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[Ep 204] My son participates in value debate. The competitors take either the affirmative or negative stance on a resolution and argue for or against it based on a value. The judge determines which side best upholds their value. I’ve served as a judge for these debates many times, and the more I listen to these clashes, the more I’ve come to realize we make decisions based on personal values all the time in our everyday lives. Just as an example, I’ve talked with the kids about this, and let’s say they’ve gotten an invitation to a quiet gathering with close friends where they’ll just hang out and chat. But then they receive another invitation on the very same night to a fun activity, like a concert, with people they don’t know as well. How do they choose? They can decide based on what they value more: time with close friends doing something quiet or a chance to attend a concert. Which is the higher value at that time in their lives? Personal values form the core of our decisions and are critical to determining our ROI. A Writer’s Values As writers, we could take on countless tasks and sign up for numerous activities, all of which bring various results. So we bring in the idea of our return on investment, or ROI. If we invest something of ourselves—time, money, resources, energy—what are we getting back from it? What’s the result—the return—on that investment? Our values are behind it all, at the core of our choices. Whether we realize it or not, we inevitably return to our values to determine our ROI. Does any given activity and the investment it requires fit with what we value most? Know Your Values We all have deep-seated values, whether we’re aware of them or not and whether we’ve ever identified them or articulated them or not. They may be high-level, ethical values—like not hurting someone else in your pursuits. Or they may be smaller, personal values, like carving out time each day to exercise. In part one of A Writer’s Guide to ROI, I shared how Crystal Paine determined if her time devoted to a task or activity was worth it. For her, the time invested must result in money and helping people—that’s how she knows it’s worth devoting time to a project or task. She’s come to value that as a business owner. What Are Your Values as a Writer? As you see, one of her values is helping people. You may share that value. As a writer, you may long to help people with your ideas and solutions. You may have other values, as well. You may value the satisfaction of producing something creative or taking the risk to delve into a personal struggle so you can share it with others so they might find hope. You may value storytelling as an art form and strive to write beautiful narratives. You may value poetry and commit to daily practice regardless of whether your final versions end up in a literary magazine. Knowing your values helps determine the ROI of an activity. When Values Are Revealed But sometimes your personal values may not be easy to identify. You may not have articulated them. Our values have a way of revealing themselves as we take action. You get to a certain level of success or achievement and realize, wait, this isn’t what you thought it was going to require or feel like. This isn’t aligning with your values. This isn’t what you want. Jeff Goins’ Story This happened to Jeff Goins. For years as a blogger, Jeff created content about writing, publishing, and creativity. Over time, he decided to build this part-time pursuit into a business, and it grew. He hired employees and farmed out some of the articles he used to write to other freelancers. But he was stressed out with the work of managing it all. He reached out to Seth Godin, who reminded Jeff that he didn’t have to do this—he didn’t have to build a business. But if he wanted to build a business, he had to commit to that work. Jeff then reached out to business coach Casey Graham,