A Reflection on My Learning

Coming from a modest background in the countryside, I have been fortunate to have traveled to various parts of the world observing many rich cultures and traditions of humanity.  These travels were not only a mean to satisfy my inner urge to learn more about people across the world but also a sincere effort to observe how they find solutions to their daily life problems.

I believe in strong traditional values of family and culture, and being hands-on in my approach toward different facets of life, including the problems faced by people around the globe.  Gaining an understanding of other people’s lives, in my opinion, is a way for me to find solutions for them when they feel that they cannot do so for themselves.

Belonging to the countryside never stopped me from dreaming and knowing more about people.  Traveling has introduced to me an outlet where I can freely share my knowledge and experience with people whom I meet.  It has also helped me in understanding my own self much better.  According to Scott (2005), self-awareness is at the center of learning and development.
In order to boost his career potential, each individual must understand himself, being aware of the kind of work he enjoys, and recognizing his strengths, weaknesses and skills, as well the effect that he has on others.  Self-awareness allows people to easily manage their own behavior apart from their colleagues or peers, while fulfilling the goals of the institution that they represent.  As a matter of fact, self-awareness lies at the very core of successful leadership.
Who Are You?
My family comprises of seven different nationalities, so it does not come to me as a surprise when I learn that people from different cultures may tackle the same problems dissimilarly.  Living in a multicultural environment since childhood has developed me as an empathetic and tolerant individual, who is always on the verge of trying something new.  I do not subscribe to the policy of Me Vs. Them.  As a matter of fact, I firmly believe in understanding other people’s perspectives and respecting the desires and fears that motivate their decision making.
For this reason, I am confident that I could play leadership roles in institutions that must learn to manage diversity so as to enjoy the full advantages of the richness of human cultures and belief systems.  Diversity management has become a prominent issue in business practices and management theories around the world; and I consider myself in a privileged position as far as understanding this need of the contemporary organization is concerned (Whitfield & Landeros, 2006).
Being different is not different to me.  Being a member of a multiracial and multicultural family, I am good at absorbing differences and devising my own ways to solve problems.  Hence, I believe that I could be highly useful for a variety of organizations in future.  Moreover, my interest in self-awareness has helped me to be conscious of my responses to different situations.
Self-awareness also leads to self-acceptance, which, in my opinion, is an essential quality for a manager or leader to adopt (Hardingham, 2004, pp.48).
Where Are You Now?
I happen to be at a stage of life where most things are going according to plan.  My life is stable both personally and financially.  I spend most of my time with my boyfriend who shares many of my interests, such as fishing, hunting and camping.
 The stability and support that I am experiencing at present has provided me with an opportunity to plan ahead for better things in life by simply moving forward and doing the things that I enjoy.  Being at a stage where I can take decisions regarding my life without fearing that something might go wrong has helped me in making correct decisions.  Secondly, I feel less pressured about managing mistakes at present, and this has helped me to increase my focus on the tasks at hand.
What Do You Want To Do?
Gandhi had stated, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”  Inspired by these words, I would like to make a difference to the world not by sitting on the fence but actually working and bringing about the desired changes in myself.  There are a variety of problems faced by our human community, such as hunger, disease, violence, the negative effects of global warming, etc.; and I would like to help the world to a degree where I can see the desired changes in people and the world around me while I am still living in it.
As mentioned previously, I am willing to be the change that I want to see in others.  For this, I would like to lead by example rather than being a desktop pundit.  Furthermore, I would not want to teach people to simply adapt to the circumstances that make them suffer.  Rather, it is essential for me to lead people to solve their problems, regardless of whether the problems are related to the management of diversity to reduce violence in the world, or global warming.  In short, I would like to help people, depending on their needs at any given time.