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What Your IQ Score Means and How It Can Impact Your Life and Career

Intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a measurement of cognitive abilities that is used to determine a person’s intellectual potential. Many individuals take IQ tests to gauge their intelligence levels and compare themselves to others. If you’re curious about how your IQ score can impact your life and career, keep reading.

What is an IQ Test?

An IQ test is a standardized assessment that measures a person’s cognitive abilities in areas such as logic, math, language skills, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving. The test is designed to give an accurate representation of an individual’s intellectual potential. There are many types of IQ tests available online today, but not all are reliable or valid.

How is an IQ Score Calculated?

The scoring of an IQ test varies depending on the type of test taken. Most tests have a mean score of 100 with a standard deviation of 15 points. This means that approximately two-thirds of the population fall within the range of 85-115 points. An individual who scores above 130 points may be considered highly intelligent while those below 70 may be labeled as intellectually disabled.

How Can Your IQ Score Impact Your Life?

Your IQ score can impact many aspects of your life such as education, career opportunities, and social interactions. Individuals with high scores may excel in academics and have more job opportunities in fields such as science or technology. However, it’s important to note that having a high score doesn’t guarantee success or intelligence in all areas.

The Best IQ Tests Available Online

If you’re interested in taking an online IQ test to gauge your intellectual potential, it’s important to choose one that is reliable and valid. Some popular options include the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM), and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. However, it’s important to note that taking an IQ test is not a definitive measure of intelligence and should be taken with a grain of salt.

In conclusion, an IQ score can provide insight into an individual’s intellectual potential, but it’s important to remember that it doesn’t define their worth or success. If you’re considering taking an IQ test, be sure to choose a reliable and valid option and keep in mind that intelligence comes in many forms.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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Why You Need More Fun in Your Life, According to Science

by Michael Rucker | Dec 11, 2016 | Having Fun | 0 comments

Most of us want to have more fun, it just seems like it is not as easy as it used to be. The reasons are many: guilt (because others aren’t having fun), perceived inappropriateness (because others around us cannot have fun) or lack of time (because our commitment to others won’t let us have fun). Yet, science gives an encouraging nod that we need to make time for fun and should perhaps prioritize it.

—George Bernard Shaw

Since the term “ fun ” can be ambiguous and is often used in different contexts, let us first look at the standard definition of the word. Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines fun as: amusement, especially lively or playful . Staying true to the definition we generally connect the word fun to things that are entertaining and enjoyable to do. Fun is also sometimes used interchangeably with play — although there is a distinction, as some argue that play is a state of mind; a certain attitude we can incorporate into any and every activity (Brown, 2009).

It is important to keep in mind that what is fun for you, might not be fun for somebody else. Therefore, fun can be difficult to investigate using standardized scientific methods. As such, scientific conclusions about the benefits of having fun come from subjective observations and less rigorous studies. Nonetheless, there are enough studies that indirectly link to the concept of fun and play that a case can be made that we all need more fun.

Here are five reasons science suggests you should have more fun:

• Having more fun improves your relationships, both at work and in life

Research shows that when we have fun with others, these experiences have a positive effect on building trust and developing communication. Having fun gives us an opportunity to connect and be creative. When we laugh together, this sends an external non-verbal message that says: “We are alike, we share values” (Everett, 2011).  It can also make us look more vulnerable, but at the same time approachable and friendly, which can help build connections and bonds. Drs. John and Julie Gottmann, relationship experts from the Seattle’s Gottman Research Institute, have been studying happy and unhappy couples (and their patterns of behavior) in a systematic way. They found that couples who are happy know how to have fun together. It appears that when we have the ability to create and partake in acts of humor and affection, our conflict resolution skills improve as well.

Studies show that fun activities at work can improve our relationships with co-workers. These strong bonds developed with our colleagues have been linked to improved performance and productivity (Kansal, Puja, & Maheshwari, 2012).

• Fun makes us smarter

According to science, one way to improve our memory and concentration is to have more fun. Partially, this has to do with the stress reduction that happens when we engage in something we enjoy. However, the benefits of fun activities seem to stretch further than that. The British Cohort Study — a study that has been following 17,000 people born in 1970 — found that reading for fun improves our language skills, and more surprisingly our proficiency in math as well. It appears that fun activities that introduce us to new ideas and concepts foster self-directed learning. The rewards we gain from these experiences might expand beyond the obvious benefits. Scientists are now also exploring if reading for fun can also protect us against cognitive decline as we age.

