Write a disqualification test for each value — what…

Write a disqualification test for each stated value—a specific condition that would prove the value is aspirational rather than operative—to distinguish values you hold from values you wish you held.

When This Fires

When articulating values and wanting to ensure honesty (Define values so an observer could predict your behavior…-609)
When you suspect a stated value is aspirational — check if it passes its own disqualification test
During annual values reviews when verifying which stated values are actually operative
Complements Audit your last seven days of behavior against stated… (behavioral audit against stated values) with the pre-committed falsification criterion

Common Failure Mode

Writing unfalsifiable disqualification tests: "My health value would be disqualified if I completely stopped caring about health." This is effectively unfalsifiable — "caring" is internal and undeniable. The test must reference observable behavior: "If I don't exercise 3+ times per week for 4 consecutive weeks without medical reason." Observable, time-bounded, and binary.

The Protocol

(1) For each stated value, write: "This value would be disqualified as aspirational if [specific observable condition]." (2) The condition must be: Observable (an external observer could verify), Time-bounded (specifies a duration), Behavioral (references actions, not feelings or intentions). (3) Check: does the disqualification condition currently hold? If yes → the value is aspirational right now. Either convert it to operative (by changing behavior) or acknowledge it as aspirational (honest but non-operative). (4) If the condition doesn't hold → the value passes its own test. It's operative — for now. (5) Re-check quarterly: operative values can become aspirational through drift, and the disqualification test catches this drift objectively.