Pandora's Box.

So i finally turned in the essay, i didn't realise i was late for submission and my paper was set aside for a markdown, luckily the letter to the PG office explaining myself (i was two hours late)got through to them and they let me off, thank GOD!

In one of our sessions, the lecturer BJ, talked about how many people are happy to just live life on the go, whatever comes, they just go with the flow and still turn up genuinely happy. While people like me, who would question everything will never get satisfied that way.

While i wrote the essay, lots of things began to turn up, its not honestly to do an analysis on yourself, there are lots pushed deep down, things you are afraid to touch and like my fellow Geordie would say 'Ah canna toich it'

One part of the essay was to make a summary of our strengths and weaknesses, this is how mine turned out.

The main strengths I have identified include, Creativity, Innovative tendencies in the view of work, the ability to generate original ideas proves really useful for my career development. We live in a world that is fast-changing and its been proven over and over that the ability to come up with something new, a design that works, makes the difference. I have a curiosity to learn and try out new things, I will always question the old, so that I can move on to the new. Another strength of mine, is my ability to keep promises and honour commitment. Every organization could use a honest person, someone whose word you can have as gold, integrity. I am a very tenacious person, against the odds I try to do things to the best of my ability, there's also dedication. If there's a project or work to be done, I stick to that one thing (the theorist in me) and will not rest until it has ended, finished, basically done with.
Others include , being a good listener, I readily lend a ear because of my high tendency for empathy. I love being helpful and enjoying teaching others, being able to meet deadlines, caring about people. I am actually easy to talk to, people are surprised but I make people at ease. I have a great sense of humour, my house-mates complain I laugh too much, but then they complain about almost everything.

The weaknesses that I have identified are not being able to communicate my thoughts, to communicate feedback effectively, also the tendency of being a perfectionist, expecting too much of others, questioning people's motives, getting annoyed easily, being impatient, wanting to work at a faster pace than my team-mates, and when at home I begin to procrastinate. I could also be very lazy, lack drive and slip into my comfort zone. I tend to start things and end up not finishing because I never get satisfied, there's always something to add or take away.

I have two very sharp contrasting sides, I am dreamy yet logical, a carefree worrier , it confuses me a lot and could end up becoming a hindrance to proper career development. I do not like asking people for feedback on me, I tend to avoid people because I hate conflicts. Careers are built on relationships with people and if I do not work on these weaknesses, there is no way my career will develop the way I really want.

Self-analysis is a continous process, and one other task in this assignment was to draw up a personal development plan which covers a certain period of time. I want to ease some of my weakness, work on them and be a better person each day in this period. Some of the things i have put down, are to make a log in my school portfolio blog, each week to measure my progress, success or fail. If i don't set myself straight no one else could :)