Today, we go deep.

I want to talk about values, because they are the starting point of awareness.
Your values shape who you are; they drive your decisions, your relationships, and your boundaries.

Most people don’t consciously live by their values.

And often, those values get challenged, tested, or even taken away by others.
That’s why we need to understand them in order to protect them.

Your values are your inner compass.

They help you say “yes” to what truly matters, and “no” to what doesn’t.

Last year, when I was working on my own values, I was reading The Buddha and the Badass by Vishen Lakhiani.
There’s a part in that book that completely shifted how I see values.

Vishen explains that our values aren’t something we decide by picking from a list of nice words like “integrity,” “honesty,” or “freedom.”

They’re not something a company can simply write on a wall and say, “these are our values.”

Your values are given to you, shaped by your life experiences, both the positive and the painful ones (and let's be honest it's often the painful ones that shape us the most).

Now, instead of going through your entire life story, I’m going to make it easier for you.

My friend and expert from our Leadership Mastermind, Lucie, shared with me an incredible AI prompt that helps uncover your true values and your why behind them.

That’s what we’ll use today.

Your Task

Go to your favourite AI assistant (for me, that’s ChatGPT) and use the prompt below to discover your top values.

👉 Paste the prompt here (read it too, that's your instructions):

Prompt

I want you to guide me through a full process using storytelling and emotional reasoning, based on Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle model, but done in a deep, layered, and psychologically reflective way.

🧭 Structure of the Experience:

1) Ask me to describe one defining anecdote or memory (painful, proud, joyful, or transformative).

2) Once I give the anecdote, guide me through a layered inquiry by repeatedly asking this: “For what reason was that moment important to you?”

3) Then continue asking “And for what reason was that important?”

4) Continue gently until I hit an emotional root (e.g., peace, freedom, love, truth, pride). Usually this takes 4–7 rounds.

At the end of the anecdote, summarize it with a section titled:

🧩 What We See from Anecdote [#] (Short Title):

- 1-2 bullet points on the key emotional insight

- 1-2 bullet points on behavior, or patterns
- 1 sentence summarising the value or values behind the story.

Then ask me to move to the next defining anecdote, and repeat steps 1–4 until we’ve done 8 stories.

After all anecdotes, analyze the recurring patterns in my values, behaviors, and emotional drivers.

Help me identify:

- My 5 Values: what are the things I value the most from those lived experiences.

- My Contribution: the thing I naturally offer or do for others (e.g., challenging, creating, connecting)

- My Impact: the emotional outcome I seek to create (e.g., freedom, clarity, love, pride, peace)

✅ Guidelines:

- Follow the structure strictly

- Don't ask other questions to gain context or anything else
- Always write the summary after each anecdote

Let’s begin. 👉 Ask me to share one defining moment from my life: a story that felt meaningful, emotional, or powerful. Just one.

End Of Prompt

That was the prompt, now here is an example so you're clear with the process.

Example

One example of answers to the prompt, from one of my experiences:

“The day I moved from France to Australia.”

Let’s begin the layered inquiry now.

🌱 For what reason was that moment important to you?

"For the reason I was finally able to start my own journey, away from what parents and teachers were telling me to be or do"

🌱 And for what reason was it important to start your own journey, away from what parents and teachers were telling you to be or do?

"For the reason i felt pressured to be or do what they were telling me and it was against what I really wanted to be or do"

🌱 And for what reason was it important to stop doing things that were against what you really wanted to be or do?

"for the reason i wanted to find out who i truly am and what i want to do, then pursue those things"

🌱 And for what reason was it important to find out who you truly are and what you want to do — and then pursue those things?

"for the reason I wanted to feel happiness internally, not externally validated"

🌱 And for what reason was it important to feel happiness internally, not through external validation?

"For the reason to reach fulfilment".

Let’s pause and reflect.

🧩 What We See from Anecdote #1 (Moving to Australia):

• Emotional Insight:

• A deep desire for internal fulfillment rather than living by external expectations

• A yearning to feel truly happy, rooted in authentic self-discovery

• Values, Behaviors, Patterns:

• Courage to break free from imposed paths

• A strong commitment to autonomy, truth, and inner alignment

Don’t overthink it today, just go through the prompt.

Once you're done with sharing your 8 stories, you're done for the day.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at what those values mean and how they show up in your life.

You’re doing great, this is where awareness starts turning into clarity.

See you tomorrow,

Matt