values

Values

The more I reflect on my life and the things that bring me energy, happiness, and joy, the more I realize how unique I am.

Despite considering myself athletic, I don’t spend much time consuming or talking about sports. I don’t care to watch the big game. I don’t play golf. I don’t spend hours sitting in front of shows just because everyone else is talking about them. I’d much rather read, write, or talk through whatever’s been on my mind.

I love to build, solve problems, and create things. I love to work out alone in my basement, not at a public gym. I believe in God and sacrifice my time serving at church. Not a day goes by where I’m okay wasting precious minutes being unproductive. I love to plan my days and I love a well-executed plan.

The more I learn about myself, the more unique I feel. And honestly, I like it that way.

Because it means I’m living life on my own terms. I’m content with the things I value. I don’t want to live anyone else’s dream but my own. For me, it comes down to three things:

Providing a great life for my family.

Being present and intentional.

Dedicating time to God.

I’m also entering a phase of life that is demanding in every way.. financially, socially, spiritually, mentally. That weight has me wanting to be more clear and true to myself. I want my values to influence my decisions. If my time was cut short and if I only made it to 50... I’d want to be remembered for a distinct few things.

Here’s what I keep coming back to:

Family & Faith as Foundation Providing, protecting, and spending meaningful time together is the ultimate measure of success. Faith and home life are non-negotiable.

Builder’s Ambition I thrive on creating things. Ambition isn’t just money, it’s about proving what I can build, leaving a mark, and setting up generational opportunity.

Reliability & Stewardship I want people (family, teammates, co-founders) to know they can count on me. Responsibility matters to me.

Quality & Craft I choose quality over shortcuts. Whether it’s code, writing, or family experiences... I want to do it well.

Learning & Growth I’m constantly applying frameworks, testing ideas, and seeking feedback. I want to improve according to my beliefs, not someone else’s.

Resilience in Hard Things Sacrifice, patience, strength. I want to be someone who doesn’t crumble when things get hard.

And here’s how I try to live these values out:

Praise Filter: Surface level recognition doesn’t matter. What sticks is when people notice my reliability, sacrifice, or ambition.

Criticism Filter: I welcome criticism if it pushes me to grow in line with my values. But I discard it if it undermines faith, family, or my ambition.

That’s how I want to measure my days. Not against what’s trending, not against what others expect, but against the things I actually value.