Value.

"Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to being congruent with them." -Steven Covey

"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value." -Albert Einstein

I like these ideas, and I live my life in a similar way. To put the first one first (lol, Covey reference in itself), I firmly believe in this philosophy of always keeping close at hand what means the most to you -- constantly reminding you of what you stand for. How can you keep track of your progress towards goals if you don't constantly revisit what you're aiming for? It's a little different when the goal is simply to live a fulfilling life and be a good person, and that's when personal values come into play more so than goals.

What are my values and how do they define me? My values are very consistent with values identified in my Fraternity's Creed. I aim to be a very honest person and live with integrity, because I feel, as the Creed states, that "truth is the foundation of all lasting association." This is a pretty simple idea. All relationships are based on some mutual trust, and how can you have trust without truth?

Next, service is a value that I feel is important. Now, I don't feel obligated to volunteer for everything and in every opportunity, and I don't expect that of others. All I mean by this is giving to others what I am capable of giving (within reason). To me, it's more about responsibility than obligation or some fulfillment-seeking sort of good-karma-building action. This isn't a very deep thought. It could be deep if I delved more into it, but it's sufficient to say that responsible people make the world a better place. The attitude of helping others is contagious. The next time you get a flat tire on the freeway and a stranger stops to lend a hand, you will hopefully recognize the feeling of responsibility you hope to move forward with afterwards.

Another part of Our Creed says to "live with honor and courage, seeking the inherent worth in each person you meet." This is important to me because it advocates seeking the strengths and the positive in others, rather than focusing on what is negative about them. This is a value based around patience and tolerance, which are essential in anyone's pursuit of well-roundedness.

Courage is extremely important because without courage, one might as well not have values; courage can be interpreted as the manifestation of one's values. If you aren't willing to stand up for your values--the very things that make you who you are--then why not just live without values, because then they are nothing but words. To live with honor is exactly what Covey's quote preaches: to live congruently with the values that you have established for yourself -- your own, personal standards.

In terms of my council's values, mine fit well inside of the range range of values that we decided as a group best represented us and would best guide us. Creativity was pegged as something important to us because it will lead us to new heights as an organization. Creativity is what diverts people from the status quo, breaking them out of the comfortable box of routine and complacency they sometimes live in, and gives them a new direction, vision, or perhaps just a new perspective of what they already had. I like consider myself to be a creative person, and this should be an environment where I will have the opportunity to flex that creative muscle as we look for new ways to approach the problems we are facing.

In my community, the Ohio State community, a sense of pride is not a bad thing. It is something that makes us proud of who we are and appreciate the opportunity to be here. Pride can be a bad thing, yes, but as long as it's kept under control -- checked and balanced by other values that seek positivity and not putting others down -- it can even make other communities better because one community's pride can inspire another's.

I want to end with my interpretation of the second quote that began this entry. Einstein suggests becoming a man of value rather than one of success because he felt that success will come to those who seek to live by their values. Pretty smart guy.