Core Values

Potential Core Values List with Definitions This list provides a wide range of values to consider. As you review it, think about what truly resonates with your family and what you aspire to embody. The definitions provided below are sourced from Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.

Acceptance: the quality or state of being accepted or acceptable; the act of accepting.
Accomplishment: the successful completion of something; an act or instance of carrying into effect.
Accountability: the quality or state of being accountable; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions.
Achievement: the act of achieving something; something accomplished.
Adaptability: the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions.
Adventure: an undertaking of a questionable nature; an exciting or remarkable experience.
Affluence: the state of having a great deal of money or wealth; flowing in abundance.
Altruism: unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others.
Ambition: an ardent desire for rank, fame, or power; a desire to achieve a particular end.
Assertiveness: disposed to or characterized by bold or confident statements and behavior.
Beauty: the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.
Bravery: the quality or state of having or showing courage.
Commitment: an agreement or pledge to do something in the future; the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled.
Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.
Confidence: a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or reliance on one's circumstances; a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.
Contentment: the state of being happy and satisfied.
Conviction: a strong persuasion or belief; the state of being convinced of what one believes or says.
Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
Creativity: the ability to make new things or think of new ideas.
Curiosity: a desire to know or learn.
Dependability: the quality or state of being dependable; capable of being relied on; trustworthy.
Depth: the quality of being profound or intense; complexity or astuteness of thought.
Dignity: the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed; formal reserve or seriousness of manner, appearance, or language.
Discipline: control gained by enforcing obedience or order; orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior.
Duty: a moral or legal obligation; a task or action that one is bound to perform.
Empathy: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.
Emotionally Safe: [Merriam-Webster does not define this as a single term. A common understanding related to emotional safety is: A state of being in which one feels secure, trusted, and free from judgment, where one can express thoughts and feelings without fear of negative consequences.]
Encouragement: the act of encouraging; the state of being encouraged.
Excellence: the quality of being outstanding or extremely good.
Fairness: the quality of being fair, impartial, or just; adherence to rules or standards.
Faith: strong belief or trust in someone or something; belief in God.
Family: a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head; a group of persons of common ancestry.
Fearlessness: the state of being without fear; brave.
Financial Independence: having sufficient private resources to live without needing to work.
Flexibility: capable of bending or being bent; easily changed.
Focus: a point of concentration; a center of interest or activity.
Freedom: the quality or state of being free; liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another.
Friendliness: the quality of being friendly; kindly, sociable.
Generosity: the quality of being kind, understanding, and not selfish; characterized by a noble or kindly spirit.
Grace: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace.
Gratitude: the state of being grateful; thankfulness.
Health: the state of being free from illness or injury; a state of sound bodily or mental condition.
Holiness: the quality or state of being holy; dedicated or devoted to the service of God.
Honesty: fairness and straightforwardness of conduct; adherence to the facts.
Honor: respect that is given to someone who is admired; a good reputation.
Hopefulness: the quality or state of being hopeful; full of hope.
Hospitality: the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.
Humility: the quality or state of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.
Humor: a quality that makes something amusing or funny.
Imagination: the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.
Independence: the state of being independent; freedom from outside control or support.
Influence: the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways.
Insightfulness: the quality of having or showing an accurate and deep understanding; perceptive.
Integrity: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values; incorruptibility.
Intelligence: the ability to learn or understand things or to deal with new or difficult situations.
Intimacy: the state of being intimate; close familiarity or friendship.
Joy: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.
Justice: the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments.
Kindness: the quality or state of being kind; a kind act.
Knowledge: the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association.
Leadership: the act or instance of leading; the capacity or ability to lead.
Love: strong affection for another arising out out of kinship or personal ties; unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.
Loyalty: the quality or state of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.
Marriage: the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.
Maturity: the quality or state of being mature; having reached a final or advanced stage of development.
Meaning: what is intended to be or actually is expressed or indicated; the logical connotation of a word or phrase.
Mindfulness: the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.
Obedience: the act or instance of obeying; submissive compliance.
Optimism: hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.
Organization: the act or process of organizing or of being organized; an administrative and functional structure.
Patience: the capacity, habit, or fact of being patient.
Passion: a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something.
Peace: a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.
Perseverance: continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.
Philanthropy: goodwill to fellow members of the human race; an active effort to promote human welfare.
Pragmatism: a practical approach to problems and affairs; an American movement in philosophy.
Preparedness: the quality or state of being prepared; readiness.
Presence: the fact or state of being present; the area within which one is present.
Proactivity: acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes.
Professionalism: the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or distinguish a profession or professional person.
Resilience: the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.
Resolve: firm in conviction or purpose; determined.
Respect: a relation or reference to a particular thing or situation; high or special regard.
Responsibility: the state of being answerable or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.
Righteousness: acting in an upright, moral way; morally good.
Sacrifice: the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone.
Security: the state of being free from danger or threat; freedom from apprehension or anxiety.
Self-control: restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires.
Self-respect: a proper regard for the dignity of one's person especially as a human being.
Sincerity: the quality or state of being sincere; honesty of feeling.
Spontaneity: the quality or state of being spontaneous; acting or proceeding from a natural impulse or tendency without external stimulus.
Stability: the quality, state, or degree of being stable; the property of a body that causes it when disturbed from a condition of equilibrium or steady motion to develop forces or moments that restore the original condition.
Success: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence; the gaining of an object or end.
Sympathy: the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another.
Trustworthiness: the quality of being able to be relied on as honest or truthful.
Understanding: the power of comprehending; the capacity to apprehend general relations of particulars.
Vision: the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be; a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation.
Vulnerability: the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
Wisdom: the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships.
Wonder: a cause of astonishment or admiration; a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration