Strategies for uncovering our north stars and core values
Forensic accountant approach: scan through long lists of core values until a few anomalies resonate.
Forensic profiler approach: question your psychology and behaviour to uncover subconscious patterns.
- What are my attention magnets? What content am I most engaged with right now? What have I liked, disliked, and commented on recently? What content has affected my energy? What’s inspired me, motivated me, angered me, and sparked joy? What do I feel guilty for paying too much attention to? What’s the vibe of my favourite content (thoughtful, quirky, intense, compassionate...)?
- Who are my most and least favourite characters? From movies, shows, games, stories, books, and real life? What are the specific qualities of their personality, life, and lifestyle that I love & hate?
- What are alternatives to values? Why do I want to know my values? How will I use them? What else can I use as my north stars? What if my north stars weren’t confined to a single word? What if I used my favourite action-oriented quotes as my values?
We instinctively aim to align our attention magnets with our values in order to avoid cognitive dissonance.
Envy, admiration, and contempt can be powerfully obvious tools for realizing our values and anti-values.
My most effective north stars ended up being a short list of phrases which I consult regularly.