How do you answer the question, “What do you do?”
Most Americans respond with a description of the work they do in order to provide for their families. In other cultures, however, you’re just as likely to hear about family, hobbies and other interests as you are to hear about work pursuits.
We don’t always think to put our core beliefs and values out front when describing ourselves, but they form the bedrock of our being, the rudders that keep us on our life’s course. Today, I want you to consider your beliefs and values, and their source.
It’s not always easy to identify and articulate just what it is we believe in. I’m including a list here to get you started, but it’s by no means complete. You can find a longer, more comprehensive list here.
Nor is it easy to identify the source of these values. But that’s what I want you to do today: determine as best you can how you acquired these values and write about those experiences. It will be easier if you prioritize the values and start writing about those that are most important to you. Add them to your timeline, if you can. If they don’t fit naturally there, place them at the front of your binder. The values list:
• Adaptable
• Ambitious
• Compassionate
• Competitive
• Courteous
• Decisive
• Disciplined
• Discrete
• Generous
• Honest
• Industrious
• Loyal
• Optimistic
• Organized
• Practical
• Rational
• Respectful
• Religious
• Sensitive
• Spiritual
• Supportive
• Thoughtful
• Tolerant
• Virtuous
Tomorrow: Family myths.
This is Lesson No. 11 of a mini-course on how to write a personal history. The course will continue throughout May, which is Personal History Month. To get future lessons delivered to you, you may subscribe to our RSS feed or get e-mail delivery to your inbox. It’s easy. Details can be found in the column to the left of this post.
Flickr photo courtesy of acejet170.
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