Core values are personal beliefs of a person or it can be from an organization. Core values influence the way we live our lives and help us dictate what is most important to us. But where do we get our values from? Most of us learn our values growing up from our family or people that are close to us and impact our lives in some way. Two values I learned growing up with my family were Happiness and positivity which my mom instill at an early age. Three other values I learn at the age of 17 were honor, courage, and commitment. These are the three Marine Corps core values. Marines learn from day one, that to be a Marine means doing what is right in the face of adversity.
Growing up my mom would always tell me to be positive she said that by being positive when making goals or doing things you would always stick to them and follow through. Life will throw many things at you, Things you have no control over but the two things you can always control are your happiness and your positive mental attitude. With these two you can accomplish anything you want. My mom would always say that your happiness depends much more on your attitude than it does on objectives or external circumstances. Don’t give others that much power to determine what mood you will be in. If you are in control of your happiness you will always see the bright side on everything. These are values I learn from my mother growing up as she told me if I practice these, I could accomplish anything I wanted in life. Then at the age of 17, I went to Recruit training in Parris Island, South Carolina. Where I learn three core values that have become the foundation of what I have become today.
The Marine Corps ‘ core values are Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These values make up the fundamentals of a Marine’s character. During recruit training, Marines are taught these core values and numerous others related to them, such as integrity, discipline, teamwork, and ‘esprit de corps.’ Honor is the basis of the Marines’ character. This is a feature that allows Marines to set an example for the highest level of ethical and moral behaviour: never lie, cheat or steal; comply with an uncompromising integrity code; respect human dignity, and mutual respect and care. It represents maturity, dedication, trust and reliability that compels Marines to act responsibly, to be responsible for their actions, to fulfill their obligations and to hold others accountable for their actions. Courage is the heart of a Marine’s basic values, courage is a mental, moral and physical force rooted in Marines, who looks at them through the challenges of fighting and controlling fear and doing what is right, observing more high standards of personal conduct, setting an example and undertaking difficulties. decisions under pressure and stress. It is the internal strength that allows the Marines to take that extra step.
Commitment is a spirit of determination and dedication from members of the armed forces that lead to professionalism and mastery of the art of war. It promotes the highest level of discipline for the individual and for itself and is a component that encourages dedication to the Body and the country 24 hours a day, pride, care for others and unwavering determination to achieve the standard of excellence in every endeavor. Commitment is a value that establishes Marine as a warrior and citizen that others try to imitate. These three core values have gotten me all through my adulthood from making though the decision in Iraq to leading Marines in Afghanistan. Now I have been using these five core values to teach and help others accomplish whatever they want in life.
In conclusion, my main two core values were created during my formative years as my mom always thought me to see the best in things and always believe in myself. Thanks to these two core values of happiness and positivity I got through recruit training and became a Marine then learning my other three core values of Honor, courage, and commitment. The values that guide my actions and intensify my fight and spirit so that every battle I face I can conquer.
