Daily Values

Honesty--The art of Giving & Getting Advice
"If you truly want honesty, don't ask questions you don't really want the answer to..."
I found this quote about honesty definitely relateable to my life. So many times have I asked friends for advice and been upset by their advice or even rejected their suggestions because it was not what I wanted to hear. I know I'm always looking for my friends approval and often times my immediate reaction to unfavorable advice is to completely shut off and not actually listen to them. Many times advice is far from what you WANT to hear; it's what you NEED to hear. Now that I reflect back to those situations, I see that my friends were right. Sometimes friends tell you things you don't want to hear, but they are being brutally honest. Honesty is one of the most important things I value in my life. Many of my close friends embody this quality. I know that honesty is something I need to work on. Looking back on the opposite side of the situation when I'm the one giving advice, I know I'm upset when my friends don't consider my opinions because it isn't exactly what they were looking for. I now can see why they get frustrated when they give advice to me..

Self-respect--The art of being true to yourself
I think this is a really important quality especially as a young adult who is influenced by media and a changing world. With so many outside pressures(friends, guys, stereotypes), it is hard not to be influenced by these pressures. I know I can say that there a few people I know who have definitely been influenced by the "sorority stereotypes." There are some people who try to be what they think people want them to be or say things they think other people want to hear. I feel as though these people are cheating themselves. Being yourself is one of the greatest things in life. If you are yourself, you are unique. Although I know some people who are not true to themself, I know some people who are true to themself. My roomate has this quality down to the "white tee." She never compromises who she is whether it be with guys, music, or lax pinnies. For this I truly admire her because I know at times sometimes I compromise who I am. The people I am closest with in my life, are who they are because that is what they want to be and that is something that I value. Each of them has certain qualities that make them who they are.

Compassion--The art of giving
This is a very important quality of being a friend and a good person. One of my friends(who I've known since high school) is the most self-less person I know. She puts herself before anyone else, and for that I truly admire her because I don't think I could ever be that self-less. At times I know I can be selfish, and I feel as though I could work on incorporating more compassion into my life. I think sometimes it is hard to get out of the mindset that we are the only person in the world. We need to remember there are other people in the world. From volunteering at the Columbus Literacy Council, I have come to realize that compassion is something very important. Giving my time and my ability to teach people how to learn English, was so truly rewarding. The people I taught were so grateful and positive. Giving a little goes a long way...