Recently I did an exercise, where I examined the five qualities that I want to be known for, then I compared those to the qualities of those who I spend most of my time with. Here are some of my thoughts:
My qualities…
After giving this some thought I pinned down these five qualities that I strive to embody:
1) Integrity.
2) Confidence.
3) Honesty.
4) Passion.
5) Reliability.
I chose these five qualities because they speak to my personal and professional goals. As a kid I was constantly being asked what I wanted to do when I grew up. I had a million answers that I gave out in response, but the truth was that it wasn’t so important to me. I didn’t feel the need to plan that out. I had a different mindset. I knew who I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be someone people trusted, someone who is respectable, someone who is engaged with their life. I knew who I wanted to become, not what I wanted to become. This is still the idea that I live by today. I am invested in myself and my future as an individual. I believe that if I exude the qualities listed above, that I will be successful in whatever I end up doing.
The people around me…
I am blessed with some amazing people who inspire and challenge me as an individual. Here are some of those people, and their strongest qualities:
1) Aarond (my father): honest, outspoken, and self-confident.
2) Christina (my mother): reliable, expressive, and open-minded.
3) Cameron (My boyfriend): creative, passionate, and optimistic.
4) Brenna (my sister): dedicated, artistic, and nurturing.
5) Nicholas (my brother): confident, passionate, self-motivated.
Getting deeper…
It is my joy to say that those closest to me exude qualities that are inspiring to me. Although some of the qualities they individually possess differ from mine, they have many similarities. For instance, my father is honest, outspoken, and self-confident. While we have some qualities in common, he inspires me to take another step further. When I look at my father’s qualities I think to myself: “What is honesty without outspokenness?” I know that I want to be honest, but I want to be honest with others, I want to share my thoughts and perspectives honestly, and his example and influence encourages me to do just that.
My mother is reliable, expressive, and open-minded. She comes across to me as being unashamed about what she thinks and feels. Her open-mindedness seems to cause her to expect that in return from others. I love that about her, and I respect that about her. It is very confident. I strive to be self-confident, and unashamed of my beliefs, feelings, and experiences. She inspires me to become that, constantly. She also shares another quality that I want to exude: reliability. I have learned the value of reliability through my work experiences, and my volunteer experiences as well. My mother is committed to raising us and supporting us no matter what. In any scenario I know that if I need someone, I can rely on her. I know what it is like to have someone like that in my life, and she inspires me to be that person for other people.
Cameron has inspired me since the day that we met. He oozes with creativity and passion. Those are two qualities that I have always strived to possess. He constantly brings me onto his projects, and involves me in his creative process. He is always teaching me about something new, or sharing with me his latest inspiration. He has one other vital attribute. He is optimistic. Always. He truly believes in himself, others, and what he is capable of. That optimism is what keeps him going, and it’s what keeps me going too sometimes. He encourages me constantly to pursue my passions and free my creativity.
Brenna is my big sister. So, we have had a crazy relationship over the years, and if I were writing this ten years ago… I’d be spouting all sorts of stories about how she likes to eat grass and race me around our backyard. However, I am writing this today. Today I look at my sister and I see a dedicated and nurturing mother who provides her son and daughter with constant and unconditional love. She demonstrates to me what it is to be a mother. However, the thing that inspires me most about her is her artistic side. She has always expressed her emotions through art. She has the best coping skills I have ever seen. When she is stressed out she turns to her passions to express those emotions. So, even when she is overwhelmed, she is growing her artistic skills, and investing in her passions. I love that about her, and I hope that one day I will have the ability to really utilize my creativity and passions as outlets for my expression.
My little brother is a crazy kid. He has a new interest about every ten seconds. However, he stands out from other kids. He actually invests everything into his passions. Currently his obsession is shoes. He loves wearing them and customizing them. He works for hours on his shoes painting, dying, bleaching, and cleaning them until they reach perfection. He somehow makes time for it no matter what he has going on. I admire this because I still kind of stink at making time for the things I am passionate about. I get caught up in the mundane things in my schedule too often. I want to have that constant, passion-led drive to work on what brings me joy.
The Impact…
I am surrounded by people who push me towards my goals. I am constantly being challenged by the people around me to be better, and cultivate the qualities that I want to be known for. While that is amazing, it makes me look to the future. I see these goals evolving. I see me wanting to invest in other character traits down the road, and I know that I will want to grow in areas that these people can’t necessarily model for me. So, while I am content and challenged today, I am still looking forward and being conscious of surrounding myself with people who challenge me to become better in other ways.