Valeria: Values Exercise

DISCIPLINE

         Discipline is a quality I try to incorporate into almost every aspect of my life. I was raised on discipline, and to incorporate it into as much as I could. I use discipline as a personal practice for my mind, body, and spirit. No matter what you are doing, there is a level to where it could not be done better. Discipline is the practice of getting to that top level, striving for perfection. While it is obvious no task can be completed to an absolute perfect standard to where it could not be improved, discipline runs on a blind believe that it can be. In a physical aspect, pushing yourself to get up at 5am to lift or run is a form of discipline. It sucks, but that’s the point. Things that are easy do not require discipline. The whole reason something requires discipline is because it cannot be accomplished without effort. In a mental aspect, prioritizing your responsibilities and following them is a form of discipline. Especially with finals so near it is very tempting to push off work and act like it is not there. But it is that hunger and self inflicted competitiveness that puts a fire in your belly to give it everything. The most influential part of discipline for me however is in a spiritual state. Everything you have is God-given. Don’t take it for granted. Your body, mind, skills, everything comes from Him. I believe I was put on this Earth to use those things to their upmost potential. While yes, God wants us to rest, but rest has its time and place. True work is done when you want to do it the least. It strengthens my self confidence, work ethic, inner drive, but most of all my respect for God and the gifts He has given me.

TRUST

            To me, trust is one of the most powerful things in the world. Like love it cannot be bought or bribed. But unlike anything in the world, trust can take years to earn and seconds to lose. Having a bond of trust with someone is the most comforting feeling in the world to me. Like discipline, I was raised on trust as a form of discipline. Sometimes we are tempted to conspire in things that would break trust but it is up to our level of discipline to steer away from that. Trust is also in its own way a form of love. If you truly love someone, the value of that is worth too much to break the trust that comes with it.

            Like discipline, trust is something that can be applied to anything you do. In sports, trusting your teammates is what leads to a working unit. In your personal life, trusting your partner, friends, and family gives you a sense of purpose, knowing that you have support when you need it. While it comes in many different levels and extremities, trust is one of the biggest things I build my life around and I treat it with the utmost sacredness. The level I trust someone at usually determines how significant he or she is in my life. A spouse or partner for example, has my most sacred level of trust. However, the more sacred a form of trust, the more detrimental it is when broken. While this may seem dramatic, a high level of fragileness in trust actually makes the relationship stronger if kept by both sides. It is a special bond only the two of you share, making your relationship unique and precious.

PEACE

            This quality is very different from my first two. Trust and discipline are intense aspects of my life that take a lot of passion and effort. However, peace is very heavily incorporated into both of them, especially trust. When you have a strong bond with someone or a group of people, its puts your mind at ease. Without it I can find myself spending large amounts of time and energy into worrying about the relationship or responsibilities entailed within that relationship, simply because I am questioning the reliability of the bond of trust I have with them. Like trust and discipline, peace is not something that can be bought, but is practiced and perfected by one’s own efforts. 

            One of my bigger faults is my desperate need to be achieving. I am constantly making check lists and organizing my schedule over and over again. If I am not being productive I get very anxious and stressed out. This compulsive need to always be doing something brings me a level of security in my own self worth, but lacks mental piece. At the beginning of this semester, one of my professors asked me to choose one quality to focus on in the next 4-month and improve within myself. When she asked why I chose peace I said my need to be disciplined and my lack of trust in people cause my mind to constantly be stirring. So, for the last 18 weeks, finding mental, physical, and spiritual peace has been a goal of mine. While I have made considerable progress since January, I have found the place I find peace the most often is with God. He has showed me that peace is not something that is going to always exist in my life. At times it will leave and it is my responsibility to find it again as soon as possible. And in God I found that my biggest peace will always come from the one I will always trust the most.