A641.7.3.RB_MedinaM.

Chapter 5 of “Becoming a Resonant Leader” is more about learning, discovering, and appreciating your real self. In the first exercise of the chapter, I needed to find pictures that would describe who I really am and what I’m really all about. In other words, I needed to find pictures that would describe me. Going through the photo library, the main themes I found on pictures where family oriented, educated, caring, and friendly. In the next exercise of my lifeline, I needed to develop a detailed lifeline that would highlight the major points in my life thus far. Starting from the moment I was born, the next important date of my life was starting school for the first time as developed a deep and solid friendship for the first time. The next few moments afterwards were winning 1^st in the storytelling contest while I was in the 6^th grade and moving to the US in June 2001 to start the 7^th grade. After this period the next biggest and most important moment for me at the time was graduating from high school and getting a summer internship in MassMutual. Unfortunately, because I was leaving for college at the end of the summer I had to turn down the opportunity I had gained of working for the organization full-time.

In September of 2007, I started at studying Aviation Business Administration in ERAU in Daytona Beach, FL. During the summer of the 2008, I started working part time for Sodexo – Starbucks and started my first relationship with Matthew, which ended in 2010. In December 2011, I earned my bachelors degree with a minor in Air Traffic Control. In May 2012, I enrolled in the MSLD program, which has been a very rewarding and learning experience thus far, and also became for the very first time a shift leader in the same store. As the company began to change certain things, I was unhappy at work, apartments got more expensive, and I was beginning to struggle keeping up with everything I was involved in at the time I left FL in December 2013. At the end of that year, I moved to MA and somehow a few months later I am now still unemployed but in Texas. Reflecting on the information from above, there isn’t much in terms of concepts or information in which to make a reflection on. So far, I haven’t specifically accomplished anything major in my life, as I am still young. I would say this though, I have accomplished to graduate from high school then from undergraduate, and soon in May of 2015 I will be graduating with a masters degree.

Reflecting on the next exercise of the rhythms of my career, again there isn’t much information, rhythm, interest, or experience that I have formally gained as I have only had two jobs so far. These two jobs have been very rewarding to me, as they have helped me gain the experience and have given me the opportunity to continue educating myself and find other possible paths that I can one day take. In the aspect of transitioning in life and at work, the major transitions I have really made so far was graduating from high school and then leaving for college, and the other transition was graduating from college, entering the MSLD program, and then moving back home to my parents because of financial reasons. With all honesty, the main emotional patterns emerging from these two transitions were nervousness, anxiety but happiness at the same time. I emerged more knowledgeable because of these experiences that in a way as part of life it has helped me grow up, be responsible, be an adult, and be the person I am today.

Reflecting on the exercise of social identities and roles, I have to say I don’t have much of a social life. I mean I’m not even on Facebook. The only few social roles that I have been involved in are the daughter, sister, oldest child, friend, student, and graduate student roles. Out of these roles, the most important ones are the ones I was born into which are family related, being a daughter and a sister. The one role I will love to explore more is the role of a professional. Meaning, I want to start my career and as soon as I do I will be able to further explore this role. In the last exercise of this assignment are the current strengths and gaps I have. Overall, the strengths that I have developed thus far are: responsibility, reliable, educated, caring, considerate, flexible, friendly, patient, respectful, and trustworthiness. Reflecting on the emotions, sensations, and feelings of my strengths, I am currently happy, proud, secured, satisfied, comfortable, confident, and even encouraged continuing the usage of my strengths. In part, what did surprised me is that these strengths are also my values, beliefs, and desirable personal characteristics. I, myself, see that I am reliable, respectful, educated and trustworthy. At work and as a leader others have seen my strengths as patient, trustworthy, considerate, reliable, responsible, and respectful. At home I am reliable, respectful, and responsible, while in a relationship I’m actually very caring, considerate, friendly, and patient.

Overall, reflecting on all of the information from above, I can’t make much of a self-assessment of who I really am because I haven’t had much situations, problems, or experiences that have impacted my life in major ways. I do, however, hope that as I continue on in the next few exercises of the book, I’ll be able to find out more clearly my real self.