What I Believe

I am retiring from a business that has always struggled with ethical issues. As a licensed insurance agent I had to take ethics training every other year to keep my license. Apparently the ability of an insurance salesman to remember his ethics had a short half-life.

If you do not have core beliefs, then you need regulations, laws and requirements to direct you.

Over twenty years ago I wrote down my core beliefs and they have served to guide me to making the best decision for me.

My Beliefs

You are responsible for your own behavior, finances and actions.
Believe in right and wrong. Know the difference, it should not be situational.
Have compassion for the needy and contempt for the greedy.
People of other races, religions, ethnic groups etc., all have a place at the table as long as they give respect and consideration to others.
Get involved in your community.
We need a manufacturing based economy, not a service based economy.
There is inherent value in being able to build and fix Things. Make sure that who you hire is making a profit doing it.
Support local businesses. Local money stays local.
Work has dignity. People who work should be paid a living wage with benefits.
Save your money and pay your bills.

Beyond the What I Believe statements is an all purpose tool that brings immediate clarity to my life. It is very simple.

WWDD

Dolores was my mother. She had a very consistent message when I was growing up. That message was "Do the best you can do!" She had a very clear sense of right and wrong and expected us to follow that guidance. As I grew up I realized that all I needed to do to stay on the straight and narrow was to ask myself,

"What Would Dolores Do?"

If I would not tell Dolores about my latest actions, decisions or choices, they were probably wrong. This has made many decisions in life pretty easy to reach.