So far, the program has focused on how you respond to difficult thoughts and emotions. This lesson introduces the other half of the process and the reason the rest of it works: what guides the direction you choose?

A compass offers a useful way to understand the difference between a value and a goal.

A value is not a goal. You can reach a goal, tick it off, and finish it. Examples include receiving a promotion, completing a project, or reaching an empty inbox.

A value is a direction. You can travel west throughout your life without ever arriving at a place called west.

At any moment during an ordinary Tuesday, you can be facing that direction or moving away from it. This means that a deadline cannot take a value away from you, and a difficult week cannot use it up.

Goals still matter. They are the landmarks you pass while travelling in your chosen direction. Some are close, while others may be years away. Reaching one landmark does not mean that the journey is over.

Which direction is your west?

Choose your values, not the ones preferred by your employer or family and not the ones that sound most impressive. The exercise below includes words people often use to describe their values, such as honesty, skill, learning, contribution, courage, and care.

Choose the five that genuinely feel like yours. There are no wrong answers, and nobody will evaluate your choices.

Now make one of those values more concrete.

Choose the value that feels most relevant to your working life. Write one sentence describing what it means to you. Then reduce that sentence to three to five reminder words that are simple enough to remember during a difficult morning.

Next, choose three small actions that you can take this week in the direction of that value.

The word small is important. Ask one question during Thursday’s meeting is more useful than become confident in meetings. The first is a landmark you can actually reach this week.

Lesson 4 showed what is likely to happen next, so identify the possible obstacles in advance.

Some obstacles will come from outside you, such as limited time, another person, or a busy calendar. Others will come from inside, often in the form of familiar thoughts: I’ll sound stupid. I’m too tired today.

Naming these obstacles now means they will not arrive as a surprise.

One more practice begins today: the action log.

After each planned action, whether you completed it or not, record what showed up and what happened. An action you did not complete can be just as useful to record as one you did. Unit 2 will explain why when you receive the first summary of your log.

Nothing is ever scored. There are no streaks or success rates. The log is a tool for seeing your patterns, and it belongs to you.