In this module, you will explore your personal values, your core beliefs, and your driving forces: vision & mission. Understanding what builds you and what motivates you, will provide a solid foundation for your self-leadership journey. As you work through this module, use your journal to reflect on your experiences, insights, and growth.
Goals:
- Identify your personal values and understand why they are important.
- Identify your core beliefs and how they impact you.
- Develop your own personal vision & mission statements.
- Reflect on how your vision, mission, beliefs, and values align with your personal and professional goals.
Identify your values in 3 simple steps
Step 1: Brainstorm the question "What's important to me in life?“. Make sure to write down anything and everything!
Step 2: Review each item from Step 1, if it’s something you can DO or HAVE, and ask “What does that give me?” until you get to a value! For those items that you can’t do or have, they may as well already be values, so just keep them on the list. Rewrite the new list.
Step 3: Narrow down the list to a top 5. You can group connected words together by using slashes (like “honesty/truth/authenticity”), if the case. Make sure you put the most important words at the front, aiming to rank your values.
Ask the question “Which one I can’t do without?” and write them down on the below left to right axis, keeping as close to the left as possible the ones which matter most. This way, you will get to the ranking easier.
Identify your personal beliefs with 3 simple questions
Step 0: Identify which was your biggest setback in your career, in your personal life, or in your entrepreneurial activity. Think back to that situation and get ready to answer the following.
Step 1: What do you tell yourself about YOURSELF on that topic? Make sure to write down at least 3 sentences. To ensure you get CURRENT beliefs, base your answers on what you are telling yourself NOW about that topic.
Step 2: What do you tell yourself about OTHERS on that topic? And know that others can be: the other parties involved in that episode, your family, your friends, your co-workers, your managers, your neighbors, or just about anyone else. Again, write down at least 3 sentences.
Step 3: What do you tell yourself about THE TOPIC itself? Write down at least 3 sentences that come to you fast. Don’t overthink what you are thinking!
You now have extracted at least 9 core beliefs, some of which may be unhealthy or limiting.
Check out video 2 of Module 1, to refresh how to identify unhealthy or limiting beliefs!
Find your vision & mission using Dilt’s Model
This is how Dilt’s Logical Model looks like, with its 8 levels:
You will need to get 8 small pieces of paper and get ready to write on them with only 1 word on each, the name of each level when you reach it. On each piece of paper, you will put down at your feet and step on it, as a sign you have entered that level. It might sound silly, but believe in us until the end! You will see what is revealed with these 8 tiny steps, in the closing questions.
This exercise is not meant to be written in full in your working Journal. But with the closing questions, you will be invited to reflect on what you experienced and debrief it in this Journal. So, answer the questions for each of the 8 levels in their due order, one at a time, saying your answers out loud, so you commit to them as your own.
Know that you can re-use this exercise in the context of your ideal relationship, your ideal place of living, your ideal workplace, and so on. Adjust the opening questions by changing the parts in bold and those that don’t fit properly.
In order to start, we need to set up the stage for the exercise. You will read these opening questions below and answer them only out loud. If it helps, after you read the question, you can close your eyes and visualize your answer before saying it out loud.
Questions for opening:
- It’s a new day. You are in the ideal context for your entrepreneurial business. You are getting ready to go to your office. You go towards your wardrobe, and you prepare your outfit. What do you choose to wear? What shoes do you put on? What accessories do you add?
- You start your journey towards your ideal place for your business. How far is it? How do you get there?
- You arrived in front of the building. What does the building look like? What is around it? What floor is this place you are going to?
- You are in front of the entrance door. What does it look like?
- You entered the door. What do you see around you?
Questions for the 8 levels:
- Environment | How is the light? What time of day is it? How is the space organized? What are the colors you see? What else do you see? How does it smell? What textures do you feel around you? Who surrounds you?
- Behavior | How do you behave? What do you do? What actions do you take? What types of moves/movements do you envision you have in this ideal context? What would others see you do?
- Skills | What do you know how to do? What skills do you have?
- Beliefs or Thoughts | What do you think of yourself? What do you say to yourself? What do you think of others? What do you say to others? What becomes possible in this place? What can be difficult in this place?
- Values | What is important to you? What do you feel strongly connected to? What are your values?
- Identity | Who are you in this place? What parts of your inner self come to the surface?
- Mission | What is your big goal? What are you heading towards?
- Vision | What is the point? What sense does it make for you?
Questions for closing:
- Looking back at all the stages you went through, what is revealed?
- What do you see? What becomes obvious?
- What would you tell yourself at the beginning?
Reflections for Module 1:
- What insights did you gain about yourself while working on these exercises?
- Which are the areas in your life or career, where your actions don't align with your vision or mission? What steps can you take to address this misalignment?
- How can you use your personal vision, mission, and values to guide your self-leadership journey?
Additional resources:
Tools
Make sure you took the Personal Values assessment, referenced in the pre-requisites: https://www.valuescentre.com/tools-assessments/pva/ .
Books
- "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brené Brown
- "Emotional Intelligence 2.0" by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
Closing thoughts
Congratulations on completing Module 1!
You have taken the first step toward self-leadership by discovering your personal values, your vision & mission. Use this new understanding as a guiding force throughout your personal and professional life.
Remember to revisit your vision statement and core values regularly, as they may evolve and change over time.
Continue your journey in Module 2, where you'll explore your fears and limiting beliefs.
