ACT · Values

Goal–Value Alignment Audit

Every goal on your list should be serving a value you hold

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A goal can be finished; a value can only be lived. This worksheet separates the two, then puts them back together — because goals without values become obligations, and values without goals stay abstract.

Value (a way of being)

Goal (a thing you can finish)

Being a present parent

Get home for dinner Mon–Thu

Caring for my body

Run a 10K in October

Craftsmanship in my work

Ship the redesign by Q3

Your turn

Value

Goal that serves it

Any goal on your current list that doesn't serve a value you hold?

Any value you hold that no goal is currently serving?

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About this worksheet

In ACT, values are directions you can live in (kindness, craftsmanship, curiosity); goals are landmarks you can reach (finish the book, run the 10K, hit the promotion). Goals without values become obligations; values without goals stay abstract. This audit puts them in one table. First a worked example (parenting value → home-for-dinner goal; body-care value → 10K goal; craftsmanship value → ship-the-redesign goal). Then the client's own — every current goal in the left column, the value it serves in the right. Two closing prompts do the surgical work: any goal on your list that doesn't serve a value you hold (obligation to drop), any value you hold that no goal is currently serving (the next action to add). Runs cleanly as a year-end review or a burnout-recovery reset.

When to use it

New-year reviews and quarterly resets.
Burnout recovery — obligations usually outnumber values.
Mid-life reorientation.
ACT committed-action planning after values clarification.
Career pivots — separates 'I should want this' from 'this serves what I actually value'.

How to use it

1
Fill in current goals first, values second
Working backwards from the goals surfaces obligations. Working forward from values gives an idealized list that doesn't match the client's actual week.
2
Watch for goals with no value underneath
These are obligations — someone else's goals in the client's calendar. Naming them is the intervention.
3
Watch for values with no goal
These are the next actions. Values without landmarks stay abstract and unlived.
4
Small edit, not full rewrite
The output is usually one or two goals to drop and one or two to add — not a life redesign.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from a values-vs-goals sort?+

A values-vs-goals sort teaches the distinction. This audit applies it to the client's actual current commitments and returns one or two concrete edits.

What if I can't name the value under a goal?+

That's diagnostic — the goal is probably an obligation. Try 'whose goal is this really' before assuming there's a hidden value.

Is this worksheet free?+

Yes. Free printable PDF. Sign in to send as a secure client link.

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Worksheet — Goal–Value Alignment Audit — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.