[I used to write content primarily aimed at students or those who worked with college students. While I don't write that kind of content anymore, there are a few gems still left here on my blog page that still ring true today. - (6/12/22)]
I've advised a lot of students over the years on various areas of personal and professional development. The students I've worked with are often in various stages of development, either just starting out in building their professional profile or far beyond many of their peers. In either case, the students who always stand out to me are the Self-Directed students. These are the hustlers, the resilient, the ones who figured out that there's more than one way to solve a problem or to get ahead. They search out solutions, they ask questions, and they keep at it. If I had to pick some of the key habits I noted about many of these students I advised over the years it would be the following: 1) They're Proactive While this may be a given, it's not just about the student who can read a couple chapters ahead or respond first to requests. It's also the student who learns to anticipate what any given situation will require. They do their research and come up with ways to stay ahead of the game and show initiative. The most valued member on a team isn't just the person who can do a task really well, but the one who can put themselves in the shoes of the boss or team leader and act accordingly. 2) They Show Up. They Follow Through What good is it to be the smartest person in the room, if you're completely unreliable? Many of the most successful students I witnessed, succeeded in part by being able to be the kind of individual folks could count on. People are always happy to pass you along to their personal networks if they know you won't embarrass them by flaking out. Likewise, you miss out on opportunities you never knew existed if you're constantly perceived as being a potential liability. Instead, cultivate a reputation for showing up and following through. 3) They Ask for Help Suffering alone, helps no one. Admitting that you need help, shows maturity but conveys a sense of self-awareness. Knowing your own limitations and where assistance may be needed helps you grow as a person, while staying stuck can limit your potential and possibilities for growth. 4) They Learn from Disappointment In a previous article , I discussed the lessons I learned from disappointment. There's ALWAYS something to be learned, The trick is learning to find the lesson in any situation. Disappointment often means that you at least took a chance. And the first draft of any effort is extremely necessary in getting to the next stage. Your disappointment is chock full of feedback. Additionally, don't forget to keep your apparent "loss" in perspective. While the feelings of hurt and frustration might feel incredibly crushing, you were fortunate enough to receive an opportunity to make the attempt; to give your best effort. Win or lose hopefully where you are now in your journey, is better than where you were before. 5) They Do Things That Scare Them We've all heard the saying, "Feel the fear and do it anyway". Most things that are new to us or untried, scare us. Putting yourself out there...scary. Not being able to predict the outcome of a situation...scary. Persisting in an area where you've previously failed...SCARY. Doing things outside our comfort zone will often induce feelings of fear and yes, do it anyway. There is no guarantee for success, ever. Anything can happen at anytime that could derail your efforts. Your resistance will be working overtime to divert your efforts and return you to feelings of safety, security, and comfort. But you have to be willing to get uncomfortable. Self-Directed students do the things that scare them because they allow their goals to be bigger than their fears. Stepping up. Being a Leader. Standing for something. ALL SCARY STUFF, but this is where the growth happens. Over time, this becomes who you are. Are you a Self-Directed student? Leave your comments below and tell let us why. You can also head over to our Facebook page. Know someone who could use this advice? Forward it on to them. Do you want to know how you or your team could be Directing Your Purpose, contact me. Don't forget to sign-up for my mailing list. You can also follow me on Facebook Twitter and Instagram. Resistance is often at the center of our procrastination. Sometimes we notice it, most times we don't. It becomes so automatic. We don't think abut it and in many ways we simply aren't aware of the extent of it. Does this sound familiar? You sit down to tackle a big assignment and suddenly your mind is compelled to find a distraction. You need a snack, you need to email that professor you've been dodging me for weeks, you need to scan the web for summer internships, (cuz that's legit, right?)...and on and on. Eventually the work still needs to get done. Even in the best of circumstances the experience can eat away at your self confidence. We wonder "Why can't I just get things done?". The uncertainty or anxiety we often have about a tackling a project or assignment leads us to avoidance. We resist fully engaging in the source of our distress. We want to protect our egos and our feelings. Try this next time you sit down to tackle that big assignment: Find a time to commit to working for two 30min blocks. Once you get started, take note of how your mind is compelled to find a distraction. Make it a point to power through the distraction for at least 30min. The trick is to become aware of when and how you resist. You also want to be aware of the messages you may be telling yourself on a subconscious level. Things like: "This is too hard." "I'm not sure if I'm doing this right." "This would be so much easier if I was smarter." "There's so much work here, I'll