Remembering What Drives You
March 12, 2010
What drives you? Why are you involved? Why did you pick the organizations you did?
Sometimes, people get so involved in something or multiple things that they find it difficult to answer these questions.
This week, during all of my ridiculous amount of paper writing and exam cramming, I learned that by answering this question, you not only find out a lot about yourself, you also find a lot out about your priorities. By asking this question, you may also find a renewed sense of excitement in the activities that have felt like burdens in these stressful times.
Why did you get involved? What’s YOUR story? Everyone has one. Everyone has a reason they applied to be an Ambassador, an RA, a board member for an org like GTP, or wanted to attend RHAA. Everyone has a reason they signed up for groups at OrgSmorg, attended weekly meetings, and volunteered for events.
Was it someone inspirational? A life event? Were you following your friends? Were you leading them?
It’s really hard to be a good leader when you forget why you wanted to lead in the first place. You have to be excited so that everyone else can be.
So in the time of midterms, when leadership seems like more of a check-list than a series of events, I encourage you to go back to your roots and take into consideration the words of Max Dupree:
“Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do.”
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It seems the busier I am,the more I focus on my checklists. I forget what (or who) each item is about and focus only on getting it done and crossing it off. As I look at this list, I feel less a sense of accomplishment and more a sense of “What did I miss?” Was I present at that meeting? With that student? This post reminds me to put away the list and focus on what matters–listening, learning, and participating fully.
Good insights Kaitlin, it’s always good to take a look at why you’re involved in the stuff you spend so much time doing. Even if just to see why you’re still doing it.
You might be interested in this post about campus actitivies, and why some professionals/students stay in the field. http://campusactivitiesnetwork.org/blogs/can/archive/2010/02/10/campus-activities-why-do-we-stay.aspx