Alas, we meet again, fellow bloggers! The topic of the week? Values. The core beliefs we have that help shape our actions and decisions every day. What are mine, you ask? Well, let's start off with a nice little acronym known as SLAG. SLAG stands for Scholars, Leaders, Athletes and Gentlemen. These are the men of Pi Kappa Alpha, the men I'm lucky enough to call brothers. While these are just a few of what I consider to be my values, I figured this would be a good starting point.
Scholars. Scholarship, academia, furthering your education, whatever you want to call it, is important to me. As a student who's got at least 6 more years of school ahead of him, this just makes sense. Furthering your knowledge is key to becoming a successful, functioning, contributing member of society and cannot be achieved without great ambition. In today's world, a college degree is the equivalent of what a high school diploma used to be. It's a must. My Fraternity realizes this, and I admire them for it. Something notable about Pike, is that instead of focusing on the punishment of not getting good grades (a 2.7 is the minimum), we also have academic incentives. If you get a 3.5 or better, you get $20 off dues and a fancy scholarship dinner. Pretty cool, eh?
Leaders. Ahh, leadership. The main topic of the class, right? Making positive change in the world one thing at a time, right? Ever since I modeled myself after Tommy, the white Power Ranger as a child, I've always been considered a natural born leader. However, in my 18 (Almost 19. Aww yeah.) years on this planet, I'm still learning what the definition of that word means. Leadership, to me, entails good decision making skills, listening to your peers, being a good role model that others can look up to, and making a difference. Sometimes, this is easier said than done, and I know I have a lot to learn about perfecting the art.
Athletes. Athletics, hmm, a topic I'm personally not very familiar with. I'll be the first to admit that I have the hand-eye coordination of a blind ladybug, which probably explains why I did theater all four years of high school instead of being quarterback for my (albeit awful) football team. When I first started rushing Pike, and I knew that the A of SLAG was for Athletes, I figured I wouldn't necessarily fit in with that and just be the best damn SLG I could be. But soon into the process, a man by the name of Nevin Folino changed my outlook on that. He explained to me that Athletics are not about shooting a ball through a hoop or a puck into a net, but about something much greater. Competition. Competition in everything you do. Constantly striving to be better. Now that's something I could get behind. Sure, being an athlete could mean winning the Fraternity Cup (which we definitely did last year, and are set to win again this year), but it also means improving yourself and realizing your full potential. This is why I have recently started to eat healthier (i.e. more fruits, hence the title of my blog :D ), work out more often, make sure I go to class more, etc. So, now I encourage you to be the best athlete you can be, without going out and joining a sports team.
Gentlemen. Lastly, we end up with gentlemen. This is a subject that I think every Fraternity, even my own, could use a reminder or two about. It's easy to speak in freeform and just let whatever comes into your mind come out your mouth, especially after a few drinks. It takes a true man (or woman) to filter yourself first, take a step back, and think, "Could what I'm about to say hurt someone?" Once again, this is sometimes easier said than done. I, for one, have definitely said things out loud that I should've just left in my head, but the key is to learn from these mistakes. It just takes a conscious effort and is something that can be worked on little by little. None of us are perfect, but we are all humans. And all humans have the opportunities and resources to better themselves.
So, I hope this gives you all some insight to my personal values, beliefs, and a better understanding of who I am as a person. Thanks for reading.
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