Do you sometimes feel adrift when making financial choices, unsure if your decisions truly reflect what matters most to you?
Understanding your personal values is key to making financial decisions that secure your future and bring genuine fulfillment. Embracing and identifying these values can transform your financial decision-making process. When your financial choices mirror your core beliefs, you create a harmonious and satisfying life.
When your values and financial decisions clash, it often results in stress, dissatisfaction, and instability. So today, let's delve into uncovering your personal values and using them to guide your financial decisions effectively.
By the end of this article, you'll have a clear roadmap for aligning your financial actions with your deepest values, leading to better financial health and greater personal satisfaction.
Many people struggle with financial decisions because they haven't identified their personal values. This often leads to choices that neither satisfy nor support their long-term goals, resulting in regret, stress, and instability.
Consider Steve Jobs. He left Apple in 1985 to start NeXT. Despite setbacks, he stayed true to his values of innovation and excellence. His persistence led to his successful return to Apple and the creation of groundbreaking products.
Contrary to popular belief, focusing solely on financial gain without considering personal values can yield significant success and wealth. However, this approach often leads to a lack of personal fulfillment and increased stress. Many Wall Street executives achieve substantial financial success but report high levels of stress and low job satisfaction.
A lack of clarity about personal values often drives people to chase financial goals that don’t truly satisfy them. Many follow societal norms and expectations without reflecting on what genuinely matters to them.
Other contributing factors:
To make better financial decisions, individuals must uncover and align their personal values with their financial actions. This alignment leads to more meaningful and satisfying financial outcomes.
1. Shalom Schwartz's Theory of 10 Universal Values
Shalom Schwartz, a renowned psychology professor, unveiled a groundbreaking theory identifying ten universal personal values. These values, applicable across diverse cultures, form the foundation of his work. Collaborating with over 150 researchers, Schwartz's theories and methods have been applied in more than 80 countries, showcasing their global relevance.
The framework he devised consists of ten overarching value themes and 57 individual values, each fundamental to human motivation. Schwartz’s theory doesn’t just list values; it organizes them into a motivational continuum. Adjacent values support and complement each other, creating harmony. Conversely, values on opposite ends of the spectrum clash, highlighting inherent conflicts in human motivation.
Schwartz’s work not only maps out these values but also explains their intricate relationships, offering profound insights into what drives us as individuals and societies.
Here are my core values based on the assessment from DiscoverYourValues.com
Take your free Personal Values Assessment here.
2. The VIA Institute on Character
The VIA Survey is the another free, scientific survey of character strengths in the world. Take this simple, 10 minute character test and discover your greatest strengths.
I took mine in 2019.
Lastly, if you want a deep, reflective questions that you can do during the weekend.
3. The Top 5 Questions to Uncover Your Personal Values
Aligning financial decisions with personal values nurtures a meaningful and satisfying life, contributing to long-term financial stability and personal fulfillment.
By understanding and incorporating your personal values into your financial decisions, you can create a life that is not only financially secure but also deeply fulfilling.
To your intentional life,
Kuya Jay
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