UNDERSTANDING & USING YOUR

HIERARCHY OF VALUES

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

|IN BODY & MIND, MINDSET, VALUES
|BY PHIL
• What is your hierarchy of values?
• What does it say about you?
• How can we use it to live a better life?
When you understand your values,
you are better able to understand
yourself, and why you do the things
that you do.
 • Self-understanding is the
gateway to change; to more
success, more happiness, and
living in better alignment.
• Now you can adjust your thinking, actions,
and behaviours to better align with what you
want from life.
• No longer living in accordance with ‘societies
values’ that are fed to you through school,
media, friends, parents, etc. that create a
sense of obligation, of pointlessly sacrificing
what you want for ‘what is right’, and perhaps
worse of all…
• …Being ‘successful’ by the societal definition,
but left empty and unfulfilled
• The manipulation of values is what shows up
in the real world as change.
• You can take something you previously
attributed low value to, and make it of higher
importance in your life. This will change the
way you think, act, and behave.
• In other words, it will change who you are.
• It’s one of the keys to unlocking serious
personal growth. Wouldn’t you want to
change who you are for the better?
 What are values?
• Values in this context doesn’t mean ethics.
• The concept of values comes from Dr John DeMartini:
– The hierarchy of your values determine how you perceive
(what you selectively attend to) and how you act (what
you selectively intend upon) in your world and therefore
they determine your immediate destiny. Since your
values change over time, your destiny therefore changes
over time. The summation of your series of destinies
determines your evolving life journey.
– Your ultimate or relatively unchanging core value dictates
your infinite journey the most. Your transient, changing,
crusted hierarchy of values dictates your series of
transient finite destinies.
• The core value is what you are always striving
for in your life. Across the 7 different areas,
you are acting in such a way to fulfill your core
value.
– business, finance, social, mental, family, physical
and spiritual
• The more important a value is – the higher it will be
on your hierarchy of values and the more discipline
and order you will have associated with it.
• The less important a value is – the lower it will be
on your hierarchy of values and the less discipline
and more disorder you have associated with it.
• When you live according to your highest values you
become inspired and awaken genius.
• When you live according to your lower values you
require continuous outside motivation and you
suppress your genius.
• Your present purpose or mission for life will reflect
your present highest values.
• Knowing your hierarchy of values explains why
you do what you do, but manipulating your
values empowers you to achieve more in parts
of life you might previously have struggled.
• Although determining your values can be
practically useful in your daily reality, in
actuality, nothing is void or missing in the first
place, it is only in another unrecognized form.
Determining Your hierarchy of
Values
 A few points to take note of when
doing it…
• The purpose is to get an accurate reflection of
WHAT IS.
• Not to judge yourself or beat yourself up about
what ‘should be’.
• We’re looking at what you DO.
• Not what you wish, want, or project to the
outside world.
• Only when you’re honest about what is the
reality, are you empowered to take control and
change things for the better.
 What does this really mean?

