Free Values Worksheet: What Matters to Me

When life feels hard or uncertain, it's easy to lose track of what you actually care about. Days fill up with putting out fires, and the things that matter most get pushed to "someday." This free printable values worksheet helps you name what's important to you and turn it into one small, doable step this week.

What Matters to Me values worksheet with a list of values to circle and space for small steps, from Vital Mind Psychology

Download the Free Worksheet (PDF)

What are values?

Values are what matter most to you: the kind of person you want to be, and how you want to treat yourself, other people, and the world. This worksheet is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), developed by Dr. Steven Hayes and colleagues. In ACT, values work like a compass. They don't tell you exactly where to go, but they help you choose your next step.

Values vs. goals

A helpful way to think about it: values are directions, and goals are destinations. Being a caring friend is a value. You can keep moving toward it your whole life, but you never "arrive." Calling a friend on her birthday is a goal. You can do it and tick it off. Goals are useful, and they work best when they point in the direction of a value.

What's on the worksheet

  1. A list of 40 values to circle, from acceptance and adventure to spirituality and security. Circle the ones that feel important, then star your top three to five. There are no right answers.
  2. Six areas of life to explore: relationships, work and learning, health and body, personal growth, fun and rest, and community and spirituality. Each has a short question to get you thinking.
  3. Your top values and one small step: a simple table where you write each top value next to one thing you can do about it this week.

Tips for using it

  • Go with what matters to you, not what you think should matter.
  • Keep the steps small. Sending one text counts.
  • If you notice a gap between your values and how your days actually go, be kind to yourself. That gap is useful information, not a failure.
  • Come back to it every few months. Values can shift as your life changes.

Small steps count, even on hard days. Living by your values isn't about getting it right all the time, just about turning back toward what matters.

Download the Free Worksheet (PDF)

Looking for more? Browse our other free handouts, including a thought record and a feelings wheel.

If you'd like support working through this with someone, the counsellors at Vital Mind Psychology in Cochrane are here to help.