Blogocentric Formulations

Values

"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  | May 8

Prompt ▼

Take a look at this list of values  . Pick your top ten values and rank them based on how important they are to you. Then, write about the values you chose and if any have changed throughout your life.

Honestly, 400 personal values is a lot to go through, so I'm going to take a bit of a shortcut. A few years ago, I did a Strengths Finder in connection with a job application, which is an assessment that asks you a bunch of questions and returns a list of your top five "strengths" that you should supposedly lean into when it comes to professional endeavors because you're naturally gifted in those areas. So I'm going to start with those five values, or their closest approximations from this list:

          Adaptability

          Organization [Arranger in Strengths Finder]

          Inquisitiveness [Input in Strengths Finder]

          Thoughtfulness [Intellection in Strengths Finder]

          Dependability [Responsibility in Strengths Finder]


Adaptability. One of my most prized skills is my ability to adapt to different circumstances. Whether it's the ever-changing needs of the business at work, incorporating a set of script notes into one of my screenplays, or figuring out how to handle a flat tire on a road trip hundreds of miles from home, I have a natural inclination to look at a set of needs or circumstances and do what needs to be done to get everything to work out.

Organization [Arranger]. Along those same lines, arranging or organizing things is also a strength of mine. Need to fit as many items in the freezer or as many bags in the trunk as possible? I'm your guy. Need to come up with a way to methodically solve a puzzle? I'm also your guy for that too. Combined with my tendency toward adaptability, it makes me really good at taking a bunch of pieces of things and putting them together. I have a natural affinity for things like assembling tax returns or figuring out which item to buy out of all the options, because I have a natural inclination to adapt to whatever the circumstances require, and then figure out how to optimize for best results.

Inquisitiveness [Input]. Based on the last two, it shouldn't be any surprise that input is on my list too. In Strengths Finder, it means I like to accumulate data and information. The closest thing I could find on this list was Inquisitiveness because I'm totally the guy that will fall down an internet research rabbit hole on Wikipedia, or find my mind wandering and then need to look up a random piece of trivia that I want to know.

Thoughtfulness [Intellection]. I also like to think about things a lot. I process a lot of information in my head, pretty much all the time. Again, that can probably be attributed to the other values on this list... I'm constantly thinking about how to adapt and rearrange and optimize and get more data to make the best decision possible. And then I mull all that over for a while.

Dependability [Responsibility]. I hate letting people down or disappointing them. I'll go to great lengths to inconvenience myself before I let down other people, and it's really stressful and anxiety-inducing for me when I do let them down.

The last five values I'll choose are odds and ends that are important to me for various reasons:

          Confidence.

          Connection.

          Gratitude.

          Honor.

          Humor.

Confidence. I find confidence as alluring as it is elusive. I'm attracted to confidence because I have so little of it myself, at least in the spur of the moment. My confidence comes from knowing the meticulous details of a thing from top to bottom, whether that's in the form of extensive research or years of professional experience. I really admire people who can exude confidence on the fly or in an area they're not actually very knowledgeable about.

Connection. The way we're all connected to one another is something that I feel is incredibly important. Regardless of where we come from and what communities we're in, everyone is sharing the same planet and, in a lot of ways, an interconnectedness to each other. I really value other people who see that same connectivity and can act in a way that's respectful of that connection.

Gratitude. Gratitude is such an important posture to have that informs so much of who we are. I admire people who can experience true gratitude even in the face of adversity, and see that there's always something in life to appreciate.

Honor. I really believe in honoring your obligations, and respecting others. People who have a high sense of honor are people I naturally gravitate toward, because I know that I can trust them to treat a relationship with the same sense of responsibility that I bring to it.

Humor. Life is really boring and sad without a sense of humor. It's important to me that both myself and the people I surround myself with don't take themselves too seriously all the time. We all need to know how to laugh and find humor in the everyday.