Core Values Congruence Audit
Define five guiding values and test every life domain against them
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 96%
The Core Values Congruence Audit makes an implicit decision system explicit. Begin with a broad set of possible values, then use emotional reactions, recurring preferences, and retrospective satisfaction with past decisions as evidence. A value may describe a natural disposition, such as agency, or an aspirational quality, such as courage, when courageous choices repeatedly look better in retrospect. Reduce the list to five and define each in personal language so it can guide choices rather than function as a generic virtue. Then scan work, relationships, projects, and daily behavior for places where the value is honored in one area but violated in another. Repeating the audit creates a navigation system: drift is expected, but written values make correction visible and deliberate.
Origin
Pearson externalized five core values after noticing that written values exposed hypocrisy and inconsistency across life domains. Chris Williamson used Pearson's linked exercise to create his own five-value acronym.
Core principles
- 01Values can describe who you want to become, not only who you already are
- 02A small set is easier to use as a decision filter
- 03Misalignment often appears when a value is applied in one domain but ignored in another
- 04Written values provide an external perspective on choices
How to run it
- 1
Generate candidates
Review a broad list of values and add your own candidates. Notice which ideas resonate strongly and which absences or violations reliably bother you.
Pro tip Use lived reactions as evidence rather than selecting values that merely sound admirable.
Watch out Do not select basic expectations such as honesty solely because they appear virtuous.
- 2
Look backward for evidence
Review major decisions and identify qualities that preceded choices you were happy with in retrospect. Include aspirational values when the evidence shows they guide better choices.
Pro tip Pay attention to turning points where you crossed a difficult threshold.
Watch out Do not confuse a current personality trait with a value you want guiding your future.
- 3
Reduce to five
Prioritize the candidates until only five remain. Preserve enough variety that the set balances direction, standards, and self-care.
Pro tip Use a memorable acronym if one emerges naturally.
Watch out Too many values weaken their usefulness as a fast decision filter.
- 4
Define personal meaning
Write a short explanation of what each value means in your behavior and decisions. Make the definition specific to the life you want to lead.
Pro tip Describe both what the value enables and how it should show up.
Watch out A label without a personal definition remains too abstract to guide action.
- 5
Audit every domain
Compare each value with your conduct in work, relationships, projects, and daily routines. Locate areas where your behavior is congruent and where it conflicts.
Pro tip Treat yourself as both the thinker reviewing the system and the actor operating inside it.
Watch out Applying a value selectively can hide the source of dissatisfaction.
- 6
Correct course deliberately
Use the five values as a checklist when choices arise. Change behavior where the audit reveals drift, or consciously revise the destination rather than drifting into it.
Pro tip Reprocess current commitments whenever a newly articulated value changes how you see them.
Watch out The goal is navigation and correction, not permanent perfect alignment.
In the wild
Pearson did not select courage because every courageous response came naturally. He noticed that, when he reviewed difficult past choices, the more courageous option was usually the one he was happier with afterward.
→ Courage became a north star for future difficult decisions rather than a description of his default disposition.
After writing down a value, Pearson reconsidered his relationships and work projects. He could see where the same value was congruent in one setting but absent in another, revealing why one situation felt wrong.
→ The written value exposed a specific area requiring correction.
Common mistakes
Choosing socially approved virtues
Generic virtues that should be baseline human behavior do not necessarily reveal what uniquely guides your choices.
Describing only the current self
Restricting the list to existing dispositions excludes values that can guide growth toward a preferred self.
Auditing only one life domain
A value can appear aligned at work while an unresolved conflict remains in a relationship or another project.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people who feel off course or apply different standards across different areas of life.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for replacing concrete operating rules when a situation needs a specific action.
From the transcript
“when i sort of like put all those things out on on paper if it forces me to be a little bit more like oh…”
“typically the more courageous choice i was happy with in retrospect”
“it it's congruent here but it's not congruent you know in one of these uh two places”
From the episode
Discover Your Life’s Core Values & Operating Principles - Taylor Pearson - #199
Taylor Pearson