“Our values determine the nature of our problems, and the nature of our problems determines the quality of our lives” - Mark Manson

My values are the metric I subconsciously use to determine successes and failures. Some are good, some are bad, but ultimately understanding what I stand for will help me understand why I feel certain emotions and make certain decisions. This is a list of values that I prioritize above everything else on September 10th, 2022. These are subject to change as I move through life and reevaluate my priorities.

1. Health

This is an easy one. I value health and fitness because it helps me destress, and maintaining my health through exercise and diet makes doing everyday activities a breeze. My body follows me for the rest of my life, and I want a body that can stay pain-free and be capable of handling physical challenges. Beyond just eating and exercising, I also plan on investing in things that contribute to my quality of health, such as a good mattress, ergonomic chair, and good shoes that don’t hurt my feet.

2. Persistence

I pride myself in how don’t give up once I set my eyes on a prize. I don’t like procrastinating, I don’t like sporadic efforts, it’s most fulfilling to me when I stay consistent towards my goals. Oftentimes I’ll come up with a plan to achieve my goal, but life happens and things knock me off track. Despite those curveballs, I get it together and start working again.

3. Vulnerability

Throughout my life, I came to realize that the strongest, closest, and most honest relationships are built on vulnerability. Getting along with people isn’t hard. But being able to open up about how you genuinely feel about a situation and trust that person to listen and offer support and advice is extremely difficult. Communication is so valuable, not because it solves your problems, but because it gets you and the other person on the same page, and that is the most important step to take while working towards a solution.

4. Leaving no trace

Earth is our home, it contains some of the most breathtaking landscapes and fascinating biodiversity. Living on this planet means we must take resources from Earth to survive, but humanity is so caught up in superficial things like convenience and making a profit, that we take way more resources from the Earth than it can adequately supply. I consciously make choices in my daily life that reduce my impact such as picking up trash from the beach and using a reusable water bottle. There’s still much more improvement to be made both on my end and on the corporate end, but I deeply value keeping our planet healthy and minimizing environmental impact.

5. The opinions of others

To be completely honest with myself, not all of my values are good for me. But to grow as a person, I must recognize how all my values drive my thoughts and decisions, including the negative ones. Unfortunately, many metrics I use to measure my worth are so superficial and rooted in societal standards. Not only that, I also compare myself to people I see on the internet instead of looking at how I’ve become more confident and happy compared to the past. This one is still a work in progress, but I am working on being realistic and constantly reminding myself that others don’t focus on the things that I perceive to be imperfections as much as I do.

Through this thoughtful reflection of my values, I hope to keep up the good values while working on rewiring those values that cause me to suffer. Building a set of values towards things that truly matter are going to bring me the most happiness and success.