• The things at the top of your values hierarchy

inspire, energise, and excite you.
• With things that are lower in your hierarchy,
you will tend to procrastinate, find boring, and
struggle with.
• Ultimately, everything is serving your core
value.
 Your Core Value
• My core value is freedom.
• It’s the commonality across your values hierarchy.
• The core value remains pretty much the same across
time; where your hierarchy will change.
• You can look at the things in your hierarchy and look
at what they’re serving.
• What does business offer me? What does travel or
girls/boys offer me?
• Is your work about security? Money? Intellectual
challenge?
• Your life and identity tend to revolve around your
core value. Everything in my life is set up to maximise
freedom.
 Your Core Value
• Ex:
– I run my own business, so I have no boss, nobody telling me what to
do. Total freedom to choose the avenues I go down.
– Even when I had a client service business, I wanted out of schedules
and appointments – it wasn’t enough freedom for me. I sacrificed
income, many times, to attain more freedom.
– I travel the world, living sporadically in different places that catch my
fancy. Never being tied down with long-term contracts or
commitments.
– I pay 50-100% more rent by living in Air BnB’s than an apartment on a
1-year lease would cost, because I don’t want to be tied down.
– I love reading, learning, experiencing new things and questioning
beliefs. I reject ideologies and rigid thinking; being aggressively
independent.
• …You can see how his drive for freedom impacts the biggest areas
of his life. Sometimes in totally positive ways, and sometimes in
ways that people who don’t value freedom would question the
logic of.
 Your Core Value
• Why not just settle down and pay less rent?
• Why not keep pursuing a business you’re successful at,
that pays you well?
• The answer is because it’s not aligned with his values.
• Trying to settle for anything less would be massively
underwhelming. It would be giving up on life and
‘doing what I’m supposed to’.
• You will be the same, but your core value might be
something else. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if it is
freedom for a lot of you, because people tend to be
attracted to people of shared values.
• Even if you’re not aware of it, or never articulated
those values. They show up in everything you do.
 Align your goals with your values
• To achieve things; especially in your lower
value areas, you need to be smarter than
saying “I want…” and then continuing to live in
direct opposition to what you claim to want.
• Or even worse, saying “I should…”
• Avoid any kind of language that comes with
the implication that you’re not doing it.
• Eliminate ‘should’, ‘will’, ‘wish’, ‘want’, ‘might’,
etc. from your vocabulary.
 Align your goals with your values
• “I am…” is the only useful language.
• You don’t have to have completed something,
to use “I am…” you can also be in the process
of doing it.
• “I am getting fit”.
• “I am saving money”.
• “I am building a business”.
• Are all positive and self-serving phrases.
• But we can do better than that.
 Why are you doing those things?
• If you had an inherently strong desire to get fit, save
money, or build a business you would have done it years
ago. It would come easily, be fun, and energising for you.
• If you’re trying to make changes in your life, that probably
isn’t the case. You’re probably trying to bring up areas
where you tend to struggle.
• I never had to do this for fitness, business, dating, or self-
development. They’ve always been my highest values.
• I had to do this for my financial literacy, saving money, and
starting to invest.
• I had to do it for making a greater effort socially, to get on
with people instead of accepting that most people bore
me, and making zero effort to engage them, or have them
like me.
• So how do you do it?
 Linking your goals to your highest
values
• To successfully implement things that are of low value to you, you need to
make them serve something that is high value to you.
• When you see how doing something will lead to success in your core value
and other highest values, it suddenly integrates into your life. It fits
comfortably into your self-image, whereas before it was something you
didn’t think of yourself doing.
• For example; I wanted to travel. That’s a big tick for freedom.
• To travel I needed to get out of debt, save some money, and be in a
financially secure position. Prior to linking personal finances with bigger
goals and my core value; money was just easy come, easy go.
• I’d always end up with just enough to pay for whatever I happened to buy,
and nothing more. If I made less money, I’d spend less. If I made more, I
spent more.
• I always ended up in the same place, because saving money wasn’t an
articulated value of mine.
• Of course, if you said;
• “Phil, would you like to have £100,000 in the bank?“, I wasn’t about to say
no.
 Linking your goals to your highest
values
• Yet I wasn’t living in accordance with this ‘desire’. If I can’t put away £100 a month,
I’m never going to have £100,000.
• I didn’t really care.
• Only when it became an integral part of living out my core values did I actually
implement the simple, boring behaviours needed to do it.
• How can you link something you want to change with your highest values?
• Coming from a fitness coaching background, I’d have clients write out 50 or 100
ways that transforming their body / getting fit would help achieve more in their
highest values.
• Their values might be business, family, kids, money, whatever. Fitness can help all
of them, but they would not see that without going through this process.
• Once they see that fitness serves their business in 6 dozen different ways, going to
the gym isn’t just about losing the gut; it’s helping build their business. The thing
they care most about, their passion, their legacy.
• Suddenly they can bring the same fire and inspiration they have for things at the
top of their hierarchy of values to something that they previously didn’t care
about.
• That’s how you get phenomenal results in a short space of time.
• Remember; you already possess the skills, you just need to direct them at the right
target. As Dr DeMartini says, everyone has genius within them. You just have to
coax it out and channel it.
 Values linking exercise

• Determine your core value, and the top 3

values in your hierarchy of values.
• Determine what you want to improve or
change.
• Write 100 ways that improving/changing this
area will serve your highest values.
1. Look carefully and specifically at how you fill your
personal or professional space.
What are the three items that you fill your space with
most? What three items stand out in your space?