• Fun reduces stress

You probably do not need science to inherently know this already: engaging in enjoyable activities can be an especially powerful antidote to stress. It has been recognized in several studies that spontaneous laughter has a stress-buffering effect that helps us better cope with stress. According to one study, individuals who laughed less had more negative emotions when compared to those who laughed more. In contrast, those who laughed more showed fewer negative feelings even when stressful situations increased (Kuiper & Martin, 1998). Interestingly, this same study found that there is no correlation between having a good sense of humor and displaying stronger or more intense emotions. As such, therapeutic laughter programs are now being developed and evaluated, and are sometimes offered as treatments for depression, stress and anxiety (Kim et al., 2015). It appears that there is some truth to the adage, “laughter is the best medicine.”

• Finding more fun in physical activity balances your hormone levels

It has been well-established that high-stress levels negatively influence our hormones and neurotransmitters (especially cortisol and noradrenalin). Stress also affects our endocrine, metabolic and immune functions. Hormones can have an amazing effect on our mood — this is true for both genders (Koelsch et al., 2016). Certain hormones, such as cortisol, insulin, testosterone and estrogen, can be particularly influential and cause havoc when we have an imbalance. One way to naturally balance hormones is to engage in a pleasurable physical activity (e.g. Abbenhardt et al., 2013). In other words, adaptation is not reliant on intense physical activity but rather consistent recreational exercise. When it comes to exercise, find what fun means to you and bake it into your routine.

• Fun can make you more energetic and youthful

Stress is draining — it can suck the life out of us, making us tired and cranky. When we effectively reduce our stress levels, this can often provide us with a new boost of vitality. Having fun and playing have traditionally been connected with children and the early years of our development. However, many philosophers and psychologists emphasize the importance of play as we get older. Plato professed that life must be lived as play, and George Bernard Shaw famously said: We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

Fun at Work

Having fun at work might be just as important as having fun in your personal life. Everett (2011) concludes that since we will spend more than 90,000 hours of our lives at work, we might as well have fun there. Some of the benefits of playing on the job include:

– Higher recruitment and retention rates . Organizations that nourish creativity and playfulness in employees have less difficulty recruiting and retaining good staff, and it is an encouraging trend that more modern organizations are balancing work and play than in prior decades (Everett, 2011). For example, here in the Bay Area Google is known for having a fun workplace and is also a very desirable company to work for. Sponsoring fun activities has also been recognized as a measure to prevent burnout (Meyer, 1999).

– Increased job satisfaction . Employees must feel satisfied to be productive. There are many factors that contribute to job satisfaction, which logically also correlates to overall life satisfaction. When we can laugh and have fun at work, we can also build better relationships and help create connections with our workmates. Doing fun things together creates a joint history with our fellow employees. When we have fun together we tend to relate to and identify with our co-workers better. Some authors believe that “teams that play together, stay together,” so it is important to create an organizational culture that supports that (Berg, 2001).

– Increased customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is generally closely linked with employee satisfaction. Workers who have something to smile about are usually better equipped to make customers smile than their melancholy counterparts. Fun seems to be contagious — as shown by studies looking at work environments. For example, when a fun work philosophy was adopted at Sprint, this resulted in their call center agents handling 30 percent more calls, and customers expressing an increased level of satisfaction with their services (Karl & Peluchette, 2006).

Everett (2011) also points out that forcing employees to have more fun should not be made mandatory. Activities that are force generally cease to be fun and can actually contribute to feelings of stress among employees. It is important to consider that people’s perceptions of fun (and what fun means to them) may vary and that they do not necessarily want to have fun in a certain way, at a certain time.

[FUN FACT]: Did you know that according to a study from 1998, adults only laugh on average 17 times a day (Kuiper, & Martin, 1998)?  In the spirit of having more fun, if you have a good joke, leave it in the comments so we can help push up this average.

