Although I'm only twenty-four years old, I'm proud to say that I've already had a very wide range of life experiences that have made me feel proud, ashamed, happy, disappointed and even some that left me saying, "WTF just happened?". For now, though, I'd like to focus on some of the positive experiences and what values are prevalent during those experiences:
- Ambition
- Excellence
- Growth
- Mentorship
- Music
- Persistence
- Personal Development
Growth
Growth (interchangeable with Personal Development in my mind)is something I am constantly striving for. I was raised to always look for a learning experience in everthing I do, whether I've achieved greatness or suffered a huge setback. To me, looking for growth in every experience is the only way to constantly improve while also staying humble and hungry. It's easy to get on a roll and start forgetting where you came from. I know because I've done this. A lot. Life has a funny way of putting you back in your place when you get a little too cocky.
And while it isn't always a conscious thought process, I've found that looking for growth opportunities has allowed me to appreciate the wins and learn from the losses much easier, and also realize that there's always someone out there who is better at what you do or suffered a larger setback. Keep trying, learning and growing.
Power Ranking My Values
The list above is by no means exhaustive, but is an amalgamation of what I most often think about and what I strive for. I've ranked each of them on a scale of 1-5, 1 being I don't exhibit this value at all and 5 being that I exhibit it constantly:
- Ambition - 4
- Excellence - 3
- Growth - 4
- Mentorship - 3
- Music - 2
- Persistence - 4
- Personal Development - 5
Some quick thoughts: music is on this list because many of my past accomplishments have been through music. It is also the arena where I really learned how to find growth opportunities and appreciate the wins and losses. Nothing is quite as humbling as failing in front of a crowd, onstage, in a weird costume. You've got to roll with the punches.
I also have mentorship on this list because I've been afforded the opportunity to lead by example throughout my life and take pride in being able to pass my experiences on to those who value my opinion. There is nothing more powerful than learning from someone else's mistakes.
Advice
I was asked for advice just yesterday; my mom got an iPhone and was having trouble setting up her iMessage. I am going to help my grandmother fix her email today after work. I'm my family's personal Geek Squad.
Dealing With Failure
As I've waxed poetically above, I am prepared to struggle at DBC. In music, they tell us to "fail loudly" in rehearsal so we can identify and fix the problem quickly. My approach to DBC has been and will be the same. I am doing this because I want to have the ultimate growth experience and am thrilled that I will be surrounded by people with the same mindset.