“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right,” -Henry Ford.

In my experience, whether you think you are or think you aren’t, you’re also right. My world history teacher posed to me recently that you become what you base your values on, and it got me thinking a lot more than I thought it would. If what Ford said is the case, and I agree that it is, I hope to become everything which I think of; and, by doing this, I hope to embody each of the 5 core values which I base my life on.

The first of these values, and by far the most dear to me, is relationships. It encompasses so much that is important; namely, my relationships with God, my family, and my friends, since these are the rocks in my life. I was rebaptized on my 16th birthday, and my life has been refocused on my faith and relationship with God ever since. Similarly I cherish family and friends most in my life; and, because of the love and support they give me, my values are largely focused for them. Although it is mundane, one of my greatest goals in life is to be a great wife and mother someday and to be a great friend to those around me, which through selflessness and caring about everyone in my life is something I hope this value can drive me towards.

Secondly, passion. I believe that without passion, life is a large slate waiting to be decorated, and days are spent simply going through motions you don’t care about. Passion is what drives people to achieve more than mediocrity, and one thing I want for my life is for it to be remembered as much more than mediocre. Whether it is a relationship or a sport or an assignment or anything at all, I try to attack each part of my life with passion and turn it into something I care deeply about. One passion instilled in me is for helping others, which, along with a passion for children, drives me towards another future goal. Although simple, I want to be a pediatric nurse to be able to help children while creating bonds with them. To do this, I hope to take these passions and use them as fuel for fire to work hard and achieve this dream.

Thirdly is patience, something which I constantly work at. However, I believe it has a payoff well worth its effort. Patience separates those with a caring demeanor from those without one, since those who people go to when they need advice or help are the ones who can be patient. It helps create great leaders, so it is something I hope to continue to cultivate in myself.

Fourthly is optimism. This is what I wrote on my paper, since it has become characteristic of myself. Even when I want to, I try not to look to the negatives of any situation so that the good can help me and those around me get through. My favorite color is yellow (and even my car is yellow) because its association with happiness reminds me to be optimistic when I may not always have this in the forefront of my mind.

Finally, my last core value is loyalty. To me, loyalty is a combination of so many other things I value, such as trust, commitment, and honesty. To be loyal to someone is to have their back no matter what and always be there, knowing they would do the same for you. This is something I want for myself, and so it is something I strive to be for other people.

In my life, I have already been able to accomplish many things I am proud of. I am a two-sport captain, on the Student Council board, and an Editor In Chief of our school newspaper among other things. I’ve been able to check off of my list of high school goals, and now it is time to begin a new one, which I hope my values can assist me in completing like they did the past 3 years. So whether you think you can or think you can’t, depending on your 5 core values, you’re probably right.