What is a values-based life? A values-based life is a self-capable life free of doubt or fear; a life that allows you to take risks, fulfill dreams, capture goals and live to your fullest capacity. Sound wonderful? It certainly is. Too good to be true? Not at all. When you live a life according to your personal values all of these awesome options are possible for you. However, there is some work involved that is an absolute necessity before any of those amazing things can happen for you. That pre-work involves identifying and accepting your values as the guiding principles in your life. Only when you have chosen this self-responsible attitude are you able to live a values-based life.

So, what are values? Your values are your unique and individual essence. They identify who you are. They are what make you, you. The authors of The Lemming Conspiracy (Longstreet Press 1997) define values as