I had a great deal of trouble narrowing down my personal values because there were so many that held approximately equal importance to me. After narrowing each column down to ten, then to five, then finally to one value each, I wanted to go back and switch them around at first, but then I realized that the ones that were left there were left there for a reason. These were the values that were ultimately the most descriptive of what's important to me at first impulse. I enjoyed this activity because right in front of me were a list of values that I had the choice to either disregard or keep and label as important to me as an individual. I have done a good deal of research on self-improvement and the purpose of our lives on my own time, as it is something that really interests me. I hadn't seen value cards yet but I plan to take part in this activity again on my time.

My Number 1 Value: Hope

I chose "hope" as my number one value. My reasoning behind this is because at the end of the day when no one else is there, all you have is yourself and your outlook on things. A positive outlook, in my opinion, makes the ultimate difference between living a good life or a bad life. If you are optimistic and positive, it will increase motivation because you will be looking at your next task as something that is conquerable and a potential achievement. This increase in motivation will lead to an increase in productivity because you will enjoy doing the things that you would consider "work" with an alternate outlook. A positive outlook will also increase mood and energy level. What is the point of life if you are unhappy and unproductive? When you are in a good mood, this is uplifting to not only yourself but to others. You will radiate a good vibe and spread positivity and optimism to everyone around you. This should be a joy in itself. Hope is believing in your next step to be a success. Having a positive outlook will almost always increase performance. If you are having a bad day, there is two ways to deal with it. You can either pout and complain and make your bad day even worse, or you can take a deep breath, look ahead to your next task and tell yourself that you are going to succeed and save the bad day. No matter how bad something may seem, there is always something worse that could be. This is the importance that "hope" holds to me. With a positive, optimistic outlook, anything is possible.

Short-Term Goals

• I plan on achieving a 3.5 - 4.0 gpa this semester in order dig myself out of the hole that I have dug myself into. If I want to reach my long-term goals, it all starts right now. Having hope and telling myself that I can do this will greatly improve my chances
• I plan on maintaining, building, and forming new meaningful relationships through all of this. Having a positive outlook reflects on others. You will carry a positive vibe and relationships will come easier.

Long-Term Goals

• I plan on graduating Clemson on time with a business management degree and a gpa of 3.0 or higher. This is still achievable on the condition that I make a 3.25 gpa every semester from here on out. If I didn't have hope, based on my previous grades I would say this is impossible. Difficult is what takes a long time, impossible is what takes a little longer.
• I plan on finding a job that I am happy with. It is important to me that I am happy in my occupation or else I will only be wanting something else. It is important that I work hard now so that I can achieve this. If I am positive, good things will come out motivation and connections.
• I plan on spending my life with a family and friends that I love. It is important to build relationships now to get going on this faster and not have to worry about it as much later on when I need to focus on my career. If I stay optimistic and positive, people will be attracted to this, as no one wants to be surrounded by negativity.