EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3

Common Values
Values Learned from
Society’s Values School/Education Values Career Values Your Values
Parents
EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3

Core Values and Essential Intentions Worksheet

I. Clarify Your Values

From the following list of values, indicate how important each one is to you.
Values Not Important Extremely
Important Important
Achievement/Accomplishment
Adventure/Excitement
Aesthetics/Beauty
Altruism/Generosity/Sharing
Autonomy/Independence
Equanimity/Emotional Well-­‐being
Courage
Compassion
Creativity/Creative Expression
Effort/Hard Work/Productivity
Emotional Security/Confidence
Emotional Intelligence/Maturity
Determination/Persistence
Family Life/Relationships
Feeling of Choice/Inner Authority
Friendship
Health
Honesty
Humility/Modesty
Justice/Fairness
Kindness
Knowledge/Love of Learning
Love
Loyalty
Morality
Open Heart
EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3

Values Not Important Extremely

Important Important

Open Mindedness/Curiosity
Patience
Pleasure
Power
Recognition/Praise
Security/Safety
Self-Discipline
Skill
Spirituality/Religion
Trust/Trustworthiness
Wealth
Wisdom

Now, choose five of the values you have marked as “Extremely Important.” These will comprise your
core values. List them here:

My core values are

.

II. Identify Your Essential Intentions

From the list of your core values above, develop five essential intentions that you can apply to any
situation you encounter in your daily life. You might use some of the values directly as they are or use
your own wording. For example, if “kindness” is one of your core values, then an essential intention
could be phrased as “I intend to be kind in all my interactions” and if “inner authority” is a core value
for you, then one way you might articulate the essential intention is “I intend to value myself and
remember that I always have choice.” Remember, intentions always relate to the present moment.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
© 2012 Life Balance Institute
EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3

GROUP ACTIVITY: Your Core Values

Assessing Your Core Values

1. It has been chosen freely from among alternatives after thoughtful consideration of the consequences
of each alternative.

2. It is prized, cherished, considered precious and affirmed publicly when appropriate.

3. It is acted upon consistently, modeled for others, and pursued even when there is some cost to doing
so.

• In your group, present one of your top values in relation to the three criteria we just covered.

Your Top Value:

• To what degree do your top values fulfill these criteria?

• What have you done in the past week, for example, that would be a demonstration of that value in
action?

• How does this value relate to your chosen career?

EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3

Goals Chart
Goal Area Short-term Goals Medium-term Goals Long-term Goals
(now-1 week) (1 month-end of semester) (semester-lifetime)

Educational

Career

Financial

Personal
EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3

Modified from InsideFlows: Backcasting – The Natural Step

EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3
Goal Setting Assessment
The following statements are designed to assess your use of goals in your studies and your life. Please mark the
rating which best reflects your own experience for each item. Be as honest as you can in responding to these
statements so that you can create a realistic picture of how you currently use goals to direct your learning and
actions.
Ratings
Never/Rarely Sometimes Often Almost Always

1. I keep a written set of current 1 2 3 4

long-term, medium-term and
short-term goals for my academic,
vocational, and personal life.

2. I have a clear idea of what I want to 1 2 3 4

accomplish by being in school.

3. I know specifically what grade point 1 2 3 4

average I plan to make this semester.

4. When I set a goal I make it specific, 1 2 3 4

measurable, attainable, relevant, and
include a time frame for completing it.

5. I write goals in a positive format– 1 2 3 4

focusing on what I can and will do,
not on what I should avoid doing.

6. I take major goals and divide them 1 2 3 4

into smaller goals which I put into
my schedule for completion.

7. I set goals and monitor my progress 1 2 3 4

towards them on a weekly basis.

8. I keep a daily “to do list” for key tasks 1 2 3 4

and check off those I accomplish.

9. I adjust my actions as necessary to keep 1 2 3 4

on track with my goals.

10. I keep records of my goals and reward 1 2 3 4

myself appropriately when I achieve
them.

Selecting and writing down personally meaningful goals is an important part of achieving them. Without a clear
picture of your goals the path to accomplishing them becomes much more difficult. Well-stated goals aid in
prioritizing your time, attention, and energy in the most effective ways and contribute to your success in those
areas which are most important to you.
 EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3

Be SMART With Your Goals

Turn your dreams into reality by following the SMART goal setting process. SMART goals give
structure and organization to your goals by establishing defined actions, milestones,
objectives and deadlines. Creating SMART goals helps with motivation and focus and keeps
you moving forward. Every goal can be made into a SMART goal!

What exactly do you want to achieve? Avoid vague

terms like “good,” and “more.” The more specific you
are, the most likely you are to succeed. Make your
goal POSITIVE. It’s much easier to do something than
to stopdoing something.
“I will get a 3.5 GPA this semester so that I can apply to the Surgical Tech Program.”

Break your goal down into measurable elements so

youhave concrete evidence of your progress. Using
numbers, quantities or time is a good way to ensure
measurability. Measurement will give you specific
feedback along the way.

“I will study 18 hours per week, 3 hours per day for six days a week.”

A goal should be something to strive and reach for but

something that is achievable and attainable. For

example, completing an Associate’s Degree in one

yearmay not be attainable while working full time
with a family.

“I will complete 9 credit hours this semester while working part-time.”

Your goal should be realistic and relevant. Ask

yourself ifyour goal and timeline is realistic for your
life, why is the goal important to you, and what is the
objective behind your goal? What makes the goal
worthwhile to YOU?

“I will be a Surgical Technician to pursue my interests and provide for my family.”

Your goal should have a clear deadline. This will help

youstay accountable and motivated. Keep the
timeline realistic but also a little challenging to create
a sense of accountability and avoid procrastination.

“I will complete the draft of my research paper one-week before the deadline.”
EDUC 1300 – MMay – Chapter 3

SMART Goal Action Plan

My SPECIFIC goal is:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I will save $500 for books for next semester by saving $50 a week for 10 weeks.”

I will MEASURE it by:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I will check my bank account every week to be sure I am on schedule and will adjust if needed.”

It is ATTAINABLE because:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I work part-time and can bring my lunch to school instead of eating out to save money.”

It is REALISTIC AND RELEVANT to me because:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I want to graduate in two years and paying for textbooks is important so I can stay on plan.”

My TIMELINE for completion is:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I have 12 weeks to save $500. This gives me a two-week cushion in case of the unexpected.”

Potential obstacles I anticipate are:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I will overcome these obstacles by:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I will share my goal with the following people for support, encouragement, and accountability:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After my goal is complete, I will reward myself with (be sure it is proportionate to the goal):

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________