Article Critique: 10 Signs You Know Matters - Cyber Security

This report provides a critical analysis of the article "10 Signs You Know Matters" by Stevens Hayes. The report begins with an introduction that summarizes Hayes's main ideas, which center on the importance of values, self-esteem, and self-acceptance. The analysis section examines the author's purpose, target audience, and the credibility of the article, noting that the author primarily relies on opinions but supports some points with secondary sources. The report also identifies the relevance and applicability of Hayes's arguments, agreeing with the author's emphasis on developing values and self-esteem to navigate life's challenges. It highlights the article's impact on students and the community, advocating for role models, kindness, and workplace values. The report concludes by emphasizing the applicability of Hayes's arguments in fostering a cohesive society and a respectful workplace environment.

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Critical analysis of the article 10 Signs You Know Matters
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Introduction
The article to be considered is 10 Signs You Know Matters by Stevens Hayes.
Hayes notes that values are critical in our lives and many people seek values since it
brings as sense of distinction. Hayes notes some of the aspects that human beings
consider important and they include kindness, innovation and professionalism. He
adds that human beings commit their selves in ensuring that they lead a valuable life.
In a bid to achieve this, human beings tend to be critical and judgmental and
sometimes engage in self-defeating behaviors. Hayes is concerned with the way in
which people build values and he listed ten ways in which people may know what is
important. Hayes is advocating people for self-acceptance and they should stop
comparing themselves with other people. Hayes want to bring a change in the minds
of the people and help them connect their behaviors with what they value the most.
Analysis
The purpose of the author is to remind people of the importance of ‘value’, be it
in as individuals or the things that are around them. The author aims at instilling the
culture of values since it serves as the source of motivation. Human beings work and
live on targets and as such, Hayes discusses the qualities that people should focus on.
Hayes targets those with low self-esteem as he tries to encourage them to focus on
aspects that will help them raise confidence. For instance he says that when one is
feeling low, one should “think back to those moments in your career when you felt
especially alive, especially vital, especially moved, especially connected to life”
(Hayes, 2015 p.5) Hayes want to make such people feel valued and become accepted
in the society by reminding them the importance of thinking of the good things they
have done in the past. He wants them to feel fully and adjust their behavior in a

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manner that they will be able to have a control over it. From the on look of the article,
it is clear that the author depended more on his opinions and this raises question on
the credibility and reliability of the article. However, there are instances that the
author has used secondary sources to support his points. For instance, when
explaining the point on importance of writing about what matters, the author cited a
work they had carried out on the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science where
they conducted a 10 min experiment to explain what values are. Nevertheless, the
author would have used more of statistics and figures to support his points. For
instance, he would have included some data on the known people who communicated
their interests to others. This would have improved on the credibility of the article.
Relevance and Applicability
The author argues that people should develop values in their lives and they must
find reasons of raising their self-esteem. I agree with the author that we are faced with
challenges from all aspects of our lives, from families and from work some of which
can pull us down. Hayes notes the importance of identifying theme of the next chapter
in our lives and create a meaningful life. I agree with the author because we live by
hope and it is our responsibilities to ensure that we have a good plan for our future.
Therefore people need to think about tomorrow and they should leave things of the
past that will ever pull them behind/ The article have significant impacts on various
categories of people in the society. For instance, the author makes an important point
of naming their heroes. This will enable students to identify people who mean
something to them who will consequently act as their motivators and they will tend to
emulate what they do. As such, it will encourage students to have role model in their

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lives. In addition to this, the article have far reaching teachings in the community. For
instance, he says that there is importance for singling out the sweetest moments of
your life (Hayes, 2015 p.14). There are things that keep people in the society and that
should be encouraged. Such things include love, kindness and humility. These are
things that as community should be looking upon and share in our lives in order to
make a more cohesive society. In addition to this, Hayes arguments are applicable in
the workplace where people need to use mind as a tool to humanize rather objectify
yourself. It is therefore possible to engage with other people in the work and embrace
the values that inform our actions. The article advocates for respect of diversity even
in the workplace.

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Reference
Hayes S C. 10 Signs You know what matters. New Harbinger Publications; 2005.