my personal philosophy in life essay

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My Personal Philosophy of Life

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My Personal Philosophy of Life, Essay Example

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I am the third of five children: I have two older sisters and two younger brothers. My big family helped me to realize the importance of family relations and it has been a basis of my future convictions. Person is an indivisible part of the family. Another thing about my childhood is that I have been involved in the nursing field from the time I could work. I started my nursing practice as a nurse aid at the age of sixteen. Strange as it may seem, I never seriously thought about being a nurse until many years later and many failed attempts at other careers. My transcript speaks for itself. I went a long way to nursing: I did not become a nurse until I was thirty one and pregnant at the time with twins. My professional choice is thoughtful and I do know what I want to get from the course.

I am not a light-minded girl and I have my own life principle, and I always try to adhere to it. My philosophy of life is “life is not always easy and you have to work hard for what you want.” Though for someone it may sound like a commonplace, in fact it is not. Such philosophy came as a result of my life, of my experience, and I believe that it helps me to withstand difficult situations.

As English proverb claims, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride, and I totally agree with it. Usually, tangible achievements come as a result of long and hard work. I perceive difficult tasks just like challenges and I understand that they are beneficial to my skills and my experience. Nursing school was not easy, studying in Framingham state college is not easy, but I know that I will reap the benefits in the end. It takes some doing to achieve good results, but I know it is the way it always happens. And everyone has to work hard for what they have ‘everyone’. Nursing is not an easy profession but I do believe that it is a way to help people understand that they should work for their wellness too, they should cooperate with nurses and then any results are achievable.

My Professional Philosophy of Nursing

When I think back now as to why I went into nursing school, I cannot come up with any clear reason. May be, it was a moment of inspiration, because then I had no strong intention of being a nurse. However, now I know that this is what I was destined to do with my life. All careers I have tried failed to provide that certainty.

I have my own perception of nursing practice, and it is my own professional philosophy. I am here to help people live a healthier, happier, and longer life. I am not striving for lofty aims; neither do I resort to common knowledge. I just feel that it is the very thing that nurses should do. Though I have come up with this idea, it is difficult to adhere to it. I feel that frequently I fail to promote this philosophy and focus on the immediate task. And that is why I study more and hone my skills.

I work as an emergency room nurse now. Actually, it is rather hard to stand back and look at the patient as a whole when you are trying to fix him or her. When they are broken, say, their blood pressure is 70/40 and you need to focus on the I.V., fluids, and blood products, it is hardly impossible to concentrate on their integrity and reasons of their illness. Current and urgent actions outweigh philosophical questions and perceptual issues.

Now I realize that helping people to recover their health does not come to just fixing their blood pressure or their broken arm. While having them in the emergency room it is teaching that I perform to help them cope with their illness or limitations. In order to better serve the patient and the family I need to consider the person as a physiological, psychological, sociocultural, and developmental being. This concept is difficult in itself, but to make people think that they are able to recover, to communicate with their relatives, to provide help and support I should embody this concept.

Just corresponding to my nursing career my philosophy of nursing is always changing and evolving. New circumstances and new cases help me to concentrate on important psychological aspects of nursing, to realize needs of ill people and make necessary decisions. They make my understanding of human needs more profound, and this enables me to help them to live healthy, happy and long lives.

My Personal and Professional Philosophy Integrated With the Framingham State

Conceptual Framework

The Framingham state college philosophy states that we need to focus “on the person as a physiological, psychological, sociocultural, and developmental being who progresses through the life cycle as a unified whole within the environment.” I do believe that we need to look at the person and the family as a whole. According to the Framingham State College Philosophy “the faculty believes that the goal of nursing is to promote the person’s movement along the wellness-illness continuum toward high-level wellness.” The way we promote the movement along the wellness-illness continuum is through education of out patients. We as nurses do not necessarily need to change the patient or family environment. To say the least, it is a difficult task. But what we can do is help them to cope with the environment that they live in to promote wellness. But we must inform our patients about what the way to wellness looks like. We do need to let patient know that it is not always easy. There is no one pill that cures everything.

Here my own life philosophy coincides with the Framingham state college idea. I think that there are no easy ways to deal with serious illness or limitation. So in order to evaluate some compromise way to recover that would be easy to follow I explore the patient as a whole: his or her lifestyle, habits, environment, etc. I usually try to persuade people that in order to get better or prevent their illness they should change something: say, their behavior, habits, diet, or lifestyles.

As prevention is better that cure, the college emphasizes the importance of prevention. Whether prevention means reduction of risk of being ill or general promotion of wellness or it means in-time detection and prevention of further worsening, or even prevention of consequences of the existing illness, it is achieved through promotion of wellness. The philosophy of college claims that promotion of wellness is an important part of the cure, and my personal philosophy also supports this idea. Everyone has an ability to withstand the illness being provided with a professional and timely help. And then it is necessary to understand that nurses are able to provide that kind of help, but not everything can be done by nurses. Something is always left for the patient’s work.

The Framingham college course underlines the importance of nurses in preventive health care. Nurses can influence people and make decisions concerning their health conditions. It is not a part of usual nursing course, and it is important to integrate these principles of preventive health care into usual working practice. As I have mentioned, it is not that easy but in the long run worth doing. It requires new skills and knowledge of behavioral and natural sciences and change of attitude to the patient sometimes.

What is really important for the college philosophy is not just taking care of health, but providing education, assistance and advocacy to people. Nurses should not be just medical profession, they should communicate with their patients and involve them into decision making if necessary. But the role of nurse must be leading as nurses are responsible for all decisions. Also, nurses should hone their skills constantly in communities, within collectives, and strive for betterment of their nursing practice. Actually, promoting wellness is a complex mission and it requires certain skills and approaches.

I think that in general my personal philosophy does comply with the philosophy of the college. College philosophy requires nurses to learn constantly and to improve their skills, to change the professional attitude to patients from the medical to more humanistic, socioeconomic, etc. I understand that it is necessary and in the long run it will improve my nursing skills noticeably. Professional nurses should be able to help patients to withstand their illnesses, and not only by means of pills and injections. Promoting wellness is a part of prevention of future diseases. For me, this idea is really great and it is the very thing I need to study and promote. It corresponds to my idea of providing wellness through nursing, and to my philosophy of life.

Life is not easy, work is not easy, but we as nurses can ease lives of our patients and help them to recover. We are able to make the patient’s life healthier and better on the other level. All we need is improvement of nursing skills with social and humanities studies. Then patients face the reality and come up with idea that nothing comes without efforts. They realize that they are provided with extraordinary help but their wellness depends on their own efforts, too. So the philosophy of college, my personal professional philosophy and my philosophy of life are interwoven; though college idea of nursing is stable, my own convictions change as I learn more and improve my experience.