• Items that are not highly important to you are tossed

or placed distantly in the trash, the attic or the garage.
Look carefully at what you have in your home or in
your office and see what you display in your most
valued space. Things that are truly and highly
important to you, you will keep in your possession or
close by or somewhere where you can see them in
your personal and/or professional space. You may even
be wearing it. So, look at how you fill your personal and
professional space.
• If you walked into your home or company office space
and looked carefully at your cubicle where you work,
what would you see? What does your personal or
professional life demonstrate as most important?
• Do you see your computer or business materials?
• Do you see business awards, certificates, books,
reference materials?
• Do you see trophies from sports?
• Do you see design items, paintings, arts, crafts?
• Do you see animals and pictures and books on your
animals?
• Do you see books and magazines on building wealth?
• Do you see pictures of your children or even your
actual children?
• Look carefully right now and ask yourself how do you
fill your personal or professional space? What three
items stand out? Keep each of your answers concisely
one, two or three words. Think what each of the three
items specifically represent to you.
2. Look carefully and accurately at how you spend your time.
What are the three things that you spend your time on most?
You will make time for things that are really important to you
and you will run out of time for things that aren't.

• Even though you may commonly say: I don't have time for what
really I want to do; the truth is that you are too busy doing
what is truly more and most important to you and just don't
know it. And what you think you want to be doing isn't always
what is truly most important and valuable to you. You will find
or make time for things that are truly most important. You
simply figure out how to do so.
• So look carefully at how you spend your time. Look at how you
structure your 24 hour day. What do you most often do in
those 16-18 hours of awake time? You will allocate your time
for things that are important to you so your days will become
divided up according to your true conscious or unconscious
priorities. If something is not important you will keep putting it
off until tomorrow.
• Do you work 10 hours of the day?
• Do you socialize 4 hours a day?
• Do you read or study 3 hours day?
• Do you spend 3 hours a day with your children?
• Do you spend hours on and love shopping?
• Do you work out, do yoga and train for 2 hours a
day?
• How do you actually spend your time first most,
second most and third most when you are
awake?
3. Next, look at how you spend your energy and what
energizes you most. What are the three things that
you always find energy for most? You will always have
energy for things that are truly highest on your values
list and that inspire you.

• You will run out of energy for things that aren't

important. How do you spend your energy and what
energizes you? What do you always find energy for
most? You manifest energy for things that are truly
important to you and that inspire you.
• Have a look at where you feel most vital and
enthused in your day to day activities. Things that are
low on your values will tend to drain you and things
that are high on your values list will tend to energize
you.
• Is it being of service at work?
• Is it solving problems that make a difference in other people's
lives?
• Is it working out?
• Is it socializing?
• Is it cooking and entertaining for friends or loved ones?
• Is it shopping?
• Is it reading a great book or learning about what inspires you?
• Is it leading or managing people at work or at home?
• When you are doing or fulfilling something throughout the day
that is truly highest on your values, something that you love and
are inspired by, you will have more energy at the end of the day
than when you started.
• Look carefully and honestly at what it is it that energizes you
and that you can spend most of your energy on. What are the 3
actions that you love to spend your energy on and that most
energizes you?
4. How do you spend your money and your resources
most? What are the three things that you spend your
money on most? You will feel reluctant to spend
money on things you perceive to be unimportant.

