Values And Beliefs

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Values and beliefs are fundamentally different: values are enduring principles about what’s important that guide behavior across situations, while beliefs are convictions about what’s true that can change based on new information. Values are more stable and integral to your identity—they’re the “what matters most” that drives major decisions. Beliefs are more contextual and changeable—they’re your assumptions about how the world works. Research by psychologist Shalom Schwartz shows values are deeply-held principles that transcend specific situations and motivate action, while beliefs remain more situational and fact-based.

Key Takeaways:

• Values are core to identity; beliefs are more changeable: Your values (“creativity matters”) tend to stay stable even as your beliefs (“I’m not creative”) shift with experience
• Career misalignment usually traces to unclear values: Research shows when your work doesn’t align with core values, job satisfaction drops and burnout risk increases—often because you never clarified what you actually value
• Many people confuse inherited beliefs for authentic values: Just because your family believed “stability is everything” doesn’t mean you authentically value security over growth—examination reveals the difference
• Living according to values requires daily practice: Research on resilience shows that identifying 2-3 core values and actively practicing them through daily choices builds greater life satisfaction and well-being

Introduction—The Hidden Architecture Problem

I spent most of my twenties convinced I valued stability because that’s what I’d been taught mattered. Took me years to realize I was living someone else’s values, not mine.

You might feel stuck in your career not because you lack options, but because you’ve never distinguished your authentic values from inherited beliefs. The confusion between these two concepts is why “good on paper” jobs feel wrong—you’re making decisions based on beliefs about what you should want, not values reflecting what you actually need.

Think about it. You’ve probably never sat down and asked, “Are these really MY values, or did I just absorb them from my parents, my college friends, or the culture around me?”

Career confusion often isn’t about lack of opportunities—it’s about unclear values and unexamined beliefs. Mark Manson puts it bluntly: “Many people carry values inherited from parents, culture, or social media without questioning if they’re authentically theirs.”

Here’s a common example. Someone realizes that what they thought was a “value for success”—chasing money, status, the corner office—was actually an inherited belief from family expectations. Their authentic values? Creativity and autonomy. No wonder the high-paying corporate role felt suffocating. The daily work violated what actually mattered.

Research from the University of Pennsylvania shows that values-based career decisions lead to greater job satisfaction, higher motivation, and lower burnout risk. But you have to know what your values actually are. Not what you think they should be.

Most career confusion isn’t about your options—it’s about clarity on what you actually value versus what you were taught to believe you should want.

By the end of this article, you’ll understand the distinction between values and beliefs, why it matters for your career and identity, and how to clarify your own. So what exactly is the difference? Let’s start with clear definitions—because confusing these two concepts is where most people get stuck.

The Fundamental Distinction—Values vs. Beliefs

Values are enduring principles about what’s important that guide your behavior across all situations—they’re your “what matters most.” Beliefs are your convictions about what’s true—they’re contextual, changeable, and based on information. Think of it this way: “Creativity is important to me” is a value; “I’m not a creative person” is a belief.

Psychologist Shalom Schwartz, who developed the Theory of Basic Values, describes values as deeply-held principles that refer to desirable goals motivating action. When values are activated, they become infused with feeling. BetterUp explains it more simply: a value is a concept we hold dear, while a belief is a statement we believe to be true.

Here’s the critical difference— values tend to be more stable, though both can evolve. You can acquire new information and shift a belief quickly. “I believed remote work wouldn’t work for me” becomes “I now believe remote work is ideal” after experiencing it. Values can also shift through significant life experiences, but they tend to be more resistant to change because they’re tied to your sense of identity.

Here’s why this matters: values are more central to who you are than beliefs—trying to violate them creates constant friction because it conflicts with your sense of self.

Research on values and behavior shows that values motivate action, though social pressures can sometimes obscure this relationship. Even when you feel obligated to act according to external expectations, your authentic values are still there, driving your choices beneath the surface.

But where do these values and beliefs come from in the first place? And more importantly— how do you know which ones are authentically yours?

Where Values and Beliefs Come From (And How to Tell What’s Really Yours)

Most of your values and beliefs were shaped early—by parents, culture, education, early experiences. But here’s the critical question— are they authentically yours, or did you just absorb them without examination? The difference matters because living according to inherited beliefs that don’t align with your authentic values is a direct path to burnout and career dissatisfaction.

Mark Manson argues that authentic values are developed through life experience—not just inherited through logic or cultural transmission. This is crucial. You can inherit a belief system, but authentic values emerge through reflection and real-world testing.

Beliefs are often formed early in life as protective reactions to childhood experiences. What served you as a seven-year-old—”stability is everything” because your family lived through economic hardship—may no longer serve you as an adult who authentically values learning and growth over security.

Here’s the question nobody asks— does this value energize you or drain you?

Test for authenticity:

• Does this value excite me or drain me?
• Does it feel intrinsically motivating or obligatory?
• Can I explain WHY I hold this value, or did I just absorb it?
• When I imagine living fully into this value, does it energize me?

