Principles over style: Thomas Jefferson on integrity and conviction

¶ … future of the economy, of humanity, or the world, but my own. The quote reminds me of the person I have imagined myself becoming after I finish school and move on to bigger things -- an adept, knowledgeable leader with a stable value system as a basis for his decisions.

In the past, I have seen how a lack of principles can lead to indecision, and a substitution of what we know is right for what we know is comfortable. I have seen how the lack of a value system can affect a person and those around him. I have also seen that a person without principals lacks the capacity to take care of another human being, to take risks concerning business matters, and to actively guide her life with assertiveness and candor.

As I move into the future, I intend to keep the philosophy that Jefferson indicates in his quote. I want to maintain flexible mannerisms and adapt to new methods of being and discovery while upholding a stoic philosophy that is composed of a relatively stable set of values. In this way, I can progress and stay relevant, and staying relevant is key in this fast-moving world. In the future I want to continue to be a risk-taker, with the value system I know to be true guiding me; without a stable value system, risk-taking is next to impossible, or simply 'random,' without any method. I believe that taking risks is necessary for change, and that change is necessary for growth. I want to be unafraid of change and capable of shirking temporary comforts to instead rely on principles that I know will leave me in a better place in the long-term, because I have seen that it is always better to forego temporary pleasure for a superior position in the future, and that it takes a strong will to do this. I want to be seen as a leader because I uphold a set of principles of which, in the face of discomfort, most others are afraid.