Episode 2: Value-Focused Decision Making -- Beginning With What Matters

This episode builds directly on the foundation of critical reflection and introduces a better way to approach decisions. Ben shows how value-focused decision making helps you go beyond the list of options on the menu of life so you can start getting more of what you actually want. Most of us make decisions by reacting to the choices in front of us, like job offers and choosing a major, without ever stopping to ask what we truly care about. In this episode, we introduce value-focused decision making, a powerful shift that starts with clarifying what matters to you and uses your values to create better alternatives rather than just picking from the default menu. By the end of this episode, you will be able to apply a simple value-focused approach to the critical decisions you make in your 20s so that your choices align more closely with the life you actually want to build. Ben finds that starting with values is a complete game-changer when it comes to navigating your defining decade and suggests that taking this approach is akin to entering the Matrix and becoming Keanu Reeves! Now It’s Your Turn Think about a decision you’ve recently made. Did you start with your values or did you start with the options already on the menu? If you took the alternative-focused approach, that’s fine. Just take 5 minutes to reflect: What does your decision reveal about what matters to you? Why did you choose one option over the others? Start writing down the values that may have been guiding you even if you weren’t fully aware of them at the time.   Resources: **Ralph Keeney's Book: Value - Focused Thinking https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674931985