The Values-in-Action Scorecard
Define your values, translate them into conduct, and score the life you build
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 99%
Holmes's principle of non-neutrality asks whether a behavior supports the person someone wants to be or does not. To make that test usable, she starts with a written identity and a short list of values, then defines what each value looks like in action. Those actions need recurring outlets: for Holmes, a PhD is not merely a goal but a vehicle for growth and impact. She revisits her values quarterly and uses them as the basis for decisions, including difficult changes to her social environment. Her scorecard is not whether she defeated an opponent or completed a one-off target; it is whether she lived her values fully. The method joins identity, behavior, environment, and review into a repeatable decision system. It should not be used to reduce addiction, illness, caregiving, or structural constraints to excuses.
Origin
Holmes says she uses a quarterly values note and a values-based scorecard in her life and formerly with her collegiate athletes.
Core principles
- 01Daily behavior either supports a chosen identity or moves away from it
- 02Abstract values become useful only when translated into observable action
- 03Goals can end, while values continue to guide decisions
- 04Environment and relationships can enable or obstruct values-aligned behavior
- 05Success can be scored by conduct rather than comparison
How to run it
- 1
Write the identity
Describe who you want to be in the world in plain language. Keep the statement about character and contribution rather than a single achievement.
Pro tip Use pen and paper or a note you can revisit.
Watch out Do not confuse an ideal identity with a reason for self-punishment.
- 2
Name the values
Select the few beliefs that should govern choices. Holmes names growth, impact, tolerance, compassion, and presence as her five.
Pro tip Choose values that genuinely create trade-offs, not universally flattering labels.
- 3
Define visible conduct
For each value, write what it looks like in an ordinary day. Convert the word into actions that another person could observe.
Pro tip Ask what the value would change in your calendar, attention, or relationships.
- 4
Build the outlets
Create projects, routines, and environments in which the valued conduct can recur. Treat achievements as vehicles for values rather than final sources of identity.
Pro tip Link every major commitment to at least one named value.
Watch out Do not discard supportive relationships over minor differences or use the framework to justify isolation.
- 5
Apply non-neutrality
When making a choice, ask whether it supports the chosen identity or moves away from it. State the trade-off honestly before rationalizing an exception.
Pro tip Use the test on repeated micro-decisions, not only dramatic moments.
Watch out Some choices contain genuine uncertainty and are not morally binary.
- 6
Score and revisit
Review whether your actual conduct expressed the values and revise the action definitions as life changes. Holmes says she revisits her note quarterly.
Pro tip Score the pattern of behavior rather than one imperfect day.
In the wild
Holmes says the PhD is not simply a goal to complete. It lets her practice growth, build scientific credibility, and pursue impact at scale, so the work remains connected to values beyond the credential.
→ A finite achievement becomes one recurring outlet for a continuing identity.
While coaching at Princeton, Holmes says her team did not list opponents in its weekly focus. She wanted athletes applying the same quality standard rather than changing behavior according to whom they expected to face.
→ Performance is judged against values and quality of application rather than an external rival.
Common mistakes
Stopping at abstract words
A value cannot guide behavior until the person defines what it looks like in action.
Using goals as the identity
Holmes argues that completing a target leaves an empty question unless the activity expresses continuing values.
Calling every constraint an excuse
The framework concerns choices within control and should not erase addiction, illness, or real external constraints.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people who know they want to change but lack a clear basis for deciding what to do each day.
Not ideal for
It is not sufficient by itself for addiction, trauma, major depression, or constraints that cannot be solved through personal choice.
From the transcript
“does it support who you want to be in the world or does it not”
“what do those beliefs and values actually look like in action”
“my scorecard is am I living my values to my fullest”
From the episode
The Fitness Scientist: "Even A Little Alcohol Is Hurting Your Health!", "Late Night Screen Time Linked To Cancer!", "Working Shifts Kills You 15 Years Early!" - Kristen Holmes