Sometimes this whole blogging thing makes me think about myself much more than I’m comfortable with.
Is it bad that when someone asks you what your core values are, you come up blank?
I feel like I’ve never really had a chance to really form a solid opinion without the influence of others.
Core values are passed down; they are given to you and pushed on to you your whole life. I guess now is the best time to really decided what’s important to me, by myself.
How easy it is to go from walking steadily down a path to aimlessly trudging without direction. Values are what gives us purpose – an internal compass – that directs you. Even though physically I seem like I’m wandering through a life that doesn’t seem like mine, I would like to believe that these values will guide me mentally in the right direction.
Hard work.
It’s the first value that affronted my brain when I tried to think of some. Intuition and talent can never rule out hard work. People respect it, others don’t understand it, but it was always be a choice in any situation. The choice between doing the bare minimum and going beyond all expectation.
Honesty.
This I value in others, and I always try to hold it in myself. It’s oftentimes refreshing and a much needed antidote to pride and ignorance. I would much rather someone be truthful and hurt my feelings than lie to coddle me. The honesty I carry is usually more than people appreciate. I’m much more apt to go overboard when I should keep my mouth shut. Hopefully, this value won’t become a burden, and I’ll learn to channel it safetly.
Context.
I’ve mentioned the importance of understanding the history behind things before. To blindly follow without forming your own opinion, without questions, points to blatant naivety. I refuse to call myself an expert in any subject, but if I do form an opinion it’s because it came from a researched point of view.
I change my opinion often not because I’m afraid of holding a view different than others, but because I come across new information on the topic. I allow facts to influence me; I use evidence to support theory. I think questioning our world in an objective way is not a sign of unhappiness, but a sign of interest and curiosity.
With the value of “context” I think comes flexibility and adaptation. To never let your ideas be finite, to always accept new ways of looking at things is a form of intelligence, not weakness.
Well, that wasn’t as hard to come up with as I thought. Now that I’ve gotten the ball rolling I feel more values bubbling up. I think I’ll leave it at that for now; sometimes your first ideas are the best.
Art courtesy of Emily J.
