Brand Development, Lifestyle Entrepreneur, Small Business, Tips & Advice 0 comments Find Your LifeStyle Entrepreneurship Spirit

Building Your Lifestyle Entrepreneurship Foundations: The Power of Personal Values

Billy

May 16, 2023

Read Time: 9 Minutes

Introduction

When it comes to entrepreneurship, the idea of personal values may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Most people focus on the practical aspects of starting and running a business, such as developing a business plan, identifying a target market, and securing funding. However, personal values play a critical role in shaping the success of an entrepreneur. They help individuals to identify their priorities, make decisions, and stay true to their vision.

This blog will help you create YOUR PILLAR values for yourself

This blog aims to enlighten aspiring lifestyle entrepreneurs on the significance of formulating their own personal values or Pillars. By providing helpful insights, readers will be guided in creating a set of values that will serve as their foundation in their journey towards success.

Table of Contents
- What are Personal Values?
- Why are Personal Values Crucial for Your Lifestyle Entrepreneurship Success?
  - 4 Reasons Why Values are essential for Your Success
- 5 Tips on Creating & Implementing Personal Values for a Lifestyle Entrepreneurship
- Follow these 4 Steps to Discover Your Personal Values
- Key Takwaways
- Summary

What’s a Lifestyle Entrepreneurship? How Prioritizing Lifestyle Transforms Business

The concept of lifestyle entrepreneurship is centered around creating a particular lifestyle for oneself, with business as a means to support that lifestyle. In contrast to traditional entrepreneurship, lifestyle entrepreneurs prioritize their quality of life and work-life balance above all else. By creating a vision that aligns with their personal values and desired lifestyle, lifestyle entrepreneurs are able to transform their businesses from a means of generating income to a tool for living a fulfilling and meaningful life.

What are Personal Values?

Personal values are the beliefs and principles that guide an individual’s behavior and decision-making. They are deeply ingrained in our psyche and reflect what we consider to be important, meaningful, and worthwhile in life. Personal values are not inherited or imposed upon us by society or culture. Instead, they are shaped by our experiences, relationships, and personal growth.

Personal values can be broadly categorized into several areas, such as:

Personal growth and self-improvement
Health and well-being
Family and relationships
Career and achievement
Creativity and self-expression
Community and social responsibility
Spirituality and meaning

Why Are Personal Values Crucial for Your Lifestyle Entrepreneurship Success?

Personal values are crucial for success and fulfillment in lifestyle entrepreneurship. They define your purpose, guide decision-making, shape character and leadership, and enhance well-being. Clear values prevent getting lost or distracted by external pressures. They provide a framework for evaluating opportunities and risks and keep you true to yourself. Embodying values creates a culture of trust, respect, and innovation that attracts talent and customers. Aligning lifestyle entrepreneurship with values leads to purpose, meaning, and satisfaction while prioritizing self-care, balance, and relationships for long-term success and happiness.

4 Reasons why Values are essential for your Success

1: Personal values define your purpose and vision

Personal values reflect your beliefs, passions, and priorities. They define your purpose and vision in life and entrepreneurship. Without clear values, it is easy to get lost or distracted by external pressures or trends. Personal values serve as a compass that guides you towards your goals and motivates you to overcome challenges and setbacks.
2: Personal values drive your decision-making

Personal values help you to make better decisions in your business and personal life. They provide a framework for evaluating opportunities, risks, and trade-offs. Personal values also help you to stay true to yourself and avoid compromising your integrity or ethics for short-term gains. By aligning your actions with your values, you can build a business that reflects your identity and resonates with your customers and stakeholders.
3: Personal values shape your character and leadership
4: Personal values enhance your well-being and fulfillment

Personal values are not only essential for business success but also for personal well-being and fulfillment. When you align your lifestyle entrepreneurship with your values, you experience a sense of purpose, meaning, and satisfaction. Personal values also help you to prioritize self-care, balance, and relationships, which are crucial for long-term success and happiness.

Personal VALUES Analogy – YOUR INNER COMPASS

Finding your personal values as a lifestyle entrepreneur is like having a compass that guides you toward the right actions to take, even through the storms. Your values act as a directional tool, pointing you towards the actions that align with your beliefs and principles, and away from those that don’t.

