Abraham Mazlow defined self-actualization as, "a bringing together of what I do and what I really value."

If you want to create more value in the world and become more valuable in the marketplace, then you'll want to define, embody and live your core values.

No matter how old (or young) you are, you have values that are important to you. You may not be able to articulate what they are right now, but you have them nonetheless.

In fact, our lives are a result of the choices we've made or neglected to make around these values. Everything we do and everything we choose NOT to do is based-or at least should be based-upon our hierarchy of values.

The problem is, few of us have a good handle on what these values are. As a result, we may very well find ourselves with possessions, jobs and relationships that are unfulfilling and sometimes even painful.

I've spent most of the last 30 years studying, researching and experimenting with success strategies. I know many things that work and many that don't. I've been flying high, and I've also fallen out of the sky more than once.

What I've found is when we're clear on what we want, clear on our core values-on who we are and what we stand for-there's no stopping us.

The decisions we make become easier, our work becomes more interesting. We have more energy and it takes a lot more to discourage us. Our successes are sweeter and our defeats easier to bear. We arrive at our accomplishments with a clear conscience and with more pride and satisfaction.

By living our values, we experience fulfillment. We know we're in the process of achieving what's important to us, and we do it in a way that makes us feel good about ourselves. Our self-esteem goes up and our attitude improves with it. We are truly successful in every sense of the word.

When I work with individuals and organizations, I find the biggest problem or roadblock to success is their lack of clarity and focus. They're often busy doing the wrong things. They want me to help them climb a ladder that's often leaning against the wrong wall. What they really need is a clear sense of vision and a foundation of core values that can support that vision. The rest is pretty easy.

Unfortunately, I've yet to find a fun, easy or exciting way to sort through the many values one might hold near and dear and to find the five on which we want to build our life upon. It takes hard work. It takes thinking. It requires being open to our inner voice.

But the payoff is substantial. It may be the most important thing you ever do. It will dramatically and permanently impact the rest of your life. Big investment-big return. Small investment-small return.

Start by asking yourself a few questions. Do some journaling about what comes up. What are my most important values? Why are they important? What am I willing to fight for? What do I stand for?

People who have it together are people who are clear on their values-they know what they stand for. They're not perfect, but they are congruent. They know, and others know, what's important to them.

Are you willing to invest some time in your most important asset? Is your life worth your best effort? Do you want to be efficient and effective with your time? Do you want your family to experience the best of you? Do you want to live an exceptional life?