If you’ve identified your values you may be wondering how they connect to living in balance. The truth is, balance becomes more sustainable when your life reflects what matters most to you (your values). Read on to find out what that actually looks like and why it feels so different from the usual balance advice.
What Are Core Values?
If you’ve read How to Identify Your Personal Core Values you’ll know that values give us direction in life and help us understand what matters to us and what doesn’t. They also give us a foundation for living in balance in a way that feels true to who we are. Hopefully you should have a good idea of what your values are but if not, take a look at 10 Real Life Core Values Examples for some inspiration.
What Living By Values Actually Means
It’s More Than Just Knowing Your Values
Knowing your values is the first step towards living a life that feels true to who you are. But just knowing them isn’t enough because if you don’t do anything with that knowledge, nothing changes.
It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of thinking things through without actually putting them into practice, so if that sounds familiar, trust yourself to take the next step. When you start making decisions based on your values instead of what others expect, your daily choices begin to reflect what really matters to you.
It’s About Alignment, Not Perfection
Many people see balance as doing less or having your life perfectly structured. But living by your values is more about making sure your time and energy go towards what matters to you.
Life doesn’t always run smoothly so there will be days when you feel like you’re failing. But what matters most is that over time, your actions and choices generally feel connected to the things that are most important to you.
Signs You’re Ready For Values-Based Balance
When you know what your core values are, it’s natural for questions to come up. You might be thinking things like:
- “I know my values, but I still feel overwhelmed by all my commitments”
- “How do I balance competing values like family and career?”
- “I want my values to guide my choices, but I have responsibilities I can’t ignore”
- “I’m tired of feeling pulled in different directions all the time”
These are all signs that you’re craving a more intentional way of living in balance, one that reflects your values and not just your to-do list.
Why Traditional Balance Advice Doesn’t Work
It Assumes Everyone Values the Same Things
Traditional advice about balance often treats all activities as equally important, but this overlooks the fact that people are unique and live their lives differently. What feels fulfilling to one person might feel draining to someone else, so when balance is approached in a one-size-fits-all way, it’s harder to make choices that actually feel supportive.
Balance looks and feels different when it’s based on your own values. This is what makes living in balance feel sustainable rather than forced.
It Focuses on Time Instead of Energy and Fulfilment
The problem with focusing on time alone is that it doesn’t account for how those hours actually feel. So if you spend two hours doing something you love it feels completely different to two hours doing something you dread. Have you noticed how time seems to fly by when you’re having fun and drag when you’re not?
It’s not just about how much time you give to each area of your life, but how that time affects you. When your activities are aligned with your values, they support living in balance even when they’re challenging.
It Treats All Seasons of Life the Same
We can’t expect the same balance formula to work for everyone. Your circumstances and capacity change over time so what feels manageable at one point in your life might feel overwhelming in another. Your version of balance will shift according to what’s going on in your life, whether that’s building a career, navigating a major change, focusing on yourself or caring for others.
Your values tend to stay pretty consistent, but how you express them often needs to adapt to what life looks like right now. If you value connection, that might mean regular catch ups with friends when you have the space or a quick message when life feels full. The value itself stays the same, but the way you live it shifts to fit your current capacity. This kind of flexibility is a key part of living in balance over time.
How Living in Balance Feels When It’s Guided by Your Values
Less Internal Conflict
When you’re living in a way that’s aligned with your values, life balance starts to feel more natural. Your choices feel less forced and you spend less time second guessing yourself. Making decisions is less draining because you’re clear on what matters to you and your choices feel obvious.
Energy That Sustains You
Even during busy times, things feel more manageable when your activities line up with what matters to you. You might still feel tired at the end of the day, but it comes from meaningful effort which is very different to feeling empty and drained. When your actions reflect your values, they give you energy instead of draining it.
Guilt-Free Boundaries
When you’re clear on your values, saying no feels necessary instead of selfish. You start to have confidence in your choices and worry less about pleasing others. Knowing what matters makes your priorities obvious, so setting boundaries becomes a natural part of living the life you want.
Flexibility Without Losing Yourself
With clear values, you can adapt to life’s demands while staying true to what matters most. This helps you stay resilient during challenging times because strong values provide a steady foundation even when everything around you is changing. That foundation allows you to keep living in balance, even during uncertain times.
Real Life Examples of What Values-Based Balance Looks Like
The below examples show how two different women are living in balance.
Sarah – Values Connection & Creativity
how her week looks
Family dinner three nights a week (connection), daily journalling (creativity), work projects that involve collaboration (both values)
what she says no to
Networking events that feel transactional, overtime that cuts into family time
How it feels
- Busy but fulfilled
- Tired but not resentful
Emma – Values Service & Family
what her life includes
Volunteers at her children’s school (both values), chooses work that helps others, family activities that involve giving back
what she balances
Time serving others with time nurturing her family relationships
How it feels
- Busy but not overwhelmed
- Purposeful and connected
How to Check In With Yourself to See If You’re Living in Balance
Weekly Values Check
Even with the best intentions, it’s easy for your week to drift away from what matters most. A regular values check makes you aware of where your energy is going and whether you’re still living in balance with your values. This quick check-in gives you the chance to make small adjustments before frustration or resentment builds, helping you stay on track.
Questions to reflect on:
- Which of my values got attention this week?
- Which values felt neglected?
- How aligned was my time with what matters to me?
Energy Audit
When we’re constantly busy, it’s easy to ignore how our activities actually affect. Having a full calendar doesn’t necessarily mean your time is being spent in ways that support you. Some tasks leave you feeling energised, while others drain you, even if they seem productive on the surface.
To understand whether your busyness supports living in balance, try tracking which activities energised you and which ones drain you this week. Then adjust next week to include more energizing, values-aligned activities.
Decision Review
Our choices reveal a lot about what’s really guiding us. Taking a moment to reflect on what influenced your decisions helps you notice whether you’ve been living in balance with your values, or falling into default patterns driven by habit or pressure.
Questions to reflect on:
- What influenced your choices this week – your values or external pressure?
- Were there any moments when you stayed true to your values, even when it wasn’t easy?
- Were there any areas where you defaulted to what you thought you should do instead of making a choice that felt authentic?
Final Thoughts On Why Core Values Are Key To Living In Balance
Living by your values doesn’t eliminate the challenges of modern life, but it gives you a clear framework for navigating them. When your choices align with what matters most to you, balance stops being about perfect time management and starts being about authentic living. Your life feels more like yours, even when it’s busy and imperfect. When you’re living in balance, guided by your values, there’s less juggling and more choosing.
If you’re ready to take the next step on your journey to achieving more balance in life, read How to Create Balance in Life Using Your Values and get a practical tool to help you assess your life balance in this post: How to Balance Your Life with a Simple Self Check-In.
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