Make Your Values the Foundation of Your Life

Welcome to The Happier Newsletter, a weekly newsletter where I provide actionable ideas to help you build a happier, healthier, and more meaningful life.

What’s On Today

• Topic: How To Live According To Your Values
• Question: What Do You Value In Life?
• Tweet: Closing The Gap Between Your Actions And Values
• Gratitude: 3 Things I’m Grateful For This Week

How To Live According To Your Values

I think it’s all too common for people to not know their core values. Or at least, to not live according to them.

Not too long ago, I found myself feeling unfulfilled and out of sync with what truly mattered to me. Recognising my values—things like my time, purpose, people, and health—helped me start designing a life that felt more like me.

Here are three ways I’ve found to bring my life in line with what I care about most. Try them out!

1. Define What a Win Looks Like

One of the most powerful habits I’ve built is planning my weeks in advance. Every Sunday, I sit down and take just 10 minutes to map out my top goals for the week ahead.

I start by asking myself: What are three to five things I want to achieve this week that will move me closer to living according to my values?

For me, these goals often fall into categories like spending quality time with family, working on my health (maybe it’s doing three workouts or eating clean), and making progress in my work.

Once I’ve written these down, I break them into smaller daily actions.

It’s amazing how much clarity this gives me. Instead of reacting to whatever pops up during the week, I have a clear roadmap of what I need to do to feel successful and aligned with my values.

And here's the thing: these aren’t always massive goals. Some weeks, a win is just making time for a long walk in the sunshine or a phone call with my parents. Small steps like this keep me grounded in what really matters.

2. Block Out Social Time

We all know how easy it is for life to get busy, and when it does, time with the people we care about most can unintentionally get pushed aside.

I’ve learned this the hard way.

There were weeks when I’d get so caught up in work that I’d realise I hadn’t seen my closest friends or even called my parents in weeks. I wasn’t living according to one of my core values—people.

So, I started scheduling social time just like I would for work meetings or errands.

Every Sunday, along with my goal-setting, I block out time for the people who matter most—whether it's that phone call with my parents or a date night with my wife.

It’s a commitment not only to them but to myself because spending quality time with loved ones nourishes my soul.

If this resonates with you, try adding specific social time to your calendar for the upcoming week. It doesn’t need to be elaborate—a simple coffee date or an hour-long phone call can go a long way.

3. Be Present

This one has been a game-changer for me. I used to think I was good at multitasking, but in reality, I was just spreading my attention thin and not fully engaging with anything.

Whether I was with family or working on a project, my mind would often be elsewhere—thinking about the next task or replaying past conversations. It wasn’t until I started focusing on being present that I realised how much I was missing out on.

Now, I make a conscious effort to be fully present in whatever I’m doing. If I’m working, I try to immerse myself in the task at hand, putting aside distractions like checking my phone every few minutes. And when I’m spending time with loved ones, I leave work behind so I can give them my undivided attention. It’s made a huge difference in my relationships and my overall sense of peace.

Being present doesn’t mean you have to be perfect at it all the time—it’s more about catching yourself when your mind drifts and gently bringing your attention back to the moment. Whether you’re having a conversation, enjoying a meal, or working on a project, give yourself the gift of being fully there. You’ll find that even the simplest moments become more meaningful.

What Do You Value In Life?

Before we can live in line with our values, we need to get clear on what they are. What’s your definition of success? What makes you feel fulfilled?

As Carl Jung says:

Happiness comes from defining your values and living according to them.

Without knowing what your values are, it’s like hiking with a broken compass. Mark Manson put it well:

Personal values are the measuring sticks by which we determine what is a successful and meaningful life.

To get started, ask yourself these questions:

• What’s important to you in life?
• What’s your purpose?
• What makes you feel satisfied and fulfilled?

If you’re looking for ideas, here’s a list inspired by the Personal Values Card Sort (2001), created by W.R. Miller and colleagues at the University of New Mexico.

Choose three to five core values that resonate most with you. For each one, jot down specific actions that would help you live out that value in your day-to-day life. To make this easier, download my free 'Find Your Values' worksheet—it includes an expanded list of values to help you get started.

To make this easier, download my free 'Find Your Values' worksheet—it includes an expanded list of values to help you get started.

Closing The Gap Between Your Actions And Values

Having the courage to live by your values over external expectations can change everything. It brings a sense of fulfillment and, most importantly, allows you to be authentically you.

As Adam Grant shared recently:

3 Things I’m Grateful For This Week

One of the simplest but most powerful ways to feel more connected to life is by practising gratitude. Every week, I reflect on three things I’m thankful for. Here’s mine for this week:

• Flexibility to work from home when my family needs me
• Being able to move my body and work out
• The warmer weather (finally got to cycle to work again!)

What are you grateful for this week? Try it—it’s such a good way to wrap up the week and gain a fresh perspective.