Sources & further reading:

Abbenhardt, C., McTiernan, A., Alfano, C., Wener, M., Campbell, K., Duggan, C., & … Ulrich, C. (2013). Effects of individual and combined dietary weight loss and exercise interventions in postmenopausal women on adiponectin and leptin levels. Journal of Internal Medicine , 274 (2), 163-175.

Berg, D. H. (2001). The Power of a Playful Spirit at Work. Journal for Quality & Participation , 24 (2), 57-62.

Brown, S. (2009). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul. New York: Avery.

Everett, A. (2011). Benefits and challenges of fun in the workplace. Library Leadership and Management , 25 (1), 1-10.

Kansal, M., Puja, & Maheshwari, G. (2012). Incorporation of fun and enjoyment in work: Builds the way for success and generation of long term benefits. ZENITH International Journal of Business Economics & Management Research , (12), 98-113.

Karl, K., & Peluchette, J. (2006). How does workplace fun impact employee perceptions of customer service quality?. Journal Of Leadership & Organizational Studies , (2), 2-11.

Kim, S., Kim, Y., Kim, H., Lee, S., & Yu, S. (2012). The Effect of Laughter Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Patients with Breast Cancer Undergoing Radiotherapy (CP). Quality Of Life Research , 20, 84.

Koelsch, S., Boehlig, A., Hohenadel, M., Nitsche, I., Bauer, K. & Sack, U. (2016). The impact of acute stress on hormones and cytokines, and how their recovery is affected by music-evoked positive mood. Scientific Reports , 6 doi:10.1038/srep23008

Kuiper, N., & Martin, R. (1998). Laughter and stress in daily life: Relation to positive and negative affect. Motivation and Emotion , 22 (2), 133-153.

Meyer, H. (2000). Fun for everyone. IEEE Engineering Management Review , 28 (2), 45-48.

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Purpose in Life Quiz

What’s your purpose in life?

It’s a daunting question. But your answer may say a lot about your well-being. Studies link a sense of purpose to better physical  and  mental  health. But your purpose isn’t just about you. According to researchers, a true purpose is one that is both personally meaningful and also makes a positive impact on the lives of other people—your family, friends, neighbors, city, country, or even the whole world.

How strong is your sense of purpose? To find out—and discover steps for strengthening it—take this quiz, which is primarily based on the Claremont Purpose Scale developed by psychologists Kendall Bronk, Brian Riches, and Susan Mangan.

Please answer the questions below as honestly as possible; there are no right or wrong answers. The last seven questions are about you, and will be used to explore how purpose relates to factors like age and gender. Individual responses to this quiz are anonymous and will not be shared.

When you're done, you'll get your score, learn more about the benefits of purpose, and find resources for identifying and cultivating your own life goals.

Any responses submitted here will never be shared with any organization outside the Greater Good Science Center under any circumstances, ever. All responses are anonymized and only used in aggregate for evaluation purposes.

Take The Quiz

1. i am usually.

• Slightly bored
• Neither bored nor enthusiastic
• Slightly enthusiastic
• Enthusiastic

2. Most of what I do seems trivial and unimportant to me

• Strongly Disagree
• Neither Agree nor Disagree
• Strongly Agree

3. I know how I can use my talents to make a meaningful contribution to the larger world

4. how well do you understand what gives your life meaning, 5. how confident are you that you have discovered a satisfying purpose for your life, 6. how clearly do you understand what it is that makes your life feel worthwhile.

• A Little Bit

7. How much effort are you putting into making your goals a reality?

• Almost None
• Quite a Bit
• A Tremendous Amount

8. How excited are you about carrying out the plans that you set for yourself?

• Extremely 


9. What portion of your daily activities move you closer to your long-term aims?

10. how often do you learn something new so that you can help others.

• Almost Never
• Once in a While
• Almost All the Time

11. How often do you hope to leave the world better than you found it?

12. how often do you hope that the work that you do positively influences others, 13. how often do you volunteer to contribute to the welfare of others, 14. how well can you describe your purpose.

• Not Very Well
• Slightly Well
• Somewhat Well
• Extremely Well

15. What is your age?

16. please select your ethnic background (if you identify with more than one ethnicity, select the one you identify with the most, or select multiethnic)..

