As we progress through life we learn many valuable lessons, many of these lessons tend to have a profound outcome on the type of person who we eventually mature into. The purpose of this paper is to explain some of the valuable experiences which have prepared me for various times in my life. My experiences in life whether good or bad have directly influenced my willingness to trust people in general. When I first meet a person, I let them go through a temporary friendship phase. Usually, it's just until I'm sure that I want to accept this person as a true friend and the feeling is mutual.
             Respect is a very important value for everyone to have. At a very young age my parents ensured that showed respect for them. Anyone that was considered to be an adult should receive some type of respect from a child. Giving adults the proper respect helped me realize that if you treat everyone with kindness and respect you would receive the same in return. I think everyone deserves some form of respect. Growing up in the inner city it seemed as if most neighborhood fights took place because one person disrespected the other.
             In the military a member can be put on report, arrested and put in jail for disrespecting a higher ranking officer. For a more serious incident such as disrespecting the President of the United States or the U.S. flag the punishment consists of losing present rank, constant scrutiny and federal jail time. I think the values of respect instilled in me from my parents were a good foundation, for all the things I would experience in the military. Time management or using ones time wisely was a learning skill that I gained from my parents as well as the military. As a young boy my mother constantly said, "Don't waste your time", but I didn't really know what she meant by it though. We all wish that we could have more time here on Earth. With more time we could accomplish more things and spend more ...