February 19, 2024

I’m slightly embarrassed to say that my journey of discovering my core values came toward the end of my third decade of life, and then it was only accidental. Sure, if you stopped to ask me, “what do you stand for?” I would have rattled off an impressive list of words like “justice” and “freedom” to fulfill what I would have perceived to be the “right answer.” It was only after a deep dive into my personal mission and personal vision that I took the time to truly identify the values that drive me.

That’s an important designation to make: the values that I wanted to be my core values are not necessarily the values that are core to me. This required vulnerability and freeing myself from the fear of judgment that would come from people discovering the actual values that gave me fuel and purpose and meaning. It also required finding the right tool. As someone dedicated to entrepreneurship education and helping all learners develop the entrepreneurial mindset, I am constantly seeking inspiration outside of traditional education. This carried me into the world of EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System for Businesses) and the works of Gino…