• African, African American
• Asian, Asian American
• European, European American (Caucasian)
• Latino, Latino American, Chicano
• Native American
• Middle Eastern
• Multiethnic

17. In terms of your gender identity, do you see yourself as:

• Female/Woman
• Gender non-binary
• I prefer to self-identify

18. What describes your highest level of education?

• Did not finish high school
• High school diploma
• Associate degree or certificate program
• Bachelor's degree
• Did some graduate study
• Graduate or professional degree

19. Which best describes the neighborhood in which you live?

20. which category best describes your work.

• Arts / Design
• Business / Finance
• Computer / Information Systems / Mathematical
• Construction / Manufacturing / Maintenance
• Health Care / Medicine
• Management / Administration
• Media / Journalism
• Mental Health / Social Services
• Military / Law Enforcement
• Politics / Public Administration
• Researcher / Academia
• Sales / Retail
• Services / Transportation
• Spiritual / Religious teacher

21. How would you describe your political views?

• Very Liberal
• Conservative
• Very Conservative

Source: Adapted mainly from the Claremont Purpose Scale , with a question from the Purpose in Life Test and a question from the Life Engagement Test .

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7 Fun Goal-Setting Activities for Children

• By Ashley Cullins

We all know that setting and achieving goals is a life skill necessary for success and happiness. But it’s one that even adults REALLY struggle with: Studies say that only about 8% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions!

How can we teach children to set realistic goals — and actually follow through?

Make it fun!

Before you continue, be sure to check out our popular  2024 Goal-Setting Kits  to help your child or teen learn how to set goals while having fun! 

Research shows that children learn best when they’re playing and enjoying themselves at the same time. Fun experiences increase levels of endorphins, dopamine, and oxygen, all of which promote learning. 

Here are  7 fun goal-setting activities that can make the process more enjoyable and effective.

1. Make a Bucket List

Typically, a bucket list  lists accomplishments, experiences, or achievements that someone wants to have during their lifetime.

To teach your children goal-setting  — and have fun in the process — you can create a YEARLY bucket list.

Do you have teens? Encourage them to create a digital family or personal bucket list. This gives them a chance to use their technical knowledge and creativity in a meaningful way. They can share their lists with the family and help track everything online. This is a great way to include older children in a family project and build connections .

It’s even more fun if the whole family gets involved.

Here's what to do:  

• Gather your family together, grab a piece of chart paper and some markers, and start brainstorming.
• As a family, discuss what you would like to do, experience, and achieve over the next 12 months. 
• Once you're done brainstorming, put the list somewhere where everyone can see it often (for example, by the kitchen table). 

Your family will have tons of fun accomplishing items on the list and checking them off throughout the year.

As the year progresses and you notice several items remaining, you can talk about if you still want to accomplish each of these goals or if your family’s goals have changed. If you still want to accomplish them, how can you go about doing so? What steps will you need to follow?

Research shows that in addition to learning through play, children also learn effectively through experiences . Keeping track of and planning toward goals will be a valuable learning experience for your child, and it’s a fun way for your family to bond!

At the end of the year, you can look back over everything your family has accomplished. You may even make creating an annual bucket list of goal-setting activities into a new family tradition !

2. Draw a Wheel of Fortune

The idea for the “ wheel of fortune ” was created by Dennis Waitley, author, and authority on personal development.

Here’s what to do:

• Help your child draw a wheel divided into SEGMENTS. In each segment, your child will write important categories in their life: Family, Friends, School, Tennis, etc.
• Your child will then choose one category that they would like to focus on first. For this category, they will write out each goal they want to accomplish in a set period of time (this year, for example). For instance, if the category is “Tennis,” your child might write that they would like to practice at least three times a week, improve their forehand, and learn to serve.
• Next, talk to your child about the steps they will take to achieve these goals and what obstacles  they may encounter along the way. If they do encounter these obstacles, what will they do to overcome them?
• Let your child color and decorate the wheel however they would like, then hang it somewhere prominent.

As your child reaches their goals in one segment of the wheel, do something to CELEBRATE , then repeat the process above for each additional segment.

Over time, your child will improve in many aspects of their life, all while learning to set and reach goals.

Don't forget to download our FREE Affirmation Bracelets . The affirmation bracelets are great for boosting a child's confidence!

