Sample Essay on Personal Values

What Do I Value?

Introduction

                 Values are what guides a person’s behavior by setting standards based on what is important in life. A person’s behavior standards, or ethics, are not set for life. Beliefs may change from one season of life to another. A person’s moral code affects and reflects their self-concept. The code can be ranked in importance. My personal values include true friendship and health. 

True friendship as a first value

                True friendship is very important to me. My true friends have similar core values, and I consult my true friends for opinions when I am making important decisions. I know that my true friends have my best interests in mind, and they will give me advice that they would use for making their own decisions. 

True friendship has been my goal since I was young. I made friends easily on the playground at school. Meeting someone with the same lunchbox or the same kind of food inside the lunchbox was the launch of great friendships on the first day of school. 

As I aged, relationships and friendships became more essential. Moving out of the comfort zone of living at home and leaving high school changed my perspective on friendships. Classmates were not really true friends. Once we left the confines of the high school corridors, our paths rarely crossed. In fact, those people in my lunch crowd faded away. I discovered that they were only seasonal friends.  

After I was hired at my first job, I found new acquaintances that I thought were going to become true friends. Unfortunately, I learned quickly that the workplace is not always a place to find true friends. Workplace acquaintances are often jealous of a coworker’s success. 

“Making sufficient time for your friendships may mean shifting your priorities” (Doll, 93).  True friends will be available for you during many seasons of life. They go through the hard parts of life as well as the fun and exciting times. True friends are the friends that you can count on. 

True friendship and my second core value of health go hand in hand. According to Doll, “high-quality friendships keep us alive longer, make us more resilient, and protect against depression” (90). Making time for true friends can include exercising together, even if it is just going for a walk together and having a conversation.  

Health as a second value

Health is another value that is rooted in my childhood. My parents’ efforts to keep me healthy and well contributed to me valuing my own health. During my teen years, my personal food choices were not healthy. I chose fast food, or sweet and salty snacks. As an adult, I have reevaluated my food choices and have integrated fruits and vegetables into my diet. An initial result was weight loss and feeling better because my energy levels were boosted. 

Eating healthy foods was a healthy choice reflecting my philosophy of maintaining my personal health. “An individual’s health status is largely self-produced” (Fuchs & Zeckhauser, 263). I have taken control of my health by making better food choices and exercising regularly. I also maintain my true friendships for my mental well-being.

Conclusion

The values that guide a person’s life are evident in their behavior and their life choices. My life choices reflect my values of true friendship and health. I surround myself with true friends, eat a balanced diet, and exercise to maintain my health. 

3. Works Cited 

Doll, Jen. “The Power of Friendship.” Health, vol. 33, no. 5, June 2019, pp. 88–93. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=fth&AN=136265509&site=ehost-live.

Fuchs, Victor R., and Richard Zeckhauser. “Valuing Health – A ‘Priceless’ Commodity.” American EconomicReview, vol. 77, no. 2, May 1987, p. 263. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsh&AN=4499717&site=ehost-live.

 How to Write Arguments for Values Essay

When writing arguments in your essay on personal values, use our tips:

1. Don’t use general language. When you formulate your arguments, use your own phrases, not templates. This will make your essay more convincing.
2. If you use personal arguments, be sure to dilute them with other types of arguments, for example, authoritative ones. This way the paper will have greater weight.
3. All elements in the essay must be logical and consistent, this also applies to arguments. Each new argument must continue the thought of the previous one. To do this, ensure that cause-and-effect relationships are observed in your paper.
4. Arguments must be specific, with clear formulation. You should not write vaguely.

Types of Arguments for Values Essay

Now let’s see what the arguments you can use in your personal value essay. Arguments in an essay can be of different types:

• Ethical. These are arguments that are based on generally accepted norms, cultural and moral values.
•  Logical. These are the arguments that the reader can come to on their own, because they appeal to reason and logic. In such an essay, it is important to maintain cause-and-effect relationships.
• Personal. There are arguments that are based on personal experience. You need to be careful with such arguments and use them sparingly in your paper, because they may not sound too convincing.
• Authoritative. These arguments are based on the opinions of famous people.
• Folk. Such arguments include sayings, catchphrases, etc.

If you don’t want to write an essay about values by yourself, place an order on EssayShark. A writer there will carefully read your requirements first, research the topic, and only then start writing your essay. If you have any questions, you can contact the writer directly. They will write your paper from scratch so that you receive a unique and original essay.

Photo by Unseen Studio from Unsplash