project

Merrill-Sampson 3

Sarah Merrill-Sampson

Professor Virginia Kidwell

OB 6301

July 9, 2017

RBSE Essay

1. Introduction

The Reflected Best Self Exercise (RBSE) assisted in examining and interpreting “portraits” of my “best-self” through the eyes of close respondents and from myself. This exercise’s methodology elaborates the knowledge and comprehension of both strengths and limitations by highlighting how others view us. This information provides an awareness to reach for further achievements, which is the basis of a “strengths-based approach to personal development” (Reflected Best Self Exercise-Overview).

2. My First Best-Self Portrait

Prior to reading the results of the Best Self Portrait, I contemplated and analyzed my own personal best-self stories. The positive, insights that emerged from this activities, such as resilient, stubborn, adventuresome, flexible, and devoted. Thinking through the 17 moves in 13 years, I have had some amazing memories, but I have endured many difficult times as well, most of the time by myself. The military’s objective was never to make life easy. And I am never one to listen to skeptics and “throw in the towel” when situations become difficult. If opportunities are available, I tend to want to take advantage of the experiences made available. When my family and loved ones need me, though, I will do anything and everything to try to help them, which may cause some problems being that I am not always physically close enough to help.

3. Feedback Process: Analysis and Observations

*Please see two excel attachments (Individual Story Reflection and Aggregated Story Reflection)

4. My Final Best-Self Portrait

Most of my life has been dedicated to helping others. Whether they be my family and loved ones or chance meetings, it has been engrained in me that life is worth living by committing your life to improving the live’s of others and your surroundings. I have been committed to my husband and his military career, moving 17 times in 13 years, changing careers and my identity for him. I have survived, worked, and helped my family and other families during and after several hurricanes. I have driven and flown in the middle of many nights for loved ones to help take care or be available for important moments. I am a loyal, committed, nonjudgmental friend and family member, no matter the situation.

While the adjective “hard worker” is a cliché term to label students and employees, I know it is a true descriptor of myself. My brothers and I were taught, whether you are scrubbing the floors of a bathroom or operating as a surgeon, you treat all jobs seriously and as a reflection of yourself. I have worked tirelessly assisting families during and after hurricanes to spending countless hours studying for exams and meeting with admission counselors and advisors to meeting with vendors with various cultures in multiple countries for my position. When I commit to something, I am devoted and care to see it successfully completed to finish while also working as effectively with others as possible.

Being nonjudgmental and devoted to my loved ones also goes hand-in-hand with supporting them, even when it may not be in my best interests. Many of the military moves I was by myself and did in support of his position. I have attended numerous military functions after long work days, changed careers, given up career and jobs, missed family and important moments, and adjusted my life and dreams for his. For my family and close friends, I have dropped at a moment’s notice to help them or be there for them in the middle of the night even.

Throughout the years, I realized the way to push forward was to stay positive. From a young age, people were prejudice against me due to my religion and later also due to my gender. I remained hopeful and kept a positive attitude to live my life to the fullest. When my husband and the military were not easy, it is rare situations were easy, I kept an optimistic attitude and advanced forward. During the several hurricanes I have had to survive, including the one that destroyed my wedding, I tried to be upbeat and keep a sense of humor during those dark moments. In the face of adversity and transformations, I tend to stay optimistic.

Since I was a child, I utilized imagination, creativity, design, and would produce art in vivid color, texture and detail. I have created pieces of art from oil and acrylic and pastel to fine jewelry. More recently in life, I devoted myself to designing and making jewelry, and ably researching, setting up and marketing my creations. My business website, which is still active, is www.smsjewelrydesigns.com. When it comes to either making jewelry, marketing myself, or going back to school to better my future, I have that rare spark of ingenuity and creativity to make things happen for myself no matter the obstacles.

5. Discoveries and Applications to create an action Plan

A. How does your best self-portrait correspond with the sorts of things that you spend the bulk of your time doing?

I work incredibly hard for the people I care about and my education to move forward in life. I spend time hand writing letters to friends and family and touching base with them by phone weekly, if not daily, with close friends and family. My husband is now a major and progressing in a timely fashion in his career. I am currently in graduate school and in the business school that I had spent a great deal of money on studying for exams and applications to be finally accepted this semester. I believe me working hard most of the time will help me achieve my goals, such as an internship with a good company which will, hopefully, lead to a successful career after college.

B. What situations or contexts encourage your best self to emerge?

Encouraging, collaborative teams, positive friends, and meaningful educational situations/classes encourage my best self to emerge. When I am able to discuss in group settings information and ideas and to learn from other’s experiences it allows ideas to flow. The situations also allow networking opportunities. This is one reason why I do miss being in a work atmosphere as I do believe I gain more from real work and hands-on experience. My mother is usually a relational enabler along with several friends that wrote stories for me. There have been recently a professor and a forced group that have been relational blockers for me which has made life incredibly stressful and question my capabilities sometimes.

C. What keeps you from operating at your best more of the time?

a) How can you prioritize your life so that you maximize the potential for your best self every day? What can you do differently? What might you consider not doing anymore? Are there certain contexts you can put yourself in to maximize your potential?

Negativity and worry are definitely large contributors or situational blockers from allowing me to operate at my best. When I am inserted into situations that I cannot be productive and only negativity is prevalent, time moves slower and I feel I cannot do much to change my situation, no matter how positive I am or the ideas/suggestions I create. Prior to each day, I make a list of what I need to do the following day. This usually changes, which I have become accustomed to being flexible and making myself available for these circumstances. I try to allocate open time for things I must accomplish each day, though, and have been working on saying “no” so that I may fulfill my objectives. Certain groups have been unproductive, even when professors are aware, so working in advance and alone to counteract the problems have been ways to better the situation, for example instead of believing a professor has my best interests. Asking for help from other students in other classes and trying to establish relationships at school has been a challenge as it is a commuter feel still to the school, but I believe this will maximize my potential with better networking within the school. I also believe not putting so much pressure to work until I cannot function almost every day and worry about the future so much as I cannot control so much. I need to enjoy more moments instead of things I have no power over.