Values

     Value, in the simplest terms, comes from investment.  The more that is invested into the ideology of the culture one is raised in, the more higher the values that one embraces.  Values are one of the most important part of our internal being in today's world.  With the strength of outside forces being at an all-time high, it can be much more difficult to stay true to oneself than before.  Back before the media played such a huge role in our lives, it was easy to shut out other people and keep those values from being compromised.  Now-a-days there are organizations and groups of people out there trying to question our societal values each and every day.  That is why it is imperative to make time for reflection on values, and remember why they are there and where they came from.

      Sometimes reflection can be very difficult though! I know that for me it took three leadership conferences in one semester to really dig deep inside and think about what it is that I value.  I took the weekends to reflect on my life for the past nineteen years.  Thinking back to my life "pre-college" I realized how much my mom means to me, and how much I value family. Along that same line, my mother raised me to be genuine, steadfast in my beliefs, and an honest gentleman.  But throughout those conferences I realized that during my time in college so far, my independence has taken me away from those values, because I don't have that safety net to fall back on when I am not sure what to do.  Now my values haven't changed at all in my time as a buckeye, but my actions have.  I have increased my self-awareness and made my actions more congruent with my values.  It makes a huge difference when those thoughts on how to live stay at the forefront of my mind.

    Living out the values that you live by is so important, especially in a Greek organization.  They help increase confidence, and will advance the chapter that you are a part of.  Visiting them often and with depth will increase self-awareness, and it is okay to change what values you hold close to you so long as they stay congruent with what you believe in and how you live.