We as nurses are always working towards the highest level of wellness, either in our family, in our careers, or in our self. And we need to do the same for our patients, as we possess knowledge that is unavailable to our patients. We as nurses have an extraordinary influence on our patients and the public. We need to promote education and have the ability to promote compliance. We need to look at the patient or family as a whole and remember that at some point in time we will have someone in the health care system and could only wish the same care we would give.

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101 Personal Philosophy Examples (Copy and Paste Ideas)

Personal philosophy refers to an individual’s foundational beliefs, values, and attitudes that guide his or her perspectives, decisions, and behaviors (Covey, 1989).

These integral elements of a person’s philosophy often shape and mold their characters, propelling them through life with their distinct take on existence, perspectives on truth, and individual ethos (Prior, 2015).

Our personal philosophy is based on our core values (aka terminal values ), which are those things that we hold most dear and that are fundamental to our personality and character.

Consider the case of Steve Jobs (2011), Apple’s co-founder, whose personal philosophy was famously rooted in Zen Buddhism with an unwavering belief in intuition . His philosophy was delineated by his renowned quote at Stanford University: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do”.

This dictum underscores Jobs’s individual belief system , his viewpoint of success, and the guiding principles for his life’s work . Evidently illustrating how personal philosophy is both a driving force and a beacon of direction in an individual’s life.

Personal Philosophy Examples

Famous people’s personal philosophies, 1. steve jobs.

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

As noted above, the co-founder of Apple Inc, Steve Jobs, was heavily influenced by Zen Buddhism. Besides the quote I already gave, Jobs would often quote another one based on Buddhism: “Stay hungry, Stay Foolish”. This idea underscores the importance of continuously seeking knowledge and not being afraid to take risks. Jobs delivered this philosophy in his famous commencement address at Stanford University in 2005 (Jobs, 2005). This personal mantra shaped his pioneering innovations that revolutionized communication and technology.

2. Bill Gates

“Be Patient”

The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, emphasizes patience as a key defining feature of his philosophy. He believes that change operates on a longer timeframe than we may initially anticipate and that great works take time (Gates, 2013). This philosophy saturates Gates’s philanthropy efforts, where his focus primarily lies in long-term, foundational improvements to global health and education. 

3. Richard Branson

“Screw it, let’s do it”

The flamboyant entrepreneur Richard Branson lives by his guiding philosophy of “Screw it, let’s do it”. This mantra reflects his belief in jumping at opportunities even when the outcome may be unknown (Branson, 2012). Branson’s multi-industry success with his Virgin brand is a testament to his willingness to defy conventional wisdom through his adventurous business ventures. 

4. Maya Angelo

“When people show you who they are, believe them”

The acclaimed poet Maya Angelou deeply held onto the philosophy “When people show you who they are, believe them”. This philosophy emphasizes the importance of understanding people’s character based on their actions rather than their words (Angelou, 2013). Angelou’s insightful poetry and autobiographies often encompass the theme of human nature and the importance of personal integrity.

5. Jeff Bezos

“It’s better to invent than to copy”

The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, thrives on his philosophy “It’s better to invent than to copy”. He believes in the power of originality and innovation instead of conforming to conventional paths (Bezos, 2016). This belief has been implemented into Amazon’s corporate culture which revolves around exploration and inventiveness.

6. Mark Zuckerberg

“Move fast and break things”

Co-founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, follows the philosophy “Move fast and break things”. This mantra represents his focus on rapid innovation, even if it means making mistakes along the way (Zuckerberg, 2012). It captures the essence of Facebook’s initial growth strategy and its determination to push the boundaries of technological progress.

7. Oprah Winfrey

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams”

Oprah Winfrey, the media mogul, ascribes to the philosophy “The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams”. Her philosophy encourages people to strive for their aspirations despite potential obstacles (Winfrey, 2014). As a beloved television host and philanthropist, she exemplifies the philosophy through her career trajectory rising from poverty to become one of the most influential women in the world.

8. Einstein

“Imagination is everything”

Much of Albert Einstein’s philosophy can be contained in the quote “Imagination is everything”. He held that imaginative thought was more crucial than detailed knowledge as it leads to innovation and progress (Einstein, 2011). This philosophy was a driving force behind his ground-breaking physics discoveries, reinforcing the power of imaginative intelligence.

9. Nelson Mandela

“I never lose. I either win or learn”

The first black President of South Africa and anti-apartheid revolutionary, Nelson Mandela, maintained the philosophy “I never lose. I either win or learn”. This greatly shaped his attitude towards persisting in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds during the fight for racial equality (Mandela, 2010). It also underscores Mandela’s belief in the value of learning from adversity rather than viewing it as a failure.

10. Walt Disney

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”

Walt Disney, the pioneer of the American animation industry, adamantly believed in the motto “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”. This philosophy emphasizes the power of determination and bravery in the realization of one’s dreams. It resonates throughout Disney’s legacy of imaginative storytelling and innovative moviemaking.

Personal Philosophy Ideas

1. Have a Growth Mindset Life is a continuous learning experience and challenges are our greatest teachers. Embracing this philosophy means perceiving setbacks as opportunities to grow, not as insurmountable barriers.”

2. Pursue Knowledge “The essence of human progress lies in the relentless pursuit of knowledge. To follow this philosophy, one must bear an insatiable thirst for learning, always seeking to expand their intellectual horizons.”

3. Respect for All Living Things “My philosophy is rooted in a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life forms. Respect should not be exclusive to humanity but extended to every living organism, acknowledging the vital role it plays in Earth’s ecosystem.”

4. Keep an Open Mind “Life’s richest opportunities often sprout from seeds of difference. By practicing an open mind, one positions themselves for growth, improvement, and innovation borne of diverse ideas and opinions.”

5. Seek to Understand Before being Understood “Understanding generates empathy and in a world rife with divisive language and behavior, empathy is paramount. This philosophy beckons us to listen actively , to engage genuinely in the dialogue of life.

6. Pursuit of Personal Freedom “Freedom is not simply the absence of captivity; it is the robust expression of one’s identity and the power to make choices. To chase personal freedom is to relentlessly pursue self-determination and personal authenticity.”

7. Gratitude is the Key to Happiness “Happiness does not depend on the grandeur of our possessions, but on the depth of our gratitude. This philosophy teaches us to express sincere gratitude for our blessings, even the most inconspicuous ones.”

8. Trust but Verify “Trust plays a linchpin role in cultivating genuine relationships. However, maintaining a level of discernment, “to trust but verify,” keeps us on a solid footing, fusing trust with pragmatism.”

9. Live in the Moment “Amidst the hustle of life, we often forget to live in the present. Appreciating the current moment, absorbing its raw reality, is essential to experiencing life in its purest form.”

10. Integrity is Non-Negotiable “Integrity is my immovable cornerstone, the compass guiding my every interaction. It is a commitment to remain honest and ethical, even in the face of adversity or temptation.”

