You are the champion of your chosen virtues?

I have been trying to get this saying pinned down for months so I figure I might as well try to put it down on "paper" to hopefully work some things out. The saying so far is "You are the champion of your chosen virtues" and I don't think it captures what I am trying to say.

I am trying to crystalize an idea of an internal compass. Going with the wind has been something I have done with most of my life. I am tired of letting anything pick me up and move me around. In attempting to give myself direction I have stumbled on this idea.

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In giving myself some sort of direction to choose to walk I first found that I don't want to just live for myself. If I lived hedonistically(sorry for pleasure) I wouldn't be working towards anything besides myself and I don't feel comfy with that lifestyle. I can feel my own impermanence so it seems like a waste of life to just work for me. This leads to the virtues.

I don't think virtues is the right word exactly. What I mean is that there ideas out there that live like solid oak. They were here before me and will be here after me. Working for something like that means the efforts I put forward can outlast me and had people working for them before me.

One of those ideas is knowledge and improvement. Both of those ideas have always struck a major chord with me. So when making decisions I try to see where I can gain knowledge or help improve others. With those two keywords that is how I am trying to shape this. I also want there to be enough depth with the word that it fits for other's views though.

What really ties this together for me is the duality(?) of choosing to be in service to something else. Yes, you are giving up part of yourself to work for something else but you are giving up yourself anyways so why not something bigger? I am feeling a kind of religious vibe to that. Like how people choose to live for God but I am not asking for you to pray to me... yet.

There is something poetic about giving real work to something not solid too. Instead of sweating and bleeding for your company you can put yourself to work for something you truly believe in.

To put a bow on this so far I think what I am trying to get to is take a step back. Look at the big picture of your life and try to find what you find worth championing. When the idea is grand enough to fit into most aspects of your life but small enough to fit into your own system seems to be the right place.

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This is a rough first draft of my thoughts on this. Hearing what you think about it or any questions you have would shed light on this.

Actually here are some questions you can comment below:

What do you think after first reading the saying "You are the champion of your chosen virtues"?

Do you think there is a better word than virtues I could use?

How is your day going?

Are pineapples the worst thing to add to pizza?