Harmony in Action: Aligning Goals with Core Values & Beliefs 🌟 

Goals…we all have them. Some are big, others are small. Some are a challenge to attain, while others come easily. Regardless of what your goals are, they have to have some meaning behind them. When I say “meaning,” I mean aligning with your core values & beliefs. But to ensure that is occurring, you have to know exactly what your core values & beliefs are. Let’s get into the method to the madness…👀

Q1: What Are Core Values & Beliefs? 🤔

Core values & beliefs refer to the concepts that are rooted in you that guide your behavior. They can be for an individual, culture, society, or organization. For example, if one of your core values is honesty, you’d probably make more of an effort to be truthful. Pretty much, core values & beliefs are what you stand on, what you’re about, your foundation.🧍🏽‍♀️

     We all have things we strongly believe in, but we don’t always pinpoint exactly what they are & put a label on them. Most times, core values & beliefs come from your upbringing. 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 The way you were raised & the things you experienced either had an influence on you choosing to value or not to value those things. I definitely have my fair share of things I do & don’t value based off my life experiences. We all do, but we need to find out what they are.

Q2: How Do I Find My Core Values & Beliefs? 🕵🏽‍♀️👀

Knowing what your core values & beliefs are is the main way you’ll know whether your behavior & goals align with them. There are several ways to find yours, & here are a few:

• Google a list of core values & beliefs & make a list of the ones that mean the most to you. Then narrow them down to 6-8. 👩🏽‍💻
• Think of 3-6 people you most admire or love & why they’re important to you. Look for the recurring themes.🥰
• Visit a career counselor. He or she can help you figure out why you chose that career, based on values.💼
• Do an online inventory. It’s an easy way of figuring them out. Here’s one I used: https://personalvalu.es 💻
• Reflect on your behavior & choices. Look for patterns. Reflecting on positive & negative moments can help you see what you value most. 🤔

When I took the online inventory, it produced these results for my top 5:

• Inner harmony 🧘🏽‍♀️: Balance & fulfillment. I like to keep an even playing field between each facet of my life, i.e. work/life balance. ⚖️ I’m going to work hard & play just as hard. I’m going to put as many hours into my family as I do my job. And I need to feel like what I’m doing has a purpose, not only for myself but for others.
• Spirituality 🙌🏽: Focusing on the intangible aspects of life. This isn’t about God & religion; this is about me on the inside. I’ve been on the hunt for my purpose for what seems like forever. 👀 I keep an open mind & do a lot of self-reflecting. I’m also not worried about how I fit into other people’s boxes.
• Religion 🧎🏽‍♀️‍➡️: Devoutness & faith. For me, this is more about my faith in God. I don’t have an issue with defending what I believe in, & it’s not exactly what everyone else feels. I have my own relationship in my own way with Him. 🙏🏽 My faith makes me a better person so I can use those abilities to help others.
• Trust 🤞🏽: Belief in someone or something. Self-explanatory. I have to know the people around me are down for me. It doesn’t matter how you move with someone else; my trust is based off on how you show up for me. If I have to keep my eye on you, I don’t want you around me. 💯
• Love 😍 : Deep feeling of affection. Not only do I want to feel loved, but I also want to spread love. 💗 The love I have has different levels, according to my relationship with the person. There’s love for my husband, which is different from my love for our kids, which is also different from love for my sisters & parents. The love I have for God is a different kind, as well as the love for my friends, & other people I have relationships with. Regardless, I want to give & receive it.

Q3: How Do I Make Sure My Core Values & Beliefs Align with My Goals? 🤨❓

There’s a method to the madness, & Mike Staver gave up the tea. 🫖 Follow these steps to figure out if what you want matches up with what you value:

Step 1. Define Your Core Values 👆🏽

We handled this above. You just need to know between 4-8 values to start to make the determination. Write this list down.

Step 2. Set Meaningful Goals ✌🏽

Write down what your current goals are. How do they tie into what you value & believe in? If they don’t correlate, then you have your answer. But if they do, make sure your steps to accomplish the goals tie into your core values & beliefs as well.

Step 3. Do Regular Check-ins 3️⃣

Just like you track your progress towards achieving your goals, track whether they deviate from your values & beliefs. This gives you a chance to change directions if need be.

Step 4. Adjust as Needed 4️⃣

Everything is not going to always go as planned. You have to be flexible with yourself. Give yourself some grace & time to switch things up so you can not only reach your goals, but also stay aligned with your core values & beliefs.

