Last week I told you about my scientific inquiry into the 10 core values that actually make a difference in the quality of life for all people, no matter their gender, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. This week I want to clarify the difference between a value and a belief.

Training to be a life coach, I learned that for most coaches the first step in personal strategic planning is encouraging a person to clarify his or her set of core values. Once these values are clarified, you next develop a set of goals based on those values. These goals are used to create an action plan, which will then be started with the idea that achieving the goal will yield increased levels of happiness, contentment and satisfaction with life.  

It is generally assumed that one person’s core values are as good as another’s, and that everybody has a right to his or her core values. When people think like this they fail to distinguish between core values and core beliefs.

Beliefs are ideas people have about what is good and right. These ideas exist somewhere inside a person’s mind. Values, on the other hand, are those things, interpersonal events and conditions of human life that have natural, inherent or intrinsic worth. Values have an existence independent of beliefs, ideas or thoughts about what we need to become and remain happy, content and satisfied with life.  

The problem with basing personal strategic planning simply on a belief becomes evident when we consider the fact that for thousands of years everybody “believed” the Earth was flat. People “believed” that by sailing too far out to sea, a ship would fall off the end of the Earth. Based on this belief sailors limited how far they would venture away from land. Once it was discovered that this belief did not reflect reality, people were able to accomplish goals that were previously unimaginable.   

Within the past 10 years something similar has occurred with respect to the reality of core values. My own scientific study has uncovered a set of values that will actually enhance everybody’s quality of life and emotional well-being.

If you haven’t done so yet, please click here to learn about these core values. Take my General Inventory of Life Satisfaction survey and see where you stand with respect to each of the 10 core values. This exercise will help you in my future articles, which will explore enhancing each of these values.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Douglas Ramm is a psychologist, philosopher, author and leading researcher in the field of emotional well-being, contentment and life satisfaction. He has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows where he shares insights for enhancing quality of life. Discover how to enhance yours here.]

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