30.0 What are Your Roots?

30.1 What is "What are Your Roots"?

Life begins at the stage of an infant. We age to the stages of baby, young, mature and old. As we age, our circles of influence also grow. Circles of influence - self, family, friends and acquaintances, colleagues, community, society, etc. -  influence our roots of values. Roots of values are important as they define our persona and the way we communicate. Roots of values are identified in three forms: surface roots, lateral roots and taproot.

30.2 Understanding the Roots of Values

The roots of values will be illustrated in the form of a tree where it is diverged into three forms - surface roots, lateral roots and taproot.

30.2.1 Surface Roots

Surface roots can be seen, listened and touched by everyone. Comparatively, our surface roots are values that are visible to others through us sharing life experiences. The forms of surface roots are speech and actions; they can either influence our connections or be influenced by our connections.

"Surface roots are our values that take form to converse with our surrounding."

They act as tertiary values for communicating with people and possess high adaptability.

30.2.2 Lateral Roots

Lateral roots cannot be seen by anyone, but noticeable only by the individual. Comparatively, our lateral roots are values that are born and grow as we age, but do not have significant impact in our life.

Lateral roots are values that take form resulting from progression in life. They act as secondary values that support our lives' progression and possess less adaptability.

"The values are often created to adapt with new situations and life scenarios."

30.2.3 Taproot
Taproot cannot be seen by anyone, but is felt by people through the individual exuding his/ her energy. Comparatively, our taproot is a set of core values identified from our significant life experience and have significant impact in our lifestyle. Taproot subconsciously plays as the driving force for the surface roots and lateral roots.

Taproot is a set of core values that take form from having an in-depth definition of our persona.

"They act as primary values that support the secondary and tertiary values and possess no adaptability."

The set of core values is founded once our mentality has reached the maturity stage to truly decide what defines our persona.

30.3 Common Mistakes and Controls

Often people commit mistakes in living their lives by strengthening the secondary and tertiary roots while discounting the primary root. This is a mistake for doing so will not create a strong foundation in their persona; they are bendable and the values are easily influenced by their surroundings. Another common mistake is people giving in their values to avoid stressful situations.

To prevent and control these mistakes, these four steps are recommended:

1. First and foremost, find and strengthen your set of core values that define your persona
2. Express disagreement when a situation that requires your responses goes against your primary values
3. Convince for a win-win situation that do not forego your primary and secondary values
4. The least preferred option is to exit the situation when none can be achieved

I hope this topic benefits you as much as it has benefited myself, wa la hawla wa la kuwatta ila billah. Insha'Allah, the next topic will be posted in the near future.