Values are the foundation of how we live, work, and make decisions. Jonathan Hancock’s article emphasizes how important it is to understand what truly matters to us. He explains how our values shape our everyday choices such as dealing with conflict or responding under pressure. When our actions align with our values, we feel more confident, grounded, and fulfilled. When they don’t, we often experience stress or dissatisfaction without immediately understanding why. This is something I can connect to my time at NC State. My choices here have overall made me feel confident in my future and how I can apply new skills to my career and personal life as I enter the real world. When I have made choices that don’t align with my values, I have felt like something was wrong. In the past I was afraid to speak up when conflicts were arising during teamwork to avoid conflict. As I have spent more time here and worked with many different people, my perspective has changed. I do not think it is fair to have people freeload off of others because it does not align with my values or the values of my group. Another way I have applied my values to my life here has been mistakes I have made that have impacted my learning. In the past I would put social obligations above schoolwork quite a bit and it did affect my grades. Part of that was being so young and starting freshman year but as a senior I can now reflect on the importance of learning and the reason I am at this school. As someone who values honesty, integrity, discipline, and responsibility, I feel that I can connect to this article as I wrap up my time here at NCSU.

Hancock, Jonathan. “What Are Your Values? Deciding What’s Important in Life and Work.” Mind Tools, Mind Tools Content Team.