never get done, why did I wait so long." Whatever feelings come up, keep working. This may be hard at first, maybe even a little painful (trust me, I know), but stay the course. At the end of the 30min. Allow yourself a few minutes to take a break, then commit to another 30min. Eventually the resistance gives way. Instead of facing an uphill battle, you'll feel less resistance, sometimes even curiosity. And once the momentum kicks in you may find it difficult to step away from the work. This doesn't mean that there won't be times when you will not be able to "power through"; additional support may be needed. If you find, that after a few hours of focused work, your progress is minimal, get the help you need. Speak to the instructor, a classmate, or go for tutoring. But you must begin the process in to find out. Once you realize that resistance is part of the process, make friends with it. Expect it to show up when you've got something big and important to do, invite it in offer it a cool drink. It doesn't have to push you towards avoidance. Instead, see it for what it is, and move forward. Use it as a signal that you're on your way to awesomeness. If it were easy, you wouldn't experience the resistance, which means you're probably not learning or growing much. For further support, incorporate tools that will keep you engaged in the project long enough to make it past the point of resistance. One of my favorite tools for removing resistance is FocusMate, an online tool that helps you focus by allowing you to set up virtual focus sessions with other participants. Whatever you decide to use, the more awareness you have around the ways you resist, the better you'll be able to develop your own counter-strategy. So what works for you? Leave your comments below and let us know how. You can also head over to our Facebook page. Know someone who could use this advice? Forward it on to them. Do you want to know how you or your team could be Directing Your Purpose, contact me. Don't forget to sign-up for my mailing list. You can also follow me on Facebook Twitter and Instagram. [I used to write content primarily aimed at students. While I don't write that kind of content anymore, there are a few gems still left here on my blog page that still ring true today. - (6/12/22)] You worked that summer job, you took that internship, you traveled to that country...now what? In the beginning there's a mad dash not to be the only one of your friends not making some kind of significant advancement in your own development over the summer. The purpose and meaning behind your initial intentions can become somewhat convoluted, unclear, or altogether forgotten. This is normal. While you were out slaying the intern dragon, mastering your field research demons, or getting familiar with the unfamiliar outside your comfort zone in another country, keeping the original context in mind may have seemed a little tricky. So now what? Why is any of this even important? It's over, maybe you had the best experience of your life. Maybe last summer is an experience best left in the past and forgotten. In either case, how you choose to extract your learning from the situation can benefit to your personal and professional development. Your experience might have deepened your interest in a particular field or introduced you to a new passion altogether. You may have confirmed what you do NOT want to pursue for a career or changed your mind about something you were sure you disliked. Your experience might have also showed you a skill you never knew you possessed or challenged you in a way never thought you could overcome. All of this is valuable knowledge. We often forget that experience, like feedback, is useful knowledge in our growth. Learning how to reflect on, and talk about your experiences is an incredibly useful skill, especially in a job interview or grad school application. Many potential employers will want to know what you've done and how you've learned from past experiences. So what are some ways you can make the most of your previous summer experience? 1) Find a way to talk about your experience with others. This can happen through small group discussions with like-minded or "like-interested" folks or on online forums where you can delve into content specific topics. Talking about your experience can also mean presenting to a small group. 2) Complete the Things I've Learned Exercise Doing any kind of reflection writing about your experience is extremely useful. You can also be more focused in your approach. Try this: Write out at least 10- 15 things you learned from your experience. Along with each item write out what you will do as a result of learning that particular piece of information. Examples:
Learned Thing: I learned that hard science really interests me. Action: I'll take a few science courses this Fall or talk to a professor in the Science dept. Learned Thing: I learned that I get really home sick easily. Action: I may want to choose a grad program that closer to home or will allow me the ability to travel home more frequently. Learned thing: I really hated being stuck in a lab all day. Action: I'm going to explore ways I can stay connected to my passion without having to be stuck indoors for long periods of time. 3) Give yourself credit. It's important that you acknowledge your efforts this summer. You did it. You made an investment in you. And even though there may have been some things you would have liked to change or improve you know more now that you did last summer and you can use that information to plan your next move. So, what did you do this summer? What's the next step? What did you learn and what will you do with that knowledge? Leave your comments below and let us know how you did it. You can also head over to our Facebook page. Know someone who could use