11. Everyone Has Something to Teach You “From the janitor sweeping the floor to the professor delivering a lecture, everyone has valuable knowledge to share. Being open to learn from all encounters magnifies our wisdom and cultivates humility.”

12. Humility Goes a Long Way “Regardless of my accomplishments or social standing, humility is my chosen companion. It keeps my ego in check and fosters genuine connections with individuals from diverse backgrounds.”

13. Don’t Let Fear of Failure Hold You Back “Rather than a crippling force, I regard fear of failure as a stepping stone towards success. It is a philosophy that encourages me to take risks, embracing failures as poignant life lessons.”

14. Aim to be Better, not Perfect “Striving for perfection imprisons us in a perpetual cycle of dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, aiming to improve incrementally, to be better today than yesterday, leads to wholesome progress and contentment.”

15. Be Responsible and Reliable “Responsibility and reliability are the pivot upon which successful relationships rotate. By upholding these virtues, I become a dependable ally and an accountable human being.”

Read Also: Personal Mission Statement Examples

Complete List of 101 Personal Philosophies for the Taking

• Pursuit of knowledge.
• Respect for all living things.
• Strive for balance in all areas of life.
• Always be curious and open-minded.
• Seek to understand before being understood.
• Focus on continual self-improvement.
• Kindness above all.
• Embrace change and adaptability.
• Pursuit of personal freedom.
• Respect and value diversity.
• Gratitude is the key to happiness.
• Life is about experiences, not possessions.
• Emphasize compassion and empathy.
• Encourage collaboration and teamwork.
• Strive for sustainability and environmental stewardship.
• Find joy in simplicity.
• Trust but verify.
• Practice mindfulness and be present.
• Encourage creativity and original thinking.
• Integrity is non-negotiable.
• Practice patience and forgiveness.
• Everyone has something to teach you.
• Believe in the power of positivity.
• Health is wealth.
• Promote honesty and transparency.
• Courage in the face of adversity.
• Embrace life’s imperfections.
• Foster a community spirit.
• Make decisions out of love, not fear.
• Humility goes a long way.
• Practice self-compassion.
• Prioritize mental health.
• Respect personal boundaries.
• Promote freedom of expression.
• Stand up against injustice.
• Cultivate resilience.
• Seek truth in all things.
• Be a lifelong learner.
• Encourage innovation and new ideas.
• Work smarter, not harder.
• Find value in every situation, good or bad.
• Practice active listening.
• Growth comes from stepping out of your comfort zone.
• Maintain work-life balance.
• Love unconditionally.
• Celebrate every success, no matter how small.
• Prioritize personal relationships.
• Embrace vulnerability .
• Keep an open heart and mind.
• Regular self-reflection leads to personal growth .
• Strive for excellence, not perfection.
• Find and follow your passion.
• Take responsibility for your actions.
• Value the process, not just the outcome.
• Believe in the power of kindness.
• Embrace and learn from failures.
• Always be humble and grounded.
• Be a problem solver, not a complainer.
• Choose peace over conflict.
• Create more than you consume.
• Advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves.
• Leave things better than you found them.
• Believe in the power of unity.
• Invest in personal growth.
• Embrace diversity and inclusivity.
• Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
• Prioritize authenticity over popularity.
• Don’t let fear of failure hold you back.
• Keep a healthy sense of humor.
• Encourage and support others.
• Embrace lifelong learning .
• Be patient and persistent.
• Invest in relationships.
• Do what makes you happy.
• Value people over things.
• Focus on the positive.
• Stand up for what you believe in.
• Remain open-minded.
• Trust your intuition.
• Aim to be better, not perfect.
• Always tell the truth.
• Help others when you can.
• Stay grounded in the present moment.
• Prioritize self-care.
• Cultivate inner peace.
• Be responsible and reliable.
• Strive for equality.
• Learn from the past, but don’t dwell on it.
• Make every day meaningful.
• Aim to inspire others.
• Believe in yourself.
• Live with integrity.
• Make the world a better place.
• Don’t take life too seriously.
• Surround yourself with positive people.
• Practice mindfulness.
• Embrace change as a part of life.
• Celebrate individuality.
• Keep a curious mind.
• Live in alignment with your values.
• Be your own biggest fan.

Writing down your own personal philosophy is an excellent exercise in helping you to clarify your core values, moral values , and goals in life. I’d recommend trying to narrow them down to three or four or five. Then use the five Why’s strategy to zoom-in on why you have this philosophy: what is is at your core that guides your personal philosophy? Those core things at the end of the ‘why’ chain is your set of terminal values, and they represent who you are. It’s important to have this at the heart of all our actions so we live a life of integrity.

Furthermore, it’s worthwhile re-examining your core values every six months. They change over time as we mature and our lives change and our priorities shift .

Angelou, M. (2013). The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations . New York: Penguin.

Bezos, J. (2016). Re: 2016 Shareholder Letter. seccdn.com.

Branson, R. (2012). Screw it, Let’s do it – Lessons in Life . London: Virgin.

Covey, S. R. (1989). The seven habits of highly effective people: restoring the character ethic . New York: Simon and Schuster.

Einstein, A. (2011). The Ultimate Quotable Einstein. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Gates, B. (2013). Gates Notes: The Blog of Bill Gates . gatesnotes.com.

Jobs, S. (2005). Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Address . Stanford News.

Mandela, N. (2010). Conversations with Myself . London: Macmillan London Ltd.

Prior, A. (2015). Pursuing Eudaimonia: Re-appropriating the Greek Philosophical Foundations of the Christian Apophatic Tradition . Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Winfrey, O. (2014). What I Know for Sure. Chicago: Flatiron Books.

Zuckerberg, M. (2012 ). Zuckerberg’s Letter to Investors: ‘The Hacker Way’ .

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My Personal Philosophy of Life

Introduction We all have a philosophy of life, even if we don’t know how to put it into words. Some of us are cynics, some are optimists. Some think the world owes us; others want to give back. I have a few sayings or mottos that I live by.

Live in the now

I used to worry about what was going to happen next, some distant time in the future. I would lie awake at night and make up all sorts of what ifs. Usually the scenes in my mind ended badly, with something terrible happening. I also used to have a lot of regret and even shame about the past. I’d think about silly things I’d said or done, and cringe. Even when I was sleeping, my mind would replay these things.

Then someone told me about mindfulness. It’s about being alive to what is happening to you right now, and giving your all to that moment. Like right now, I’m writing this essay and I’m giving it 100% of my attention. I could be distracted by my cell phone ringing, but I switched it off so I can focus on just one thing.

When I’m with my boyfriend, I’m truly with him. I try to really engage with him. So often, we’re in the presence of someone, but our minds are elsewhere. Especially with a partner. Because we spend a lot of time with our partners, we start to take them for granted. We often “talk” to other people via social media when we’re lying in bed with our partner, rather than talking to them. This leads to disengagement. I try and live in the now.

