| Welcome to a milestone edition – 🍏Lunch n Learn with Lindsay🍏 Issue 250! This week I have the pleasure of marking assignment submissions from our January 2025 Cohort of The Essential PA Programme. These assignments are on the topic of self development. One of the assignment questions asks about the benefit and relevance of aligning your goals with your values. I know I’m going to get some great responses from our learners! And, if I were to answer this question? Here’s my response for your “food for thought”learning today. Why it’s worth aligning your goals with your values You’ve probably heard people say things like “stay true to yourself” or “follow your heart”. Whilst it may sound a bit cliché, there’s actually a solid psychological foundation for it. When your goals align with your personal values, you’re far more likely to feel motivated, satisfied, and even resilient in the face of challenges. Let me break it down for you: According to Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), we thrive when our actions come from internal motivation rather than just external pressure. So if you’re setting goals that genuinely matter to you—because they reflect what you care about—you’re more likely to stick with them. That’s because you’re not just chasing a tick-box or someone else’s expectations; you’re doing something that has personal meaning. There’s also the concept of Value Congruence, which basically means your values and your behaviours are in sync. Research shows that when people have high value congruence, they tend to be happier, more engaged, and experience less stress (Edwards & Cable, 2009). On the flip side then, if your goals are pulling you in a direction that clashes with your core beliefs, it can create internal conflict, which is draining and demotivating. Finally, consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943). Once our basic needs are met, we start looking for meaning and self-fulfilment—what Maslow called self-actualisation. That’s where aligning your goals with your values really comes into its own. It’s what makes the difference between a life that’s full and purposeful, versus one that just looks good on paper. So, in a nutshell? When your goals reflect your values, they act like a personal compass. You know you’re heading in the right direction—not just chasing success, but building a life that feels good from the inside out. Bibliography: Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum. Edwards, J. R., & Cable, D. M. (2009). The value of value congruence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(3), 654–677. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. |