3. Create a Vision Board 

A vision board is a great way to help your child visualize their goals. Your child will also have fun with this meaningful arts and crafts project.

• Take out some old magazines and ask your child to cut out pictures that represent their hopes and dreams. If your child has something specific they want to include that they can’t find, you can print pictures from the Internet.
• Your child will then paste these pictures onto a piece of poster board. They can also decorate with colors, glitter, feathers, etc.
• When it’s finished, hang the vision board somewhere in your child’s bedroom, where they will frequently be reminded of their aspirations.

Making the vision board helps your child think through their goals, and it also serves as a powerful visual reminder of everything they would like to achieve.

Revisit the idea of the vision board often. Ask your child what different pictures represent and how they plan to achieve their various dreams.

If the goal is a big one, help them break it into simple pieces. What are some small steps they can take now to achieve their long-term goals in the future?

Your child will learn to set goals, think critically, and plan ahead. They’ll also develop the understanding that what they do now and throughout their life does matter and can positively impact their future.

4. Play 3 Stars and a Wish

3 Stars and a Wish is a fun way to get children thinking about their goals while also providing some positive affirmation .

• First, your child comes up with 3 “Stars,” or things they already do well. This can be anything from running fast to solving math problems to comforting their friends when they’re feeling sad.
• Talk to your child about HOW they became so good at these “Stars.” Did they have to practice? How long did it take to learn? Or did they magically acquire these skills overnight?
• Next, have your child come up with a “Wish.” The “Wish” is something that your child needs or wants to work on (a goal).
• Ask your child WHAT they can do to help make their wish come true. Explain to them that this isn’t chance; it’s choice. They can choose to take steps that will lead to the fulfillment of their wish.

Make sure that you or your child write everything down. If your child is old enough, it’s a good idea to have them write about their progress toward their wish on occasion.

Psychology professor Gail Matthews found that writing down your goals on a regular basis makes you 42% more likely to achieve them.

Having your child share their hopes and dreams with you makes them more likely to achieve them, too. Dr. Matthews found that people are even more likely to achieve their goals if they share them with a friend (or parent) who believes they will succeed.

The Big Life Journal is a great place to record your child's dreams, ask big questions, and have meaningful conversations. You can also explore how others turned their dreams into reality. Topics include: Be Persistent, Effort Is Key, and Make a Difference in the World.

5. Ask Fun Questions

Asking your child questions about what they would like to accomplish is a standard component of the goal-setting process.

However, you can get creative and make the process more enjoyable with fun questions like:

• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• What is your biggest dream?
• If you had a superpower, how would you use it?
• If you found a genie and could ask for three wishes, what would you wish for?

Of course, some of these questions may prompt unrealistic answers from your child, but you can help your child tweak them to be more achievable. 

Then discuss that they may not win the lottery or find a magic genie, but they can take their fate into their own hands by making a plan to achieve their hopes, goals, and dreams.

6. Use Interest Maps

Older children can learn a lot about themselves by paying attention to their interests. Do they like art or science or writing or sports? Write down all their favorite interests.

Next, see if they can find patterns in the things they enjoy doing. Do they enjoy working with people? Animals? By themselves? Once they see their interests mapped out, they can create goals.

7. Create Stair-Step Goals (or Goal Ladders)

Using a stair-step visual for goal-setting, teens can break down their goals into doable steps.

Follow this simple method:

• Write down your DREAM at the top of the staircase.
• Write down your FIRST GOAL at the very bottom of the staircase and the first action towards that goal.
• Create your second goal and the first action towards it.
• Create your third goal and the first actions.
• Continue “climbing” the stairs. Add dates, drawings, anything that helps motivate you!

For example, your child chose “basketball” as an interest. They can now create stair-step goals based on their interests such as:

• Practice every day for 30 minutes
• Run 1 mile 5 days a week
• Score 50 points this season
• Make 25 rebounds
• Encourage my teammates

Looking for additional resources?  Be sure to check out our Big Life Journal for Teens & Tweens (Ages 11+) . Our science-based journal helps tweens and teens develop a resilient, growth mindset so they can grow into confident, happy adults.

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7 thoughts on “ 7 Fun Goal-Setting Activities for Children ”

Amazing activities. Thank you so much for this.

