Raised Environment Shaped Person

Question: What was the environment in which you were raised? Describe your family, home, neighborhood, or community, and explain how it has shaped you as a person. Answer: I grew up in a home where resources were scarce. We were not from a very affluent background; however we had just enough to meet our needs, not luxuries. My parents came from a large family, therefore they brought us up with great family values. My parents were strict, and had very high standards of moral values. My father was a social man; he lived to serve people and loved doing it with all his heart. I believe I have inherited some of that from him. My mother on the other hand was not as social but I saw her helping people generously as I was growing up. Life was not very easy for my parents as they were growing up, they had constraints and therefore they never took resources for granted. Daddy always talked to us about not wasting food. He said there were millions of children going hungry everyday and that we were the fortunate ones to have 4 square meals. My dad would never buy us very expensive clothing or toys because he wanted us to steward money properly, he also taught us n ot to focus on material things. I was taught to cherish family and friends above gifts and material things. We were never allowed to watch a lot of television, instead were encouraged to spend quality time with our cousins. I remember dad restricting us from watching television in the morning; he was very particular about us not turning on the television when we woke up. He was a strict disciplinarian and a man of honesty. Whenever we missed school without a reason he would never write a wrong leave note for our teachers, he was particular that, if we did not have the courage to tell the truth then we should not bunk classes as well. At that time it was annoying but today as I look back, I genuinely value my fathers integrity. He has a very important role to play in who I am today. In fact both my mother and father were integral part of my childhood and as I was growing up. We were fortunate to have had some good friends at the society where we lived, so we had a lot of time to interact. That gave us the opportunity to become more social, considerate and caring towards others needs. Even though work consumed a lot of our time back then, I grew up in an environment where family ties were highly appreciated. We did picnics and spent a lot of time playing in the parks. Growing up in a world where honesty is rare, my parents upbringing has shaped me to be real and honest today. I have grown up to be content and happy with whom I am and it is all because of the environment I grew up in. As a family we are extremely caring, generous and helpful. Every Christmas we would go to our neighborhood and distribute cakes, cookies and some fresh fruits. It was a tradition that dad had started when we were young and we have been following it ever since. When I look at myself now, I see a reflection of the past in me. Today I am a confident young lady; I love people and love to help others. I go out of my way to be there for anyone who needs me, I never leave a task incomplete and I always try to keep up to my promises. I am someone who never gives up and that is an attribute I received from my father; he is a go getter! Another important thing that I learnt while I was studying in school is never to participate in anything in order to win. I was taught that winning and losing is not in our hands but to give our best is. This is something that drives me even till this day. I believe this very strongly and I still diligently follow it. I think challenge always causes us to place our focus on the wrong things and we forget other people. Therefore I focus on participating, enjoying and if I make it, its cool, if I dont, thats cool too!