Changing the world?

This week has given me so many opportunities to look at myself in different ways. Just when I thought I understood the message life was trying to give me it turns around and gives me more to think about. I have been struggling this week at working with people who are different from me. In my position as a PA I am required to work with a lot of people; I must work with the director of the program, my faculty in residence, my fellow PAs, the residence assistant on my floor, the resident director of my building and all the residents in my community.  With a wide range of people to work with I am destine to run into a style that is much different than my own, and I have.

Throughout the week I was struggling with some work that I had to get done, and at first I couldn’t pin point what was getting me so frustrated and all worked up. This is when I decided to confront my feelings of confusion and frustration and take it to someone I could look up to and who understood where I might be coming from. We will call them Tiffany. Tiffany was life’s first attempted to give me answers to my confusion. Tiffany explained to me how the person I was struggling to work with might see things differently. I gave her examples of things they did that were bothering me and she was able to point those things directly to how this person was most likely thinking. I took this information with me and thought about it a lot. I thought I had it all figured out and would be able to be more understanding and work through the differences in our working styles.

Then over our community camping trip the Outdoor Program leaders set up an activity for us all to participate in. First we had to take a personality type test, where we answered question about how we work with others and communicate. In the end you would fall into one if four categories; People, Ideas, Processes, or Product. We then grouped up with the people that fell into the same category as us. We talked about how we like to work and what others could do for us so we can work better together. Then we made a poster and a presentation to give back to the group. This was a very interesting activity that set deep with me. Once I was able to see how other people work similar and different from me my eyes were opened. Life had brought an activity meant for my community but struck me. This was a reassurance to what Tiffany and I had come up with as a possible reason for my struggles. Here I was just given a better understanding of my struggles with more facts to back up my beliefs. Now I understood their styles but the next step was figuring out how I could work with that.

 When I attended class this afternoon life stopped by to say that I wasn’t finished learning what I needed to know just yet. The teacher put up four different animal types around the room with certain characteristics attached to each and asked us to each stand by the one that we thought was more like us. This kind of activity had us looking at us personally, and sure enough I grouped myself with the animals that had the same characteristics that I had found in my group at camp. Once I began talking to my group I was able to see my working style again though this time there was different things involved then just how we communicate. Each group was given a chance to present their information to the other groups. This allowed me to see similar groups to those at camp but explained by a different group of people.

As I sat there in class listening to everyone compare I thought about how many times this issue was brought up throughout my week. Every time I thought I got it figured out life jumped in and said “No, here’s some more to think about.” I will now be keeping my eyes and ears open and alert to what else life thinks I need to know. Even though I am struggling today and all I want is the answer I am willing to be patient and let life give me the lessons I need when it thinks I need it the most. Before I can change the world I will wait patiently for life to change me.

 

>Brittney<