Values sit behind every yes, every no, every risk, every bet. Most people never articulate them, so they feel dragged by deadlines, investor pressure, or whatever fire is raging that day. When you can name your values, work feels grounded, decisions come faster, and teams understand what you stand for.
This framework is called No More Dreams. I've been running it since 2019 to refresh my own values and make sure the things on my calendar match the person I want to be. Consider it a personal operating system update before you launch your next product, campaign, or company.
Step 1: Exploration
This first pass is intentionally quick. Don't overthink it. Grab a list of value words—achievement, community, integrity, security, creativity, wisdom, responsibility, curiosity, joy, freedom, innovation, and dozens more.
Your task: circle every word that feels important. Circle instinctively and reflect later. If a word you love is missing, add it. Values are a living system, not a static list. The goal is to assemble a raw inventory of everything that resonates.
Need proof that this matters? Oprah filters every decision through intention. Rick Rubin engineers simplicity and presence so creativity can breathe. Jay-Z optimizes for discipline, ownership, and legacy. Strategy follows values, not the other way around. Now it's your turn.
Step 2: Refinement
Look at the words you circled. Maybe it's ten. Maybe it's forty. Both are normal. Now cut the list to five. Just five. Notice where words overlap—freedom vs. independence, trust vs. reliability, creativity vs. originality. Choose the single word that captures what you truly mean and drop the duplicate.
As you shrink the list, your non-negotiables start to reveal themselves. These are the values you defend even when it's inconvenient. They are the ones that explain your best decisions and your biggest regrets.
Step 3: Prioritization
Once you have your five, put them in order from one to five (I often end up with six because I like to push the edges). One is the value that leads when pressure hits. Five still matters, but it plays a supporting role.
Most people want to declare ties. Resist the temptation. In real life, values bump into each other. There will be moments where freedom and security pull in opposite directions or where loyalty and candor collide. Ranking forces you to decide which value wins when there's friction. That's how values move from nice words on a wall to actual decision-making tools.
Step 4: Articulation
This final step pulls the whole exercise into reality. For each of your five values, complete three prompts:
1. Definition
Write the personal definition of the word. Forget the dictionary version. Describe what it means to you and why it matters in your current season.
2. Daily Exemplification
Capture the micro-behaviors that express this value. How does it show up in your morning routine, how you communicate, what you say yes or no to, or how you recover when you drift?
3. Business Representation
Translate the value into how you lead, hire, design product, or serve customers. When your company reflects your values, culture becomes coherent instead of chaotic.
When you can answer these prompts, your values stop being abstract. They turn into visible patterns that your team can feel and your community can trust.
Achieving Alignment
After you complete the exercise, clarity starts to surface. You can see which values you already live with strength and which ones you want to grow into. You notice where your team feels aligned and where pressure is bending people out of shape.
Defined values make everything easier. They guide hiring, strategy, and the standards you hold. They keep you building from purpose instead of panic. Run No More Dreams anytime life shifts, and let your values set the tone for whatever you build next.