Thank you for this. I hope that we can make it work with my son.

This is good to help with children and adults.

This is awesome! I do some with my kids – vision board, goal setting and bucket list – but this gets me re-energized about it and also gave me some new ideas to try (I love 3 stars and a wish!) thank you!

I am interesting in purchasing

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Article • 9 min read

What Are Your Values?

Deciding what's important in life.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Key Takeaways

• Your personal values are a central part of who you are – and who you want to be.
• By becoming more aware of these vital factors in your life, you can use them as a guide to make the best choice in any situation.
• Some of life's decisions are really about determining what you value most. When many options seem reasonable, you can rely on your values to point you in the right direction.
• When how you live matches your values, life is usually good. When your existence doesn't align with your personal values, that's when things feel... wrong and you can feel unhappy.

How would you define your values?

Before you answer this question, you need to know what, in general, values are.

Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work.

They (should) determine your priorities, and, deep down, they're probably the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it to.

When the things that you do and the way you behave match your values, life is usually good – you're satisfied and content. But when these don't align with your personal values, that's when things feel... wrong. This can be a real source of unhappiness.

This is why making a conscious effort to identify your values is so important.

How Values Help You

Values exist, whether you recognize them or not. Life can be much easier when you acknowledge your values – and when you make plans and decisions that honor them.

If you value family, but you have to work 70-hour weeks in your job, will you feel internal stress and conflict? And if you don't value competition, and you work in a highly competitive sales environment, are you likely to be satisfied with your job?

In these types of situations, understanding your values can really help. When you know your own values, you can use them to make decisions about how to live your life, and you can answer questions like these:

• What job should I pursue?
• Should I accept this promotion?
• Should I start my own business?
• Should I compromise, or be firm with my position?
• Should I follow tradition, or travel down a new path?

So, take the time to understand the real priorities in your life, and you'll be able to determine the best direction for you and your life goals !

Values are usually fairly stable, yet they don't have strict limits or boundaries. Also, as you move through life, your values may change.

For example, when you start your career, success – measured by money and status – might be a top priority.

But after you have a family, work-life balance may be what you value more.

As your definition of success changes, so do your personal values. This is why keeping in touch with your values is a lifelong exercise. You should continuously revisit this, especially if you start to feel unbalanced... and you can't quite figure out why.

As you go through the exercise below, bear in mind that values that were important in the past may not be relevant now.

Defining Your Values

When you define your personal values, you discover what's truly important to you. A good way of starting to do this is to look back on your life – to identify when you felt really good, and really confident that you were making good choices.

Step 1: Identify the times when you were happiest

Find examples from both your career and personal life. This will ensure some balance in your answers.

• What were you doing?
• Were you with other people? Who?
• What other factors contributed to your happiness?

Step 2: Identify the times when you were most proud

Use examples from your career and personal life.

• Why were you proud?
• Did other people share your pride? Who?
• What other factors contributed to your feelings of pride?

Step 3: Identify the times when you were most fulfilled and satisfied

Again, use both work and personal examples.

• What need or desire was fulfilled?
• How and why did the experience give your life meaning?
• What other factors contributed to your feelings of fulfillment?

Step 4: Determine your top values, based on your experiences of happiness, pride, and fulfillment

Why is each experience truly important and memorable? Use the following list of common personal values to help you get started – and aim for about 10 top values. (As you work through, you may find that some of these naturally combine. For instance, if you value philanthropy, community, and generosity, you might say that service to others is one of your top values.)

Common Personal Core Values

Step 5: prioritize your top values.

This step is probably the most difficult, because you'll have to look deep inside yourself. It's also the most important step, because, when making a decision, you'll have to choose between solutions that may satisfy different values. This is when you must know which value is more important to you.

• Write down your top values, not in any particular order.
• Look at the first two values and ask yourself, "If I could satisfy only one of these, which would I choose?" It might help to visualize a situation in which you would have to make that choice. For example, if you compare the values of service and stability, imagine that you must decide whether to sell your house and move to another country to do valuable foreign aid work, or keep your house and volunteer to do charity work closer to home.
• Keep working through the list, by comparing each value with each other value, until your list is in the correct order.