Amnesia by choice

I used to hold terrible grudges against people who did me wrong. They actually did do me wrong, it was not just in my head, but the point is I would spend hours dwelling on the bad things they did to me, feeling hurt and sorry for myself. I’d even fantasize about possible types of revenge, which I’m not going to mention in this essay or you might have to report me to the police!

I had a boyfriend who cheated on me with my close friend. It hurt me very badly, understandably so. I fell to pieces, lay in bed for weeks and lost a lot of weight. I was devastated.

Instead of moving on, I’d think about it all the time. How could they! I lost my boyfriend and my good friend at the same time.

One day, another friend who had been patiently listening to me for months ranting and raving said to me: You know, you don’t have to forgive them. But you can just forget about it.

That made sense to me. Everyone else had been telling me to forgive them, but I felt what they did was unforgiveable. But now I had a way of moving on without having to forgive. I could just forget about it.

And that’s what I’ve done. I call it amnesia by choice, and I’m a much happier person for it.

Conclusion I know people who have chosen philosophies related to being the richest; being more successful or effective; or winning at everything they do. Others choose to be pessimistic, and believe that you need to step on others to survive. The two philosophies of life I included in this essay help me live a more fulfilled, happier life.

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11 Best Personal Philosophies To Guide Your Life

If someone asked you, “What’s your personal philosophy?” would you know how to answer them?

You probably have some idea of what’s important to you, but have you ever created a statement that sums it up? 

Look at a list of personal values, and some will stand out for you.

We all have different reasons for our goals and actions. 

Everything you do has a purpose, even if you don’t consciously acknowledge it.

Every successful person has chosen to follow a philosophy based on their core values.

You can do the same. But first, you need to know precisely what that is.  

What Is a Personal Philosophy? 

How to create your personal philosophy , 1. do no harm. , 2. there are no failures — just results to learn from. , 3. you are here to make good things happen., 4. keep stretching and challenging yourself., 5. the flow state is where the magic happens. , 6. you don’t have to understand everything. , 7. personal integrity should guide every action. , 8. impact matters more than intent., 9. be mindful in both your personal and professional life. , 10. learn by doing., 11. be bold, and have big dreams., ready to write your personal philosophy.

You make daily choices to work towards a goal. Smaller goals guide your days, while long-term goals guide months and years of your life. All of those goals are based on your core values, which determine the rules you live by. 

Those rules are known as your personal philosophies. Some of these philosophies may be tied to your religion or culture, but philosophies vary from person to person even within those frameworks. 

You can base your personal philosophy on the following questions:

• What are you passionate about? Or what inspires you?
• How would you describe your ideal life? 
• What elements or values do your passions and ideal life have in common?
• What habits do you have that relate to those values?
• How would you sum up your goals and outlook on life, using these values? 

Now you have a general idea of what it is, how do you write a personal philosophy? 

We’ve outlined a few steps to help you if you don’t know where to start.

• Start with a list of 10 to 20 personal values.
• Narrow down your list to 3 to 5 core values.
• Think about why each of these values is so important to you. 
• For each one, write about how you put those values into daily practice. 
• Connect each value to your long-term goals and aspirations. 
• Write a few sentences about how these values define and guide you. 
• Condense those into one sentence that sums up your primary motivation.

If you’d like some help identifying your values, look at our extensive list of 400 value words.

11 Personal Philosophy Examples 

Your personal philosophy will no doubt resonate with others. And it will express values like the ones you’ll see in the following life philosophy examples, each of which are important for everyone. Read these for inspiration and to help you articulate your own. 

Striving for success is a good thing only if it does not harm others. A victory that comes at someone else’s expense won’t get you closer to becoming a person you’d be proud of. 

When you undertake a challenge, commit to doing whatever it takes to get the best result for everyone involved — and for everyone likely to be affected by it. 

The more you value your connection to other humans and all life, the less you’ll want to be part of something that violates the rights of any. 

Respect others enough to be conscious of how your words and actions affect them to choose the best way forward. And look beyond the surface to see which endeavors genuinely seek the good of all. 

Personal values: 

Tenacity is behind this philosophy; no matter what happens to you, you keep going.

No matter how many less-than-desirable results you get, you keep moving toward your goal and taking action to get closer to it. 

You know that every so-called failure is just a result you can learn from, and you view setbacks with a growth mindset to seek out the lesson. 

You look at what went wrong or what you can do to get a better result next time. And you try again.

You don’t accept failure because every result that falls short of your hopes teaches you more than you might expect.. Every faltering step is still a step.

Personal values:

This is your philosophy (or part of it) If you believe your purpose in life is to make good things happen for the people in your world — those you love, those in your community, and those beyond it. 

You’re here to make the world better, one person and one action at a time. You believe your life won’t be well-spent unless you have a positive impact on those around you. 

All things in moderation, though. If you take on too much responsibility, you’ll always feel that it’s not enough whatever you do. And you’ll burn out. 

Be as kind and compassionate toward yourself as you are to others. 

• Relationships
• Empathy 

This one is about courage since it requires you to step outside your comfort zone. You know that a world of life-changing opportunities exists outside it. 

How can you do this?

• Take a hard look at your comfort zone and what it’s kept you from doing. 
• Commit to doing something that seems beyond your present ability. 
• Watch those who’ve accomplished things you think are beyond your ability. 
• Learn what they’re doing differently, and do it yourself (as long as it does no harm).
• If you don’t know what to do, act as if you do, and take action. 

Take it one step at a time, but keep stepping. Keep trying new things. Continue asking yourself challenging questions. Don’t wait for someone else to challenge you. 

Cognitive understanding is great, but if you’ve ever been in a state of creative flow, you know that the difference between the flow state and cognitive understanding is like the difference between intuition and reasoning. 

There are advantages to letting go of conscious control and allowing the flow to take you over. You become a conduit of thoughts, ideas, and feelings you didn’t know were accessible to you. 

Getting into a flow state indeed takes more than willingness. But once you learn how to access that state, you won’t be content with what your conscious mind can figure out. 

And you’ll want to help others experience the same creative flow. 

• Imagination

More Related Articles:

13 Endearing Traits Of Someone With A Warm Personality

31 Good Mottos to Live By for a Stellar Life

The Ultimate List Of 143 Life Lessons You Must Learn

Having a full life doesn’t require a full understanding of everything that matters to you. How boring would life be if you already had everything figured out? 

Life is a lot more fun when you still have learning to do. It’s more exciting to visit a place that’s different from any you’ve seen before. Everyone has a bit of the explorer in them. 

And the goal of the explorer isn’t to understand everything they see or even everything they study. It’s to learn and to broaden their perspective. 

An authentic learning experience should change you in some way. It should make you more than you were. 

Personal values:  

• Wisdom 

Integrity is wholeness. When you act with integrity, you behave in a manner consistent with your beliefs. Operating outside of your values undermines your integrity. It divides you. 

