How do I know what I actually value in work?
Efri · 1 min readLook at what you resent, not what you admire.
Because what you say you value is usually what you think you should value. It's borrowed. But what makes you angry is real and it's yours.
If being micromanaged makes you furious, you value autonomy. If pointless work makes you want to walk out, you value impact. If being ignored in meetings eats at you, you value being taken seriously. Resentment is a much better instrument than aspiration.
Then check it against your actual history:
- 01When have you been happiest at work?
- 02When have you been most miserable?
- 03What have you turned down?
When have you been happiest at work? Not the most successful. The happiest. What was true then?
When have you been most miserable? What was true then? The pattern usually shows up faster in the bad ones.
What have you turned down? People turn down things that violate what they value, often without being able to say why at the time.
And test it. Values are easy to claim and hard to hold. If you say you value flexibility but you've turned down flexible roles for money twice, then you value money, and there's nothing wrong with that. Just know it, so you stop making decisions against yourself.