Leading from the Center, Part II: Connecting your Values to Who You Are
- amyag2023
- Nov 4
- 4 min read
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November 4, 2025
Bridging Awareness and Authentic Action
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." ~Mahatma Gandhi
In Part I of this series, we explored how discovering your values is the first step toward leading from the center. Yet, self-awareness alone is not enough. The real transformation begins when our daily actions reflect what we claim to value the most.
Modern research supports this truth. Brené Brown (2018) found that leaders who identify and operationalize their values show higher resilience, courage, and trust with their organization. Likewise, studies in the Personality and Social Psychology Review (Sagiv & Schwartz, 2022) show that when people live congruently with their personal values, they experience greater well-being and purpose.
Living from the center means transforming insight into intentional action. It's where awareness becomes embodiment.
Awareness vs. Alignment: The Inner Work of Congruence
Carl Rogers (1961) described congruence as the alignment between our real self and our ideal self. When there is harmony between what we believe and how we behave, authenticity naturally follows. Richard Ryan and Edward Deci's self-determination theory (Sheldon & Elliot, 1999) echoes this idea: goals that align with personal values enhance motivation, satisfaction, and psychological health. Living by our values is not a single decision; it's an ongoing practice of noticing, adjusting, and recommitting to what matters most.
Awareness gives us insight; alignment gives us integrity.
How Misalignment Shows Up
When our actions conflict with our values, an inner tension forms, a quiet friction that even success can't soothe. We may feel anxious, disconnected, or restless despite outward achievement. This internal conflict isn't failure; it's feedback. It's the mind and body's way of signaling that something in our environment or our choices no longer aligns with who we are.
James Clear reminds us in Atomic Habits (2018), "You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems." When our daily patterns don't honor our values, we drift. But when we align our actions with what we believe, clarity returns and fulfillment follows.
From Awareness to Embodiment: A Practical Shift
Awareness is the doorway. Embodiment is the practice of walking through it. Here are a few ways to begin aligning your inner values with your outer life:
Choose One Value Each Week. Write it down where you can see it every day. Ask yourself, How can I live this value today?
Reflect Daily. Each evening, consider one choice that honored your value, and one that did not. This builds awareness without judgment.
Set Boundaries That Protect Your Values. Sometimes integrity means saying no, not out of guilt, but out of clarity.
Create Habits That Reflect What Matters. Consistent, small actions align energy and direction.
Revisit Your Values Regularly. Growth evolves perspective. Reassessing helps you remain authentic as your seasons of life change.
These practices mirror values-based approaches found in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes et al., 2011), which teach that mindful, values-driven behavior strengthens resilience and well-being.
Living from the Center
When we lead from the center, our decisions become rooted, not reactive. Purpose replaces pressure. Integrity guides innovation.
"When our values guide our choices, alignment replaces confusion, and integrity becomes our compass."
🌿 The Power of 15 Minutes
Fifteen minutes a day may not seem like much, but it adds up to 7.5 hours a month, or 91 hours a year devoted entirely to your growth, reflection, and alignment. That is nearly four full days each year invested in understanding yourself, strengthening your purpose, and leading from your core, not from reaction, but from intention.
Imagine the ripple effect if you led yourself, your relationships, and your team from your grounded center. Are you and those around you not worth that investment?
🧭 Continue Your Journey with the Compass Growth Circle
Continue your journey by joining the Compass Growth Circle — a free community dedicated to growth, reflection, and purpose-driven leadership.
The Compass Growth Circle invites you to invest just 15 minutes a day in yourself — time to pause, reflect, and realign with what matters most. Over a month, that’s more than seven hours devoted to personal growth, and across a year, it becomes a meaningful practice of living from your center.
When you join, you’ll gain free access to reflection tools, resources, and guided exercises as they’re added, along with invitations to book studies, virtual gatherings, and growth events designed to help you stay centered and connected.
There’s no cost and no obligation — only opportunity. A space to engage when you feel called, nurture self-awareness at your own pace, and lead yourself and others from your core.
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