Wow You're really interested in learning about me, aren't you! Thanks for checking out this section on my values. My parents raised me with basically old-fashioned values, for which I am very grateful.
Generally, I believe that the value tree for me goes like this:

1. Relationship with God and Jesus Christ
2. Relationship with My Wife (in the future)
3. Relationship with my Children (in the future)
4. Relationship with my Nuclear and Extended Family
5. Relationship with Best Friends
6. Relationship with Friends
7. Relationship with Colleagues and Associates
8. Relationships with other people

This numbered list gives somewhat of a hierarchy of priority, if you will, of those people who are close to me. In my opinion, it's too bad that often times other people cannot respect this type of list... sometimes they lose track of what is important to them... This list reflects what is important to me.

What is it that I value in each of the above?

1. God - That He loved us all so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins, The Incarnation
2. Wife - The commitment that she makes to me, her loyalty, her trust, her friendship, her opinion, her goals.
3. Children - The joy that they would bring to my life, the ability to see in them hope for the future.
4. Family - The happiness that comes from being bound in love and respect to those of my blood.
5. Best Friends - Their counsel, support, and companionship (and all the fun).
6. Friends - The fun and good times, the advice, the mentoring, the encouragement.
7. Colleagues - Their ability to engage me and challenge me in pursuing what I love.
8. Other People - Hearing their experiences and points of view... If I listen long enough, I can learn something from every person that I meet.

In constructing a statement about the values in life that I hold dear, I believe one place I can start is with the motto from my coat of arms. "Lucis Veritatis, Cor ad Cor Loquitur," "For the light of truth, heart speaketh unto heart." From this idea, I want people to learn two things about me. First of all, that I value direct honesty, trustworthiness, loyalty, and ultimate truth, yes, but second, that I value the bonds of familial and fraternal relationships that create a positive environment for the dissemination and collection of new and different ideas.

I believe strongly that when I am able to sit down and talk to someone directly and honestly, regardless of who that person is, I will be able to learn something. So yes, I value ultimate truth, but more importantly I value the absolute knowledge of that truth, which I believe comes only from God. (For more, see my page on Why I'm Catholic) I also value the dialogue that furthers us along on our journey towards it. Remember, "Heart speaketh unto heart," as Cardinal Newman's coat of arms reminds us.

My mindset and my disposition in life is strongly influenced by my Roman Catholic faith. In addition to valuing the political and individual rights enjoyed by all citizens of the United States, I also value strongly the ideas of universal charity, freedom of will, and faith in God. I value my life, and the lives of all human beings. I view people as ends themselves, never as means. I value the pursuit of personal excellence and individual integrity. I value my education, and I value the mentoring that I have received from those who saw potential in me in my youth. (For more on this see my Mentors page.)

I value very much those people in my life who recognize me for who I am and love me as such... those close friends of mine who do not mistake my high standards for personal arrogance; those people who are brave enough to engage me in open discourse in a responsible way for mutual benefit; those people who see through my sometimes fun-loving dynamism or sometimes quiet apathy to the rock within, which is continually striving for the common good of all, with fear and trembling.

As a corollary, I hold in suspicion those who for some reason are so easily led to the bankrupt belief that I think I am better than they are. Any person who believes this does not know me well at a fundamental level. I cannot help it, for example, that I am more than six feet tall, healthy, good-looking, with "pretty blue-eyes," and that I was raised in a loving household, had a wonderful childhood, and that starting at an early age I began to be conditioned for success and a more prosperous future by my family. I cannot help it that in my past so many people have stepped forward to invest in the potential they saw in me - when they did not see that potential in all my peers. I cannot help it that at an early age I was intelligent enough to recognize the value of education and perseverance toward any goal. If you don't like me, don't blame me. Blame the people that made me who I am. I desire no enmity with anyone. Peace be with my critics. It's not my problem that I am right and they are wrong.

This brings us to my valuing frank, honest communication. I believe that much conflict in the world has been the result of poor communication (consider World War I, for example). It is a natural tendency of humans, I believe, to fear things that we are uncertain of; when I was a child, I often wondered why people thought that FDR's famed quotation was so significant. "Let me assert my firm belief," said Roosevelt, "That we have nothing to fear but fear itself." To me at the time, this didn't seem to be a quote worthy of tremendous attention; it seemed merely intuitive. It is only recently that I have come to a realization of how prophetic FDR's statement truly was. Thus, I value leadership that is truly leadership... leadership that is objective and realist and not necessarily popular.

I value the resolution of conflict through dialogue. I value individuals that ask me what I think before making assumptions. I value people that ask me for clarification on things that I have said before jumping to conclusions that are based on their misunderstandings of my views. I value people that ask me for an apology if I hurt their feelings by something that I say or do, and in so doing help me to become a better person by helping me to recognize my own faults. I value people who know and recognize my leadership capabilities and who seek out the reasons for my actions in private, admitting they may not be aware of all the factors underlying the decisions I make and have made as a leader.

I strongly value people who are not intimidated by my careful attention to detail, my strict value of basic decency, my value of personal etiquette, and my ability to express myself thoroughly and clearly. To consort with the royals, I was taught, one must speak the Queen's English.

I also hold in high regard those individuals who provide me with balanced, constructive, criticism of my actions, thoughts, and beliefs. I owe a tremendous amount of my time and friendship to people who have assisted me in this way.

I value my loyal friends and family who actively support me in my endeavors and continue to teach me new things. I value people who take personal initiative. I value the optimistic outlook in times of difficulty. I believe that Nightengale offers us perhaps the best definition of success: the progressive realization of a worthy idea. Success is progressive - it is not a static location in life that is arrived at. It is a realization that requires mental acumen and infinite foresight. It is ultimately posited in a worthy idea. It is not related to financial wealth or material gain. We find success as humans in different ways based on what we value in life or our realization of it. In this sense, I feel as though I have been very successful in life up to this point, although I leave the decisive answer to my family, friends, history, and ultimately God.

What fundamentals have been most essential to that success? I would say that there are four... Let us call this "Nathan's CVIR Model for Success."

The CVIR Model of Success
1. CONFIDENCE - is the single-most important factor. I believe all truly successful people are necessarily confident.
2. VISION - follows close behind as the second most important factor. There are three major elements that make up a healthy vision:
   1. The development of long and short-term goals. These goals must be written down and looked at daily.
   2. The development of an ability to imagine a future life or situation that at the present time seems distant or difficult to attain, but that is better than the current situation. This may also be called "development of a dream."
   3. The presence of hope inside oneself that new opportunity, knowledge, or fortune will present itself
3. INITIATIVE - is the next factor in success. Having vision and confidence is not enough. One must act on his beliefs and advance his or her life for the benefit of his or her family. Often, this step involves higher education, the pursuit of new knowledge. For others, this may involve entrepreneurship, public service, or professional development of another kind.
4. REALIZATION - is the necessary consequence of the successful implementation of the first three elements. Thoreau, I believe, put it best: "If one advances confidently in the directions of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours...
   He will pass an invisible boundary. New, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings..."

Finally, more than all the things I have written above, it is my faith in God and the unity and love of my family that I value most. If my life is marked by the benefit of any good, it most certainly derives from these two locuses of power and beauty in my life. For without question, in the final calculation of my life and values, "God is my rock, my fortress and my salvation;" my refuge in whom I trust.

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