Artifact 1 – Life Values
Unit Objectives:
- Understand that values are formed from external and internal drives of an individual
- Explore one’s own value system
The original blog post can be viewed here.
Unit 02 – Life Values Assessment
1. 
2. I think that since today was a Sunday, I pursued these values very well today. Today, I spent time with my family and friends, while I feel that I pursue the other 3 of my top 5 values each and every day as well. I chose family first because my family gave me everything I have, love and support me unconditionally and are the most important people in my life. I put personal development second because my family helped my personal development the most, and you need to develop your self and your personality and values before in order to be a good friend. I put friendship next because everyone needs and love their friends. Friends are another huge part of what made me who I am today and I don’t know what I would do without them. Loyalty is also important for all the relationships in my life to thrive because loyalty creates trust and trust makes healthy relationships which helps people thrive and survive because we are very social beings. Integrity is also extremely important because I strive to always try to stand up for my beliefs and do the right thing. I make mistakes, but I always strive for integrity.
The belief patterns I inherited from my family are that for one, family always comes first because you can’t find unconditional love anywhere else in most cases. They also stressed personal development and integrity because they would always push me to become more independent at a young age and make my own decisions and taught me to have good integrity. The only beliefs that I can think of that are different than what my parents taught me have to do with how society has changed their views generation to generation. For example, my parents think tattoos are wrong, and you should go to church every Sunday. I don’t think tattoos are wrong, I actually want to get one and I don’t think people who have them are “ruining their body”. But I think this because tattoos are now a more normal and accepted thing in society. I don’t go to church on Sundays like my parents taught me to because I believe that being spiritual is just as, if not more powerful than attending religious services that are very easy to tune out from anyways.
I still have yet to pursue independence, expertness, and security. I guess I am doing a good job working towards it by attending college and pursuing my career goals. I still rely on my parents for financial aid so I am not quite very independent, and when I finish graduate school pursue my career path I will have gained expertness and hopefully security. I don’t think anything stands in the way of me being able to pursue these goals because I believe that I can do whatever I want if I set my mind up to it.
Reflection:
The life values assessment activity really helped me sit down, think, and reflect on what exactly my values are and the importance I put them in my life. Even just by answering the question which values I inherited from my family and if some of those are no longer valid helped me to reach the unit objective of realizing that values are formed both internally and externally. Most people have certain values that are internal, or come naturally to us. There are certain things that most people instinctively and naturally feel are right and wrong.
In Lewis’s article, they state that, “there is a good deal of evidence that human beings are not primarily driven by genetically determined instincts but are rather free to make their own choices” (Lewis, 7). Reading this line made me think deeper to my own values that go past my instinctive right and wrong. These are values that were externally influenced from my peers, my family, my coworkers, and everything else in my life. And from these influences and experiences, I then again internally formulate my own values. Lewis made a great point that everyone including myself would find true in that, “Personal values matter a great deal. Without them, we cannot live at all, for they are just as essential as air, food and water, and protection from the elements. Without clearly focused values, it is probably impossible to lead a purposeful and satisfying life” (Lewis, 18).
Future Intentions:
For the future, I think it is extremely important to continuously reflect upon my values and how they have changed, and if they have influenced my past decisions or not. Values can change based from experiences, so reflecting on those experiences can help recognize how those values have changed. That way I will be able to work harder to uphold my values each and every day of my life.
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