Campus Calm Community
Where students speak out about grades, stress and personal well-being

Want to learn about a free, ten-minute exercise that will help you discover your unique, authentic self? Read on ...

Up until three months ago, I had no idea who I was without my achievements. My career goals, they were my LIFE goals. They were all I thought about - 24/7. Showing the world. Making others proud of me. My portfolio. My resume. My perfect GPA - that was how I measured my self-worth.

Can any of you relate? If you’re not getting good grades, working or volunteering, winning awards or planning for your future, do you know whom you are?

After 27 years, I decided to find out. I sat down with pen and paper and proceeded to list exactly who I was without my achievements. Some ideas came easily and others did not. If you struggle to come up with a few, don’t worry. Ask a trusted friend or family member to help you out. Return the favor by telling them why they’re so great, with or without their accomplishments.

Here's what I came up with:

I am ...

• a person who has a big heart.
• a person who finds satisfaction in helping others to feel good about themselves.
• a person who loves her family and desires to spend time with them.
• a woman who is lucky enough to have a fantastic, supportive and loving husband who is truly my best friend (We've dated since high school).
• a person who seeks meaning in the world.
• a kid at heart who needs to remember my roots (I just bought a bicycle and rediscovered the exhilaration of pedaling the evening and my cares away).
• a physical being who loves to dance, bike, rollerblade, jump rope and hike in the woods.
• a person who loves nature - minus the bugs!
• a person who feels a sense of calm every time I sit by the water.
• a person who will laugh at just about any joke and make just about anyone feel funny.
• a principled writer who believes in the power to make money while doing something positive for society.
• a woman who is flawed, has doubts but continues to love herself anyway.

All these things make up who I am authentically. They will never change no matter what mistakes I make, what "failures" I endure, or what success I achieve.

Now that you've skimmed through mine, give it a try! Leave me a comment at the bottom of this post and tell me what you came up with.

"The tragedy is that so many people look for self-confidence and self-respect everywhere except within themselves, and so they fail in their search."
Dr. Nathaniel Branden