Inherited values aren’t the problem—unexamined values are.

Consider someone whose parents lived through the Depression. “Stability is everything” became the family mantra. That person takes a safe corporate job, stays for twenty years, and feels quietly miserable. The value was inherited. Their authentic values? Learning, novelty, growth. The “safe” job was a cage.

Once you understand where values come from, you can see how deeply they shape your identity and behavior. And that’s where things get interesting.

How Values and Beliefs Shape Identity and Behavior

Your values are core to your identity—they’re not just abstract principles, they’re part of what holds your sense of self together. When you act according to your values, you reinforce your identity; when you violate them, you create internal conflict that manifests as stress, anxiety, and that persistent feeling that something’s wrong.

Research on identity formation shows that values serve as organizing principles that help you make sense of who you are across different roles and contexts. They provide consistency in how you see yourself even as circumstances change.

This is where James Clear’s identity-based habits framework becomes relevant. In Atomic Habits, Clear explains that every action functions like a vote for the type of person you want to become. Small consistent actions aligned with your values build evidence of your identity over time.

Here’s what this means in practice: Someone who says they value creativity (part of their identity) but takes a corporate job that offers zero creative expression is casting daily votes against their identity. Each day reinforces a different person than who they believe they are. The dissonance compounds.

True behavior change isn’t about willpower—it’s about aligning your actions with your actual values, not the values you think you should have.

Research shows that values guide behavior, but social pressures can mask this relationship. You might value autonomy, but societal pressure to “be a team player” makes you suppress it. The value doesn’t disappear—it just goes underground, creating tension.

And this is where career decisions get complicated—because your work is where you spend the majority of your waking hours, and misalignment there compounds daily.

The Career Connection—Why Values Matter for Work Satisfaction

When your career aligns with your core values, research shows you experience greater job satisfaction, higher performance, and you’re significantly more likely to stay with your organization. When it doesn’t align, the opposite happens: dissatisfaction, reduced commitment, and eventually burnout—not because you’re in the wrong industry, but because your daily work violates what actually matters to you.

A 2024 study published in the Journal of Personality found that “when individuals choose a career that facilitates the attainment of their values, they have greater career satisfaction and perform better.” The alignment between what you value and what your work enables makes a measurable difference in both satisfaction and performance.

Here’s what makes this practical: understanding WHICH values matter most in your work context.

The Four P’s framework offers one way to think about what you value in work:

Most people are high in two of the four. A high-People, high-Process person will be miserable in a high-Profit, low-People sales role—even if it pays exceptionally well. The daily work violates their core values. Sunday evenings feel like dread settling in because their nervous system knows the week ahead conflicts with what matters.

Most career dissatisfaction isn’t about being in the wrong field—it’s about being in a role that violates your actual values while chasing someone else’s definition of success.

So what happens when you ignore this alignment? When your daily actions consistently violate your values? Your brain has a name for it: cognitive dissonance.

The Misalignment Problem—Cognitive Dissonance and Burnout

When your actions don’t align with your values, your brain experiences cognitive dissonance—a state where the mismatch between beliefs and behavior creates psychological discomfort. This isn’t abstract discomfort. It manifests as anxiety, stress, that constant low-grade dread about work, and over time, full burnout.

The Brain First Institute explains it clearly: “The human brain is wired to seek coherence between our beliefs and our actions. When there is a misalignment, cognitive dissonance occurs.” Your nervous system registers the mismatch and signals distress.

Research on well-being consistently shows that chronic misalignment between values and behavior leads to reduced life satisfaction, while living according to values increases resilience and overall well-being. The gap between who you want to be and how you’re actually living creates measurable psychological strain.

You know that feeling when Monday morning hits and there’s physical dread—not just “I don’t want to work,” but a visceral resistance in your body? That’s not laziness. That’s your nervous system recognizing the values violation.

Chronic misalignment manifests as:

• Constant low-grade anxiety about work
• Sunday Scaries and Monday dread
• Feeling like you’re living someone else’s life
• Emotional exhaustion and cynicism (burnout markers)
• Impaired decision-making and memory

Burnout isn’t just about working too hard—it’s often about working in ways that violate your core values, and your nervous system is trying to tell you something.

The good news? You can change this. Values clarification is a learnable skill, and it starts with structured reflection.

How to Clarify Your Values and Beliefs (The Practical Part)

Clarifying your values isn’t about taking a quiz and getting an answer—it’s a structured process of reflection, pattern recognition, and testing. The most effective approach combines looking backward at peak experiences, noticing what energizes versus drains you now, and narrowing to your top 2-5 core values that guide major decisions.

Research on resilience shows that people who identify 2-3 core values that guide major decisions, and actively practice living according to those values—not just professing them—report greater well-being and life satisfaction. When your daily actions align with your core values, life tends to feel more coherent and fulfilling.

