Self Awareness and Vision

The school year is over – finally! Over the next couple of months, you will have some time to relax, reflect and regroup. Taking a step outside of the academic demands and overwhelming pace of the school year can allow you to see yourself, your goals and the steps you are taking to get closer to achieving those goals more clearly.

Whatever you are doing this summer, I hope that it is both productive and interesting. Maybe you are working a summer internship to learn more about the field you want to enter after graduation. Maybe you are back home with your family and feeling a little culture shock at the re-adjustment to life at home with rules and curfews. Maybe you stayed on campus to do research with one of your professors. Maybe you are working a few different jobs to earn enough money to pay your expenses for next semester.

I hope that your summer occupation will allow you to use your strengths and develop new skills. I hope that the work you are doing is a good fit for you. I hope that the demands of your everyday make you feel satisfied and happy and the interactions you are having with other people on the job energize you. I hope that you are pursuing something you are passionate about and that you feel like you are making a difference in the world. I hope that your summer reflects the life you want to live once you graduate. College summers are a low-risk time to try on different careers and lifestyles to see if they are a good match for you.

What if you aren’t sure what you want to do after you graduate though. Maybe you haven’t figured out what your strengths are or what you are passionate about. You might be feeling pressured to make big decisions about your future, but you aren’t sure what to do. You don’t have to have all of the answers right now, but this is the time to start asking the right questions. Who are you? What do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? Your college years are a time when you should be exploring your options and finding out what makes you happiest. College is a time of self-exploration and discovery as much as it is a time of academic growth.

Summer is the perfect time to reflect on what you have learned about yourself as a person over the past school year and to delve more deeply into the questions of what you love to do and what makes you truly happy. If you can return to school in the fall with a clearer idea of who you are, what you want to do and why you want to do it, you will be more able to make good decisions about the classes you take, the ways you spend your time, the work study job you apply for, and the internships you pursue.

The Self Awareness and Vision Workshop I just published on my website can help you explore the answers to those questions and gain a deeper understanding of yourself. In the workshop, I talk about what self awareness is and how to develop more self awareness. By learning to look objectively at your own thoughts, motivations and actions, you can get better at making wise decisions without clouds of emotion in your way. I will also talk about your core identity and your values which serve as your compass to determine what is right and wrong for you. After that introduction, I’ll lead you through 19 different assessments to help you determine how your personality, strengths, cognitive style, leadership style, locus of control and other traits and tendencies impact how you interact with the world around you and what types of careers and personal pursuits you might find most satisfying. Armed with that plethora of knowledge about yourself, you will then write a vision statement for your future. Your vision statement will keep you focused and motivated, help you make good decisions, and allow you to achieve your long-term goals. It will give you a sense of direction and purpose.

By the end of the workshop you will have answered three important questions: Who am I? What do I want to do? and why do I want to do it? You will have a good idea of what your purpose and passion are and be on the path to be inspired by your everyday. Check out the introduction video to the workshop here to learn more and make this a summer of growth and self-discovery!