Peak experiences reveal what matters most. Look closely and you’ll notice three ingredients at play:
What you were doing (the activity)
Who you were with (the person/people)
Where you were (the environment)
Any one of these can be the dominant driver of alignment—or all three can combine to light you up. For example, a mentor might pull your growth value forward, or a nature setting might switch on peace and presence, regardless of who’s there or what you’re doing.
Person-led alignment: Certain people activate your best values (e.g., excellence, courage). Keep them close and schedule reps together.
Place-led alignment: Some locations reliably tune you to your values (e.g., nature for peace, studios for creativity). Design your week to be there more.
Doing-led alignment: Specific actions (teaching, building, caring, solving) express your values on demand. Make these your default “go-tos.”
Knowing your primary lever helps you engineer alignment instead of waiting for it.
List your top three happiest moments. Write a few lines for each.
For each moment, label the dominant element: Person, Place, or Doing.
Name the active values you felt (e.g., growth, freedom, connection, contribution, peace).
Translate each value into one 10-minute behavior you can repeat this week.
Growth → ask for feedback on a draft.
Connection → schedule an honest, agenda-free call.
Peace → walk alone in a quiet, natural spot.
Schedule the reps. Put each behavior on your calendar and protect it.
Why this works: Your happiest moments are evidence of value–behavior alignment. Turning that evidence into small, repeatable actions makes happiness more frequent—and under your control.
Convert values into observable behaviors so you (and the people around you) can tell whether you lived them today:
Freedom → give clean yes/no without over-explaining.
Contribution → offer one specific appreciation or helpful act before lunch.
Self-direction → protect one 25-minute deep-work block.
Share these with your inner circle so they know how to help—invite the right people to the right places to do the right things.
In your three happiest moments, which element dominated most often—person, place, or doing?
Which one value will you express with a 10-minute behavior today?
What small scheduling change would increase your time with the people/places/doings that align you?
Alignment isn’t a mystery. It’s the repeatable overlap between what you value and how you live. Use your happiest moments as a blueprint, pick the dominant lever, and schedule tiny behaviors that express your values on purpose.
— Sandro Formica, PhD
Founder of Permanently Happy (questions at [email protected])
Keynote Speaker | Transforming Leaders & Organizations Through Positive Leadership & Personal Branding | Director, Chief Happiness Officer Certificate Program
Happiness Fundamentals | Needs | Values | Talents & Skills | Thoughts & Beliefs | Emotions | Empathetic Communication | Imagination | Life Purpose | Life Plan