Here’s how to actually do this—

1. Reflect on peak experiences: When did you feel most fulfilled, alive, proud? What was present in those moments?
2. Energy audit: What activities energize you versus drain you? Energy is data.
3. Use assessment tools: Try the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) or values card sort exercises
4. Look for patterns: What themes emerge across your peak experiences and energy sources?
5. Narrow to 2-5 core values: Research shows that identifying too many dilutes focus; 2-5 provides clarity without oversimplification
6. Test authenticity: Does each value excite you (intrinsic) or obligate you (inherited)?
7. Revisit periodically: Values can evolve—check in annually

Schwartz’s 10 basic values provide a reference framework recognized across cultures:

• Self-Direction (independence, creativity, freedom)
• Stimulation (excitement, novelty, challenge)
• Hedonism (pleasure, enjoyment)
• Achievement (success, competence, ambition)
• Power (status, control, dominance)
• Security (safety, stability, order)
• Conformity (restraint, obedience, self-discipline)
• Tradition (respect, commitment, cultural customs)
• Benevolence (helpfulness, caring for others)
• Universalism (justice, equality, protecting all people)

Don’t skip the authenticity test—it’s the difference between values that energize you and values you think you should have.

But here’s the thing: identifying your values is just the start. Living according to them is a daily practice, not a one-time decision.

Living Into Your Values—From Clarity to Practice

Living according to your values isn’t a one-time decision—it’s a daily practice of aligning your choices with what matters most. This means actively practicing your values through decisions, boundaries, and how you spend your time and energy—not just professing them when it’s convenient.

Research on authenticity shows it’s not a binary trait you either have or lack. Instead, authenticity emerges through consistent small choices to align behavior with values. It’s a collection of decisions you make every day about how to show up in the world.

This matters because values work the same way. It’s not enough to identify them. You have to practice them daily through your actions.

Here’s the honest truth: not everyone has the economic freedom to immediately align their career with their values. If you have dependents, debt, or limited job options in your field, you might not be able to quit tomorrow and follow your authentic path.

But knowing the misalignment helps you manage it consciously. Someone who values creativity but works in a rigid corporate role might start small: volunteering for creative problem-solving projects, taking side work that allows expression, gradually building toward an internal shift or eventual transition.

Small daily actions aligned with your values add up to identity shift over time.

Values clarity doesn’t magically solve all problems, but it gives you a compass for navigating toward better alignment over time.

And values do evolve. Core values tend to stay stable, but how you prioritize and express them shifts with life stages and experiences. Checking in annually—”Do these still energize me? Are they still mine?”—keeps you aligned as you grow.

So where does this leave you? With clarity on what’s been driving your decisions—and a path forward.

FAQ: Values and Beliefs

What is the main difference between values and beliefs? Values are principles about what’s important that guide behavior across situations. Beliefs are convictions about what’s true that can change with new information. Values are more stable and core to identity; beliefs are more changeable and contextual.

Can my values change over time? Core values tend to be stable, but how you prioritize and express them can evolve with life stages and experiences. This evolution is natural—it’s about growth, not inconsistency. Values you develop through lived experience tend to stick more than inherited values you never examined.

How do I know if my career aligns with my values? Reflect on whether your work energizes or drains you, whether you feel fulfilled or constantly frustrated, and whether your daily tasks reflect what matters most to you. If you experience Sunday Scaries or persistent dread about work despite it being “good on paper,” that’s often values misalignment.

How many core values should I have? Research suggests identifying 2-3 core values that guide major decisions. Too many dilutes focus; too few limits flexibility. These aren’t the only things you value, but they’re your north star for big decisions.

Where do my values come from? Values are shaped by early influences (parents, culture, education) AND lived experience. Authentic values emerge through reflection and experience—they must be “lived to stick,” not just inherited. Examination helps distinguish inherited beliefs from authentic values.

Conclusion—From Confusion to Clarity

The distinction between values and beliefs isn’t academic—it’s the difference between living authentically and living according to someone else’s script. Values are your enduring principles, the core of your identity. Beliefs are changeable convictions that should evolve with experience.

When you understand the difference and clarify your own values, career decisions become clearer—not easier, but clearer.

Career satisfaction depends on values-work alignment. Research consistently shows that when your daily work aligns with what actually matters to you, satisfaction, performance, and retention all increase. When it doesn’t, the opposite happens.

This is ongoing practice, not one-time fix. Values work is something you revisit as you grow, as circumstances change, as you accumulate lived experience that tests what you thought you believed.

Here’s what changes when you get this clarity: You stop making decisions based on inherited beliefs about what you “should” want. You start making decisions based on what you actually value. The path doesn’t become obstacle-free, but you have a compass.

Most people never examine the difference—and spend decades making decisions based on beliefs they inherited rather than values they actually hold.

I believe you can do this work. I’ve seen hundreds of people gain clarity on their values— not because they’re special, but because they were willing to sit with the questions and be honest about the answers.

If you’re ready to dig deeper into finding meaning in life and understanding where calling comes from, start with values clarity. It’s the foundation. Everything else builds from there.

Your values are the architecture beneath the surface. When you understand them, finding your purpose stops being a mystery and starts being a process.