• If something means a lot to you, you will certainly

figure out a way to pay for it. You create or find
money for things that are truly valuable or highly
important to you. You run out of money and don't
want to spend money on things that are not
important to you.
• You might be considered to be 'cheap' when you do
not want to spend your money on things that are
too low on your priority list. You don't want to part
with your money for things that are not important
to you.
• Do you spend your money mostly on your home and security?
• Do you spend it back into your business development?
• Do you spend it on clothes and accessories for your
appearance?
• Do you spend in on specialized education?
• Do you spend it on social activities or events?
• Do you spend it on entertainment?
• Look at how you spend your money, or how it is being spent.
What are the 3 most important and consistent things you
spend your money on?
• You will find that as you fill in the answers to the first four
value determinants, some of the answers are going to overlap
or be the same or similar (synonyms). Some of the items or
things you spend your time on, fill your space with; spend your
energy and money on will end up being the same, or at least
synonyms. This is an indicator that you are on track with this
process. This means that you are pretty congruent and you are
more consistently doing something that is more important to
you.
5. Where are you ordered and organized most?
Where do you have the highest degree of order and
organization? What are the three things that you
are most organized in? Where are you most
organized?

• You have at least a few areas of order and areas of

disorder in your life. The things that are important
to you, you will spend time organizing. You will
tend to bring order and organization to things that
are important to you and you will tend to have
chaos and disorder in things that are low on your
values so look at where you have the greatest
degree of order and organization in your life.
• Do you have an organized social calendar?
• Do you have an organized workout schedule?
• Do you have an organized eating or dietary regime?
• Do you have an organized clothes and shoes closet?
• Do you have an organized financial house?
• Do you have an organized business agenda and
management routine?
• Do you have an organized cooking arrangement?
• Do you have an organized children management?
• Look at where you display the highest degree of order
and organization in your life. Identify the three areas
that stand out with the greatest degree of order and
organization. Do not lie to yourself and say you don't
have such order in your life. Just look for where it is.
6. Where are you most reliable, disciplined and
focused? What are the three things you are most
reliable on? Whatever is highest on your value, you
will be disciplined to do?

• If something is important to you, you will be

dedicated to doing it. You don't and won't have to be
reminded or motivated from the outside to do it.
You will be inspired from within to do what is truly
most important. So you look at what are the 3 things
that you are most reliable, disciplined, focused on
doing, where nobody has to get you up or remind
you to do them.
• Is it your studies?
• Is it you work out routine?
• Is it your social or social media interaction?
• Is it your appearance?
• Is your dietary or eating regime?
• Is it your business management or activities?
• Is it your family management and attention?
• Look carefully and be honest with yourself.
Where are you most disciplined, reliable and
focused?
7. What do you inwardly think about most? What are
your innermost dominant thoughts?
What are the three things that you dominate your
thoughts on?

• I am not referring to momentary or transient

distractions or depreciating self-thoughts. I am referring
to what do you think about or focus on most that is
gradually coming true in your life and manifesting?
• Your mind will repeatedly focus on the things that mean
something to you -- whatever is highest on your list of
values. You may be momentarily distracted by a phone-
call or a television program but your mind will
consistently return to the area of highest importance.
The key in this value determinant is to identify what you
are repeatedly and commonly thinking about
concerning how you would love your life to be, what
you would love to do, or what you would love to have.
• Make sure the answers to this question reflect the
dominant thoughts that are actually and gradually
coming true. Do not write down fantasies that are
not being realized, or being brought into your
reality. Don't write down imperatives, or outer
directed 'should dos,' 'ought to dos' or 'supposed
to dos.' Only write down what you specifically
think about that you are gradually bringing about;
those thoughts that you are truly showing
fruitfulness with and that are slowly and steadily
showing evidence of being brought into your life?
• What are the 3 things that you think about most
that you bring about most? Those are the
indicators of what is truly valuable to you.
7. What do you visualize most about how you would
love your life to be that is gradually showing fruits
and coming into reality? What are the three things
that you visualize, envision, or day dream about
most and bringing about?

• What are you visualizing about how you want your

life to turn out like most and it is gradually coming
true? What you most consistently envision and
dream about will be in alignment with what is most
important to you.
• This vision must be showing signs of gradually
coming true in your life? Do not include things
fantasized about that are not coming true, not
delusions or unrealistic expectations, only visions
that are becoming reality.
• Is it the family lifestyle that you dream about most?
• Is it becoming wealthy and financial freedom?
• Is it traveling the world?
• Is it completing or continually expanding your
education and wisdom?
• Is it meeting and socializing with amazing people?
• Is it becoming a leader in your field of expertise?
• Is it leading or managing a great business?
• What is it that you visualize about how you want
your life that is actually gradually, slowly but surely
coming true? Write down your three answers.
8. What do you internally dialogue with yourself about
most that is meaningful and that is gradually coming true
or into your life? What are the three things that you
internally talk to yourself about most that are
manifesting?

