What do Values mean to YOU? July 20, 2016 – Posted in: News – Tags: ethics, family, parenting, values
Pick a word from the Integrity Word cube and tell us what the word Values mean to you. Think about the role models and lessons you were taught as a child. How did they make you the person that you are today?
12 Comments
Flip83 July 20, 2016 - 21:28
Leadership means that you have a moral responsibility to lead. Some people are born leaders and some learn how to lead. The bottom line is that it comes with great responsibility over your followers. Whether you are the leader in your household or at your job, when people look up to you to show them the way, then you have to deliver whole heartily.
Cheryl Bannerman July 22, 2016 - 09:00 – In reply to: Flip83
So True! It’s a shame that we have leaders in the United States, some even considered role models, who have no ethical standards. It’s beginning to seem like the moral standards are dropping. And this is what our kids are seeing as well! I wonder how this will affect them when they get into a leadership role.
Tracy July 21, 2016 - 08:55
It may just be me, but each day may hold a different answer to this particular question. Today, the answer is respect. I was always raised that to get respect, you had to give it. But, as I have come to learn, that is not always the case. And, when one gives respect, and does not get it back, how does that play into that persons psyche? For instance, with all that the character in the book endured, through her years, did she feel the need to give respect? It is obvious, that at times, that she received none. What are your thoughts on this subject, and how it played into the overall role of the woman she became?
Cheryl Bannerman July 22, 2016 - 09:01 – In reply to: Tracy
Wonderful thoughts Tracy. Throughout the entire story, Tara remained humble and respectful. You have to wonder though when that exterior will one day crack. Hmmmm…..book 2 perhaps? 😉
suzieroth76 July 21, 2016 - 13:15
What a neat concept! I choose the word “character”. I was always taught by my mom that you would be judged on the merit of your character and that developing a strong sense of self, helped you to resist peer pressure and stay true to your own course. I am going to show this cube to my kids and see what they choose-thanks.
Cheryl Bannerman July 22, 2016 - 09:03 – In reply to: suzieroth76
Excellent idea! It’s a great activity for youths and adults. All of us growing up remember sayings from our parents about how to be respectful, hold the door for others, say please and thank you, sit like a lady, don’t hit girls….the list goes on.
The problem is we are in different times now and I don’t see that portrayed in today’s youth. Is it just me?
summery08 July 29, 2016 - 09:55 – In reply to: suzieroth76
I really like this idea – I just wish my kids were older (they are almost three and 9 months) that I could show this cube to them and have them comprehend what the words inside mean for them.
I heard a great quote about character that I want to share with everyone. The quote says, “Show respect even to people who don’t deserve it, not as a reflection of their character, but as a reflection of yours.”
Character is such a work-in-progress, because we all change and grow as adults. The different hurdles that life throws at us can really make or break who we are. We may build up walls that are hard to tear down, or we can form a bitterness
(or resentfulness) that affects those we do not mean to hurt. These different obstacles can also form us into successful leaders or into someone that gains a great respect from a variety of people.
I think that’s where character kicks in; when we face a hardship brought on by someone we care about. Do we become bitter by being hurt? Or do we learn, become more humbled and let it go? I think the easy answer is to let it go and grow from it.
But think about the last time you were really hurt by someone. Can you forgive them? Can you show them respect and be the better person? Or would rather keep them at a distance and make it clear that they do not have a place in your life.
summery08 July 25, 2016 - 09:15
Honesty.
It has been the one virtue that I have struggled with for much of my life. I am by no means a pathological liar or lie about major things (I know better), but I have found that there is thin line between doing what’s right and what’s easy.
To have someone take your word and know that it means something is one of the greatest compliments one can receive. I have always been afraid of being 100% honest with people (fear of hurting them or having them think less of me). I believe it goes with the fact that I am a huge people pleaser. I would say what people would “want” to hear rather than what they “should” hear.
I relate a lot of this to my parent’s divorce – it was the hardest trial of my life. To this day, I don’t regret some of the ‘lies’ that I made up to keep them happy, but I do regret that I still find myself doing it. Meeting my husband has changed me and he has made me into a more honest person. I am not afraid of his reaction or hurting him, as I know that he would rather me open and honest even if it’s the hardest thing for me to do sometimes. I am evolving and realizing that I don’t have to please everyone all the time, as that’s an impossible feat that I could never accomplish.
Over time (and very slowly) I have learned to become more honest and just say the truth rather than play on a lie. While it may be easier to just lie or bend the truth, it’s not what’s right or true. People become more resentful and hurt, or they think that you are only telling them what they want to hear. The short term gratification of lying is not worth the long term result of being known as a dishonest person.
I am still a work-in-progress with this virtue; but I am getting better at it, one day at a time.
Cheryl Bannerman July 27, 2016 - 11:07 – In reply to: summery08
We often have to bend the truth to spare another’s feelings. I do believe it is the right thing to do at times. For example, when a person is seeking confirmation and struggling with confidence issues, or perhaps going through a tragedy in their life. What good would it do to speak how you feel about their new ‘hairdo’ for example, if it would hurt them more?
Tracy July 26, 2016 - 12:37
Today, my integrity cube word is choice. And for me personally, the words choice and change at most times go hand in hand. As I have struggled with issues throughout the last two weeks, I , like most people, realize that there is a change needed. And for that change, a choice to be made. The choice, in and of itself, will not only trigger that change, but also dictate how that change will take place and take form. With my choice, it is a professional one, that will greatly impact and affect my personal life as much, if not more. But, with most choices. like it or not that is what happens. Choices are not always hard, but they are not always easy either. Some are well thought out, so that the change is gradual for us. But the hardest ones are those, that in a blink of an eye, are thrust upon us. Choices that demand swift resolution, and leave us unprepared. The change is so rapid, and so sudden, that the realization that the choices made then, in those instances, are ones that will have such a major impact on our lives, that the ripples could, and will, continue be felt for decades. So, like most people, I dread making choices, because of the fear of everlasting change.
MaryTh July 31, 2016 - 09:39
I agree with summery08’s comments the concept of character certainly changes as you mature and develop as a person. I thought I had real integrity and character until life got hard and then the real work began! The hardest thing I ever had to do was to keep my cool and not stoop low when I was being badly treated by someone I used to love, it would have been so easy to talk bad about him when he was lying and cheating and talking about me all over, but our daughter needed to hear me being a lady and treating her dad with respect so that’s what I did, it wasn’t easy but I am so glad didn’t go there!!
daisygreen August 08, 2016 - 09:22
The first thing my mother taught me was respect and that is the word I choose. I think that respect is just lost in the world we live in today.