If you have a tough time doing this, consider using Paired Comparison Analysis to help you. With this method, you decide which of two options is most important, and then assign a score to show how much more important it is. Since it's so important to identify and prioritize your values, investing your time in this step is definitely worth it.

Step 6: Reaffirm your values

Check your top-priority values, and make sure that they fit with your life and your vision for yourself.

• Do these values make you feel good about yourself?
• Are you proud of your top three values?
• Would you be comfortable and proud to tell your values to people you respect and admire?
• Do these values represent things you would support, even if your choice isn't popular, and it puts you in the minority?

When you consider your values in decision making, you can be sure to keep your sense of integrity and what you know is right, and approach decisions with confidence and clarity. You'll also know that what you're doing is best for your current and future happiness and satisfaction.

Making value-based choices may not always be easy. However, making a choice that you know is right is a lot less difficult in the long run.

Top Tip for Defining Your Own Core Values

You can breathe life into your values by defining briefly, in writing, what they represent to you. Crystalizing what they stand for and why they matter to you will help embed their importance.

Keep the definitions short and write them in your own words, so you are really connected to them. These definitions will be handy reminders of who you are and what matters most to you – when and if you need reminding when there are decisions to be made.

For example, if one of your core values is “creativity” you might say, “I value it because the ability to solve problems and to come up with fresh, new ideas brings me joy and a deep sense of fulfillment.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Values

What does it mean to have values.

Your values are the beliefs and principles that you believe are important in the way that you live and work.

They (should) determine your priorities, and guide your decisions and the way you act towards others. When the things that you do, and the way that you behave, match your values, life is usually good.

Why Are Personal Values Important?

Understanding your values can really help make life easier and make you happier.

This happens because when you acknowledge your values – and make plans and decisions that honor them – you can use your values to make truly informed decisions about how to live your life.

By understanding the real priorities in your life, you'll be able to determine the best direction for you and meaningful life goals.

Identifying and understanding your values is a challenging and important exercise. Your personal values are a central part of who you are – and who you want to be. By becoming more aware of these important factors in your life, you can use them as a guide to make the best choice in any situation.

Some of life's decisions are really about determining what you value most. When many options seem reasonable, it's helpful and comforting to rely on your values – and use them as a strong guiding force to point you in the right direction.

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Comments (4)

Mauro Tapia

has a good balance.

about 2 months

Aylene Bazaldua

Identify the times when you were the happiest. STEP 1 1. What were you doing?- I was at the beach watching the fireworks. 2.Were you with other people? Who?- Yes, with people at the church I used to go to. 3.What other factors contributed to your happiness?- Playing games, listening to music and it just gave me good vibes. Identify the times when you were most proud. When I graduated from high school STEP2 1. Why were you so proud? Because I graduated. 2.Did other people share your pride?Who? Yes, my family and friends. 3.What other factors contributed to your feelings of pride? I was finally done and I threw a party to celebrate. Identify the times when you were most fulfilled and satisfied STEP 3 1.What need or desire was fulfilled? I feel fulfilled ever since I started following god again. 2.How and why did the experience give your life meaning? I'm not afraid anymore its giving my life meaning because I know everything is okay if I talk to god. 3.What other factors contributed to your feelings of fulfillment? I don't have anxiety anymore and I rarely stress thats the best fulfillment. Determine your top values , based on your experiences of happiness, pride and fulfillment. 10 words STEP 4 Calmness, Commitment, Compassion, Improvement, Discipline, Faith, Fitness, Growth, Happiness, Trustworthiness. Prioritize your top values. STEP 5 Faith, Calmness, Commitment. If I could satisfy with one of these I would choose faith. I think these values are the most important because I have faith and I stay calm I am committed into finishing my career. Reaffirm your values STEP 6 -Do this values make you feel good about yourself? Yes, of course they do. -Are you proud of your top 3 values? Yes, and I will continues to do so. -Would you be comfortable and proud to tell your values to people you respect and admire? Yes especially on telling them about my faith! Do these values represent things you would support, even if your choice isn't popular, and it puts you in the minority? Yes they do represent things I would support.

Donagh Kenny

excellenet resource

Latrece Thomas

I feel that everyone should set high values for themself. Integrity is a value I think 🥰 everyone should honor.

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