You say freedom is important to you, but when you look at how you actually spend your time and money, something doesn't add up. You're wondering if freedom is genuinely one of your values or if you're claiming it because it sounds right.
Who This Is For (and Who It Is Not)
This is for someone who has noticed a gap between the freedom they say they want and the freedom they actually pursue. You might feel trapped in a job that pays well but doesn't move you, or you might realize you've built a life so packed with obligations that you can't remember what freedom even felt like. You're not looking for a definition. You're looking for clarity on whether freedom is real for you, and if it is, what kind of freedom actually matters.
This is not for someone content with their current choices. If you've made deliberate trade-offs and you're at peace with them, you don't need this. This is also not for someone who believes freedom is a luxury they can address later, once the urgent stuff is handled. That's a legitimate position, but it's not what this is designed for.
The work here assumes you're willing to see what you've been unwilling to see. That you're ready to sit with the fact that claiming a value and living it are two different things. That's uncomfortable. Some people aren't ready for that.
What You Will Discover
You'll see which kind of freedom actually matters to you. Freedom takes different shapes. Shalom Schwartz's research across 80+ countries identified that what people call freedom varies significantly. Some people mean freedom from constraints, others mean freedom to choose their own path, others mean freedom from having to please people. Once you know which one is actually yours, you stop chasing the version everyone else wants and start seeing what's actually blocking you.
You'll see what you're genuinely willing to sacrifice for freedom, and what you're not. This matters because it tells you whether you value freedom more than stability, autonomy more than belonging, or independence more than connection. Schwartz's circumplex model shows that values adjacent to freedom (like self-direction and independence) are compatible with it, while values opposite to freedom (like conformity and security) create real tension. Once you see where those tensions are for you, you can stop pretending you want something you're not willing to pay for.
Common Reasons People Wait
The first reason is thinking you already know the answer. You've thought about this before. You know freedom matters to you. But knowing it cognitively and seeing it structurally are different things. What this assessment does is surface the precise version of freedom that's actually yours, ranked against all your other values. Most people are surprised by what they find. Not because they're wrong about themselves, but because they've never had to choose.
The second reason is discomfort with what you might discover. If you clarify that freedom is genuinely one of your core values, you'll have to face the fact that you're not living it. That's harder than suspecting it. You'll have to either change something or own that you've chosen other things over freedom. Neither option is comfortable. But the pattern keeps running because it has never been named.
The third reason is practical: you're not sure what you'd actually do with this information. How does knowing your values change anything? That's a fair question. It doesn't change anything if you don't act on it. But it creates something real to work with. Instead of a vague sense that something is wrong, you have data. You can see specifically where your stated values and your lived choices diverge. You can make decisions from that clarity instead of from guilt or vague dissatisfaction.
The My Values assessment surfaces your core values, ranks them, and shows you exactly where you are and are not living them.
How do I know if freedom is really one of my values or if I just think it should be?
A real value shapes your decisions when nothing is forcing you to choose a particular way. If you had a year of financial security and no obligations, what would you do? If the answer is significantly different from what you're doing now, freedom likely matters more than you're currently admitting. The assessment doesn't ask you what you think you should value — it shows you what your actual decisions reveal.
What if I discover that freedom isn't one of my top values?
That's useful information. It means whatever you're chasing under the name of freedom might actually be something else — maybe autonomy, maybe privacy, maybe the ability to set your own schedule. Schwartz's research shows that what people call the same thing often means different things to different people. Knowing what you actually value frees you from performing a value that doesn't drive you.
Is freedom in conflict with other values I care about?
Usually, yes. In Schwartz's circumplex model, freedom sits in tension with security and conformity — the values about fitting in and playing it safe. That's not a problem to solve. It's a real choice you're making every time you choose one value over another. Most people are trying to have everything at once. The clarity comes when you see what you're actually trading.
Can I change my values if I realize I'm not living them?
Your core values don't change much in adulthood — they're pretty stable once formed. What changes is how much you're willing to honor them. The assessment isn't about becoming a different person. It's about seeing whether you're living as the person you actually are, or performing a version of yourself that isn't real.