this advice? Forward it on to them. Do you want to know how you or your team could be Directing Your Purpose, contact me. Don't forget to sign-up for my mailing list. You can also follow me on Facebook Twitter and Instagram. Just bought my airline ticket to go back to Ghana. This will be my fourth time in Ghana. I'll be co-leading a planning team that will scout out new locations, partnerships, and activities for our 2018 Leaders of the Free World program, while reviewing logistics and strengthening relationships with existing partners. I'm excited, as I always am, to be going back. Leading up to this trip our team continues to plan like mad for the upcoming year, while organizing details for the trip itself. It's safe to say, we're pretty much in hustle mode. This is the work. Developing this project has taught me a lot about my leadership capacity. Growth is inevitable in this process. Nothing about this is easy, but I'm lit by the fire that this IS possible, and so I persist. The most salient lessons I've learning in directing this leadership journey are this: - Pushing forward will constantly challenge you and call you to your higher self. I can't tell you how many superpowers I've discovered or how I might have discovered them otherwise. - It only gets easier as I continue to push and interact with the work. No matter how hard it might be to develop content, work on the budget, or fundraise, it's increasingly harder when I'm not actively working on or paying attention to, even the smallest part of it. - Figure out the parts I can now and move things forward. All of it's going to change anyway. If I can move away from this idea that I'm setting everything in stone, I become much more effective. I've learned that even when I thought things were permanent they changed anyway...and the world did not fall apart. - Perhaps the most important leadership journey lesson, is that, no one is going to do the work for me. Even with all of the wonderful support we get, at the end of the day, I still have to be the one directing the ship. What are you Directing your Leadership Journey towards? What have you learned along the way? Know someone who could use this advice? Forward it on to them. Do you want to know how you or your team could be Directing Your Purpose, contact me. Don't forget to sign-up for my mailing list. You can also follow me on Facebook Twitter and Instagram. By: Ruby Maddox These days many colleges and universities struggle with developing students into self-directed leaders that are equipped to deal with uncertainty in their environment while being adept at problem solving, creativity, and successfully navigating professional relationships. In Jeffrey J. Selingo’s book, “There is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow”, he points out that many recent college graduates have trouble making independent decisions and too often “wait to be told what to do” out of fear of making a mistake. (2016) The answer may lie in creating less heavily structured programs and cultivating more opportunities for students to engage in self-directed learning and leadership. This requires viewing incoming students, not as blank slates, but with latent or undeveloped skills and potential that require experience to sharpen. My own circumstances dictated the need for me to figure out many things on my own. As someone who was naturally a planner, I constantly collected examples of what I thought I might like to do with my life. This included of aspirational job postings, newspaper clippings, and magazine articles. However, I still had no idea how I was supposed to get there. Thankfully, the institutions I attended created an environment for my success; allowing me to balance my agency as a student with the support, I desperately needed to figure it all out. Here are just a few things colleges and universities can do to develop self-directed leaders. Cultivate Spaces for Autonomy When I attended undergrad at Holyoke Community College(HCC) there was a sense that I was in control of my own journey. I tried out a major in business, then in hospitality. I even considered a degree and law. I changed my major at least 3 times. Each time I changed or wanted to explore something outside my major, I was so able to do so with ease. The process was easy to understand and not heavily bureaucratic or cumbersome. This made me feel like the architect of my educational experience. Provide Adequate Resources / Make them Accessible (It’s not as expensive as you think)
There weren’t a ton of resources at HCC. But what they lacked in resources they made up for it in the opportunities they provided. I received the opportunity to participate in community service-learning opportunities, design course projects, and connect to alumni. The school provided space for me to hold events as well as a platform for me to promote my ideas. For schools that have the resources, funding student-initiated experiences can be an excellent way to provide students with the financial means needed, to pursue quality projects and experiences. See Smith College’s Praxis program, Mount Holyoke College’s Lynk program, and Clark University’s LEEP Projects program. “Higher education must teach students how to make thoughtful decisions about the trajectory of their lives and empower them with the resources to do just that.” Says Angel B. Perez in recent Washington Post Article on helping students find their passions. Cultivate Learning Communities Among Majors One of the most rewarding experiences I received in undergrad was the opportunity to cultivate relationships with other students within my major. This was the nature of the theater department. We were a learning community that took part in producing several productions together, with various roles and responsibilities. This often meant we spent large