So this post is all about getting to know a little bit more about me and how I perceive myself. We will start with a little exploration into what words I identify with when considering my proudest moments.
- Honesty
- Competence
- Self-knowledge
- Freedom
- Self-reliance
I chose the words above without much thought initially. I picked from the list based on the ones that I responded to the most. In general, I'd say on a scale of 1-5, I try to live up to these values at around a 4. I'll go a little more in depth on each one:
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- Honesty - I don't think I could ever be proud of an achievement if I got there by lying or cheating. I don't think I'd do well in politics.
- Competence - Doing something and doing it well is something I've always prided myself on. I take it to an extreme at times limiting myself to tasks that I already know I am competent at. This doesn't take away from the fact that I feel most proud at moments when I have accomplished a task at an above-satisfactory level.
- Self-knowledge - Being aware of my limitations and applying myself where I can succeed best is tied to the note on competence above. I don't think I would feel the same sense of achievement if I was not aware of how I improved myself or fully recognizing my reaction to success (both positive and negative).
- Freedom - The times I feel most successful and proud are those when I know I have completed my responsibilities and have time to do whatever it is I want to do. It is one of my greatest motivating factors too.
- Self-reliance - This I consider a strength and fault of mine. I really like being able to accomplish a task without needing intervention from others but at the same time I can spend a lot of time jumping through my own self-created hoops when a simple question posed to the right person would have gotten me to my goal a lot quicker. It is a great feeling though when I find myself at my goal and know it was all me.
I think the values I identified with will help in combatting any stereotype threat that might come up. Most of my values identify with myself independently and while I might find myself identifying with certain groups, my values will lead the focus back to me and what I can do.