude?

• Think about your biggest pet peeves or issue around you that get you really worked up. Those are your values getting stepped on.

• Think about what causes the most tension or resentment in your relationships. It’s most likely that you aren’t agreeing on what’s most important (values).

• Think about what you feel most guilty about. That’s you not living in alignment to your values.

• Think about what gives you the most hope when you read the news. That’s your values too.

If you want to go deeper, you can download my free values exercise.

By recognizing our values, we can more intentionally align to them. We can more intentionally spend our time, energy, and money on them. And when we do that, we’re more aligned to our WHY automatically.

Here’s what you’re probably thinking…but wait, I though I was going to figure out how values actually revealed my WHY!?

Don’t worry, that’s next.

How values reveal what we drive towards

Our values play multiple roles in our lives, but one of the coolest things our values do, is to create drive and passion in us. The easiest way to understand this is through a simple question (and an example).

Example: Jules has a strong value for Compassion. She may be driven by this value to take action in her life.

Here’s the simple question;

“What does living in the best expression of compassion drive me towards?”

This may take a little digging….just start answering.

”Being there for others.”

“Creating safe spaces for others”

She might start to notice other strong values of hers creeping in to shape her answers. Maybe it’s Curiosity & Open-mindedness.

She keeps answering and allow those values to shape her answers. Just get all those thoughts down.

“Understanding how compassion changes us.”

“Studying the effects of compassion on cultural bias”

“Seeing ourselves and others without all that bias & judgement that gets layered on without us even realizing it.”

Now, she can try starting this question with another strong value of hers (especially the ones she already noticed creeping in).

“What does living in the best expression of open-mindedness drive me towards?”

“Living in non-judgement”

“Seeking out diverse ideas and world-views”

“Creating safe & compassionate spaces for exploring ideas “

What stands out? What’s the connecting thread?

“Creating safe & compassionate spaces for exploring ideas “

Getting to WHY

Now that you’ve explore your values and what they’re driving you towards, it’s time to look at where They’ve converged. Did you notice a connecting thread? If so, you’ve begun to uncover WHY.

Now, we can uncover a belief you have that explains why!

Simply ask - “Why is is this so important?”

“Why is it so important to create safe & compassionate spaces for exploring ideas?“

Start with “I believe…..

And keep exploring until you get to it….

“I believe we’ll never end the deep divide we feel in this country until we do.”

“I believe nothing will end the deep divide in this country until we can change the way we share and explore ideas.”

“I believe it’s possible to create a more compassionate society if we simply change the way we share and explore ideas.”

What’s next - Clarity is a journey, enjoy the ride

Clarity isn’t a linear process, so allow the exploration to be what it is. Enjoy the window each value opens towards your WHY and just contunite to be curious about the evolution of your values and beliefs.

Continue to ask “Why is this important” and enjoy the path it takes you down.