Getting lost in the noise of our never-ending social feeds is easy. During this activity, you will consider what values best represent and are most important to you. It’s more complicated than it sounds! Figuring out your true self will help you narrow your feeds to only those adding value to your life and help refine how you present yourself online.
Instructions
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR VALUES ARE
Values go deeper and underpin our personality traits and our behavior. Your values are essential to you being you, driving how you act and relate to the world, and tend to stay mostly the same over time.
RANK
Categorize the suggested values from Very Important, Quite Important, or Not So Important to you. Feel free to add additional values — this list is just a starting point!
REDUCE
Hopefully, you now have 10 or more values that are important to you. Can you narrow this list down further? Which are the 6 most essential drivers that make you, you?
REFLECT
What’s surprising? Are there times when you don’t feel you have acted according to your identified values? How about the ways you act and the worlds you inhabit online?
Suggested Values
ACCEPTANCE To be open to and accepting of myself, others, and life
ADVENTURE To actively seek, create, or explore novel or stimulating experiences
AUTHENTICITY To be authentic, genuine, real; to be true to myself
BEAUTY To appreciate and nurture beauty in myself, others, or the environment
CARING To be caring towards myself, others, or the environment
COMPASSION To act with kindness toward those who are suffering
CONNECTION To engage fully in whatever I am doing, and be present with others
CONTRIBUTION To help or make a positive difference to myself or others
CONFORMITY To be respectful and obedient of rules and obligations
COOPERATION To be cooperative and collaborative with others
CREATIVITY To be innovative in everything that I do
CURIOSITY To be open-minded and interested; to explore and discover
ENCOURAGEMENT To acknowledge and reward behavior that I value in myself or others
EQUALITY To treat others as equal to myself, and vice-versa
EXCITEMENT To seek, create, and engage in activities that are stimulating or thrilling
FAIRNESS To be fair to myself or others
FITNESS To maintain or improve my physical and mental health and well-being
FLEXIBILITY To adjust and adapt readily to changing circumstances
FREEDOM To choose how I live and behave, or help others do likewise
FRIENDLINESS To be companionable or agreeable to others
FORGIVENESS To be forgiving towards myself or others
FUN To seek, create, and engage in fun-filled activities
GENEROSITY To be sharing and giving to myself or others
GRATITUDE To be appreciative of the positive aspects of myself, others, and life
HONESTY To be truthful and sincere with myself and others
HUMOR To see and appreciate the humorous side of life
HUMILITY To be humble or modest; to let my achievements speak for themselves
INDUSTRY To be industrious, hard-working, and dedicated in what I do
INDEPENDENCE To be self-supportive, and choose my own way of doing things
INTIMACY To open up and reveal myself in my personal relationships
JUSTICE To uphold justice and fairness in my life
KINDNESS To be compassionate, considerate, or caring towards myself and others
LOVE To act lovingly or affectionately towards myself and others
ORDER To be orderly and organized
PATIENCE To wait calmly for what I want
PERSISTENCE To continue resolutely, despite problems or difficulties
PLEASURE To create and give pleasure to myself or others
POWER To strongly influence others by leading and organizing
RADICAL Embracing extremes from the usual or ordinary thought or action
RESPECT To be polite and how positive regard toward myself and others
RESPONSIBILITY To be accountable for my actions
SAFETY To secure, protect, or ensure safety of myself and others
SELF-AWARENESS To be aware of my own thoughts, feelings, patterns, and actions
SELF-CARE To look after my health and well-being, and get my needs met
SELF-DEVELOPMENT To keep improving my knowledge, skills, character, and life experience
SPIRITUALITY To connect with things bigger than myself
SKILLFULNESS To continually practice and improve things I’m good at
SUPPORTIVENESS To be helpful, encouraging, and available to myself and others
TRUST To be loyal, faithful, sincere, and reliable to myself and others
Reflections & Actions
Look back at your values. Out of the classroom and given space, do they still feel right? Were they affected by what other students came up with?
Think back over the last couple of months and write down some times you felt these values came through—it could be a sporting event, something you did within your family, or something you said.