Before I left higher education, I was offered an opportunity to lead a new student center with multiple offices directly reporting to me; it was my dream job ten, five, and even one years ago. I declined the offer.
When the offer arrived, my heart jumped to my throat —”This is what you’ve been waiting for,” I thought! But just as quickly, my gut said, “This doesn’t align with your values.”
It was an excruciating decision to say, “No thank you” to what was once my dream job. But I knew from the intensive value centered self-work I had been doing, this job was no longer a fit.
Here is how and why you should align your work to your values:
- Reflect on what you value in your life.
If you’ve never done a values exercise, I recommend beginning with a list of values. Here is a list of values I utilize. Start by reading through the values and circle the ones you feel are true to you. You may end up circling 5-10, but you’ll want to narrow your selection afterward. If this is hard for you, try approaching the task from an elimination method. Scratch out the values that are definitely not you. What remains are your values.
I recommend doing this exercise quickly and re-visiting the process the next day so you don’t overthink it. Doing this exercise based on a gut reaction is a good first step. You can come back to it in a day or two after you mull over your selections.
- Ignore what you think your values should be.
I will never forget talking with a past client about their values. As I had her select her top 5 values, she kept questioning herself, saying things like, “But I should value this” and “My sister would value this.” My response to her was:
“Don’t “should” on yourself. Forget what other people value or want you to value. What does your gut say?” The only way you can align a job to your values is if you know what your true values are.
- Think about your natural talents.
If you’re still struggling to discover your values or how to slim down your list to your top five, it may help to think about your natural talents. Think about when you’re most in the zone. When do you completely lose track of time? What are you working on? When you have a free moment, what do you want to be doing?
The answers to these questions can help you gain clarity on what you value. If you’re struggling to find answers to these questions, you may also consider taking the Gallup StrengthsFinder Assessment, which can help you uncover your natural talents. Completing the StrengthsFinder assessment helped me realize how much I value relationships with those close to me (Empathy and Relator are in my top 10), and how much I value feeling accomplished and productive ( Achiever is my number 1).
- Uncover your non-negotiables.
As you narrow your list of values, think about which ones are non-negotiable. This can help you as you’re making decisions in your life, such as a job offer, a promotion, or a career change. While all of your values may not feel negotiable, there may be times when you will have to allow some give –maybe you’re urgently in need of a job.
Determine what are the values that you absolutely will not compromise on (i.e. family) and what are some that you might need to surrender on right now (i.e. wealth).
- Continue to reassess your values throughout your career.
Values can change. It is important to continue to check-in to ensure the work you’re doing is in alignment with your current values.
When you live in a way that is in line with your values – you will feel the weightlessness that comes from living with intention.
But it will take hard, mindful work in advance to get there. Consider hiring a coach to guide you through the process so you can unlock the career path meant for you.
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