Just like a compass points towards the true north, your values guide you towards the people, opportunities, and decisions that support your vision and purpose, and away from those that don’t. This guide helps you stay focused on what truly matters, even when faced with distractions, challenges, and temptations.

When you know your personal values, you can make decisions with confidence, knowing that you’re acting in alignment with your beliefs and principles. This clarity and conviction will help you stay true to yourself and your vision, and attract the right people and opportunities into your life and business.

In short, finding your personal values is like having a compass that gives you direction as a lifestyle entrepreneur. It gives you the clarity and conviction to stay true to yourself and your vision, even when the winds of change are blowing. With a strong sense of your values, you’ll have the foundation you need to build a purpose-driven and successful lifestyle business.

5 Tips on Creating & Implementing Personal Values for a Lifestyle Entrepreneurship

As a lifestyle entrepreneur, creating personal values can help you in several ways. Firstly, it can help you to define your purpose and vision for your business. When you know what you stand for and what you want to achieve, it is easier to create a business plan that aligns with your values and goals. Secondly, personal values can help you to make decisions that are consistent with your beliefs and principles. When faced with a difficult choice, you can ask yourself which option aligns best with your values and choose accordingly. Thirdly, personal values can serve as a compass that guides you through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. When you face challenges or setbacks, you can turn to your values to stay focused and motivated.

Here are some steps you can take to create personal values for lifestyle entrepreneurship:

1: Reflect on Your Life Experience

Personal values are deeply rooted in our life experience. Therefore, it is essential to reflect on your life story and identify the moments, people, and events that have shaped your beliefs and principles. Think about the values that were instilled in you by your parents, teachers, mentors, or other role models. Consider the challenges and obstacles you have overcome, the achievements and successes you have celebrated, and the lessons you have learned. Reflect on the activities, hobbies, or interests that bring you joy, passion, and fulfillment. These reflections can help you to identify the core values that are important to you.
2: Identify Your Core Values
Once you have reflected on your life experience, it is time to identify your core values. Core values are the fundamental beliefs that define who you are and what you stand for. They are the guiding principles that inform your behavior, decisions, and goals. Core values are not a laundry list of desirable traits or qualities. Instead, they are a concise and meaningful expression of your identity and purpose. To identify your core values, ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I value most in life?
- What motivates and inspires me?
- What are the principles that I would never compromise?
- What qualities do I admire and respect in others?
- What kind of legacy do I want to leave in the world?
Some examples of core values that may be relevant to lifestyle entrepreneurship are:
- Authenticity: Being true to yourself and your vision, even if it means going against the norms or expectations.
- Creativity: Expressing your unique ideas and talents in innovative and meaningful ways.
- Integrity: Upholding your ethical and moral standards in all your actions and decisions.
- Impact: Making a positive difference in the world and leaving a lasting legacy.
- Growth: Continuously learning, evolving, and improving yourself and your business.
- Freedom: Enjoying flexibility, autonomy, and independence in your lifestyle and work.
- Service: Contributing to the well-being and happiness of others through your products, services, or philanthropy.
3: Define Your Values

Defining your core values definitions is a crucial step in helping you portray the person you are to others and yourself.A sound approach is to begin with your fundamental beliefs and jot down each value, accompanied by its definition from the Oxford Dictionary and your own personal interpretation. The choice of words is of vital importance, as meanings can vary from individual to individual. By defining the terminology for yourself, you can handpick the appropriate and profoundly significant words that truly mirror your personal values. Embrace this process and cement your values to gain the confidence to stand firm by them.
4: Prioritize Your Values
Once you have identified your core values, it is essential to prioritize them. Prioritization means ranking your values in order of importance or relevance to your goals and vision. Prioritizing your values can help you to make better decisions, allocate your resources wisely, and maintain focus and clarity. Prioritization also means acknowledging that some values may conflict with each other or require trade-offs. For example, if you value freedom and impact, you may need to choose between expanding your business and maintaining a minimalist lifestyle. To prioritize your values, ask yourself:
- Which values are non-negotiable and essential to my identity and purpose?
- Which values are more important in the short term and the long term?
- Which values are complementary and synergistic, and which ones are contradictory and competing?
- Which values are aligned with my customers’ needs, expectations, and values?
5: Integrate Your Values into Your Business
Once you have created and prioritized your personal values, it is time to integrate them into your business. Integrating your values means aligning your business practices, products, and services with your core values. It means creating a business that reflects who you are and what you stand for. It also means communicating your values to your stakeholders, including your customers, partners, employees, and investors. Here are some ways to integrate your values into your business:
- Mission statement: Create a mission statement that encapsulates your vision, purpose, and values. Make sure that your mission statement is clear, concise, and inspiring.
- Brand identity: Develop a brand identity that reflects your values and personality. Choose colors, fonts, and imagery that convey your message and resonate with your target audience.
- Products and services: Design products and services that align with your values and meet your customers’ needs. Use sustainable, ethical, and innovative practices to create value for your customers and society.
- Marketing and communication: Communicate your values through your marketing and communication strategies. Use storytelling, social media, and content marketing to connect with your audience and build trust.
- Leadership and culture: Build a culture that embodies your values and fosters growth, creativity, and collaboration. Lead by example and empower your team to share your values and vision.

