I've had some time off recently, and it's given me a chance to reflect on my philosophy on work, life, and things between.

I'm interested primarily in people and what makes them different and alike. I use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, though scorned by the scientific community, as a lens for seeing others' perspectives and perceptions.

Myers-Briggs has also, of course, informed my own self-understanding. Without that, as the cliché goes, no other understanding can arise. As an INFP (Introverted-Intuitive-Feeling-Perceiving) type, I am intensely focused on my own personal principles, morals and ethics.

That doesn't mean, of course, that I impose my own belief systems on others. It's just that becoming familiar with them allows me to become familiar with others'.

Here's what I value the most:

1. Integrity: in other words, I don't want to deal with compulsive liars or people who laugh off ethics
   

2. Respect: every person should be treated the same as anyone else (barring human rights violations or something similar, but even then -- we shouldn't resort to torture or other egregious forms of "justice")
   

3. Humility/willingness to adapt: I combine these two concepts because they often go hand in hand. If we're not focused on winning all the time, our world is opened to a cornucopia of possibilities

I'm working on a list of people who inspire me, so that I may read about them, take their best traits, and try to learn from their mistakes. Lately, those who've been on my mind have included:

• Warren Buffett

• Roger Ebert

• Barry Jenkins

• Joy Mangano

• Jay Groat (the minister of the church I used to attend)

More to come.