amounts of time together; sharing information both related and unrelated to theater arts. I could derive my learning from the faculty who taught in the department as well as my classmates; who also shared information about opportunities out of campus. Create Opportunities to Sharpen Professional Communication Skills The first time a student interacts with professionals in their field, should not be at the time of internship and job applications. At Bay Path University, we were constantly given assignments that involved contacting practitioners in our industry. I was having coffee with executive directors and interviewing employees of nonprofits I admired. Without the high-pressure scenario of the job or internship application process, I learned to how to effectively (and politely) request, arrange, and follow-up with professional contacts. Validate Past Experiences / Make Sense of New Ones UMass/Amherst offered courses that allowed to students to frame their learning, articulate their experiences, and demonstrate their skills and knowledge for course credit. It was during this time that I began to notice themes emerging from those experiences and the courses I was taking, which allowed me to gain further clarity on my aspirations. [I used to write content primarily aimed at students. While I don't write that kind of content anymore, there are a few gems still left here on my blog page that still ring true today. - (6/12/22)] --------------- Ruby Maddox is the Chief Purpose Director, at Direct Your Purpose. She is a college career consultant, speaker, and workshop facilitator with more than 12 years in the field of higher education and experiential learning. Ruby works with secondary and post-secondary institutions who want to motivate their students to be proactive, purpose-driven, and resilient leaders and take the first steps in their leadership journey. [I used to write content primarily aimed at students. While I don't write that kind of content anymore, there are a few gems still left here on my blog page that still ring true today. - (6/12/22)]
I get this question a lot. "Where do I start? If I have no experience in ________ field how will I ever find a job or career in that industry?" Whether you're a first-year student, senior, changing majors, or finished school altogether, these 5 steps will help you get started. 1) Informational Interviews An informational interview is a one-on-one, Q&A session between you, the interviewer, and someone who currently works in your desired industry. These are gems. They're relatively easy set up and allow you to get access to industry insights, while networking with people already in the field. Informational Interviews can take place in person or by phone and usually last less than an hour. Be sure to have your questions ready before the interview and to focus on gathering information and not asking for a job or internship. 2) Volunteer, Volunteer, Volunteer Find an organization doing similar or related work, in need of your skills. Volunteer the skills or labor you possess in exchange for the skills and knowledge you would like to learn. 3) Do Your Research!! Whatever field you're trying to get in to, throw yourself into learning everything you can about that industry. Follow relevant blogs, companies, and leaders in that field. Subscribe to their platforms, read their books, go to their conferences and events. Learn about trends in the industry and get a sense of where your interests lie within that field. 4) Network If awkwardly milling around in a room full of strangers, hoping to make a connection, makes you sweat. Congratulations, you're not alone. For many people connecting to others through formal networking events is a bit of a challenge. While these are still necessary at times, try working on building relationships. Focus less building transactional relationships and more on building authentic connections. This can be engaging in group activities with folks with similar interests; meeting for lunch or coffee with a co-worker or classmate; volunteering, or offering your skills or expertise to help someone else on their goals. 5) Use LinkedIn I still have a hard time convincing some students why they need to be on LinkedIn. For the previous steps that I've mentioned LinkedIn is HUGE! LinkedIn is a platform that allows you to connect to other practitioners in the field, find volunteer opportunities, learn more about your chosen industry, and build connections with other like-minded individuals. They have tons of resources available on how to get started. Have you had to break into an industry with no experience? Leave your comments below and let us know how you did it. You can also head over to our Facebook page. Know someone who could use this advice? Forward it on to them. Do you want to know how you or your team could be Directing Your Purpose, contact me. Don't forget to sign-up for my mailing list. You can also follow me on Facebook Twitter and Instagram. Spring is the beginning and the end of lots of things. In Higher Ed it's the end of the spring semester and the beginning of jobs, internships, and fellowships. For many students this time can represent a lot of success but also a lot of disappointment. This is the time were many students will hear back from competitive opportunities that did not yield in their favor. This can be very difficult to deal with, especially when it comes at the end of a very challenging application process. The process can leave you feel depressed and rejected. And while it may be difficult to accept in the moment, there is life on the other side of this. Below are some of the most important lessons I've learned from disappointment 1. It Wasn't the End My sister said to me recently, "In times of despair, what's real to anyone is what they're feeling in that moment". Probably the hardest thing for anyone to access when dealing with disappointment, is a realization that, the disappointment is not the end of things, other pathways are possible. 