• You speak to yourself and dialogue internally about what

is most important to you. What do you keep talking to
yourself about most that you desire to come true and
that is coming true? I am not talking about momentary
negative self-talk and self-aggrandizement. I am talking
about exactly how you talk to yourself about how you
want your life that is showing its fruits.
• What are the three conversations that you keep talking
to yourself about most that are slowly but surely coming
true?
9. What do you most talk about in social settings? What
are the three things that you externally converse with
others about most? What are the three things that you
keep wanting to bring your or other's conversations to
that nobody has to remind you to talk about?

• What do you externally dialogue about most? Like

every other person you want to communicate what is
most important to you. If someone discusses
something with you that you don't want to hear you
will try to change the conversation to what is important
to you.
• You become an extrovert talking about what is most
important to you and when somebody else talks about
it, you come alive. When somebody talks about
something that is not important to you, you go quiet,
become introverted and you want to change the
conversation to what is more important to you.
• If you go up to somebody and they ask you
how are the kids; that means that their
kids are important. How is your business
doing? Business is important. How are your
relationships doing? Relationships are
important. How are your stocks and
investments doing? Financial investments
are what is important.
• What do you want to bring the
conversation to, what do you want to ask
questions about and talk about? What are
those three things you can't wait to discuss
or talk about?
11. What inspires you or are you inspired about
most? What is common to those individuals that
have inspired you most? What is common to all
those things, insights, experiences or events that
have repeatedly inspired you?

• Is it great moments of your own or other

individual's mastery?
• Is it when you or someone conquers an amazing
challenge or fear?
• Is it when you achieved a meaningful goal?
• Is it when a great leader, actor, performer,
thinker presents or performs their masterpiece?
• Is it when you hear some deeply meaningful
lyrics of an amazing song?
• Anytime you or anyone else conquers an important
challenge in their life it can become inspiring to
experience. And you are generally inspired most
frequently in the area of your life that means most to
you. If you value your children, then you will probably
be inspired by what your children conquer or do. If
you value your business then you will probably be
inspired by your or other's great achievements in
business. If you love learning you will probably be
inspired by learning new pieces of the puzzle of life. If
you love building wealth you will probably be inspired
by your investments growing against the odds or by
wealthy individuals.
• So, write the three things that inspire you and/or what
is common to the people that have inspired you or are
inspiring you the most?
12. You are most willing to stretch yourself and
persistently act towards goals that have the most
meaning to you. So, what are the three most
consistent long-term goals that you have persisted
working on that have stood the test of time?

• What are the three most persistent goals that you

have focused on and that you are definitely and
gradually bringing into reality?
• Do not write down fantasies that you are not acting
upon and nothing is happening with. Write only the
ones that you are slowly but surely bringing into
your reality and that they have been dominating
your mind and thoughts for a long time and you
keep taking step by step actions towards bringing
into reality.
13. What topics of study inspire you the most?
When you enter a bookstore, which section do
you make a beeline for? Which topic of
magazines do you subscribe to? Which section
of the newspapers do you turn to first? Are
there nonfiction TV shows or film
documentaries that you seek out?

• What topics do you find yourself thinking

about or asking questions about most? The
three answers to these questions will help
reveal your highest values.
• Breakdown your answers by grouping the
common words.
Below are fields to complete that will assist you in recalling what was happening in your
life at the time of doing the above value determination as you will accumulate a number of
these summaries over time and being able to recall what was going on at that time will be
of value down the line.

List below your current top 5 perceived challenges

1
2
3
4
5
List below your current top 5 perceived supports
1
2
3
4
5
Life Summary
Write a short paragraph summating what is going on in your life in all 7 areas, that is in
business, finance, social, mental, family, physical and spiritual