Commit to always acting with integrity, and people will know what to expect of you. They’ll trust you to comport yourself in a way that reflects your moral code. 

Granted, your beliefs may change and your behavior with it. If you turn away from beliefs you’ve held onto for years and continue to act with integrity, people are likely to notice the change. 

But once they know the reason for it, they’re more likely to respect you for acting in agreement with your current beliefs — even if they contrast sharply with older ones.

• Consistency

However noble your intentions, if someone’s experience causes them to receive your words or actions in a way you don’t intend, you owe it to both of you to take a closer look. 

If relationships matter more to you than being right, the impact of your words should matter more than your intent. Never assume it’s the other person’s fault for taking your comments “the wrong way.” 

If you first send the wrong message, apologize, learn where you went wrong, and try again. Learn how others can interpret your words based on their experiences. Your filter is yours, and your experience is not universal. 

• Understanding

It’s important to stop regularly and look inward. Pay attention to what you’re feeling or thinking, whether you’re relaxed, anxious, or somewhere in the middle. 

Don’t judge yourself for thinking or feeling things that don’t seem to fit the person you want to be. You’re human, and you’re still getting to know yourself and the person you want to grow into. 

Practicing mindfulness helps you stay connected to the source of your actions. And the more aware you are of what’s going on behind the scenes, the easier it is to build new habits that are consistent with your values. 

Personal values; 

• Mindfulness
• Introspection

As valuable as book-learning is, and as much as you can learn from watching YouTube videos, nothing can replace actually doing the thing. Don’t worry if you don’t do it correctly — or even well. Practice will help you improve. 

It also makes you less afraid of “looking bad.” If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly. 

Ever met a toddler who was too afraid of falling or looking bad to make the first step? We aren’t born afraid of failing. That’s something we learn as we get older. 

Think of dance as another example. Your first attempts are not going to be pretty. But people are inspired by those who love dancing too much to worry about how they look. 

Do what you love. And never be afraid to try something new. 

You don’t like being boxed in by low expectations. Maybe others think your ideas are “extra” or over the top, but you think, “Why bother dreaming if the dream is just a slightly better version of reality?” 

You want real change. You want transformation. Whatever others think of it, your metamorphosis will inspire other big dreamers to follow your lead. 

After all, what has timidity or “fitting in” ever done for you? You’re either your authentic, bold self, or you’re sleep-walking through life. 

Or maybe you don’t see yourself as bold, but you’d like to be more proactive than you have been. You feel the drive in you, and you’re ready to discover where it will lead. 

Be brave. Even if your boldness doesn’t make you rich, you’ll like yourself better for taking the risk. 

Now that you’ve looked through these personal philosophy examples, which ones resonate the most? Or what comes to mind when you make a list of your own personal values? 

Think of incidents where someone impressed you by the way they practiced one of those values. Or remember a moment when you were proud of yourself. What were you proudest of?

Writing down your thoughts can help you better understand why you do the things you do. And you’ll be that much closer to articulating your personal philosophy. 

Once you do, write it where you’ll see it every day. 

A Personal Philosophy of Life: How to Write One (& Why You Should)

How would it feel to confidently explain why you are doing what you are doing with your life?

Can you already?

Why are you working the job you are working?

Why do you spend your free-time the way that you do?

Why do you spend your money on the things that you do?

Why have you set, or not set, the goals that you have?

Many of us can’t make sense of that explain why we are doing the things we do or wanting the things we want.

Some of us don’t take the time to search for these reasons, and some haven’t even considered it.

For me, the issue isn’t that I don’t take the time. Actually, on the inverse, I have so much trouble doing anything without having an understanding as to “why” I’m doing it, it can leave me paralyzed. I am a hyper-deliberate person (obsessively so).

Why Get to the “Why?”

While I don’t want to prescript, I’m going to, because in defense of people like myself, I think the obsession with knowing and being able to explain the “why” behind your actions, beliefs and values is an essential precursor to making confident life choices.

It’ll keep you from living someone else’s life, not yours.

Bronnie Ware, the author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing, found that the greatest regret of folks nearing the end of their lives was that “They wished they had the courage to live a life truer to themselves than live a life that was expected of them.”

With that in mind, what could be more important than working toward understanding what life lived, might be truest to you?

Your values become guideposts for decision making. When presented with a fork in the road or an opportunity to make a change, you can refer back to your values as foundational principles or a checklist of sorts.

Although always open to a good editing, these values give you a basis for discerning whether or not a new venture, an existing challenge, or person in your life align with who you are and cultivate more of who you want to be.

So, on this page you’ll find what I consider my (or a) manifesto of sorts.

In bulleted splits, I’ll share rooted values, beliefs, and opinions of mine. If I gave this exercise it’s fullest due, each bullet would earn itself a chapter in a book. While this is something I plan to do someday, maybe when I’m more sure of myself and rich in free-time, that’s not what this is.

This is something much briefer, but still an indicator of what I think, believe and aspire to.

But, before I share my personal philosophy, I’ll share insight on unearthing the philosophy that exists for you.

We all have our values and beliefs. The differences between us, are how aware we are (or not aware we are) of them.

Inspiring a philosophical mood is necessary to get the most out of this exercise. I don’t believe uncovering your values, philosophy, or principles is something you can do in passing, or while you are grocery shopping.

It takes an intentional, focused effort,  and dedication of time. Our objective is to produce a document that we trust to look back on and help us to make decisions or remind us of ideals or values we’ve strayed from.

It’s to become your operating manual and create a sense of clarity for you. In revisiting my thoughts, or taking the time to give something like this a good overhaul, I make sense of decisions that are lingering that I have yet to make (work opportunities, etc.), as well as comprehend decisions I’ve previously made that I enjoyed or didn’t.

So, with intention, let’s walk into clarity.

How to Write Your Own Personal Philosophy

Getting to the root of understanding your own personal philosophy, or personal operating principles , starts with two things:

• The space to do the thinking
• The questions you ask yourself

Let me briefly explain each.

Thinking Space –

I envy the twentysomething who doesn’t feel in a rush. I’ve been self-employed for over a year , have more free quiet time than I can handle, and even still I feel like I have somewhere to be or something to do (something other than what I’m currently doing).

This is why I have to be considerate with the space and context I create for myself when I’m delving into philosophical thinking.

Most importantly, we want open time where we don’t feel any need to “complete” something. Expect you won’t!

Other things I prioritize:

• Isolation – For me, this thinking is most often done alone. Although sometimes, rich conversation with my girlfriend or a good friend can trigger introspective thought, I’ll find I can get into this thinking space when I’ve created some intentional personal space.
• No Distraction – Deep introspective thought loses steam when distraction arises! Give yourself the opportunity to do some deep work and put away the phone, head to a cafe where no one knows you, and maybe even consider turning off the internet! (A good app for that: Freedom ).
• Pen & Paper – Some folks have no preference between typing and writing. For some reason, handwriting is better for me to “open” up my thinking.
• Time of Day – When do you do your best thinking? When are you the most intellectually and mentally sharp? For me, it’s the start of my work day. This is intensive thinking! Don’t give it the throw away parts of the day.
• Drug of Choice – What drugs do you think I’m referring to? I prefer java here, because I am a java hound. Pick yours (PCP? HGH? LSD? ACT? Kidding, the last one is a standardized exam colleges use to make admissions decisions. I got you, admit it).

