Introduction
Personal behavioral motives and lifestyle, as a rule, depend on the environment in which a person interacts and communicates with other people. However, external influence is not the only factor that has an effect on individual beliefs and preferences. Personal incentives and interests form a certain life motto defining specific behavioral patterns and characterizing a person from a particular standpoint. Regarding my individual beliefs, I cannot argue that I have a clear-cut life credo explaining all my actions and decisions. Nevertheless, when taking take into account my interests and goals, I can note that the main principles that lead me through life are learning, believing, and winning, and I try to stick to this motto.
Learning, Believing, and Winning
This principle is not the law that I keep unquestioningly and do my best to implement each of the points. This formulation may seem philosophical; nevertheless, according to Migliore, the personal slogans of thinkers are distinguished by depth and a call for reflection, for instance, Kant’s motto “Dare to think for yourself” (47). At the same time, when analyzing my words in more detail, it is possible to find the meaning that may not be immediately understandable.
The concept of learning that I mention first implies a constant desire for self-improvement and studying new things. It does not mean that spending all free time with textbooks and academic literature is a necessity. The key idea that I put into this term is an ability to extract something useful from all that occurs on the path of life. It can be both negative and positive experience, but the main thing is to ensure that any knowledge is useful and productive and gives an opportunity to either acquire new skills or avoid mistakes in the future.
Believing means self-confidence and capabilities, determining the strength of one’s character and the desire to achieve goals. This concept may be assessed from several points of view because for someone, faith is inseparably linked with God and religion, and someone sees perseverance and tenacity in this concept. In my understanding, both these definitions apply to this part of my motto. Christian doctrines about God view human faith as one of the mechanisms of communication with the church, and as Battiste notes, religious concepts encourage self-development achieved through pure beliefs (112). Therefore, this aspect is one of the components of my personal motto.
Finally, winning is another incentive that I appreciate and respect. This component does not mean that I strive to gain a victory in any case at all costs, neglecting moral and ethical values. On the contrary, my position is to achieve success and, at the same time, not to prove something to others. The most significant victory is the victory over oneself, and when I realize that I have managed to overcome some challenges and become stronger both physically and mentally, I feel satisfaction.
Conclusion
My personal motto “Learning, believing, and winning” helps me to achieve success and realize that I am capable of reaching significant results when making an effort. Each of the components of this stimulus that leads me through life explains my interests and preferences. Evaluating these definitions allows me to be aware of the mechanisms that can be effective in the decision-making process and interacting with other people. Therefore, this motto is the principle that I value and try to adhere throughout the whole life.
Works Cited
Battiste, Marie. Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit. UBC Press, 2017.
Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. 3rd ed., Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2014.