Values Versus Goals
Values are directions for how you want to live; goals are destinations you can reach and tick off. This handout explains the difference, why goals mean more when they serve a value, and helps you name a value and a goal that points you in that direction.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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Values Versus Goals
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Values and goals are not the same
A value is a direction for how you want to live, like choosing to head west. You can always keep moving west, but you never arrive at west; it is a direction, not a place. A goal is more like a town on the map: somewhere you can reach, tick off, and leave behind. Both matter, and they work best together.
What values are like
Values describe the kind of person you want to be and what you want to stand for, such as being caring, honest, brave, or curious. They are ongoing and can never be finished or completed. You can act on them in big and small ways every single day, no matter where you are starting from.
What goals are like
Goals are specific things you can achieve and then cross off your list, like passing an exam, running a 5k, or having a difficult conversation. They are useful stepping stones that give you something concrete to aim for. Once a goal is done, it is done, and you move on to the next one.
Why link goals to values
A goal means the most when it serves a value you care about. Running a 5k can serve a value of looking after your health; a hard conversation can serve a value of honesty. A life made only of goals, with no sense of why, can start to feel empty even when you keep ticking boxes. The value is the why behind the goal.
Values show up across life
Values can guide many parts of life at once. Tick the areas where you would like to live more in line with what matters to you.
Quick check: value or goal?
A clue: if you can finish it and tick it off, it is a goal; if you can keep doing it for the rest of your life, it is a value. Use this idea as you fill in your reflection below.
Name a value and a goal that serves it
Choose one value that matters to you, then name one goal that would move you in that direction. Keep the goal small enough to actually start.
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When to use ‘Values Versus Goals’
‘Values Versus Goals’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 9 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
- Values and goals are not the same — A value is a direction for how you want to live, like choosing to head west. You can always keep moving west, but you never arrive at west;…
- What values are like — Values describe the kind of person you want to be and what you want to stand for, such as being caring, honest, brave, or curious. They are…
- What goals are like — Goals are specific things you can achieve and then cross off your list, like passing an exam, running a 5k, or having a difficult…
- Why link goals to values — A goal means the most when it serves a value you care about. Running a 5k can serve a value of looking after your health; a hard…
- Values show up across life — Values can guide many parts of life at once. Tick the areas where you would like to live more in line with what matters to you.
- Quick check: value or goal? — A clue: if you can finish it and tick it off, it is a goal; if you can keep doing it for the rest of your life, it is a value. Use this…
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
The CBT approach behind it
In common with other CBT methods, ‘Values Versus Goals’ works by re-engaging with meaningful and rewarding activity (behavioural activation). The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
Evidence & sources
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
- Hayes, S.C., Strosahl, K.D., & Wilson, K.G. (1999). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. New York: Guilford Press.
- Harris, R. (2009). ACT Made Simple. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- SANEline: 0800 689 5555 — 4:30pm–10:30pm, every day
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