Last month I was in Denver, CO as part of a mastermind I’m in (yep – coaches need coaches too), and we did an exercise around core values.

Essentially – we had to take a list of 100+ terms, isolate them to 10 and then choose 5 that capture the things you desire most in life.

…then we had to order them.

I’ve known my number one core value for a long time.

It’s Freedom.

Freedom of finances. Freedom of place. Freedom of time. Freedom of self expression.

To be who I want to be, when I want to be it, where I want to be.

It’s why the boxes I was encouraged to fit into as a child felt so restrictive.

It’s why entrepreneurship feels like the coziest sweater I’ve ever worn.

Every action I have taken in the last 8 years has been in support of my desire for freedom.

But, I want to share my other values with you too – for two reasons.

1) I want you to understand me better, and how I see the world and,

2) I want you to do this exercise for yourself. Bonus points if you do it with your partner/spouse or anyone on your team…

My #2 was Health.

You probably know I owned a gym for 5 years and have identified as an athlete most of my life… but for me the word health wasn’t just about physical health. It is about mental health too.

As a therapy going – alternative medicine - mental health advocate I know that if I am not physically, or mentally well none of the other things that I desire or care about will matter.

One of the ways I support this is not taking client meetings before 11am so I can do the things to get my mind and my body right before I dive into my day.

My #3 is Respect.

I am a high-achieving person (I like gold stars) and earning the respect of others is important to me. I desire to make an impact in the lives of others, and by doing so, I desire respect in the process.

There are other words here – like affluence, intelligence, and power that could also apply – but for me, if you are respected, you likely have all of those things too.

I haven’t always been unapologetic about my desire for respect, but I’m getting there!

My #4 is Openness.

It is really important to me to be able to hear multiple perspectives and be a life-long learner.

One of my favourite things to say to people is “I’m not here to be right, I’m here to learn/help/be supportive”

I absolutely LOVE learning from people. I love hearing what makes you tick, and what you are trying.

I have a genuine curiosity for all things, but also desire to be a soft landing space for anyone who has an opinion, experience, or voice to share.

And lastly, my final core value is Loyalty.

I am, and will always be an absolute pitbull for the people I love, and the clients in my world.

I am an incredibly loyal person.

It is something I am really really proud of – and it’s a trait that I am so glad has carried over into my business.

Once you become a client, I will love you and care about your business forever. I will have your back forever.

Freedom. Health. Respect. Openness. Loyalty.

Every decision I make in my business HAS to align with one of these values, or get me closer to fulfilling them completely – if it doesn’t, it doesn’t happen.

I’m curious, what are yours?

Have a look at this list – give yourself 20 mins, and select 10-20 that feel like a fit for you… then narrow it down to 5.

Don’t hesitate to share them with me!