What Are Your Values?
Have you tried writing them down?
We are all works in progress. Everyone stumbles, and sometimes our behavior falls short of our values. But there is always tomorrow.
What’s my moral and ethical code or, as corporates say, code of conduct? I think I should have it because, at times, I think I am doing the right thing, but it turns out I wasn’t, so if I have something written, tangible that I can see every day, I may do better at behaving the way I would like to.
If it’s not written, those values are just abstract out-of-the-world concepts that I can conveniently ignore, with no compunction, or let’s put it this way: it will be easier for me to ignore the values if they are intangible than if they are on a piece of paper, more concrete, and I guess my brain could perceive better what I want and chances of slipping from my standards will be less.
I am not saying I will always stick to my values if I write down my values, but the possibility of me adhering to the values is high if I can see my core values on a piece of paper.
Let me walk you through my core values, values that I try to stick to.
Values
Truth: Stick to facts and make a conscious effort to do so
Industry/Diligence: Put my best foot forward
Kind: Be sympathetic to people; life is hard don’t make it harder for people by being rude to people
Civility: Humans are civilized beings; don’t behave like an animal
Guided by conscience: distinguish between what’s right and wrong
Humility: Remember no matter how good you are at something or how smart you are, there’s always someone better or smarter than you
Avoid short-term pleasure as far as possible: You can always think about how your actions are going to affect you or the person in the short-term and long-term
Keep your word; don’t promise if you know you can’t keep it
Minding my own business and avoiding small talk: Don’t burden yourself with useless information, mostly gossip because you will not gain anything out of it, and second, your brain has limited capacity so use it wisely.
Sangfroid: It allows you to step back and see things differently. Trust me no situation is as bad as you think it is in the heat of the moment. Give some time to yourself to make some sense out of the situation.
Sometimes, I act contrary to these values, and it eats me from inside. But what’s done can’t be undone, so no point in thinking about it. What I do is make a conscious effort to stick to my standards the next time I am in a similar situation.
What are your values?
