A500.2.3.RB – Tell Your Story

All of us have some type of standard or standards we live by and find important to us.  I’ve applied high quality standards against some of the things that are most important to me so I can consistently try to maintain a certain balance in life.  For example, my family is extremely important to me and I want to spend as much quality time with them as possible.  I believe that quality time is necessary and extremely important to have a great relationship with my wife and children.  I want to be a great husband and also pass along values to my children.  Quality time doesn’t mean just being in my family’s presence.  It means doing and learning things together as a cohesive unit.  Going on vacation, playing games, teaching my children how to ride a bike, watching a movie together, helping with homework, or going to church, are all great examples of spending quality time with my family.  I also try to maintain a high standard when it comes to my health.  Without your health, you truly have nothing.  I make every attempt to uphold a relatively high level of physical activity and healthy eating habits.  I’ve seen so many people suffer because their health was never a priority in their life. Health usually becomes a priority in someone’s life when a health related event occurs or when significant damage is already done.  This is not to say that just because someone has exhibited a high health standard through their life they will never have health problems.  But if I ever have a health related issue, I want to be able to at least tell myself that I did everything I could up until that point.  Additionally, I try to keep a high standard in my job and the quality of work I perform.  I want to be known as reliable, helpful, and friendly subject matter expert in my interactions with customers and coworkers.  I strive to be the best at what I do and never want to feel like I couldn’t accomplish something professionally and outside of my job.  Finally, I have a standard of simply having fun.  Whether it’s taking a ride on my motorcycle, going to a concert, or just going out to have a couple beers, this standard is vital to one’s well-being and balance.  All work and no play only leads to a life of existing, not living.  

I’ve acquired these standards through trial and error and learning what’s important to me. Additionally, observing how my actions affected others and myself has been elemental in acquiring these standards.  As a young adult, I tended to focus on different things such as money, material things, and partying.  I focused on standards that weren’t sustainable for my future.  As I matured; I learned those things won’t necessarily make me a happy person in the long run.  Over time, my family, health, career, education, and hobbies naturally became some of the more important things to me and I knew I would have to put high standards on them throughout my life to keep them important.  And, so far, so good.