Core Values: A Guide to Personal Transformation - Essay Sample

Introduction

Core values refer to the principles and beliefs that we believe to be of paramount importance to ourselves and the world around us. Choosing core values is one of the most critical decisions that are geared towards changing our lives and how we live it. During the choice of core values, individuals need to sit back and reflect on what or who they need to be, the goals they need to achieve, the values they choose to abide by which determine and guide their personal decisions. Moreover, when individuals live in accordance with their personal core values, they derive a sense of personal fulfillment and satisfaction since it gives them assurance of that we are moving towards our goals.

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Nevertheless, when choosing our core values we should ensure that they are long-lasting, rewarding, inspirational, and unique and that they are in apposition to offer us the guidance we need to pursue our personal visions. Core values are the bedrock of ethics as they act as our guide in ethical reasoning. The main objective of this is to analyze my personal code of ethics and values as well as explain the process of making decisions in case of an ethical dilemma.

To begin with, some of my core values include integrity. This value comes along when one can is transparent, honest and consistent and can be depended upon by others. When we have integrity we are therefore able to have solid relationships with others and create long-lasting ties. It also helps us to make our lives and those of others simple since we always have a clear conscience (Finegan, 2007). Secondly, I choose to be a loving person to myself and others. Love comes with patience, compassion, selflessness, trust, and kindness. When we live in harmony with others and are kind to people we are in a position to lead happy lives and feel good about ourselves.it also helps us to be more open to the world, cope with our bad feelings and gain self-development.

Another core value includes respect and this wraps up values for ourselves and others, esteem and appreciation. When we live respectfully with others we have no fear expressing ourselves and giving our opinions, respect also helps us to build our self-esteem. Lastly, another core value is peace. Peace enables us to live in harmony and unity with the people around us. Peace helps to calm our minds and take us off negative thoughts. It creates a good living environment where everyone feels important and happy about themselves.

When we have our values intact and we work towards following them, we form a code of ethics which act as guiding principle in our decision-making process. Values define what is important and therefore helps us to differentiate between right and wrong, however, we use ethics as guiding rules to choose between right and wrong. Since there seems to be a strong relationship between core values and ethics, it is therefore natural that a person who has developed core values also has a code of ethics that they abide by. Ethics consists of qualities that help people pick a legitimate course of action when faced with a difficult situation (Hitlin, 2003). To begin with, I am an honest person who believes in standing for the truth. Telling the truth makes us better people in the world by making things easier.

According to philosophers the true measure of a man is whether they can be relied upon and whether people can take his word (All, 2005). Honest comes with honoring one's word as well as not condoning anything that pother do that could be considered illegal. Secondly, I also value hard work whereby I believe in I have the determination to accomplish the goals I set for myself.as a rule, I do whatever it takes to put my family first and make sure they live according to standard and therefore everything that I have accomplishes is through hard work and determination. When I accomplish what I have been tasked to do, I feel good inside and it gives me more satisfaction by knowing that following my principles got me there. Honesty comes hand in hand with integrity and this ensures that people are transparent in their doings. Transparency helps to bring justice and may involve us making hard choices to get there.

Another code of ethics that is important to me is that respecting my freedom. This may come with a lot of restrictions since freedom is understood as a paradox but when we respect it rewards us greatly. To begin with we know that we have freedom of speech but it is not every speech bears a good message I control this freedom by choosing when to talk and what to say. We do not have to talk when someone else is talking or be rude to others. No one would ask us if we did and that's where ethics comes in. it gives us the insight to make a legitimate decision. Moreover, we are free and we are adults and therefore we can sneak and use some drugs without anyone questioning our whereabouts. We, however, choose not to since we have principles that govern our decision-making process.

Besides handwork and respecting my freedom, I also maintain high levels of professionalism in my job. This includes respecting the duties one is offered and treating others equally and with the utmost professionalism.in most cases, it would require one to maintain confidentiality when requested or a requirement by the line of work (Finegan, 2007). Respecting this confidentiality is an ethical code that should be honored in order to avoid problems of personal information getting into the wrong hands.it also helps to maintain trust between parties in cases of personal relationships.

In an attempt to follow our pre-established principles and code of ethics to make decisions, we may be faced by two equally good alternatives and therefore they seem to compete for our attention in choosing them. This is the hardest part in decision making since both alternatives seem preferably good and therefore leaves the decision maker in a narrow place in trying to establish which alternative best work for them.to begin with one should structure a decision-making process that would help to resolve this.

The most important thing to do is to first sit back and take a breath. This helps to prevent rush judgment and therefore gives us time to think. Secondly, I clarify the goals in terms of short and long terms one to determine which one to cater for first. After classifying the goals it is a good time to gather the facts of the situations at hand ( Christensen, 2012). This step involves verifying what we know and welcoming additional information and corrections from credible sources. At this point also it is good to consider the ethical and emotional principles involved. Through striking a difference between the two narratives, then it becomes easier to classifying the situation as one which should be ruled through mercy or justice, truth or loyalty, good of the unit or good of the whole as well as long term goals or short term goals.

After achieving that, it is time to develop options. Christensen (2102) claims that this stage involves drafting a course of action and relevant measure geared towards achieving the goals. At this stage, it is important to consult with other informed and trusted parties who can help in broadening one's perspective and clarifying certain things that may be based on assumptions. After this has been achieved it is now time to consider the consequences that may follow upon choosing a particular alternative. Here one determines whether the alternatives violate any of the core ethical values and if it does it should be dropped. Also, it is good to consider who the decision affects and how it affects them. At this point, the alternatives will now align themselves on the basis of ethical right versus right dilemma.

After all the above steps have been achieved it is now time to make a decision. This marks the most critical part of the whole procedure and therefore it should be on the basis of a golden rule that states that one should do unto others what they would want others to do unto them( Howard, 2008). One should also ensure that the majority are on board with the decision. What follows is making follow-ups on the decision and making necessary modifications.

An example of an ethical dilemma is especially when making decisions. In the setting of an hospital, where an elderly patient may want to walk without permission. You are aware that it is dangerous for them to walk but on the same note, the patient would want you to allow them at least try to stretch their legs. As the one to make a decision, you are in a dilemma whether to allow them walk or not. In this case, one has to consider the ethics and values of the hospital as well as the necessary practices.

Conclusion

In conclusion, everyone possesses a code of conduct whether they know it or not. This code of conduct is shaped by our personal core values. This inner sense of moral wrong and right helps us in making the decision in ethical dilemmas by determining what is ethically right to do in any particular situation. According to the stakes and rewards that are sometimes represented by the life we find ourselves breaking our ethical codes and abandoning what we believe in from time to time. However, this only makes us human, since every human being is susceptible to wrong even when they know the right thing to do.

References

All, A. B. A., All, A. H. M., & Any, A. I. C. (2005). Code of ethics.Christensen, J. F., & Gomila, A. (2012). Moral dilemmas in the cognitive neuroscience of moral decision-making: A principled review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(4).

Finegan, J., & Theriault, C. (2007). The relationship between personal values and the perception of the corporation's code of ethics. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27(8).

Hitlin, S. (2003). Values as the core of personal identity: Drawing links between two theories of self. Social psychology quarterly, 66(2).

Howard, R. A., Korver, C. D., & Birchard, B. (2008). Ethics for the real world: Creating a personal code to guide decisions in work and life. Harvard Business Press.