My Core Values

I have spent some time considering my values. To me, there is only one true value that I believe in. Allmy actions, all my thoughts and all my results are based on this single value.This value is Love.

Love as in the eternal, universal power that guides everyhuman being. Love as the most powerful emotion we experience, live and share. Loveas the most fundamental connector of mankind.

Let me elaborate a little.

Love is the highest value of mankind. It consists of a constantwish of being better. And a constant wish of making others better too. Aconstant wish of a world where all there is, is love, happiness and mutualunderstanding. This love is based on two vital parts: Respect. And Trust.

Respect

Respect to me means that no matter your religion, belief,opinion or values, I will respect you for what you are. I may not like you. Imay not agree with you. I may even hate what you stand for. But I will give youthe respect you deserve. And there is the keyword of respect. You have todeserve it.

To deserve respect, you have to stand up for your self, yourbelief and your values. You must be in charge of your own life, and becommitted to living it. If you waste your life in front of the television, orcomputer, and do not invest in your own happiness and success, you will notdeserve respect for your actions. You will only be respected as a person, assomeone with potential, which you are wasting. If you want my full respect, youneed to be in charge of your actions, dreams and life. Live life to thefullest. As you live today, not yesterday, and not tomorrow.

Trust

No man can interact with another without some level oftrust. The more we trust each other, the more we are willing to share andenjoy. And the more we share, the better we get to know each other, the morefun we have, and the better results we create.

Trust is earned just like respect. It takes time and effortto build trust, especially when from different cultures. To earn that trust, Iwill share my life with you. I will share my values, actions and information.Sometimes I will have to take a risk – sharing information with you withoutknowing if you are trustworthy. Most of those cases, by showing trust in you,you will take good care of what I share with you, and show me that I was rightabout trusting you.

If on the other hand, you fail these increasing levels oftrust, you will jump down the ladder again, and suddenly end up in a situationwhere I do not trust you, and you do not trust me.

To gain your trust, I need to show my trust in you. Thus Iwill share with you, so you realize I take interest in you, and that I trustyou. Slowly you will start trusting me too, and share your own values, history,dreams and information. This is how friendship grows, and where mutual love isgrowing too, as a consequence of the friendship.  

Communication

To glue trust and respect together, communication is key. Notonly do we need to share words, we also need to share time and space. We needto share those intimate moments where just a quick look can make us burst outin laugh, and those moments where tears are filling our eyes.

Communication today is really easy across borders, usingelectronic communication like phones, SMS, chatting and social media. And thesetools enable friendship, trust and love to grow much easier, faster and moresecure than without. Yet communication needs to be physical too in order toreach the highest level of trust and respect, the highest level of love.

Our body sends and reads all sorts of tiny signals. Fromwhere we keep our eyes in a conversation, to the tone of voice. From thechuckle, to the tiniest of smiles. From how we hold our body, arms and legs, tohow we reply. These signals and many more are subtle at best, they aredependent on the culture one comes from, and they are a vital part of the fullmessage one is communicating.

Thus, to gain full love, respect and trust, communication isvital.

I believe in Love. Love is based on respect and on trust. Andcommunication is the glue that makes it possible.

* Picture from http://learnthis.ca/2008/08/determining-and-sharing-your-core-values/