Tree Of Values Exercise - 2025

In the words of Malcolm X - 'if you don't stand for something you will fall for everything'. This can apply to our values and what we hold dear. Surprisingly most of us are not fully aware of our core values. In this practice we will determine what they could be based on who has influenced us.

Transcript

Welcome to your practice on becoming a meta-human.

We're going to be practicing our values today.

Do you know what your values are?

We're going to identify them and this is a beautiful wonderful practice that involves a tree.

Okay so it might be handy to have a pen and some paper ready that you can jot down.

Right let's get into it.

So sitting nice and comfortably we're going to take a deep breath to start this practice.

Breathing in through the nose and slowly exhale it out the mouth.

Calm and relaxed.

Okay for clarity.

Now imagine this.

Imagine that you've been on a long hike.

It's a beautiful island.

You come to a clearing.

There's a big field in front of you with a big beautiful tree and it's a magical tree.

It's just a tree with little ladders and cushions and there are people sitting in the tree.

It's like that sort of Harry Potter tree.

Okay it's really special.

Little tree houses and everyone's chilling and it's a late afternoon.

It's beautiful and you look at the tree and you realize oh my goodness I know people sitting in this tree.

So you wave,

You smile,

They wave back.

They're just having a few snacks,

Enjoying the late afternoon sundowns and as they sit there you think to yourself hang on a minute in the middle of the tree are those who have offered me guidance in my life and there they are.

They're just sitting there relaxing,

Smiling at me and these people are the people that have offered me guidance.

Paint that in your mind.

Who are those people?

Write it down.

Okay who are those people that have offered you guidance?

Take your pen and your notepad.

Who are those people?

Just a few names.

Okay maybe three,

Maybe four.

Just really top people that have offered you guidance in your life.

Good,

Good.

Okay well done and if at any time you need more time in this practice just push pause.

Okay we're moving now to the top of the tree.

There's another group sitting there and there's little stairs and tree houses in this magnificent ancient tree.

Very comfortable,

There are cushions everywhere and here are people who have offered you confidence in your life.

Now there may be a duplication and that's okay.

Okay maybe your mom has offered you guidance and confidence or your dad and there they are again sitting there.

Then maybe they climbed up the ladder to that part just to show up for that person that offered you confidence,

Gave you the confidence to succeed,

To follow your dreams,

To do what it is that you needed to do.

Who are they?

List a few names.

See them in your mind's eye and this is a wonderful practice of celebrating them as well because as we know we are not alone.

No man or woman is an island.

We are a product of everyone's support and care and love.

So okay by now you've got your names.

If you need more time push pause.

Right then just behind the people in the front of the tree are those that have offered us knowledge.

Okay knowledge.

So who would that be?

Who has offered you technical knowledge?

Who was a great teacher for you and really helped you with and maybe that knowledge is what you have today.

What you make a living out of.

You had some exceptional bosses,

Colleagues,

Teachers etc.

Who would they be?

They're sitting at the back of the tree.

They are happily waving and there may be again some duplicates.

That's okay.

List three or four names right now.

There you go.

Beautiful.

Now on the left of the tree,

You facing the tree,

There's another little section there where people are hanging out,

Are those that you admire for their wisdom.

Okay not so much how smart they were but their wisdom.

They were very wise.

Maybe it's people you know.

Maybe it's people you don't know.

You know sometimes grandparents can be that for you.

Spiritual leaders,

Church leaders,

Synagogue,

Mosque,

Temple leaders,

Monks,

Nuns etc.

People that had immense or have immense wisdom and that wisdom has shaped and guided your life.

Okay.

What are their names?

Write them down.

Just a few and then on the opposite side of the tree on the right hand side are those sitting there as well on their little comfy cushions with little trinkets in the tree and wind chimes and whatnot.

Imagine this beautiful tree.

Are those that have offered you help.

They have helped you.

They have helped you financially.

They have helped you emotionally.

