As I sat down to think over who has influenced my values, I realized I first had to identify what those values are; which is something I do not frequently consider. So after some thought, I compiled this short list:
· Faith
· Hard work
· Compassion
· Humility
· Generosity
While this is obviously not a complete list of everything I value, these are definitely foundational truths to my life. The biggest influence to these values was and is my family. While this may come as no surprise to most since the family is a primary tool for socialization, it kind of surprised me- mostly because I had not thought about it before.
Faith is truly a product of my upbringing. My parents are wonderful Christians who love God and love me. They installed many of the beliefs about following Christ that I hold to this day. While my faith is now my own, it is still something which came from my parents.
When I think of nearly every individual within my family, hard work is prominent descriptor. Both of my parents and most of my siblings have worked so hard to get to where they are in life now. I have learned the value of earning what you get and loving what you do. Along with hard work in my family comes generosity. My parents are giving people- especially to their kids, but it is expected that we will work hard for it. For example, my parents help pay for some of my college tuition; however, it is expected that I will work to earn the remainder of what they don’t pay for.
Finally, compassion and humility were instilled in me by my mother especially. First, to love and help those who need it and second, to do so without ever thinking I am better than them. My mother’s favorite saying is, “Pride comes before the fall!” and it is something she quotes often, especially when she thinks one of her children or my dad are getting a little too prideful about what we have accomplished.
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