Values vs Goals Distinction
Values are like heading west — you can always travel farther — while goals are mountains to cross along the way that can be completed and checked off
The Values vs Goals Distinction is a foundational ACT framework that separates two concepts most people conflate. Values are ongoing directions you want to keep moving in — they describe how you want to behave and what you want to stand for for the rest of your life. They can never be completed or crossed off a list. Goals are specific desired outcomes that can be achieved and finished. The relationship is hierarchical: values generate goals, and goals generate action plans. A values-focused life is more fulfilling than a goal-focused life because values provide satisfaction right now (in the journey), while goals only provide satisfaction upon completion (at the destination). Harris uses the compass metaphor: values are the direction (west), goals are landmarks along the way (a mountain, a river), and action steps are the specific movements you make each day. The framework also reveals that feelings are not values — wanting to feel confident is not a value, but the behaviors you would engage in if you felt confident point to your actual values.
- A value is a direction you desire to keep moving in — an ongoing process that never reaches an end
- A goal is a desired outcome that can be achieved and crossed off — once done, it's done
- Values provide satisfaction in the present (during the journey); goals provide satisfaction only upon completion
- Feelings are not values — 'I want to feel happy' is a feeling, not a value — ask what you would do differently if you had that feeling
- A values-focused life is more fulfilling AND more likely to achieve goals than a goal-focused life, because values sustain motivation
- You can live by your values right now, in any circumstance, regardless of whether you have achieved any particular goal
- Clarify Values Across Four DomainsExplore your values in four key life domains: relationships, work/education, leisure, and personal growth/health. For each domain, ask: What sort of person do I want to be? How do I want to behave? What personal qualities do I want to cultivate? Answer as if no obstacles stood in your way.Pro tipUse the 'Imagine You're Eighty' exercise: look back on your life and complete the sentences — 'I spent too much time worrying about...,' 'I spent too little time doing...,' 'What I would do differently from today is...'WarningIf a value does not come from your heart but from what you think you should value, it will not sustain motivation. Be honest about the difference between authentic values and socially prescribed ones.
- Translate Values into GoalsFor each value, generate specific goals that would move you in that direction. Remember: the value is the direction (heading west), the goals are landmarks (mountains and rivers to cross). Ask: 'What would I need to do, or what would need to happen, for me to be living this value?'Pro tipWork from values to goals to specific action steps. The more you practice this chain — values, goals, actions — the more natural it becomes. Eventually you won't need elaborate planning.WarningGoals disconnected from values feel pointless. If you can't articulate the value behind a goal, question whether it's truly worth pursuing or if you're chasing someone else's definition of success.
- Live Values Now, Pursue Goals Over TimeDon't wait for goal achievement to start living by your values. If you value being a loving partner, act lovingly today — don't wait until you've bought the house, gotten the promotion, or resolved every conflict. Values can be acted on immediately in any circumstance.Pro tipWhen miserable about an unachieved goal, find the values underneath it and take a small values-consistent action right now. This shifts you from goal-focused frustration to values-focused satisfaction.WarningWestern culture is heavily goal-focused (achievement, status, wealth). Shifting to values-focused living is countercultural and requires ongoing conscious effort. The pull toward pure goal-chasing is strong.
Harris compares values to heading west. No matter how far you travel, there is always farther west you can go. A goal is like a mountain or river you want to cross on that journey. Once crossed, it's done. But the direction continues forever.
Jeff was convinced he needed to be rich before he could be satisfied. Wealth was his goal, but underneath it lay values of security, creativity, and contribution. When he began living by those values directly — even before achieving financial success — he found deep fulfillment.
Viktor Frankl observed that prisoners who survived longest in the concentration camps were not the physically strongest but those most connected to a purpose — a loving relationship, a book to write, others to help. Frankl himself survived by connecting with his love for his wife and his value of helping others.
Harris draws on the values work of ACT co-creators Kelly Wilson and Tobias Lundgren, and on Viktor Frankl's observations from Auschwitz that prisoners who maintained connection with a purpose or value survived longest — not the physically strongest, but those who had a reason to endure. Frankl's own survival was sustained by his love for his wife and his value of helping others. The distinction between values and goals addresses a common pattern Harris sees in therapy: people who achieve impressive goals (wealth, career success, relationships) but feel hollow because they were never connected to the values underneath.