Last summer, my nephew stopped through as he was returning from an interview for medical school. We were discussing his interviews, and he told me about a question one of the doctors asked. The interview question was: What are your core beliefs?
While my nephew thought it was a somewhat odd question, I thought it was a perfect one. To me, this question really cut through all the fluff and would tell someone so much about a person. It is a question which describes how we approach our life, our work, and our relationships. From our core beliefs spring our daily habits and attitudes.
It is a question we should all answer. If we haven’t, we should.
My nephew must have answered it well since he was accepted and will be on his way to being a great physician. Now, our challenge is to define our core beliefs.
A belief is what your convictions are.
- Do you know what you believe in?
- Do you know what your true convictions are?
- What is at the core of your beliefs?
- What is core to who you are as a human being?
Similar questions to spark the in-depth review to discern the answer to a simple, powerful question – what are your core beliefs?
Whatever your personal philosophy, your core beliefs are an essential ingredient to defining and living it. Without these beliefs, our personal philosophy will be hollow, waver at every life turn.
I have never written down my core beliefs, even though they have rattled around in my mind and seem present deep inside. Tapping into them is an important step, and writing them is essential to living with more clarity.
I believe: The choices we make ultimately define who we are as a person. We need to make the best choices we can, because the edges in life can be thin. We need to engage life as actively as possible, because it can be short. We need to listen to our inner spirit and dance synchronously with it. We need to grab our community and work to leave it better. We must always try to do the right things in the right way.
There are many attributes buried within my core beliefs from love to honesty to optimism to laughter. From our core beliefs pour our very soul for all to see and experience.
What are your core beliefs? A great question to ask in interviews. A great question for each of us to answer today.
what are your thoughts on core beliefs influenced by virtue or by divine command? and do you think it is right to be influenced by religion
Thank you, Sam, for your questions. I believe our beliefs are influenced by many elements, from our experiences, our community, our family, our readings, etc. Through many different sources, we form our core beliefs. Religion can be a source as well.
Anyway, I hope that helps. I do believe our experiences in many different realms – family, community, spiritual, etc. – form our beliefs.
Thanks!