The most fundamental and life-changing exercise I’ve done (and I’ve done a lot of “who are you?” exercises) is defining my core values. These are my self-selected guiding principles and represent who I am. They are also my very favorite tool for evaluating literally everything in my life. Allow me to explain: Personal development is personal. Personal finance is personal. The right relationships, careers, hobbies, and more are all personal. Specifically tailored to the person. So how do we define what is important to us? That’s right, Core Values.