Junk Values - Are they Driving Your Career Decisions?

Why external motivations might be leaving you feeling empty—and how to find what truly matters

Have you ever achieved everything on your career wishlist—the impressive title, the salary bump, maybe even that corner office—only to find yourself asking, "Is this it?"

If you're nodding along, you're not alone. And more importantly, you might be dealing with what psychologist Tim Kasser calls "junk values." Listen to the podcast instead...

The Junk Food of Life Decisions

Just as junk food has infiltrated our diets and made us physically sick, "junk values" have crept into our decision-making and are making us mentally and emotionally unwell.

This concept, explored in Johann Hari's book "Lost Connections," suggests that we've been trained to seek happiness through external markers of success that can never truly fulfil us.

Think about it: How many of your career decisions have been driven by what others might think? The prestige of a job title? The salary that looks good on paper? The status that comes with certain achievements?

These are junk values in action—external drivers that we hold dear but aren't actually worthy of being valued at our core.

What Are Junk Values?

Junk values are externally motivated desires that include:

• Praise and recognition for success

• Social status and how others view you

• Money and accumulating wealth

• Social media validation

• Job titles and corporate ladder climbing

• Educational achievements as status symbols

• Physical appearance and material possessions

The problem isn't that these things are inherently bad—it's when they become the primary drivers of our major life decisions that we run into trouble.

The Pie Chart Effect

Here's a powerful way to understand how this works: Picture all your values as slices of a pie. When you become obsessed with status and external validation, that slice gets bigger. But here's the catch—when one slice expands, all the others must shrink.

Consider this scenario: It's Friday at 4 PM. You can either stay late to impress your boss or go home to spend quality time with your family. You can't do both.

If your materialistic values dominate your pie, you'll choose work. If family connection holds the bigger slice, you'll head home. It's not that career-focused people don't care about family—it's that external values have crowded out their internal ones.

This creates what researchers call "a permanent and puzzling sense of dissatisfaction" because we're suppressing the values that truly matter to us at our core.

Signs You Might Be Driven by Junk Values

Ask yourself these honest questions:

• Are you unfulfilled despite achieving what you thought you wanted? That promotion felt good for about a week, then the emptiness returned?

• Do you worry about what others would think if you made a significant career change—like leaving a high-paying corporate job to start a nonprofit?

• When you examine your true motivations, would you be proud to say them out loud? Or are they driven by keeping up appearances?

• Do you feel "off" about decisions even when they look good on paper?

If any of these resonate, you might be out of alignment with your authentic values.

The Path to Internal Motivation

The antidote to junk values isn't complicated, but it does require honest self-reflection. Psychologist Tim Kasser suggests asking yourself one key question:

"Is my life set up in a way that actually reflects what I believe is most important?"

To answer this, you need to dig deep and discover what you truly think is most important—not what you think should be important, but what genuinely matters to you at your core.

This might include values like:

• Creative self-expression

• Health and vitality

• Adventure and excitement

• Beauty and aesthetics

• Continuous learning

• Making a meaningful difference

• Deep human connections

Values as Your Career Compass

When you have clearly defined, internally-focused values, they become your decision-making compass. They help you:

• Choose work that aligns with who you are rather than who you think you should be

• Make confident decisions even when others don't understand them

• Say no to opportunities that look impressive externally but don't serve your deeper purpose

• Prioritise effectively when faced with competing demands

• Build authentic confidence because your choices are based on what genuinely matters to you

Your Values Audit Challenge

This week, conduct a values audit:

Start with the key question:

Is my life set up to reflect what I believe is most important?

Identify what situations make you feel out of alignment. When do you feel like you're betraying yourself?

Examine your motivations for recent decisions. Are they internally or externally driven?

Ask yourself:

What would I do differently if I weren't concerned about others' opinions?

For each authentic value you identify, ask: If I were honouring this value completely, what would be different in my life? How could I start moving toward that today?

The Liberation of Authentic Values

Understanding junk values isn't about judging yourself for past decisions—we've all been influenced by social conditioning.

It's about awareness and choice.

When you recognise that you've been seeking happiness in external places that can never truly fulfil you, you can redirect that energy toward what actually matters.

The research is clear, lives driven primarily by junk values lead to persistent dissatisfaction, regardless of achievement levels. But when we align with our core values, we find meaning, fulfilment, and authentic success.

Your values, when properly identified and honoured, become a powerful force for creating not just the career that looks good to others, but the life you actually want to live.

Moving Forward

Take time this week to really think about your values. Explore what's most important to you at your core.

Then ask yourself honestly: Is my life set up to reflect these values?

This is foundational work for anyone looking to create meaningful change in their career or life. When you're clear on your authentic values, every other decision becomes clearer too.

Remember: you have the potential to become who you're meant to be—and understanding your true values is a crucial step in that journey. Keep following that Inkling... Binny

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I’m Binny Langler, your lead coach, dedicated to helping individuals and teams thrive. Founder & Director of The Inkling Effect, with over 20 years of experience coaching professionals to discover and apply their unique strengths to create more

fulfilling and meaningful work.

A certified Executive, Gallup Global Strengths Coach & Career Change Coach - with a Masters of Entrepreneurship & Innovation.