Three ways to explore + define your values

Aligning your life + work with what you care about

Considering your values can feel like a surface-level activity, but they shape far more than you realise, influencing your creativity, your sense of direction and even your rhythm. Today I’m wondering…how deep do your values run?

This month I shared some prompts and practices to help you reflect on your Vision, Values and Voice as part of Shape Your Brand Story. Today, I’m publishing a bonus piece to help you linger on values a while longer.

I find this is the part that clients often skim past because they think of it as a simple list-making or box-ticking exercise. But when you consider your values with genuine curiosity, it can become the most meaningful groundwork you’ll ever do. Your values not only influence how you create and how you communicate, they shape the boundaries you set and the energy you bring.

So, I want to invite you into three interesting ways of discovering what truly holds you…approaches to help you feel into your values instead of forcing them.

“Your choices shape your story.”

– Brené Brown

1. Three Rooms: let your spaces speak

Guided by atmosphere, not logic. Perfect if you’re a sensory or visual thinker!

Sometimes the truest values aren’t found in a list. Sure it can be helpful to choose from a premade document. But aligned values are felt.

I’d like you to imagine three rooms that feel unmistakably you. They might be real or entirely imagined. Then, describe each space in detail: the energy, the objects, the textures. You might even think about the light or how you move within the space. Are you shifting slowly and quietly or boldly and playfully?

Now, name the qualities each room holds. Are they calm, grounded, open, vibrant, warm? Group any repeating qualities together and settle on 3-5 that feel natural to you.

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2. Alignment Exercise: your life in motion

Good for reflective people who learn from lived experience and notice patterns…

Your values already live in your behaviour. You just need to notice the patterns.

Think of five moments from the past year when you felt proud of how you showed up. List them. Then consider five moments that left you uneasy or out of alignment. For each one, ask:

• What value was I honouring?

• What value was I betraying?

Make some notes. Where is there repetition? Where are there differences? Then distil into 3-5 themes that are guiding you.

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3. Future Snapshot: visualise your next season

For those whose direction is shaped by curiosity, imagination and seasonality.

Instead of looking years ahead, imagine yourself just one season from now.

What does a day in that life feel like? What are you protecting and what are you prioritising? Where is your energy going and what is bringing you ease?

Extract the qualities inside that vision. Perhaps you’ll note things like bravery, clarity, honesty, reciprocity, spaciousness. They will be unique to you.

Jot all the words down then choose three to five to guide the cycle you’re stepping into.

“What you practice grows stronger.”

– Shauna Shapiro

Want to go deeper?

If you’d like added support, the Brand Seasons® Playdeck includes exercises to guide you. They’re perfect for journaling, visioning or even using alongside the ideas above.

Which of the three exercises will you try? I had a play with the last one, looking ahead to spring (and skipping a whole season, I know). There was something really grounding about imagining where I might be and how I might feel and see a slight shift in focus.

I’d love to know which one you’re drawn to, and what comes up when you sit with it.

If you’d like to keep exploring, consider subscribing to Brand Seasons to receive ongoing prompts and practices straight to your inbox. It’s a supportive place to begin.