Title: Personal Growth: Your Values, Your Life | Psychology Today
Headings: Personal Growth: Your Values, Your Life
Jim Taylor Ph.D.
Personal Growth: Your Values, Your Life
Are you living your life in accordance with your values?

Content: They say, “Who cares what I do? What I do is not who I am.” I would suggest otherwise, at least to some degree. Assuming people have choices in the career paths they take, which one they choose reflects who they are and what they value. For example, though it's a bit of a generalization, it is probably safe to say that someone who becomes an investment banker has different values than someone who becomes an elementary school teacher. What those underlying values might be may vary, but one might assume that the investment banker values money, while the teacher values education and helping children. Where do you live—do you live in a high-rise apartment in a city, in the suburbs, or in the country—and what values led you there? What activities do you engage in most—cultural, physical, religious, political, social—and what values are reflected in those activities? What do you talk about mostly— politics, religion, the economy, other people—and what does that tell you about your values? Finally, perhaps the most telling question reflecting what you value is: