Value Sort Exercise

When we were presented with the value sort activity, I realized that I had never thought critically about what values I consider to be most important to me. Because of this, I found it difficult to categorize the values from least important to most important, as most of the options were good attributes that many people strive to possess.

The easiest category for me to fill out was the Least Important category. To me, the least important values were Fame/Success, Material Well-Being, Power/Influence, and Solitude/Contemplation. The first three were the least important to me because, in my mind, they are superficial and not conducive to genuine happiness or joy. I often find that people who are rich in these three values aren’t genuinely happy and use them to belittle others. I don’t find Solitude/Contemplation very important, as solitude is defined as the state or situation of being alone, and I enjoy being around other people. Like the least important category, I didn’t have much difficulty finding that Personal Growth/Learning, Faith, Self-Examination, and Hard Work/Commitment were the most important to me. I believe that the point of life is to apply yourself and appreciate all the good and bad things that come along with growing as a person. Also, I find that faith in God and myself allows me to put my best foot forward and walk through life with the confidence that I can overcome everything that life throws at me. Finally, self-examination is important to me because it’s essential to have a clear understanding of who you are and the steps that you need to take to achieve your goals.

Through this activity, I learned that I am a methodical person who likes to work toward goals in steps. I think the reason I enjoy civil engineering and even building Legos is that I get to build something from the ground up with clear steps and be left with tangible results of my effort. This is even evident in my decision to enroll in this course, as we have the opportunity to interact with the Malawian people, understand their needs, and tailor our service projects to fulfill their needs. It will also be very beneficial if we understand our classmates’ values and put everyone in a position that allows them to excel. In conclusion, I think that we all value Personal Growth because we are pushing beyond familiar boundaries by exposing ourselves to new challenges and experiences.