The Questions (or Prompts) –

Oh man, surely the juiciest part of the whole thing! I sure love me a good question.

Maybe I was meant to be an academic when I grew up instead of a college dropout .

All good answers and all good thinking must begin with good questions. I collect questions from everything I read. Often times it’s not the answers that authors write, it’s the questions themselves that stick with me the most.

I’ll list some good questions below. I couldn’t remember at the moment where these came from…so if something looks familiar to you, let me know so I can right my nearly irreparable wrongs and cite appropriate party/parties.

*Note* Some of the questions aren’t directly related to this exercise, but the often inspire rich thinking that most definitely is.

• What makes you happy? What do you find worth doing?
• What do you believe is true?
• If you stopped waiting for something to happen (to be more financially secure, to retire, to rid yourself of obligations), what would you do?
• If money was no object, would you be doing what you are doing now? If not, what would you be doing?
• How do you grade yourself?
• When have you felt most connected, energetic and fulfilled?
• What major decisions have you regretted, or wish had gone differently? Why?

And with those, you can muster up quite the free-write. If you’d like a more granular step by step of how this exercise goes (for me), here it might be:

• Set the mood (as I explained above, you might choose to light a candle or something)
• Reflect on the questions above, or other ones you may have in mind and start jotting thoughts.
• I start to list out general values, ideals, etc. like…minimalism, family, community, learning, yadda, yadda
• After I have a listed collected, I’ll start to sit with each of those individually and begin to think more on what that value means to me, and how does that dictate choices I make or who I want to be.
• Complete a draft, and come back to it for an edit or addition of anything you forget.
• Review periodically (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, whatever works for you).

For a look at what my drafted version of this looks like, review my “personal philosophy” below.

My Personal Philosophy: Principles & Values for Choosing Actions

Last update: August 2018

*Note* This is subject to change. It may turn out I hate many of these things a few years from now. So if you see in here that I love dogs, don’t send me an email telling me that you love dogs too, because I might not anymore.

These are in no particular order. Except for some. 🙂

• I love Annie Bright. It makes me happy to be a passionate, supportive, and powerful partner and teammate to her. It makes me happy to take care of her, laugh with her, and live/create my life with her! I couldn’t imagine anyone else who I could spend my whole life with. I’m excited and thrilled to do so. I love her so much.
• I’m deeply grateful for my family and friends. Having people “think about you” and want to spend time with you and wish for your success is one of the greatest gifts imaginable. Keeping in touch, while a true skill, is important to exercise.
• I prefer optimism. Optimism about the state of the world, the state of humanity and the intentions of others. Although, I can often be cynical. Especially when I watch the news .
• I deeply value being an intentional and deliberate person. I value the exercise of thinking about my own beliefs, values, and personal priorities. It makes me happy to have a grasp on what I believe and think about the world. Even though the understanding is and may never be complete. I do believe, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
• I believe in using my greatest faculties of creativity, ambition, and inspiration to invent meaningful contributions to society. I believe we have an obligation to serve the world in some way not just as a hobby, but as our main vocation.

• I follow my own footpath. To a fault, I disdain herds and crowds. There’s no one size fits all prescription for “how to live a good life,” or in what order must you live it.  I determine the best life for me. Through a steady and thoughtful consideration of values and interests like these as well as trial and error (hopefully not too disastrous).

• I love and re-inspire myself through learning. There’s not much more that I enjoy than pursuing a personal curiosity. I believe learning more about the world in whatever capacity (reading, traveling, listening to others), is something that should consume a large portion of my “professional time.”
• While I’m more comfortable thinking, I deeply respect and must continue DOING! What good is all the learning without creating something useful and tangible to share with others. A deep aspect of my fulfillment is exerting myself fully!
• My health (mental and physical) is a priority, although it sometimes can be difficult. I hope to live as long and as actively as possible. I appreciate retaining strength and fitness and treating my body well.
• I don’t believe in having/possessing much more than I need, or what I truly value and enjoy. A lost or broken item can always be bought or obtained again, and holding onto things I don’t need does no good.
• Many of my decisions are made on the basis of freedom. I want to live my life, not someone else’s. I want to spend my time in the ways and with the people I choose. And I want to pursue the projects and curiosities that are catching my attention. Although, some healthy commitments feel good too. 🙂
• I must remind myself to be grateful for the privilege I’ve been born with. My comfortable circumstance was not won through merit. I didn’t earn the family, genes, or socio-economic status I was born into. This privilege becomes a duty to extend what I have to others.
• I love to play. I value good humor, being silly with good friends, and playing games.

In Closing: Lifelong Editing & Further Reading

This abridged personal philosophy of mine, this random assortment of thoughts and values, is and will always be malleable. I don’t know too much, I’m only 24. I’m sure I’ll learn much more.

At least until I’m 30. Who knows what will happen then (yikes). Maybe I’ll have figured everything out.

I hope this page has served good use for you and has inspired deep thought.

For different “frames” on this exercise, or material that will inspire some related thought, go here:

• My General Operating Principles: 37 Principles for Making Hard Decisions, Taylor Pearson
• Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur, Derek Sivers
• The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level , Gay Hendricks
• Principles: Life and Work , Ray Dalio

Lastly, if you are willing to share, I’d like to hear from you: what values, thoughts, or principles first arise for you and what do those look like after some reflection?

Let me know in the comments below.

As well, feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Developing Your Personal Philosophy of Life

7 tensions to resolve..

Posted January 8, 2020 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

From Plato to Stephen Covey, it’s long been argued that life is more meaningful if guided by a foundational personal philosophy .

To that end, here are seven tensions the resolutions of which can help you develop your personal philosophy. Of course, you could choose a moderate position within each of these polar pairs but often people choose to aim toward one side or the other.

Planning vs. living in the moment. Clichés exist on both poles. Ben Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.” On the other hand, Emily Dickinson wrote, “Forever is composed of nows.” In deciding which way you want to lean, it may help to look at your track record: To date, has your planning been worth it? Or has your planning too often been wrong? Has it shepherded you toward worthy paths or closed to you opportunities you should have taken? Or has your planning too often kept you from appreciating your present moments, always looking ahead as I foolishly did when, as a 20-year-old touring Paris, I raced through the Louvre so I could make it to the Tuilieries before closing time?

