To Create Your Path, we want to help you identify your passionate interests (what energizes you), as well as your strengths (those things you are good at). We do a lot of zooming out and zooming in, looking through different lenses to focus on your life. First, we see the pieces, then the whole. The mouse-eye view, then the eagle-eye view. The trees, then the forest.
A key activity is to “deconstruct you.” Identify twenty different parts of you. They could be passionate interests, strengths or skill areas, or even values you hold dear. They can be academic, professional, or personal in nature. Maybe you’re relying on some research you’ve seen where they’ve identified skills in your field that you have. Maybe you’ve gone back to some of the tools or resources you’ve used. Perhaps you have done an assessment or survey that tells you a bit about yourself. Lay out twenty different parts that fit in there. Use the ten you already have as a basis for your list, and put them all in your journal or portfolio.
Now that you have twenty skills and interests, use the tools available to you to get even more specific. The real opportunity here is to get as specific as possible. Many times, these strengths or skill areas are just broad categories, not concrete at all. Make a mind map, where you take one of the more general or more important skill areas, and break it down to get more specific about what exactly you are good at. List skills within that area, and break it down further. Use mindmapping apps or write down your mind map in a journal. Notice where your strengths and weaknesses are. This will be important as you build a portfolio of your specific strengths and passionate interests to create your path.
This article is taken from the online video-based program Create Your Path. Sign up for a free sample workshop from the program here, see details on the full program at InnovateYourself.com, and see other programs, speeches, and more at DarinEich.com