Past, Present and Future

Reliability

Take a look at this list of values: https://liveboldandbloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/400-personal-values-list...

Pick your top ten values and rank them based on how important they are to you. Then, write about the values you chose and if any have changed throughout your life.

1 Reliabilty
I learned a long time ago that being reliable can paper over an awful lot of cracks. There have been times when I wasn’t great at doing a job. Yet my boss would forgive my shortcomings because he knew that I would always be there when needed.
I had a boss who used to say that I was like a classic Ford Model T. “Old, expensive but reliable.”
I like to think that my kids learned the importance of reliability from me.

2 Stability
Can be confused with boring! I know what to expect with stability.

3 Loyalty
There have been a couple of times when I have been too loyal, and it has come back and bit me on the butt. My kids have my loyalty, others have to earn it.

4 Health
It probably should have the prefix, good. I don’t think anyone would wish for bad health.
This is an obvious one, but I feel as though it can’t be ignored. Especially the way the world is now during the current pandemic. Without good health the rest of my list would be redundant.

5 Fitness
Staying fit is a concept that first hit me in my twenties. I was married with two babies and a busy job. I had always taken staying fit for granted because I had time to play football every week. When the kids were born, I had to reevaluate how to stay fit. I discovered that running when the kids were asleep was the best way to go. Since then I have always made time to exercise. The natural high of physical exhaustion is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t tried it. Get out there and exercise! Even if it’s just a short walk, you will feel better for it.

6 Preparedness
I worked and lived on private yachts for many years. When I first started, I was taught a valuable lesson when I had a painting or varnishing job to do. It was called the “Law of the P’s”.
It was a law that I stuck to then and up to this day. It goes like this;” Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.”

7 Adaptability
In some way’s adaptability can contradict stability. That’s why being adaptable can be so useful. If you can’t be adaptable then you could be considered stubborn and not open to different ideas. I try to always be adaptable even if I think it might be the wrong way to go.

8 Resilience
When life gives you lemons……
There are times when I haven’t realized that I was being resilient. When I look back, I think I made a good job of it.

9 Diversity
If I listed my working career here and all the places that I have lived and visited, then you would see how diverse my life has been. Hopefully, I still have time for some more diversity.

10 Meticulousness
Some of the people I have worked with over the years would probably translate this one as “Fussy old bastard.” I like things to be done exactly right. There are times when I can’t get it as good as I would like but at least I tried.