My Goal Alignment Example 📝

When I went through these steps, I was able to see a little more about how my goals aligned with what I stand for. Take a look at one of my goals & how it aligns (or doesn’t):

Goal: Balance work, family, marriage, & business with minimal stress 5 out of 7 days

Core Values

• Inner harmony: Balancing all of the above is all about harmony.
  • I have to set time limits for business & work in order to balance it with family & marriage. ⏳ My DND at night & on weekends helps me to cut work & everyone outside of my house off at 9pm, NON-NEGOTIABLE. I also have app limits on those I use for my business so I don’t spend too much time doing that either. Saturdays are mostly dedicated to getting my posts scheduled for the following week so I don’t have to step away from family daily to do that. It’s all about time management.
  • I have to set boundaries as well. Email alerts, texts, & calls don’t come through after 9pm. 📵 That’s my wind down time that allows me to read the Bible, meditate, do yoga, & rest uninterrupted. I have a rule about emergencies as well:  if you don’t have my husband’s number, you shouldn’t be calling me after 9pm with an emergency. That way I know it’s someone close to me & I need to go into action mode. 
• Spirituality: Tapping into myself helps me to remember what’s important to me. The closer I get to understanding what my purpose may be the more I understand what & who really matters in my life. 🙌🏽
  • Meditating & doing yoga every morning & evening have grounded me more & calmed my spirit. The first hour of my day & last hour of my night are dedicated to my spirituality. They help me destress so I don’t carry negative energy from one aspect into any of my relationships. I’ve even gotten husbae to join me in my nighttime yoga sessions. 2 birds, 1 stone! 😉
  • Journaling helps me offload the stress when I transition from employee & boss to mother & wife. Whether it’s 2 sentences or a whole page, practicing this before bed relaxes me. I put that Intentional Journal to work! ✍🏽
• Religion: The relationship I’ve developed with God over the last couple of years has helped me change my priorities. Where I used to chase the bag, I’m now chasing more relationships & experiences.
  • I have designated times daily me to focus on my relationship with God. 🗓️ During the morning, I read 4 different Bible devotionals before I read any texts, emails, or get on any other apps. At night, reading several chapters of the Bible & praying have time allotted just for that, uninterrupted.
  • I had to commit to getting some spiritual food every Sunday. Even when I’m at work or out of town, I’m watching HOHATL at 7:30 & either going into Mt. Zion or watching the service on Facebook. 🛐
• Trust: This one has always been something I required. No trust with me equals no real important relationship with me. However there’s a certain amount of trust everyone gets: me trusting that they’re going to do them no matter what. 💯 That way, there’s little room for disappointment when they’re not as trustworthy was I thought.
  • Boundaries are a part of taking steps towards achieving my goal. The more I trust you, the less boundaries I have for you. I also keep my work & family separate as much as possible. A few have met my people, but I’m not one to mix business with pleasure. 🙅🏽‍♀️ Been there, done that, & it was a disaster!
  • Trusting husbae 100% has to continue for me to feel secure we’ll work as a partnership. 👰🏽‍♀️🤵🏾‍♂️Marriage is 100/100 for us, so we both prioritize taking time together & with the kids without work interrupting to balance it all.
• Love: We all need it, point blank period.
  • I have to work as little overtime, nights, & weekends as possible for me to show my loved ones how I feel about them. 🥰 It’s kind of hard for someone to know you love them when there’s barely any interaction. 
  • I had to take the 5 Love Languages test so I could let husbae know how I prefer to receive love. When I get off work & see him cleaning up without me having to ask, it goes way farther than buying me something. Acts of service are the key to my heart, honey! 🗝️

     Since I started tracking my goals & setting smaller daily, weekly, monthly, & quarterly goals to achieve, it’s easier to see how the steps align or don’t in order for me to achieve the annual goals. It’s easier to tweak them & pivot that way. I have to see things for me to remember them & show I’m making progress. 👀

     Each of the major goals I have for 2024 align with at least 1 of my core values. There are some others outside of the top 5 that I have pretty high standings for that didn’t come up on my online inventory test. Loyalty, stability, & family are a few of them. They all pretty much tie into each other. I have a recurring theme: keep myself on top of my A game so I can give my loved ones 100%. 💪🏽As long as I stay reminded of my core values & beliefs, I get more motivated to achieve them. 

     Sometime you have to do some exploring to really get to know who you are & what you stand for. 🗺️🧭 There’s no shame in that. Hell, I’m still exploring who I am completely. There are still some things I haven’t solidified & am trying to figure out. And I’m continuing to evolve, which is essential in life. Take some time to explore everything you stand for, then stand on business!