I listed that 4 of my strengths were caring, funny, reliable, and resourceful. Going to college really opened my eyes to see how each person is different and unique in how God made them, so I learned to be more sensitive to others. I really grew in my faith as I learned to be considerate to others who followed a different faith than I do. I learned that sometimes the best way to be a witness for Christ is by simply showing the love of Christ instead of stuffing the Bible down their throat. I learned to be caring to others no matter how different or alike we may be.
As I started living on my own at college, I had to develop a strong sense of who I was. I have always been a shy person, very introverted. Always have and always will be. But being introverted isn't a bad thing and definitely doesn't mean that you can't be a leader or don't possess any leadership skills. I see being introverted as providing you the best skills needed to be a great leader. You listen to others and consider what would be best for the team instead of just yourself. All throughout college, I was a leader in many different aspects of the activities I were active in. But being on my own forced me to get out of my shell because I was at a school where I knew no one, sharing a dorm each year for four years with a new person I didn't know, and living my first year on a hall where we had a community bathroom. And I am sure some of you are making a disgusting face or tightening up thinking about a community bathroom because at most colleges, they are gross. But, thank the good Lord, Samford hired amazing workers who kept our bathroom spotless. Looking back on it now, I am so thankful for the community bathroom. It was my way of getting to know the girls on my hall that I probably wouldn't have had the time or courage to just walk up to their doors and introduce myself. It was through the community we developed on our hall that I made great friends, one of whom I consider a very dear and close friend of mine who lived on the hall around the corner from me. When breaking out of my shell, I tried to find a common interest between me and whomever I was meeting. My common ground was usually through humor. I mean who doesn't enjoy a good laugh? Some say it is a wit, but I tend to say/do whatever I can to get a laugh out of someone. It makes me happy knowing someone else is smiling.
When I think about being reliable, I think about all of the group/partner projects I have ever been a part of. Out of the many (probably hundreds) projects, I can only think of 2 where I wasn't happy with the outcome. I was probably tired, fed-up, or just wanted to get it down and didn't give it my all. It's not an excuse. When I think back on it, I should have been more motivated to do my very best in every situation no matter how interested I was or wasn't. Group/partner project truly all boil down to trust and reliability. If there isn't a leader, someone has to step up and take that role. Everyone needs to trust that the leader can do the job and the leader has to trust that everyone else will listen and give their best effort. This is relying on one another to achieve a goal together. Aside from those two projects, I believe that I was a reliable person no matter what role I took on in the project. When being the leader I tried to keep things organized and equalize the work for each person, but also made sure that it was all completed for the good of the group. As a member of a group, I would do my best work for what I was given to do and ask if there was anything else to do. In group projects, I think it's important that you change roles. For 1 of the 2 disappointing projects, I took on the role of being the leader too many times which really burned me out. For the other project, it was 2 people who were used to being leaders, so I had to transition into just being a member for the first time and let myself get ran over by the leader. Both were learning and growing experiences that have helped me become a reliable person as a leader, member, or any other role.
I smile with I think of being resourceful. It's almost like performing a magic trick without doing anything. I can think of so many projects I worked on where something messed up, and I had to think fast on what to do. I recall one where I was making colorful Wordles for my students at my last student teaching placement and I ran out of colored paper. I decided that my homeroom would get colored words on white paper instead of the black words on colored paper. I know it seems really small and insignificant, but at 2 in the morning I considered it brilliant thinking! There have been many times when I have been teaching a lesson and had to think quick on my feet because a student would ask something that I wasn't prepared for or something I had planned didn't quite work out how it was supposed to or I forgot to bring something. And honestly, that is how the real world is no matter what your profession is. Things happen and you have to think and act quickly.
I know this post probably seems as though I am just sitting here tooting my own horn, but I am learning how important it is that we see the good qualities we possess. God already sees them. He placed them within us to start with. Our family and friends can tells us about them, but we may not necessarily believe it until we actually step back and observe ourselves. I challenge you to do something like this. Grab a few pieces of paper. Blog about it. Type it on your computer to save it. Use a thousand sticky-notes to put on your desk. Whatever you need to do. If I can write 4 paragraphs about myself when I absolutely hate talking about me, then you can do it too! I dare ya! You cannot and do not want to turn this dare down. God knows your wonderful qualities, so take 30 minutes out of your day to talk to Him and discover them for yourself. Trust me, you will feel good and glad that you did this.
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