The Values Exercise That Changes How You See Your Work | One of a Mind

Most people have heard the advice: "get clear on your values." It sounds straightforward. But in practice, values can feel abstract - especially when we're trying to connect them to something as concrete as how we run a business or show up in our work.

Here's a different way in.

Start with what energizes and what drains

Instead of starting with a list of words - integrity, creativity, connection - start with recent experience. Think back over the last few weeks of your work. Identify:

• Three moments when you felt genuinely energized, engaged, or proud - even quietly so
• Three moments when you felt drained, resentful, or like you were performing rather than contributing

Don't analyze them yet. Just name them. The pattern that emerges between the two lists is often a more honest map of your values than any abstract exercise.

What the pattern reveals

If the energizing moments consistently involve connection with people and the draining ones involve working in isolation, connection is likely a core value. If the energizing moments involve creative problem-solving and the draining ones involve repetition, creativity is worth paying attention to.

This is not about optimizing your schedule or restructuring your business tomorrow. It's about listening to the information your actual experience is already offering.

The borrowed rules layer

Here's where it gets interesting. Once you've identified some patterns, ask: are there things in my "energizing" list that I do purely out of obligation or expectation? And are there things in my "draining" list that I continue doing because stepping back from them would feel like failure or letting someone down?

Many of us carry what we might call borrowed commitments - things we said yes to based on who we were or what we believed was required of us, rather than on genuine alignment. Noticing these isn't about abandoning them. It's about seeing them clearly.

Values are not permanent

One thing worth saying clearly: your values are allowed to evolve. What mattered most to you five years ago may not be what matters most today. This is not inconsistency - it's growth.

A values-aligned work life is not a destination you reach once. It's an ongoing conversation between who you are and what you're doing - one that requires periodic honest check-ins.

The most useful thing about identifying your values is not that it gives you a fixed answer. It's that it gives you a different quality of question to bring to your decisions.