Practical vs. idealistic. We have been preached both: “Be realistic,” and on the other hand, “Dream big. Follow your passion.” Which side to tilt toward may depend on your self-efficacy : Bright, driven, non-procrastinators have a better chance of achieving their idealistic dreams or at least, as suggested in another cliché: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars,” (Norman Vincent Peale).

Disciplined vs. laid-back. Many people find it more pleasurable to be laid-back. The question is whether that will contribute, net, to your success and contentment, or at minimum, will the decrement to your success be worth it? On the other hand, some people enjoy the process of being disciplined or at least are willing to be disciplined in the service of more successful outcomes. The question is, “How about you?”

Reflective vs. impulsive. Some of this is hard-wired. Impulsivity has a significant genetic component , but it’s not completely genetic. Again, look at your track record: Have you been more successful by making quick decisions and thus getting more done? Or have you been more successful when taking your time, reflecting, considering more of the implications?

Just vs. merciful. Solid arguments can be made for leaning either way. Justice, by definition, means that people get what, on the merits, they deserve. How primary is that to you? Other people prefer a life tilted more toward mercy: Even if, on the merits, a person deserves less, the mercy-centric person leans toward giving people a break. How about you?

Self-critical vs. self-accepting. Some people feel it’s worth being hard on themselves: being self-critical and ever trying to improve. On the other hand, other people feel that’s too big a price to pay and/or that enough of who they are is hard-wired or has been molded by early experience and current externalities that they’d rather focus on self-acceptance.

Self-reliant vs. communitarian. There are quotable quotes at both poles. Charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyre wrote, “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.” In contrast, Hillary Clinton famously said, “It takes a village.” Again, look at your track record. Has your reliance on other people yielded more benefit than liability to you and perhaps to them? Or have you done better by focusing on self-reliance?

The takeaway

So, do you want to write bullets or a paragraph or two describing your personal philosophy? If so, yes, consider the aforementioned seven tensions but there may be other factors that merit consideration. A few possible examples: the role of spirituality or religion? Your work or relationship non-negotiables? Your ethical red line in the sand?

If you might find a model helpful, I offer my philosophy of life here.

Most people don’t follow their personal philosophy assiduously, but developing one can create guideposts that can help you live the life you want to live.

I read this aloud on YouTube.

Marty Nemko, Ph.D ., is a career and personal coach based in Oakland, California, and the author of 10 books.

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People develop and shape their personal philosophy during the whole life. Some circumstances may radically change our views, depending on our age, social status and personal qualities. As for me, at this stage of my life I can’t say it for sure that my personal philosophy is complete and well-shaped. In my research paper I want to express my views on several sides of human life. I’d like to attract attention to such concepts as sense of life and happiness, good and evil, morality and faith in God, love and death, eternal life values, karma and religion. I’ll answer the questions what love and happiness mean for me personally. I understand that the concept of life philosophy is really versatile and it’s hard to express personal views on so many aspects. That’s why my research deals with only those things which are important for me at this stage of my life.

If you look at life from different sides for some period of time, and then gather all your thoughts into one picture – that would be your life philosophy.

Humans strive to find out and clearly define the sense of their living, and feel unhappy and desperate without it. Each person has his own sense of life and discovers it for himself only. There are people who live their lives without asking what they are living for. Personally I have always been concerned with this question and I think it is important to have at least some slightest peace of sense in life. Sometimes I feel myself broken and empty. It happens when I don’t see what I am living for. But I remember wise words that “life is too short to regret”. From time to time I feel lonely and dissatisfied with my life, but then unexpectedly I meet a nice person or find an interesting activity, and feel happy again. That’s why I think that everything depends on how we see life, and even in the most desperate situation one may find the way out.

People explore the world around and gradually get acquainted with it. People get knowledge as a moving factor of human development. Life philosophy in general means understanding of personal inner world and world around. I presume that there are certain variants of life, which people choose according to their life circumstances. “The variant of life” is a psychological characteristic of individual existence, which is defined by the attitude of people to life. Such variants form human personality and make it more typical. Life of people is many-sided and I’m still trying to find my own way in it. No matter whether someone is a writer or a reader, his aim is to live his own life, without prescribed or forced stereotypes. Creative work and desire for self-improvement are two things which are important for me in my present life. Creative people have an opportunity to ignore senseless existence. We live and work because of necessity and social duty. On the contrary creative work is inspired by our inner state. Creative people are left to their own devices. Everything depends only on personal initiative. My deep interest and curiosity to explore the world around make me move forward. On the other hand I think that one more sense in my life in desire to improve present state of things. I strive to achieve goals in life and accomplish success. But I also understand that it can’t last forever. My life is not a constant pursuit of happiness; as I take into account my abilities and chances. I understand that one person can’t achieve great results without much effort. Life of a person who always moves forward is full of worries and strain. People always want something and in order to get it, they solve problems and overcome life calamities. If I strive to achieve goals, it means I’m not satisfied with my present life and surrounding world. On the other hand I can’t hope for anything if I don’t believe in future success. I’m optimistic and always hope for better future. A wise phrase of Salvador Dali slipped through my mind:

Don’t be afraid of perfection, as you’ll never achieve it. The more so, that there is nothing good in it.

But even though I consider Salvador Dali is right, I still try to achieve what I’m able to. It’s like in “Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho: If you have a strong desire, the whole Universe will help you to make your dreams come true. Spiritual growth is a constant widening of our knowledge and experience.

Life sense helps people to survive. If we loose it, we start thinking of suicide and each of us finds own reasons for it. Despair and crucial life events make people think there is nothing worth living for and no opportunities to realize. But sense in life shows us the way to overcome difficulties and move forward.

Speaking about such important philosophic problems, I can’t help mentioning the role of fate and karma. These concepts are often mixed up, as the majority of people consider that karma means fate, but I think it is far from truth. According to a widely spread opinion, fate is an unchangeable predetermination of life obstacles (usually negative ones). As for me, I reject such views. No doubt that people are able to change karma, as everything depends on their personal strength and choice. Many people think that together with their belief in karma, they should accept the idea of reincarnation. But I think that one should not necessarily believe in reincarnation in order to understand karma. The concept “karma” means “reason and consequence”, depending on our thoughts and actions. In other words, one builds his life on his own. I believe in it and feel myself responsible for everything that happens in my life. But on the other hand I understand that certain events in life are caused by outer force – God, obstacles, luck or occasion. We meet new people, move to a new place, get interested in new activities – all these changes in our life were not decided in advance; they happened because of our choice. The concept of karma implies that people have wide choices in life. I create my karma, rule my own life, and can change everything for the better. In other words I can explain karma as following: if you act well, the results will be good and vice versa. Pleasure and pain are caused by our virtuous and evil actions.

