If you do not know to which port you are sailing to, no wind is favorable. - Seneca

Ah, just in time! I was expecting you…

Welcome to your new adventure, filled with quests, tasks, and dangers. We will go deep into the world of “you”, do uncomfortable and scary acts, and change your life - week by week.

If you complete the weekly action, then you will get the enjoyment and the experience, from this experiment. With some luck, you will also have a long-lasting effect on your life - but don’t think about that.

There is no wrong way to do this, but there is a right way, and you can read a short guide - here.

Now, let’s get ready to sail. Before we choose the destination, let’s figure out where we are.

⚡The Action

To create your own set of 3-5 personal values.

🤔The Why

Don’t worry, this is not some wishy-washy concept, designed to make you feel good, but a practical tool.

Houses have foundations. Mammals have skeletons. Trees have trunks.

Similarly, our psyche likes to have something to hold on-to. Something to rely on in times of need, and not to frantically search for a solution each time a crisis or a choice comes our way.

Having explicit core values does just that. It helps us solve problems, experience less stress, and to achieve our goals.

🧐The How

Dedicate a minimum of one hour for the task.

1. Write down 50 things that are important to you.

2. Write down the 10 most meaningful stories & moments of your life.

3. Which values do those moments represent? Add them to the list.

4. Write down the 10-15 most infuriating moments of your life.

5. Write down the values that were broken by you or others from those moments.

6. Group the list by relation into 3-5 categories. Rank them. Discard 1-2.

7. Give each category a label that is meaningful to you.

For detailed instructions - go here. For a Trello template with over 500 examples of values and a tool for breaking down the above - go here.

💖Personal Application

Values are like sign-posts that tell you where to go.

Imagine you are fighting with your loved one. What is your normal course of action?

Many would sit around, feeling sorry for themselves, and blaming the other person for being a “insert your favorite negative word for your loved one here”. However, if you look at your values - you can find a different approach.

My values are Radical Responsibility, Action, Prescient Presence. So if I look at my values, I will immediately recognize that I must stop sulking, and figure out what I can do differently, how can I take responsibility for what happened? How can I change myself instead of demanding it from others?

Values can also help you figure out which people you like to hang out with (or not).

💸Work Application

Businesses know that they must have values. Thus they put them on walls and in employee handbooks. Only to be forgotten and neglected.

This is because they are “made up”, and not created by combining the personal values of founders. If done correctly, business values based on your own can help you:

• Understand if your co-founder is a good fit for you.

• Select employees that support the business.

• Stand up for your beliefs and for that of the company.

• Create aligned objectives, principles, and strategies.

• Create a communication strategy.

• Define roles, and give each role a dominant value.

📚Resources & Bibliography

The Long Version Of The Values Exercise
How To Use This Newsletter
Values & Affirmations Help In Stress Situations
TED Talk On Values
Trello Board With Example Values
Superpowers Of Values

💪I am An Overachiever

If you have already defined your core values, or if one action just isn’t enough for you, then you can:

• Do nothing.

• Just kidding, the above is not an option.

• Unless you literally “do nothing.”

• Watch this podcast with Andrew Huberman.

Best,

Dmitri Sarle

P.S. Since this is the first-ever newsletter, I would love to hear your feedback. What worked for you? What did not? Feel free to comment on the post, hit reply to the e-mail, or to reach out directly on Telegram.