What Are Personal Values? Importance, Tips & 29+ Examples

Personal values are the fundamental principles that guide your actionsand decisions. Since these principles reveal what you consider important and meaningful, identifying and exploring them can help you lead a more fulfilling life and deepen your understanding of yourself.

As we discuss what these are in greater depth, you’ll gain insight into their importance in your daily life, their connection to the Enneagram framework, and more. We’ll also share proven tips and an extensive list of personal values to help you identify what matters most to you.

What Are Personal Values?

Personal values, or core values, are the central principles that govern your life, shaping your behavior, decisions, priorities, and overall life direction. They represent what you find meaningful and reveal what brings you satisfaction.

While they are closely related to goals and beliefs, these concepts are fundamentally different.

Core values are stable principles that guide your actions, whereas beliefs are ideas you accept as true that shape your perception of the world. Meanwhile, goals define what you want to achieve, transforming your personal values and beliefs into concrete actions and specific outcomes. These often change with your priorities and circumstances.

While each person has a different set of personal values, the Schwartz theory of basic human values identifies 10 principles that people recognize across cultures. According to this theory, culturally universal personal values include the following:

1. Power
2. Security
3. Tradition
4. Hedonism
5. Conformity
6. Stimulation
7. Universalism
8. Benevolence
9. Self-direction
10. Achievement

Now that you know what these are, let’s go into why it’s important to live in alignment with them.

Why Personal Values Are Important

Personal values are important because they can help you gain clarity over what’s important to you, thereby allowing you to make better decisions and achieve your goals. Living in alignment with them can help you lead an authentic, fulfilling, and meaningful life, whereas acting against them usually leads to discomfort, frustration, and dissatisfaction.

A study done by Sagiv et al. suggests that understanding personal values is essential to understanding human behavior, as people act in ways that allow them to express these principles and achieve the goals behind them.

For instance, someone who values benevolence may set a goal to volunteer regularly, whereas someone who values achievement might work overtime to achieve professional success.

Ultimately, knowing your personal values can help you understand yourself and make choices that align with your authentic self and your deepest desires. Plus, it can improve your relationships with others by clarifying what matters to you and, consequently, helping you better express your needs and set personal boundaries.

Since you now have a good understanding of what personal values are and why they’re important to your well-being, it’s time to see some examples of the most common principles people live by.

30 Examples of Personal Values

Before we explore some examples of common personal values, let’s see a table that categorizes them by theme for ease of reference:

And here’s a more detailed overview of these values:

#1. Integrity

Integrity is the value of all values, as it involves adhering to strong moral principles. People who boast it strive to live in alignment with their ethical principles.

#2. Honesty

Honesty promotes sincerity, truthfulness, and open communication, inspiring people to refrain from lying, cheating, and other deceptive behaviors.

#3. Compassion

This personal value promotes harmonious relationships by encouraging people to approach others with empathy, kindness, support, and understanding rather than judgment.

#4. Creativity

People who value creativity appreciate original ideas and innovative solutions to problems. They often let their imagination run wild and enjoy artistic expression.

#5. Frugality

Frugality is the quality of being prudent or economical with money or other resources. As such, people who hold this value avoid waste, appreciate mindful spending, and make thoughtful lifestyle decisions.

#6. Loyalty

Loyalty is all about faithfulness, commitment, devotion, and trustworthiness. Those who value it refrain from following their impulses; they remain fiercely dedicated to other people, causes, and obligations.

#7. Gratitude

Gratitude is a personal value that encourages people to notice and appreciate the positive aspects of life and recognize the kindness others extend toward them. As such, it can help you cultivate a more positive mindset and increase your life satisfaction.

#8. Generosity

“Sharing is caring” is the motto of those who value generosity, which refers to the willingness to give to others. This personal value often extends beyond money and other material resources; you can also be generous with your time, for example.

#9. Personal Growth

Regardless of their age, individuals who prioritize personal growth believe it’s important to keep growing and improving throughout life. They value self-discovery, enjoy learning new skills, and strive to become the best versions of themselves.

#10. Family

Family is among the most common personal values, as most people cherish relationships with their relatives and loved ones. It encourages people to maintain strong family bonds through mutual support, care, and responsibility.

