Building strong foundations: how core values shape your life

People with clearly defined core values make decisions 3x faster and report higher life satisfaction. Here's how to identify and live by yours.

Brené Brown spent 20 years researching courage, vulnerability, and leadership. One of her most practical findings: people who live by clearly articulated core values are more resilient, make better decisions, and report significantly higher life satisfaction than those who don't. The reason is straightforward: core values act as a decision-making framework. When you know what matters most, every decision — from career moves to daily habits — has a filter. "Does this align with my values?" replaces the exhausting process of analyzing every option from scratch. What core values actually are: Core values aren't aspirational statements you put on a poster. They're the 2-3 principles that genuinely guide your behavior — the things you'd defend even when it costs you. They're revealed by your actions, not your words. If you say you value health but consistently sacrifice sleep for work, work is your actual value. If you say you value family but consistently choose career advancement over family time, career is your actual value. This isn't judgment — it's awareness. You can't align your life with your values until you're honest about what they currently are versus what you want them to be. How to identify your core values: 1. The peak experience exercise. List 3-5 moments in your life when you felt most alive, most fulfilled, most "like yourself." For each moment, ask: What was I doing? Who was I with? What value was being honored? The pattern across these moments reveals your core values. 2. The anger test. What makes you genuinely angry — not mildly annoyed, but deeply upset? Anger often signals a violated value. If injustice makes you angry, fairness is a core value. If dishonesty makes you angry, integrity is a core value. If mediocrity makes you angry, excellence is a co