Why the Splendid Life Values Exercise exists.
David Lilley has spent a lifetime exploring the landscape of human happiness. While his professional career was built in senior sales, marketing, business development, and strategy, he quietly maintained a deep fascination with psychology, philosophy, and human behaviour. He naturally channelled these insights into his work; after all, effective commercial strategy and business development work are entirely underpinned by effective navigation of human psychology.
In 2026, David authored Splendid Life, a book dedicated to the profound importance of understanding our core values and beliefs. Throughout twenty-five years of research and practical consulting, he noticed a distinct gap: there wasn't a fast, methodologically sound tool to help people uncover these insights. To solve this, the Splendid Values exercise was born — a thoughtful, ten-to-fifteen-minute questionnaire designed to reveal your top ten to twelve core values.
To get the most out of this tool, absolute honesty and careful reflection are essential. By its very nature, the exercise will challenge you. It deliberately forces you into moments of internal conflict, asking you to compare and prioritise deeply held principles. If you sit with those choices, you will find that you naturally favour one over the other when pressed — and that tension is precisely where the accuracy lies.
Coming September 2026Splendid Life
David's forthcoming book distils twenty-five years of research and practical consulting into a warm, readable guide to making sense of a sometimes challenging world — beginning with the values that quietly shape every choice you make.
Please note that this is an introductory exercise. While the final report will offer a fascinating glimpse into your baseline character, like any online survey, the results are ultimately shaped by the nuance of your answers and input. It's important these are considered and honest.