#11. Self-Respect

Self-respect entails treating yourself with dignity. Those who hold this value recognize their own worth and set healthy personal boundaries to ensure others treat them with the level of respect they deserve.

#12. Patience

Patience is a personal value that encourages people to respond to delays and difficulties with tolerance and composure rather than frustration.

#13. Optimism

Optimism helps people maintain a positive outlook on life and remain hopeful in the face of adversity. This personal value encourages people to see the silver lining and make the most of every situation.

#14. Fairness

Those who value fairness treat others with respect and strive to remain objective at all times. They are also sensitive to injustice and inequality.

#15. Independence

Independence encompasses the ability to think and act for yourself. People with this value protect their autonomy, preferring to rely on themselves rather than depend on others.

#16. Achievement

Individuals who value achievement strive to set goals and achieve them. They go after the things they want, even when it takes a lot of work and effort. As such, this personal value can help you build perseverance.

#17. Humility

As a personal value, humility encourages people to remain modest regarding their abilities, achievements, and importance. It can prevent you from becoming prideful and self-centered, regardless of how successful you become.

#18. Security

Those who value security essentially seek to create and maintain stability in life. This core value often encompasses both emotional safety and financial security.

#19. Power

Power refers to the ability to influence situations and their outcomes. Those who value power are usually eager to take charge and responsibility, even when others hesitate to do so.

#20. Knowledge

Those who value knowledge seek continuous learning and truth. This personal value encourages curiosity and causes people to prioritize education, whether in formal or informal environments.

#21. Efficiency

Efficiency is all about achieving great results using as little time, energy, or other resources as possible. As such, this value promotes productivity and smart decision-making.

#22. Authenticity

This personal value encourages people to stay true to themselves. People who hold it speak their truth and express themselves genuinely instead of conforming to others’ expectations.

#23. Courage

Those who value courage make every effort to overcome their fears and face uncertainty with fierce determination. Due to this, they don’t hang back from defending themselves and stand up for their beliefs.

#24. Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is what helps people control themselves and resist temptations, allowing them to achieve goals. Those who consider this an important value usually also admire and seek personal growth.

#25. Harmony

Harmony entails creating and maintaining peace and balance in our surroundings. This value promotes healthy relationships, mental clarity, and emotional stability, creating an environment that fosters mutual respect and cooperation.

#26. Connection

People who appreciate and seek connection want to feel a sense of unity, mutual understanding, and belonging. Because of this, they make an effort to build meaningful relationships.

#27. Freedom

As a personal value, freedom is closely tied to independence. However, it denotes an absence of limitations that restrain you from living life on your own terms and expressing your true beliefs.

#28. Perseverance

Those who value perseverance don’t simply give up when the going gets tough; they push through adversity with confidence, courage, and determination. Therefore, this value can encourage you to see any challenge as an opportunity rather than a threat.

#29. Adventure

Adventure is tied to new experiences, exploration, and sensation-seeking. People driven by this value enjoy novelty and regularly step out of their comfort zones. This can make them prone to impulsivity, though.

#30. Accountability

People who value accountability don’t hesitate to take responsibility for their actions. They also own their mistakes and learn from them, taking full ownership of their lives and expecting the same of others.

Now you know what personal values people hold most often, so let’s find out how you can identify the core principles that guide your actions and decisions.

How to Know Your Personal Values

You can find out what your personal values are by examining your triggers, reflecting on what brings you happiness, and creating a vision for the future.

Here’s how to identify your personal values with these three strategies:

• Examine your triggers. Take note of situations that provoke strong emotional reactions within you, such as anger or frustration, as these feelings often signal that your values have been violated. For example, if witnessing someone being treated unfairly makes you feel upset, it’s likely that you value justice, fairness, and equality.
• Reflect on moments of happiness. Meditating on what brings you joy, happiness, and inspiration is another effective way to identify your personal values. If, for instance, spending time with your loved ones makes you immensely happy, chances are you value family. And if you feel joyful after learning something new, you probably value knowledge or personal growth.
• Create a clear vision for the future. Imagining your ideal life can give you profound insight into what you genuinely value, as it reveals your priorities. When doing this exercise, focus on the qualities you want to develop, the habits you want to form, and the type of life you want to build for yourself. If, for instance, you imagine yourself leading a nomadic lifestyle, you likely value freedom and adventure.

