To Live A Meaningful Life, You Must Have a Clear Hierarchy of Values. Here’s Why
Would you accept receiving one million dollars if it meant you’d never see your family again? How about ten million?
Or what about an opportunity to make a crap ton of money, doing very little work, but the company the project involves human trafficking.
These are extreme examples, but your life is fleeting if you don’t know what’s important to you.
So is your career.
Without values, you become a pawn, easily manipulated and persuaded by someones else’s agenda.
Not all values are created equal.
Humans are hierarchal creatures, so values get distorted when there’s no hierarchy.
When you lump your values into a list of what’s most important to you, Luke Burgis points out that “the one that wins — especially at a time of crisis — is the one that is most mimetic.”
You can’t just name them; you must rank them of importance.
“When all values are the same, nothing is being valued at all. It’s like highlighting every single word in a book.”