Essay: Core Values Today

Core Values Essay In order to live day by day, I simply follow five core values that make me the person I am today. The five core values that I live by are: family, education, honesty, responsibility, and open-minded. Core values are important to live by because they are what makes a person and it is important to see someone’s characteristics of what they value. According to dictionary.com, the definition of value is “the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something” (dictionary.com, 2016). Like the definition states, values are something of importance and each individual cherishes different values, which they find important and what fits their lives in the best way. My family are the one’s who
introduced me to these core values that I live by because they always taught me to treat others with respect and to cherish what I hold dear to my heart. The main values I live by are family, education, honesty, responsibility, and integrity.
Family
The first core value that I live by is family and I chose it because my family means everything to me. My family is my constant support system and I know they will be there for me whenever I need them. My family has continued to push me to do my best and I admire them for that. They seem potential in myself that I do not at times and they remind me that I can do it no matter what I am going through. I have learned this value be observing how my family treats each other and it is very important to them. There have been times when this value was challenged, because like every family we have our ups and downs, but the downs have only made us stronger. Family fits into my professional goals because I always want my family to be by my side and I would like to make my workplace like a second family to me filled with each other encouraging one another to succeed.
Education
My second value that I cherish is education and I value education because it is extremely important to further education. Education has always been a topic in my household because both of my parents did not have the opportunity to go to college. I value education because my parents made it possible for me to attend college, which I am ever so grateful for. Seeing how my parents valued education by making sure I succeed in school made be value education. I appreciate the fact that my parents pushed me to succeed because then I was able to incorporate education as one of my own values. I can use education in my professional life by incorporating all the concepts I learned in my classes and applying them to real life situations.
Honesty
My third core value that I cherish is honesty.
I cherish honesty because when I was growing up, I was taught to always be honest with myself and others as well. Honesty is really the best policy because when one is being honest with others, they gain their trust and understanding. Honesty can be defined as “the quality of being fair and truthful : the quality of being honest” (Merriam Webster, 2016). I can use honesty in my professional life by gaining trust with my coworkers and building connections with them simply by being honest with them. Honesty does build trust because no one wants someone who is going to lie to them around them all the
time.

Responsibility Responsibility is another value that I live by because individuals need to be responsible in order to succeed in life. Responsibility is “the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable, for something within one's power, control, or management” (dictionary.com, 2016). Responsibility was also taught to me as a child because responsibility is very important to teach young children. I was taught responsibility from my parents and also from my teachers. Responsibility is taught from the classrooms because when group projects are assigned, each person has their own part that they are responsible for and without every part, the project will not come together. By assigning group work and homework in general, teachers are teaching the children to take action for their tasks and responsibilities. I can incorporate responsibility into my professional life by being responsible for my tasks that are assigned to me and to own up to any mistakes that I have made.
Open-minded
Another core value that I chose to live by is being open-minded.
I believe that being open-minded is an important value to live by because when one is open-minded, they see things in a different perspective. Open-mindedness can be defined as “ having or showing a mind receptive to new ideas or arguments” (dictionary.com, 2016). Having an open-mind is good because one is open to try new things and it is a way to see a different outlook on certain situations. By having an open-mind in my professional life, I will be more likely to see things in a different perspective when something I plan does not work out. Having an open-mind will allow me to see what else can be done in order to fix the
outcome. Overall, these are the core values that I live by because they have shaped me into the person I am today. Without these values, I would have a different outlook on life. My family is always supporting me so I know I can count on them. Education is important to both my family and me as well as honesty and responsibility. All these values are important to incorporate in my professional life because they will allow me to observe things differently without already having a present mindset. I am thankful that my family helped me establish these core values to live by.