My Core Values

I’m writing this the day after Donald Trump won the election to become the 45th President of the United States. It is a day many of us are sure to remember.

Others have written enough about Trump’s behaviors, ethics, and his style of communication. There is nothing for me to add. Maybe the best way of dealing with the current situation (and the next four years) is to reflect on our own personal values. Criticizing others is easy. But what about being more critical of ourselves?

So… I had a good look at myself, the things that motivate me, and the aspects of my work ethic that I value above everything else. After extensive deliberation, I came up with five core values. I call them my IICCC (double I, triple C):

Independence: I do everything to stay free and autonomous
Integrity: I treat everyone fairly and equally, without discrimination
Curiosity: Exploring and understanding the world has my highest priority
Creativity: Making new things and being innovative is equally important
Competence: When I do work I enjoy, I aim to become very good at it

That’s it! Those are my new core values.

Of course, defining your values is the easy part. The hard part is living them. That will require regular reflection and maybe some rewards for my good behaviors. Some chocolate cookies perhaps.

Let’s hope that Donald Trump is doing a similar exercise.

(This post is part of my soon-to-be-announced Agility Scales project.)

(c)2015 Nichole Burrows, Creative Commons 2.0