Phil Here! My Life and Values.

Hey Everyone! It's Phil. I'm finally blogging.

I'm excited to be a dad. Last night, I had a weird realization about becoming a dad. I was thinking, "I'm not a dad. My Dad is a dad! I'm not a dad!" But then I realized I soon would be, and it's still crazy to think about. I'm looking forward to seeing what he looks like! I can't wait to hold him and be able to put a face to the name (we're naming him Emerson). I'm excited!

I just read an article about the impact of affirming your values to yourself (you can read the article here).  So I'm gonna do it. Right now.

• I believe in the importance of family. I believe that the family is a central part of the human experience and societies worldwide.

• I believe in the power of creativity. I believe that people (including children) are more capable than we give them credit for. I believe we're more capable than we give ourselves credit for.

• I believe in the importance of true, honest dealings with other people (and ourselves).

• I value my family (my own and my in-laws). They are awesome. (And my wife makes awesome cookies!)

• I value the teachings of Jesus Christ. I know He is the Son of God.

• I believe when we are put in the right situation and given the right tools, we can find solutions to nearly every problem the world faces. 

• I believe that people are important. I value honest communication with people (while still being tactful (which is something I'm still working on))

• I value humility.

• I value curiosity about life. 

• I value learning. I believe in the learning capabilities of children. I believe they are much more capable of learning than society gives them credit for. Kids know more about life and reasoning than just learning how to spell "dog" and "cat" and what 2+2 equals. If kids don't know how to do math with two and three digit numbers by the third grade, they have been done a huge disservice.

• I believe that schools are meant to supplement learning, not be the sole source of learning. If we want ourselves and/or our children to excel professionally and as individuals, we must value the importance of learning. 

• I believe we are all intelligent. I believe they have different kinds of intelligence (emotional intelligence, scientific intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, etc.)

• I value the entrepreneurial spirit. I believe than creating jobs and businesses is far less risky than hoping to maintain employment in a single field for my entire life.

• I believe that computer programming is going to be a key skill in our lives and in the lives of our children. I believe there are those who will learn how to code and those who will be left behind.

• I believe that all men are created equal. I believe the little Afghani children I interacted with when I was deployed have just as much worth as Kobe Bryant, Adele, Donald Trump, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, or anyone else on earth.

• I believe in the power of journaling. Writing my thoughts is often a cathartic experience for me. In a way, I learn more about my life from writing it down than from solely experiencing it.

• I believe that people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who actually do.

• I believe in believing in things. I believe that a lack of conviction for ideas and beliefs is exactly that; a lack of conviction.

• I believe that people are inherently good.

• I believe in helping others. I value my parents' example of that.

• And lastly, I believe in the power of chocolate chip cookies. If everyone would wake up and eat a chocolate chip cookie each day, we would have world peace in a week.