2. Something Better May be Waiting I can remember feeling devastated when my first attempts at seeking funding to go abroad failed. I also remember applying to job after job and getting tons of rejections letters. I felt like such a loser. But for many of the opportunities that missed me, I later found something, that was an even better fit. 3. I Learned More About Myself Through many of my disappointments, I gained a greater understanding for areas where I could improve. I also learned more about supporting my own self-care in the process. I learned how to grow from the experience. 4. Persistence is the Price This may seem self explanatory but it can be the most difficult, especially when you feel you've given your all. It is your tenacity that is being tested. Hard won victories are often the most cherished. Your disappointment today will serve as a badge of honor tomorrow and a testament to others of what's possible when you persist. Do you know someone dealing with disappointment right now? Forward this post to them. You can also head over to our Facebook page and let us know how you've learned from disappointment. Know someone who could use this advice? Forward it on to them. Do you want to know how you or your team could be Directing Your Purpose, contact me. Don't forget to sign-up for my mailing list. You can also follow me on Facebook Twitter and Instagram. As a college adviser, I often counsel students on translating their interests into experiential learning opportunities. The most common challenge I see, are students who have some idea of the kind of industries they would like to explore, but no clear understanding on how they're supposed to get there. While much of a student's coursework provides them with the necessary information on the subject matter they're studying, students struggle with connecting their learning to concrete experiences outside the classroom. This is especially true when their interests are at the intersection of multiple majors. I teach my students to be actively engaged in curating their own learning experiences. This includes everything from utilizing online resources to get clear about their goals; to connecting to others with similar interests, asking questions, finding mentors, and finding opportunities for experience. I instruct them to visualize what they want to learn and where they want to be, then taking small steps toward that goal. I want them to know what it's like to create a plan for success and to understand what it means to persist even when that plan goes awry. I want my students to understand what it means to keep moving forward towards their goals and dreams even when the challenge feels overwhelming and how to ask for the support they need to keep going. This is the best service we can offer our students; the ability to be resilient problem-solvers and self-directed leaders who can thrive in a variety of circumstances This is what it means to Direct Your Purpose. Directing your purpose is about directing your mission while directing your path. It's about putting passions and values into action, persisting by faith, and recovering from setbacks and changes along the way. I want my students to believe in their own abilities, to know that their success is possible, and understand that they can take action even when they can't see the entire path. It is my hope that we as educators are producing the next generation of thinkers AND doers who will understand what it takes to move ideas from inspiration to implementation. How are you Directing Your Purpose? Head over to over our Facebook page and let us know. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram. I had a different view of myself growing up. The messages I received from the world around me, taught me that my options were limited. So I never focused on doing much more than what was expected of me. I was often frustrated by my circumstances. I knew I wanted more but wasn't sure how to go about it. I went to college because it seemed the only way to move forward, plus, my best friend was going to college and I didn't want to be left behind. I enjoyed theater in high school and liked the idea of owning my own showcase venue one day. For me, theater represented a community of people coming together for a coordinated vision. While in college I participated in the community service-learning program and started an after-school theater program at a local community center. Afterwards I continued to explore different opportunities that interested me and the things that would teach me the skills I needed, to do the things I wanted. The more I got involved, the more opportunities I saw to take the lead. Perhaps the biggest revelation I received during that time was this: I could make things happen. I had the power to communicate my vision, to bring an idea from concept to implementation, and to inspire others to believe a well. I could direct my path. I didn't have to accept limitations on my life on who I thought I was or who I what others thought I could be. I sought out opportunities where I could direct my path towards the things that mattered to me. These roads led me to find teachers, mentors, and kindred spirits also on their leadership journey. My discoveries came as a result of my willingness to grow my desire to exceed my own expectations. The Direct Your Purpose movement is about acknowledging your power to be the catalyst in your own leadership story. I invite you to begin the journey. Sign-up for our mailing lists and receive my FREE Self-Designed Curriculum and start directing your leadership journey today. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. |