Whatever.

They really helped you when you needed it the most.

Who are those people sitting there?

And again people could be moving through the tree same people duplicating.

That's fine.

Seeing them.

Who are those people that helped you?

Making a note of their names.

And now coming back to the middle of the tree and just dropping down a little and there's a section there of people that you admire for their accomplishments in life.

It may be very wealthy people.

It might be friends that have done really well that you consider to have done really well.

Now don't mistake me for being financially well as success.

There are many ways of being successful but these are people that you admire for their accomplishments.

What they have accomplished in life.

They're sitting there and you might not know them as well and they might not know you but you really admire what they have accomplished in their life.

Who would those people be?

Make a list of their names and see them in your mind's eye.

And then finally the last one at the bottom of the tree just as the trunk goes up and the leaves start are those sitting there that have offered you protection in your life.

They've protected you from danger,

From harm.

They've had your back and they're sitting at the bottom of the tree because they can quickly jump down and help you if you need it.

Who would those people be?

And again some duplication can occur that's fine but people that have offered you protection,

Given you protection,

Write their names down.

See them,

Who they are,

And honor them.

Honor them all.

They're sitting there.

All of these wonderful people.

You might be feeling a little bit emotional just seeing them in your mind.

Some may be living,

Some may be not.

This is a practice of acknowledging and feeling grateful for their influence in our lives.

Okay,

Good.

Now we have all their names.

Looking at those names,

Find those duplicate names,

As many as you can,

And perhaps there aren't any duplicate names as such but there are a few names that really pop for you.

Take about three or four of those names.

Write them down.

These are my duplicates.

These are the stand out for me.

Write those names down and think about it.

What values do I love about them?

What values did they display that made me feel confident,

That gave me wisdom,

That helped me with knowledge,

Protection.

I love their accomplishments that helped me,

That gave me the guidance that I needed.

What are their values?

Was it kindness?

Was it compassion?

Was it integrity?

Was it discipline?

Was it empathy?

Was it leadership?

Was it strength,

Confidence?

Here's a list of values you can ponder.

Look at all these values.

Now,

Assign some of these values to these people that you admire.

And now you might push pause because this could be quite lengthy.

Having identified these values of these amazing people that you love and admire.

Could you consider these values to be aligned with your values?

Do you know your values?

Could these values be your values?

A wise person said to me once,

If you spot it,

You got it.

Okay,

So that's the question.

Aligning your values with these values.

Do you know your values?

And if you don't know your values,

Perhaps these are your values.

Consider that.

Adopt whatever values you feel are your values.

Write down six values that you would love to maintain and possibly be that for others as they were to you.

This is profound friends.

This is profound.

Write down those values.

Now you got it.

You've got those values.

Push pause if you need to.

Now looking at those values,

What are we going to do with them?

How about we track them on a daily basis with our journal?

You write at the top of the page.

How have I honored this value today?

Write value number one on Monday.

How have I honored this value at the end of the day?

You investigate,

Right?

Value number two,

Whether it's integrity,

Loyalty,

Trustworthiness,

Punctuality,

Whatever it is.

Value number two.

How have I honored this value today on Tuesday?

Value number three.

How have I honored this value today?

Okay,

Wednesday and so on until you do all six.

Then you start again.

Friends,

We need to be practicing our values.

What we,

The flame that we wish to see in others,

We must first ignite within ourselves.

Okay?

And as we practice in this way,

Our reality starts to change because our values are like a North Star,

Like a guiding compass for everything good in our life.

This is how we become meta-human.

Okay?

Wonderful.

Let's dissolve that visualization of the tree.

And all of those people are a part of us,

Of our value system.

And we love them dearly.

And we thank them as we dissolve it into our hearts.

We melt that image into our heart.

And then we breathe into that heart space.

Breathing in through the nose.

Feel it in the heart expanding and breathe it out the mouth.

Fabulous.

Well done,

Friends.