How to Write a Personal Value Statement

A well written personal value statement can help you hold yourself to a higher standard of personal character as well as give yourself a measuring stick to chart your progress in sticking to your core beliefs. A personal value statement is a short description of the values that are most important to you. You may choose to keep your personal value statement private, share it with your close family and friends, or even use it as a motto to show others what you stand for. Following a few simple steps, you can create your own personal value statement.

Write a list of five or six of your past successes and what values you think contributed to each success. Use an online list of core personal values to spark your imagination (see Resources). You may identify multiple values for each success. Donâ??t be afraid to list the same value multiple times if you believe that particular value was responsible for your success. Extract all of the values that you identify and record them on a separate list. Note which values appear most frequently by placing a star next to those values.

Review your list of core values and rank your values in order of importance to you. Select the most important values and list them in descending order from highest importance. If you are unsure which values are most important, return to your past successes and ask yourself what mattered most. If you still have trouble, give your best guess as to where the value should appear on the list.

Define each value and why it's important to you on a separate sheet of paper. For example, you may write, \"I value integrity because it allows me to be consistent, which shows others that I can be trusted.\" Write a sentence for each value, or a paragraph if you want to go into more detail. Give each value its own separate line, and put the most important values at the top.

Read your personal value statement out loud and listen for places that sound awkward. Revise your personal value statement for grammar and mechanical errors to make it easier to read. Ask a friend or family member to read through your personal value statement and provide feedback. Ask the reader if he can spot any place in the personal value statement that sounds odd or that could be worded better. Make all desired changes and save a copy of your personal value statement.