You say growth matters to you, but you're not sure if that's actually true or if you've absorbed it from somewhere else. You want to know whether you're chasing genuine personal direction or performing the version of ambition that your industry, your family, or the internet expects.
Who This Is For and Who It Is Not
This is for you if you've found yourself in a pattern where you commit to self-improvement, skill-building, or career advancement, but something feels hollow about it. You might hit targets and still feel like you're running on someone else's treadmill. Or you might be caught between two different pulls: part of you wants stability and mastery in what you already know, and another part feels guilty for not pushing harder. If you're questioning whether your drive to grow comes from within or from ambient pressure, this is directly relevant.
This is also for you if you've noticed that people around you seem satisfied by different things than what energizes you. Your partner might be content with a steady role while you're restless. Your colleagues might celebrate a promotion you don't actually want. You're starting to wonder whether you're wired differently, and you want to know what your actual values look like, not the abstracted version you've been living.
This is not for you if you're already clear that growth drives you and you're looking for tactics to pursue it faster. That's a different problem. Similarly, if you're currently in crisis and need immediate practical help, this assessment is a medium-term tool, not a life raft. And if you believe your values are fixed and unchangeable, the framework here won't interest you—though it's worth knowing that values can shift as circumstances change, and that's not failure.
What You Will Discover
Once you've worked through this, you'll be able to separate growth-as-genuine-direction from growth-as-pressure. You'll understand which specific forms of growth matter to you (learning a skill looks different than leading others, which looks different than changing yourself fundamentally), and you'll start to see what else you actually want that might be in tension with constant self-improvement. Schwartz's framework shows us that values sit in a circle, and values that are neighbors support each other, while values that sit opposite create real trade-offs. Growth sits near achievement and stimulation in that circle. Achievement often sits opposite security and tradition. That means if you pursue relentless growth, you may feel less stable, and that's not a personal failure—it's how the values system works.
The second shift is practical: you'll know where you are and aren't living consistently with what actually matters to you. Most people who think growth is a core value discover they're living it selectively, or they're pursuing someone else's version. Once you can name that clearly, you can make a real choice: commit to it fully, let it go, or redesign how you pursue it so it fits your actual life. That clarity is worth the reflection, because right now you're probably oscillating between guilt and resistance.
Common Reasons People Wait
The first is: "I'm not sure this applies to me because I'm not sure what I want yet." That's not a reason to wait. This assessment is designed precisely for people who are uncertain. It doesn't tell you what you should want—it shows you what you actually do want by asking you to compare things you care about. Uncertainty is where the tool works best, not a reason to avoid it.
The second is: "Growth is objectively good, so questioning it feels irresponsible." That's a version of the pressure you're already living. Schwartz's research, conducted across 80+ countries and replicated countless times, confirms that growth is one of ten universal value types—which means it matters deeply to some people and less to others. Both are normal. The people who feel most alive and least guilty are those who've aligned their daily choices with their actual values, not the values they think they should have. That includes people for whom growth is genuinely central and people for whom it isn't.
The third is: "I don't have time for self-reflection right now." This isn't a month-long program. The My Values assessment takes 15 minutes and surfaces what you already know but haven't had a chance to examine. It's faster than continuing to feel conflicted about whether growth is actually yours.
The My Values assessment shows you your core values ranked by importance and reveals exactly where you're living them and where you're not.
Is growth really a value or just something everyone should do?
Growth is a genuine core value for some people and peripheral for others. The difference shows up in your daily choices. If you're pursuing growth because you feel you must, it's probably not a core value. If you're pursuing it because you can't not pursue it, it likely is. The research shows this varies consistently across people and cultures.
What if growth and stability are both important to me?
That's common and real. Most people hold multiple values. The question is which one comes first when they conflict, and how you order your choices when you can't do both. The assessment helps you see that ranking rather than pretending all your values have equal weight.
Can my values change over time?
Yes. Schwartz's framework shows that values can shift based on life stage, experience, and genuine internal change. What mattered to you at 25 might shift by 45. What's important is knowing what your values are now, so you can live honestly rather than by default.
What should I do if I discover growth isn't actually my core value?
Stop pursuing it as if it is. That doesn't mean never learning or improving. It means you can stop the relentless self-optimization narrative and direct your energy toward what actually drives you. Many people feel profound relief when they give themselves permission to do this.