Uncovering Your Values
- Priscilla Schwartzman
- Jun 20
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 23
Uncovering Your Values: Because your values can guide you back to yourself.
What You’ll Learn
How to notice moments that invite reflection and reconnect with your inner compass.
Why values are essential in shaping identity, decisions, and daily choices.
Simple practices to embody and act from your core values.
How therapy can support you in uncovering and aligning with your personal values.Have you ever noticed how certain moments in life seem to invite reflection, not with urgency, but with a quiet pull inward?
Perhaps it’s the stillness of morning light filtering through the trees, or the way your breath slows when you walk a familiar path. These small pauses have a way of reconnecting us with what matters. Not the noise, not the roles we perform, but the steady truths that live just beneath the surface.
At the heart of these truths are your values, the principles that shape how you live, love, and choose.
This week, we turn inward to explore those guiding anchors. Because living from your values isn’t about perfection. It’s about finding your way back to alignment, again and again.
"You are not what happened to you. You are what you choose to become." Carl Jung
Experiencing a Micro-Moment to Connect with Values
At the centre of a sand labyrinth, a man steps slowly, mid-motion. The tide murmurs in the distance. There’s no clear destination, just the path beneath his feet and the quiet unfolding of each next choice.
With each step, the question isn’t “Where am I going?” but “What matters right now?” In the soft rhythm of movement, values begin to emerge. Not as rules, but as gentle signals, offering direction.
This is the quiet work of alignment. Not solving or striving, but pausing long enough to feel what really guides you underneath the noise.
How Values Shape Identity and Daily Choices
Have you ever paused to reflect on what truly defines you? Beyond your career, daily habits, or relationships, your values sit at the core of who you are. These aren’t just words or ideals. They are the internal compass shaping your identity, decisions, and the way you show up in the world.
In Gestalt therapy, we invite a present-moment awareness of what feels real and true. Values act as anchors for this awareness. When we know what matters most, we can notice more clearly when we are in or out of alignment. From that noticing, change becomes possible, not forced, but chosen.
Values such as integrity, compassion, and creativity guide not only how we act, but how we interpret our experiences. When we stray from these values, life often feels disconnected or frustrating. When we return to them, there is a subtle but powerful sense of homecoming.
Imagine the difference between making a decision from fear or pressure, versus choosing based on your values. The former may lead to stress, regret, or confusion. The latter? It builds self-trust. It deepens your sense of authenticity. It brings peace.
Let’s ground this in the here and now: What do you notice in your body when you think about a value you hold dear? Perhaps courage brings a lift in your chest. Or maybe kindness shows up as a softening in your shoulders. These embodied cues are important. They help you feel your way back to what matters.
Simple Practices to Embody Your Values
This simple somatic practice can help you reconnect with your values:
Find a quiet space where you can sit or stand comfortably.
Take a slow breath in. Let it go gently.
Place a hand over your heart or belly.
Ask yourself: What value do I want to embody today?
Stay with the question. Notice what arises.
Take one small action that aligns with that value.
Small actions grounded in intention often ripple out in meaningful ways.
Reflecting on Your Personal Compass
If you’re not sure what your core values are, try reflecting on these prompts:
When have I felt most proud of myself? What value was I honouring?
What frustrates me or feels out of alignment? What value might be unmet?
Who inspires me, and what qualities do they embody?
Your answers don’t need to be perfect or final. Values can evolve. The key is to listen to what feels true now.
How Therapy Can Support Values Alignment
Working with a counsellor or psychotherapist can help you gently uncover and explore your values in a safe, supportive way. Through online therapy, telehealth or in-person sessions, you have the space to notice patterns, process emotional blocks, and come into greater alignment.
A therapy session is not about fixing who you are, it’s about meeting yourself more fully. With the right therapeutic relationship, you can reconnect with what matters, gain clarity, and build a life that reflects your truth.
As a registered Australian counsellor and psychotherapist, I offer online counselling services across the country. Whether you're exploring your values for the first time or realigning after a life change, this work is deeply supported in therapy.
Key Takeaways
Values are the subtle signals guiding choices, behaviour, and identity.
Pausing and noticing these cues builds self-trust and authenticity.
Small, intentional actions help embody values consistently.
Therapy can accelerate alignment and provide clarity.
FAQs: Uncovering Your Values
Q: How do I know what my core values are?
A: Reflect on moments of pride, frustration, or inspiration. Values show up as what feels meaningful or uncomfortable when ignored.
Q: Can values change over time?
A: Yes. Values can evolve. The goal is to notice what feels most true in your current life.
Q: How can I use values in decision-making?
A: Use values as a guide. Ask: Does this choice honour my values? This builds alignment and reduces stress.
Q: Can therapy help me identify my values?
A: Absolutely. A counsellor can support reflection, help you notice patterns, and explore how to act from alignment. Working with someone like Priscilla, a registered Gestalt-informed therapist, can offer the space and guidance to tune into what truly matters to you, especially when life feels noisy or unclear.
Journal Prompt to Take Away
What value do I want to express more fully this week?
Let your answer arise without pressure. Trust what you notice.
Continue the Journey
Learn more or book a free connection call at here.
If this reflection resonated, explore more themes check out my blog library.
