I believe we need values that represent our strengths, our weaknesses, and our ideals. It’s not good enough to simply say that what you believe is self-evident. If you can’t articulate your strongest beliefs authentically, if you can’t write and speak clearly about how what you believe, well it’s just silly to think that what you believe will anchor you through the challenges ahead in 2024. If you do not intentionally, daily live your values, you will be defined by someone else or something else. Your choices and decisions will mostly be affected by your emotions and the momentum of the moment.
At the beginning of each year, I go back and update my Code. I read and update my core values. I make sure that each definition reflects my growth, physically, mentally, and spiritually, and that each of the values is a relevant and strong position of strength to operate from in the upcoming year. One of the categories of values I use in my code, I call Ideal values. These are values that I want to add to my life, values I want to begin to study, live, and apply over the coming year.
For most of my life, I have felt a sense of incompletion for not serving in the military or law enforcement. It’s something that I felt strongly about coming out of college, but the bad choices and decisions I made in my personal relationships sent my life in another direction. Following the desire to serve, I chose SERVE as my Ideal value for 2023. I became a Reserve Sheriff’s Deputy here at home for the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. That experience of living the value of SERVE throughout 2023 has intersected with my new Ideal Value for 2024, GROW.
One of the most important ingredients in feeling a strong sense of purpose, and staying on a mission through life is intentionally facing adversity that grows us. So many individuals in our culture are stagnant and lack vision and purpose, because they simply have become too comfortable. I’m not talking about looking for trouble, I’m talking about purposefully challenging yourselves with adversity that causes growth in our lives. I talk about this a lot in the mindset coaching I do and it’s important to me to walk it out in my own life.
At 55 years old, I decided to take a full-time job at the Sheriff's Office. I go to the Academy on January 15th for 12 weeks. It’s time to SERVE & GROW! I will be updating you on my progress every week. What are you doing to face adversity and grow in 2024?
Strength and Honor,
Jimmy
