Weaving Purpose and Values to Create a Great Life

I want to help you realize that you have control over the choices you make; just as in weaving a tapestry, you can make choices that help to create a great life. Weaving involves warp threads which are stationary and foundational (values, e.g. integrity, love, faith, peace, etc.). Then the weft threads (daily actions and choices) are woven into the warp threads to create patterns and a tapestry based on a pattern (purpose) using a shuttle (principles or rules for living). Too much imagery? Here is a picture to help carry the idea., but Here is another way to picture it in a modern sense of the words.

 Principles, guidelines, the rules of life, are how you get along—like the vehicle you use to move forward on the road of life—and values are your "why" —the destination you’re heading toward. Whether you’re driving a car or riding a bicycle, the purpose is the same: to honor what truly matters to you and live a life you can love. The choice of vehicle determines how you navigate the journey.

For example, if someone values integrity, their principle might be to always speak the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. That’s the vehicle they’re using to live out their value. Or if someone values health, their principle might be to exercise daily or eat mindfully. The principle is the guideline to moves toward the purpose of being a person of integrity or a healthy individual.

Your values are the fuel that propels you, but your principles are the vehicle that gets you there. The clearer you are on both, the smoother and more intentional your journey becomes. 

If you have the wrong value, that'd be like having the wrong gas for your vehicle. It’s not going to take you where you want to go, and it might even damage the engine along the way. The destination, though? That’s your purpose. That’s the big, meaningful vision of the life you want to create or the impact you want to have. It’s the reason you’re on the journey in the first place!

You can also think of it this way: your purpose is the North Star. It’s what guides you, even when the road gets bumpy or the weather gets rough. Your values are the fuel that keeps you moving, and your principles are the vehicle that helps you navigate the terrain. When all three are aligned—purpose, values, and principles—life feels right. You’re not just driving aimlessly, you’re heading somewhere that truly matters to you.

When you think about your own purpose, what’s the destination that lights you up? What’s that joy filled vision that makes all the effort worth it? Because when you’re clear on that, everything else starts to fall into place.

If joy is part of your purpose, what are the values that help you experience and sustain that joy? Maybe it’s connection, contribution, or growth—those things that light you up and make you feel alive. And then, what principles help you create that joy in your daily life? Maybe it’s showing kindness, serving others, or living with integrity. When you’re clear on those, you’re not just living aimlessly—you’re living in alignment with your purpose.

Values are the “why.” They’re the emotional drivers, the things that make life meaningful. For example, you  might value connection, growth, or integrity. Principles, on the other hand, are the “how.” They’re the actionable steps or rules that help you live out those values. If you value connection, a principle might be, “I will always make time to listen deeply to others.”

What’s one value you hold dear? What action (principle) would help you live that value more fully?  I want to encourage you to journal about this to solidify the choices and changes that you can make to create a life you can love.

When people wake up to the fact that they’re not just passengers in their own story, but they’re the authors… That’s when the magic happens. “What’s one choice you could make today that would bring you closer to the life you want?”  It’s about that one small, intentional choice which can start to shift everything.

In my life coaching session on Purpose, we dive deeper into this topic with clarifying values and practical application to solidify the choice to live an intentional life. Let me know if you want to get that clarity in your own life by reaching out for a free 60 minute introduction. You too can change your thinking and change your life!

Book recommendations:  

Warren, Rick. The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Zondervan, 2002.

West, Damon. The Change Agent: How a Former College QB Sentenced to Life in Prison Transformed His World. Post Hill Press, 2019.