Governing Values

I have been taking an English class this semester called Research Writing. I honestly have not found it to be a very useful class thus far and really haven't enjoyed it that much. Until recently that is. This week I was assigned to discover what my "governing values" are or my personal constitution. I think that I may have done this in the past a long time ago but I can't remember doing it nor do I still have them so it was great to do again. Basically, what it entails is that you pick around 20 values that you feel are your core values. Then you define those values, but not just from a dictionary. You define them by the meaning that they hold to you. I won't share all of my because this is a personal constitution after all, but I would like so share just a few of them.

 I love God: I pray to Him daily. I read His words daily. I strive to follow His commandments and find ways to express my love to Him.

  I love my neighbor: I will give people the benefit of the doubt. I will go out of my way to help someone in need. I will follow the Golden Rule. 

  My family is first: Work cannot take over my family life. I will spend quality time with my wife and children in an individual setting (whenever that time comes). I will always be there for my siblings and parents no matter what happens. I will tell my family I love them and appreciate them often. 

  Create thoughts: Don’t follow the crowd. Research current events and have an opinion of my own on each of them. Don’t simply believe someone. 

  Be happy: Don’t let anything take that smile off your face. Even if it’s been a rough day just smiling will help turn it around. Come what may and love it. Happiness is contagious.

Health: Always take care of my body. Follow doctor’s orders. Get adequate rest. Eat healthy food that promotes longevity. Never consume alcohol or tobacco or any other harmful substance.

     These are just a snapshot of what it is I came up with. I am still working on redefining a few of them to fit better what they really mean to me. I thought it was a great assignment that can help me for the rest of my life. Benjamin Franklin actually had something very similar to this and each week he would pick one of his values and focus on improving on it. I doubt that I'll ever accomplish all of these in my life perfectly but I think that as long as a person is striving to become better each day then they have done all they can. And in the end they will be a much better person because of the efforts they put forth to try and follow their values. If you have some time I would recommend doing this because it can really help you focus on what matters most in your life specifically.