How Can Your Core Values Lead To A Healthy Love Life? [EXPERT]

Why are core values important?

Core values form the foundation on which you live and conduct yourself. When you’re in alignment with your core values, you know the direction your life is heading and what’s important to you. You experience more peace, self confidence and well-being.

Without core values, you'll find yourself drifting from relationship to relationship or staying in unhealthy relationships and never really feeling fulfilled. You’ll accept less than you deserve and make decisions because of what your partner said or did rather than who you are and what’s important to you.

When you don’t consciously define your core values, people, places or things sway your decisions. In love relationships, this shows up when you react or respond to the whims of your partner. You may even use your confusion, uncertainty and doubt to rationalize your partner’s bad behavior and question his actions, even though you know you deserve better.

What if you knew for certain what is or isn’t acceptable to you when it comes to love? Imagine how much easier it would be to respect yourself, set boundaries, take solid action and make sound decisions. The challenge and opportunity lie in knowing what’s most important for you to have in your love relationship and partner so you can spend more time enjoying rather than questioning your relationship.

How do I define my core values?

Core values influence everything you do or don’t and may not be in your awareness. They are standards that greatly influence your behavior, attitude and character. These values are deeply personal and affect your emotional and mental disposition. Since these values guide you in making decisions and affect your relationships, it’s important to clearly know what they are.

If you’d like better results in your love life, take the time to consciously define, clarify and live your core values. Grab a pencil and paper, and answer these questions:

• Who am I when I’m at my best? How am I being?
• What are my personal characteristics and strengths when I feel full of energy, most engaged in life and inspired?
• Who has had the greatest influence on me and what are their positive characteristics?
• Who do I admire? What do I admire about that person?
• How do friends and family describe me?
• What do I love about myself?
• What mottos, quotes or sayings inspire me?
• What am I passionate about?
• What inspires me about love?
• What do I love to do? What are the feelings, the emotions I experience from doing those things?

After completing these questions, review the answers and choose the value(s) from each one. For instance, if “joyful, loving, kind and caring” are the answers to, “Who am I when I’m at my best?”, these may be some of your core values. Feel and choose the ones that are most meaningful so that you’ll be inspired to live your life by them.

How do I apply my core values to ensure a fulfilling love life?