Values Clarification
What Are ACT Values? Your Life’s Compass
ACT Values (from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) are your heart’s deepest desires for how you want to behave as a human being. They are not goals you check off (like “get promoted”) but rather the ongoing qualities you want to bring to your actions (like “to be a supportive teammate”). They are life directions, not destinations.
Why Are Values Important?
Clarifying your values is the essential first step toward a fulfilling life. They serve as a powerful filter for filtering, setting goals, and making decisions:
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Filtering Decisions: Values act as your personal compass. When faced with a choice, you ask: “Does this action move me toward or away from the person I want to be in this domain?” This makes difficult decisions clearer and faster.
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Setting Goals: Goals that are aligned with your values (known as Committed Action) are intrinsically motivating. They shift your focus from avoiding discomfort to pursuing a meaningful life.
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Prioritizing Efforts: Values clarify where you should invest your finite time and energy. Knowing your most important domains helps you say “no” to things that drain you and “yes” to actions that align with your purpose.
Clarifying Your Core Life Domains
It can be challenging to clearly identify and prioritize your core values. This tool helps to break down the problem by comparing values in pairs, making it easier to see which ones resonate more strongly with you.