Follow These 4 Steps to Discover your Personal Values

Step 1: WordSmithing

Grab a dictionary (Or use Google), a thesaurus, and be prepared to look for Synonyms.

Reflect on your lived experience and source some core value words.
- Don’t hold back, the aim is to brain-dump as many words as possible.

Note: Values are often expressed as single nouns or adjectives, such as ‘innovative’, ‘reliable’, ‘fun’, ‘humility’, ‘profitability’, or ‘customer focused’.

Step 2: Refine your Selection

This is the toughest part, as you’ll need to narrow down your choices to just three key values that resonate with you.

Pick the right words (Slim it down to 3 or 5 words)

Then REVIEW

With the 3 words, review their meanings.
- It might sound a bit funny, but we all have our own ways of understanding and using words. To make sure you’re using the right ones, why not check your trusty dictionary? Take a look and see if they’re the right fit for you.
If they don’t feel right, try another three until you find your three.

Step 3: Make Meaning

You’ve got the dictionary definition of your words, so let’s take it to the next level and craft your own personal definitions!

What does that word mean to you?
- If you can rewrite the meaning with you in mind, what would that definition be?

Let’s have some fun! Start by writing down your initial reaction to what the word could mean for you. Don’t overthink it, just let your instincts guide you. Trust yourself and enjoy the process!

Step 4: It’s All About You!

Picking the perfect value words is important because they represent who you are! Make sure you choose ones that truly reflect your personality. It’s all about finding words that feel right and make you feel connected to yourself.

Write each core value on a sheet/slip of paper.
- Write down the dictionary and your personal definition that value word.
Then, place these in a room that you visit often. (I recommend the bathroom)
- Give yourself a week and see if these valuess are right for you.

Hey, just a friendly tip:

When choosing your core values, it’s best to stick to 3-5 words. I know it can be tempting to include everything that’s important to you, but trust me, being selective is key. This way, you can communicate a clear and accurate picture of who you are and what you stand for. If you go over 5 words, your personal brand can lose its true significance and become a symbol of everything, which means you stand for nothing. So, choose your words wisely and let your values shine through!

Key Takeaways

Personal values are the beliefs and principles that guide an individual’s behavior and decision-making.
Personal values are shaped by our experiences, relationships, and personal growth.
Personal values can be broadly categorized into several areas, such as personal growth, health, family, career, creativity, community, and spirituality.
Creating personal values for lifestyle entrepreneurship can help entrepreneurs to define their purpose and vision for their business, make decisions consistent with their beliefs and principles, and stay focused and motivated.
4 Tips in creating personal values for lifestyle entrepreneurship include reflecting on your life experience, identifying your core values, prioritizing your values, and integrating your values into your business.
To integrate your values into your business, you can create a mission statement, develop a brand identity, establish business practices, products, and services that reflect your values, and communicate your values to stakeholders.

Summary

Creating personal values is essential for anyone aspiring to become a lifestyle entrepreneur. Personal values help individuals to define their purpose, make decisions, and stay true to their vision. Personal values are not a luxury or a nice-to-have; they are necessary for success and happiness. You can create a meaningful and fulfilling lifestyle entrepreneurship journey by reflecting on your life experience, identifying your core values, prioritizing them, and integrating them into your business. Personal values are the pillars that guide you through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and shape your character. When you know what you stand for, you can create a business that reflects your true identity and purpose.

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