A Flavorful Mixture
I sometimes look at a bowl of mixed candy and am reminded of myself. I see the basic red candy, yellow candy, sweet candy, and the many varieties of sour candies. I also see the small hunks of chocolate that give me energy and make me hyper. I see the large servings of sweet tarts and think how the give me a relaxing, sweet taste. On the other hand, I also see some bad pieces in the bowl; there always seems to be a shortage of my favorite. I, like a bowl of candy, am a mixture of good flavors (personality traits), however, I, too, am low on the qualities that I most desire. What I would like to do is keep an even balance of flavors both in my personal life and in my academic skills.
In my personal life, I see myself as the tempting flavors of the sweet candies that others are drawn to. My sensitivity is what makes me so appealing to others, I think. Like the Golden Retriever of the Gary Smalley and John Trent video, because I hate to see anyone hurt, I sometimes allow others to run over me so they can be happy. I did not realize why I did this until I took the survey and listened to the video, but now that I know that it is okay to say no sometimes, I think I can even out the flavors of my personality so that I have a better and more flavorful combination. The uneven balance of candies in my bowl helped me to see that I have been like a boxer with no opponent hammering away at myself, and never fully realizing what I was doing or why. While I do not see myself as the survey’s perfectionist beaver, I do feel that when I know I am capable of doing a better job, I will try hard to do so. The survey and video have shown me that if I try I can learn to balance the sweet flavors of my personality with the sour ones.
The flavors of my personality reveal themselves in my academic life relative to the way they affect my personal life. When I am given an assignment, I check out the flavors, going for my favorite ones first. For instance, when I write, I choose to do so in a familiar spot with few distractions. I choose to begin with the chunks of chocolate that give me energy—the ideas that inspire and motivate me to share my experiences with others. Next, I move to the sweet tarts—those little words and phrases that are familiar to me. However, when these favorites are gone, I still have some sourness to deal with. The worst aspect of my writing is perhaps making sure that I have all those not-so-sweet candies of good writing—thesis statements, topic sentences, transitions, lively language, etc. in my work. Through listening to the suggestions of the video, I have come to realize that if I am to have a fully balanced bowl of candy, I must partake of all its flavors inorder not to runout of my favorites, and to keep my dish (personality) evenly proportioned.
My writing is indeed shaped by my personality, as my taste for candy is influenced by the flavors available to me. With the tools of Mr. Smalley’s survey and video, I know better how to enhance the flavors I possess and how to increase the ones I have not developed a natural taste for. I look forward to developing myself into a sweeter, more colorful mixture of candies (talents) in the future.
Learning about Me
I have learned through time and reflection that my
personality is a complicate maze of traits. The dominant ones are the
framework, firmly rooted and unyielding, while the secondary ones fill in the
voids and help soften the hardness of a sometimes abrasive exterior. However, just
when I seem to find the correct blend of Lion and Lamb, reality unleashes a new
revelation about myself creating yet another hole to fill, another edge that
needs burnishing. Taking the Smalley and
Like the staunch lion, I am a very confident person, but in gaining that confidence, I have spent a King’s ransom buying experience. This confidence is the fuel that fires my determination to succeed and provides the knowledge that I can succeed as long as I keep my goals and perspectives in focus. It is also this confidence that has offered me a panoramic view of the world and occasionally opens my eyes to how the world views me. Unfortunately, others often misunderstand and misinterpret my strongest characteristic.
On the other hand, much like the otter, I believe I can accomplish anything with a plan, but f the plan doesn’t work, I just make a new one. I have learned the hard way that everyone needs a shoulder to cry on occasionally, and because of this, my hugs are always feely given. Nothing is more fulfilling than helping someone make his or her dreams come true and by doing so I have the opportunity to overflow several times. These traits are quite a contrast t o my louder, more visible side and have a way of nuzzling into the lap of the moment just when they are needed the most.
How do my strengths and weaknesses influence my wiring? My confidence shows in my boldness to reveal my true voice in my work. The unique and unusual wording I choose is well above the normal, ordinary language of the average person. In addition, my willingness to let go of words and phrases that do not work well is another quality of my personality that is reflected in my writing. I also find it necessary to seduce my reading audience with figurative and picture-painting words that give them a glimpse of something familiar to relate to the unfamiliar. Recognizing my strengths and weaknesses has been and continues to be a part of learning who and what I have become. Each day I discover a new piece of the puzzle; some have an obvious place while others are laid to the side while I search for their significance and proper place in the picture. It has been a great challenge trying to develop patience while realizing that less than perfect (the beaver in me) is not the kiss of death. Realizing that I can’t do everything by myself was really a “Bad Day at Black rock” for me as well.
While watching the video, I was reminded not only of what makes me a Lion, but how it truly takes a mixture of all four types to complete the person. As each day begins, I am thankful for what I have been able to discover about my personality, while I stand in awe of how much more is yet unexplored. I am thankful for all the traits that I have been blessed with, for that is what makes me who and what I am. But I am saddened by the fact that because I continue to grow and change, I will never be able to learn all about myself.