Many of you will use a GPS (Global Positioning System) device in your car to gudie you to  your destination. Well, each of us has our own PGS (Personal Guidance System). The  foundation on which we build our lives and everything we do comes down to two core things:  Our values and our beliefs. 

There are some who argue that we are born with certain traits  and that we are predisposed to  operate within those traits with a  certain margin of change. The suggestion is that we are 'hard-  wired'.

Each one of us is unique (with the possible exception of identical  twins). We have a particular  genetic make-up inherited from our  parents which determines our body, our brain and includes  some  'hard-wired' responses to ensure our survival. Heart beating is  quite a useful one, as is  breathing and the digestive system.

It is sure that our upbringing and environment informs us and  most people form their values  and beliefs closely aligned with  those of their parents or carers, our education, friends,  acquaintances, environment, work and so on.

Our values and beliefs develop over time. They are tested and  shift to new values and beliefs.  Yet so few people examine what  it is that they believe and what is it they value.

Even fewer organisations genuinely examine their values and  beliefs. Many will put a  statement out declaring the values of the  firm, but once inside you soon discover that they are  no more  real than a statement.

Every single action you take in your life is taken in view of your  own values and beliefs. They  form the foundation on which our  lives are built.

So it is important that we understand them and how they affect  our performance and actions.

Definitions for clarity:

Values - Worth in usefulness or importance to the possessor;  utility or merit

Beliefs - Mental acceptance of and conviction in the truth,  actuality, or validity of something

Every decision that we make is processed through our values  and/or beliefs.

Knowing our own values is of critical importance, but for anyone who has tried to sort 150 plus cards or words into a hierarchy, it can be a lengthy process. Edgar Schien identified 8 career anchor values, and most people can identify which are their own career value anchors: