The book club
The Values Compass by Mandeep Rai
BooksEpisode 637 minAugust 5, 2026

The Values Compass

The Values Compass by Mandeep Rai

Every culture carries a value it does better than anyone. Rai visited one hundred and one countries to collect them, and the collection doubles as a menu for your own life.

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About this episode

If you could borrow one value from any culture in the world, what would you choose? In today's episode, let's delve into the book "The Values Compass: What 101 Countries Teach Us About Purpose, Life, and Leadership" by Mandeep Rai, which explores how different cultures offer lessons that can shape the way we live!

Key takeaways

  1. 1

    Values are lived, not declared; look at what a culture protects.

  2. 2

    Borrowing a value is a legitimate way to grow.

  3. 3

    Knowing your top three values makes most decisions easier.

Try this tonight

Pick one value from a culture not your own, kindness, resilience, humor, respect, and practice it deliberately for a week.

Journal prompt

“If I could borrow one value from anywhere in the world, what would it be and why do I need it?”

Write about it

Framework from this episode

Meaning8 min

Borrow a value

Choose one value from anywhere in the world and live it for a week.

Use it when

You feel directionless or your days do not match what you care about.

  1. 1Write your top three values as you live them, not as you wish them.
  2. 2Pick one value you admire in another culture or person.
  3. 3Define what practicing it would look like tomorrow.
  4. 4Do it for seven days. Notice what changes.