Know Your Values: Self-Analysis Worksheet | Discover Your Life Compass

Have you ever been asked "What are your values?" in a job interview and felt stumped? Or when facing a major life decision, did you struggle to know what criteria to use?

Surprisingly few people can clearly articulate their values. Yet knowing your values is a crucial key to living a more fulfilling life.

This article provides practical worksheets to help you discover your values step by step.

Why Don't We Know Our Own Values?

There are several common reasons why many people can't clearly articulate their values.

1. Mistaking Others' Values for Our Own

We sometimes internalize values taught by parents, teachers, or society as our own. Beliefs like "You should get a stable job" or "You must be successful" may not actually be your own values—they might be externally imposed. Recognizing this is the first step. You might be experiencing the effects of imposed values.

2. Never Taking Time to Reflect

Many people are too busy with daily life to pause and ask, "What do I truly care about?" Values don't become clear without conscious exploration. Making time for self-reflection is essential.

3. Difficulty Putting Values into Words

You might have a sense of what matters, but expressing it in words is a different skill. Without the right vocabulary or concepts, feelings remain vague. Our "100 Core Values List" can help you find the words.

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." —Aristotle

Values Discovery Worksheets

Use the following worksheets to explore your values. Grab a notebook and pen, and write out your answers as you go.

Exercise 1: Peak Experiences

Recall three moments in your life when you felt most fulfilled, happiest, or proudest.

Experience 1:

When and where was it? What were you doing?
Why was this experience special?
What emotions did you feel?
What value does this experience reveal?

Experience 2:

When and where was it? What were you doing?
Why was this experience special?
What emotions did you feel?
What value does this experience reveal?

Experience 3:

When and where was it? What were you doing?
Why was this experience special?
What emotions did you feel?
What value does this experience reveal?

Exercise 2: Anger Analysis

Recall a recent time when you felt strong anger or frustration. Hidden behind anger are often our most cherished values.

What made you angry?
Why did it feel unacceptable to you?
What value does this anger reveal?

Example: A boss made decisions without listening to team input → felt angry → values "respect," "fairness," "dialogue"

Exercise 3: Money and Time Audit

Looking at how you actually spend money and time reveals your true values.

In the past month...

What did you spend the most money on (beyond necessities)?
What did you spend the most time on (beyond work and sleep)?
What values do these choices reflect?

Ideal allocation...

What would you like to spend more money on?
What would you like to spend more time on?
Why do you want to invest there?

Exercise 4: Role Model Analysis

Name three people you respect or admire. They can be real people, historical figures, or fictional characters.

Person 1:

Who are they?
What do you admire about them?
What values do they embody?

Person 2:

Who are they?
What do you admire about them?
What values do they embody?

Person 3:

Who are they?
What do you admire about them?
What values do they embody?

Common Thread: What do these three people have in common? This reveals your values.

Exercise 5: The Deathbed Perspective

A sobering exercise, but imagining life's end often clarifies what truly matters.

What might you regret not doing at the end of your life?
What do you want to look back on and feel proud of?
At your funeral, how would you want friends and family to remember you?
What values do these answers reveal?

Organizing Your Results

After completing all five exercises, it's time to organize the values that emerged.

Step 1: List All Values

Write down every value that came up across all exercises. Duplicates are fine—if similar words appear multiple times, that's evidence they're important to you.

Step 2: Group Similar Values

Cluster related values together. For example, "friendship," "family," and "connection" might fall under "relationships." For a visual approach, see our guide on "How to Create a Values Map."

Step 3: Choose Your Top 5

Select the five values that matter most to you. If choosing is difficult, ask yourself: "If I could only keep one of these two, which would it be?"

Step 4: Prioritize

Rank your top 5 values from 1 to 5. This can be challenging, but think about what you'd prioritize when values conflict.

Living Your Values Daily

Once you've clarified your values, it's time to put them into practice.

Values Decision Checklist

Before making significant decisions, ask yourself:

Which of my top 5 values does this choice align with?
Which values will be fulfilled, and which might be sacrificed?
In 5 or 10 years, will I be proud of this decision?

Weekly Reflection

Spend 5 minutes each weekend reflecting on the week:

When did I act in alignment with my values this week?
When did I act against my values?
Which value do I want to be more conscious of next week?

Values Can Change

One important thing to remember: values aren't fixed. They evolve through life experiences.

Someone who prioritized "adventure" in their 20s might value "stability" more in their 40s. This is natural. What matters is periodically revisiting your values to confirm what's important to "who you are now."

We recommend completing this worksheet once a year. Comparing with past answers helps you see your growth and evolution.

Continue Your Self-Discovery with Soul Compass

Soul Compass is an app that deepens self-understanding through daily journaling. By answering AI-generated personalized questions, your values and what matters to you naturally become clearer.

Rather than a one-time exercise, making daily journaling a habit leads to deeper self-understanding.

Self-Discovery

Know Your Values
A Self-Analysis Worksheet