Next, let’s explore the connection between personal values and the Enneagram framework.

Personal Values and the Enneagram

Each personality type within the Enneagram system has unique personal values that are largely rooted in their core fears and motivations. Let’s see what they are:

• Enneagram 1. Ones fear acting immorally above all else, so their personal values usually include integrity, honesty, self-respect, and justice.
• Enneagram 2. Since Twos are empathetic individuals who yearn to be accepted and helpful to others, they typically value compassion, patience, family, and connection.
• Enneagram 3. Ambitious, energetic, and success-driven, Threes want to be admired by others. They strongly value achievement and efficiency.
• Enneagram 4. Being ordinary is what Fours fear the most, meaning personal values important to this type usually include authenticity and self-expression. This imaginative Enneagram personality type also values creativity.
• Enneagram 5. Fives are inquisitive individuals who strive to be competent and maintain their autonomy. Therefore, independence and knowledge are their key personal values.
• Enneagram 6. Driven by a desire for safety, Sixes value security and loyalty more than anything else in life.
• Enneagram 7. Spontaneous, fun-loving Sevens fear being limited and experiencing negative emotions. As such, they greatly value optimism, adventure, and freedom.
• Enneagram 8. The thought of losing control of their lives deeply frightens Eights. Therefore, their personal values typically include independence, self-discipline, and power.
• Enneagram 9. Nines are calm, accommodating individuals who avoid conflict and value peace and harmony, both around and within themselves.

How to Live in Alignment With Your Personal Values: 3 Foolproof Strategies

To live in alignment with your personal values, you should first identify your core principles and assess whether all areas of your life reflect them. From there, you can start to make conscious choices to align your actions and goals with your values.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to truly embody your core values:

• Identify your personal values. You can clarify what matters most to you by using the strategies mentioned above or by taking a personal value test online. While the latter can help you quickly determine your core principles, the former method can give you deeper insight into yourself, thereby raising your self-awareness.
• Evaluate your current life and decisions. Once you know what your personal values are, examine your habits, priorities, and goals in both your personal and professional life to see how well they reflect your core principles. Take note of any areas where you tend to compromise on what matters to you and determine which specific changes you should make to fully align your life with your values.
• Practice values-based decision-making and goal-setting. Use your personal values as a guiding star to make thoughtful decisions and set goals that align with your principles. Besides supporting long-term fulfillment, this can also make it easier for you to navigate tough decisions, reducing the risk of decision fatigue.

Key Takeaways

By now, you should have a clear understanding of what personal values are, how to identify them, and how to live in alignment with your core principles.

While you may not always have the possibility to fully align your actions and routines with your values, choosing to do so whenever possible is key to an authentic and deeply satisfying life.

Before you leave, here’s a recap of what personal values are and other key points we covered today:

• Personal values are ideals that shape our priorities, behavior, actions, and decisions, revealing what we deem important.
• Some examples of personal values include integrity, fairness, independence, compassion, honesty, and personal growth.
• You can identify what matters most to you by examining your triggers, reflecting on what makes you happy, and envisioning your ideal future.

What Are Personal Values FAQs

#1. What is the difference between personal values and beliefs?

The difference between personal values and beliefs is that the latter refers to the ideas and assumptions we hold to be true, whereas the former refers to what we consider important. While our beliefs may influence our values (e.g., if we believe that education is key to career success, we may start to value lifelong learning), these concepts are fundamentally different.

#2. Can personal values change over time?

Personal values can change over time, though they’re usually relatively stable since our core principles are primarily rooted in culture, upbringing, and early life experiences. Nonetheless, a study by Foad et al. suggests that people perceive their values as dynamic, and significant changes in the external environment or internal motivations may affect their importance.

#3. How many personal values should I have?

There’s no precise number for how many personal values you should have, but it’s usually best to identify 5–10 core principles. If you have fewer than five values, you may overlook certain things that matter to you in life. On the other hand, if you have more than 10 personal values, you may struggle with prioritization and consistency when making decisions.