My Core Values

I hadn't ever felt called to explicitly identify my core values until a friend asked me what mine were. Through an exercise within a Brene Brown book, she identified two core values for herself. Discussion helped me realize that one benefit of knowing ourselves in a few words included better decision making. When between two decisions, we can lean on our core values to show us which decision best aligns with ourselves. How should we spend our limited time when we don't know what is most important?

I did the core value exercise and picked two. Deeper reflection showed me over the next year that I'd picked two core values that were actually byproducts of a deeper value. For example, I value kindness; however, I don't usually weigh two options and pick one because it's kinder. Kindness usually just makes the most sense. In the fall of 2025, I attended a conference where I met an ex-CEO looking to break into the space industry. He pointed me toward a list of around 230 values, and I slowly narrowed it down to the four that I have listed here. I tried putting them in a hierarchical order of importance until realizing they actually form a cycle.

When I find wonder in my experiences, new wisdom follows. Wisdom gives me more freedom in my life. Freedom lets me explore. Exploration results in finding wonder in my experiences.

Turning my core values into principles:

1. Wonder – I cultivate awe, curiosity, and gratitude for daily life, finding value and beauty in it all.

2. Freedom – I make decisions intentionally that advance my life and purpose moment to moment.

3. Exploration – I exist with initiative through the pursuit of new experiences, perspectives, and growth.

4. Wisdom – I apply insight gained from my experiences into living a better life.