I’m not a religious person to full extent. Having read much about different religions, I understood that the faith in its true meaning should be inside us. No matter whether a person visits church or not, he should choose either to believe in God or not on his own. I respect all religious streams and accept certain ideas from all of them. For example, in spite the fact that Christianity is closer to me than Eastern religions, I’m more likely to believe in reincarnation. I just can’t accept Christian views that after death people would find themselves either in the heaven or in the hell, according to their righteousness in terrestrial life. The belief in constant return to this world is somehow closer to me. That’s why I can’t say firmly what religion is better for me. In every religion one may find something close to his outlook. Christians believe that humans have two specific peculiarities. First of all, as they are created in the likeness of God, it is right to consider that they reflect his character　(Evans, 1986). God is considered to be good; it means that people are also good-natured. Second aspect is that we live to enjoy spiritual relationship with God, through praying and visiting church. Personally I don’t visit church and know only a few prayers, but I have inner belief and I think that’s enough. Religion is something personal. I think that each person needs God, but can’t truly be happy without Him. Human beings tend to widen their life philosophy and experience, and learn more about this world. As a result among the representatives of humanity, there is a great variety of life understanding. This understanding is our religion. That’s why I think that each person has his own religion, which is a system of ideas and beliefs concerning our world. Some people see the Universe as something chaotic and senseless. Others think that humanity lives in the world with numerous laws and if we break those laws, it would bring us misfortune and destruction. No matter what views people have, I consider it to be religion.

I want to draw attention to another aspect of my philosophy – love. I understand that an attempt to investigate love is connected with a great mystery. Love is too deep and immeasurable, and we can’t wholly explore it. I think that for the majority of people love defines happiness. When I do not love and don’t feel care from the side of close people, I can’t be happy to full extent, no matter how successful my career is. Speaking about love, I can’t help saying that it is closely connected with death. I think that if people didn’t know they were mortal, they wouldn’t be able to love so passionately. They wouldn’t be able to experience so powerful emotions and feelings. Love means being open to everything positive in this world (care, attention, joy), and negative either (grieve, gloom and disappointment). When people fall in love, they see world around from a new side. Anxiety and gladness are directly related to love. I mean that at first a person is anxious about whether his beloved shares his feelings or not. But in fact these fear and anxiety don’t vanish when a person wins somebody’s affection. When a person deals with unrequited love, he is at least able to continue his usual everyday existence.

Love reminds us of death. When one of our friends or close relatives dies, we understand how fleeting, ephemeral and irretrievable our life is. Past years will never return. What is not said or done will remain in the past forever and there is nothing to do with it. May be for this reason people try to take all chances and opportunities, provided by fate. Many people feel the value of love, friendship, loyalty and faithfulness only at the moment of someone’s death. I doubt we would be able to love, if we knew that we would never die.

Love is the complete addiction to another person. When I fell in love, I began to look at this world through the eyes of my beloved. Love acts like a drug. It occupies thoughts, reason and time. Being away from beloved is extremely crucial for a person in love. Faithful love is happiness; happiness is sense of life. Even though, being apart from beloved may be dreadful and unbearable, it would strengthen feelings and remind of past happy days. It’s better to try but fail, than not to try, fearing to fail. People, who fear to live and love sincerely, would never feel happy and satisfied.

What is happiness? One can talk for hours, answering this question. In fact happiness is to see that close people, parents, beloved and friends are happy. True happiness is when you are able to help other people and make them happy. Someone would say that they feel happy when their personal desires and wishes are fulfilled. I can’t completely agree here. Our personal satisfaction is temporary happiness. This feeling is likely to vanish very soon and we’ll forget about it. People think they would be happy if they earn much money or achieve higher position in life. But still they won’t be pleased forever. One should value each moment if he really wants to be happy. Nobody cares how much money you have. The thing that matters is happiness of people around. We often painfully react on other people’s sorrows and misfortunes. By helping other people, fulfilling their needs and dreams, we would become happier ourselves. I’d like to repeat a widely known saying: treat other people in the way you want to be treated by them.

What does moral mean? Moral is a system of views and norms, which occupy the concepts of good and evil, justice, conscience and sense of life. Moral helps people to move forward on the way to self-improvement. Moral defines certain values, which regulate human behavior. Each person is free to decide whether to follow this system of norms or not. Those, who don’t accept social rules, become either criminals or outsiders. According to good or evil actions people would be later judged by society and God. On the other hand people shouldn’t be forced to act virtuously; it should be a free-willed and unselfish choice. For example, according to moral norms one should help weak people. Originally it shows human kindness and readiness to sacrifice certain things for the sake of other people. But different people have different motives of virtuous actions. Some people help others because they want to be altruistic in public eyes. Other people follow the Commandments of God. Still others help weak people hoping for approval in society. We can’t say for sure that each virtuous deed is moral because we don’t know what made people do it. Each of us has own understanding of what is right and what is wrong.

What is good and evil? Evil is lack of good. It doesn’t exist in reality; it is just a possible condition of life, because people always have a right to choose between good and evil. For example, a usual knife is not an evil as it is, but it turns into an evil in the hands of a criminal. The same knife can be used by a doctor to rescue human life. God gives people a chance to decide what to do with this knife. There have been lots of battles in the long human history. But probably the greatest of all is the battle between evil and good, decency and immorality, altruism and egoism, love and hatred. We face this battle in our everyday life, and try to distinguish evil from good. People choose certain system of values, and follow it in life. Kindness is important for our spiritual health; evil is like a venom. Kindness is not simply a moral duty; it is nutrition for our soul in the first place. Good can exist in various forms and conditions: books, attitude to people, technical progress and justice. All of these things have common positive meaning for human life; all of them fulfill social and spiritual needs of people. Good means peace, love, respect, attention and mutual care. In this way it represents everything positive in the sphere of morality. On the contrary, evil contradicts with moral ideals, and hampers people on their way to happiness and joy.

Why do good and evil exist? We try to understand why our impartial God let violence, aggression and pain penetrate the world. To answer this question, I still should admit that people were given freedom of choice. Without it human life would be senseless. God wants us to act in a virtuous way. It is for people to decide whether to follow His will or not. There are philosophers who think that evil and good are two equal forces. But I think that people are kind beings, because they were created in the likeliness with our kind God. In our hearts we approve virtue and reject immorality. Nevertheless discussion of this topic would hardly be able to eliminate pain and sorrow from our world, penetrated with tears of history. Everybody knows consequences of evil. Nevertheless I keep to the point that life calamities strengthen human spirit and inner force. And I hope that new generations won’t repeat mistakes of their ancestors. I’m an optimist and I think that it is important to concentrate on those virtuous deeds which we are able to do now, because there’s no sense in thinking about past negative events all the time.

In conclusion I’d like to say that our personal philosophy may change due to the conditions we live in and people we meet. In my research paper I expressed my opinion on common human values, which are important for me.

• Fromm, Erich. The Art of Loving. Harper & Row, 1956.
• Williams, Mary. Constructing a Life Philosophy, 2005.
• Evans, Stephen. The Quest for Faith. The Mystery of persons and Belief in God. Inter Varsity Press, 1986.

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