personal growth

Here are three personal growth goals I set for myself at the beginning of my volunteering time.

Goal 1: Pay more attention to body language and adjust my actions and words accordingly— I can become distracted in conversation and not fully understand everything someone is to communicate to me.

This volunteer position was a great opportunity for me to practice this. I often had to approach people prior to ever speaking to them. I would observe them and see if I should approach them with a warm smile and energy or if a more subtle, softer approach was needed.

Example

As I was emptying a soiled linen bag, I overheard a man in chair next to me joking with his nurse. She asked him what he wanted for breakfast; he told her with a big, childlike smile, “Dessert!” Not only was he funny, he also asked his nurse to keep the curtain open. I read that as he doesn’t want to be isolated and like to socialize; I decided to engage him in conversation and I am glad I did so! I asked him what kind of dessert he was craving for.  “I would eat a big piece of pumpkin pie with TOO much whipped cream on top!” he said with a chuckle. He wanted that because he wasn’t able to eat Thanksgiving food. We then talked for 3 minutes about our favorite desserts. Not only did I enjoy the small talk with this man, it also made me appreciate the little things in life, including tasting all the wonderful flavors at my Thanksgiving meal.

Goal 2: Create a welcoming environment, despite the situation--I am an outgoing person, but in an uncomfortable situation I can shut down.

I love making people happy, and I want to work with the sick. Problem is I don’t have much experience with sick people. RED FLAG: uncomfortable situation.

Example

After the first two shifts, I began to feel more comfortable with my role in the lobby area. As a result I was able to work on my confidence and creating a warm environment. I made sure to keep a smile on my face and avoided the slumped, “don’t talk to me” posture as I walked around. As a man was leaving, he made 2 full 360s. Although I was slightly uncomfortable by his strange behavior, I decided to be the one to talk first. I asked him if he needed help finding a place. He smiled at me and told me that each time he goes somewhere new he takes a look at was is behind him so he knows what to look for next time he comes back to avoid getting lost. I smiled, giggled a little and said “okay.” He laughed and said it was a silly concept but it worked for him. I reassured him that I did not think it was silly but rather fairly bright. He walked out of view for a split second and came back and wished me a rather loud “Merry Christmas!” I know that other people saw and heard this interaction and I wish that his energy was able to brighten their day. I am hoping that due to my confidence and approachability that he was able to share his reasoning for making 360s.

Goal 3: Better verbal communication—I don’t always articulate my message across the way I would like to.

I was not able to work on this as much as I would have liked. I did a lot of listening and following directions. However I was able to achieve this one time when I articulated my concerns towards the program and ended up making some significant changes.

Upon reflection, I have noticed that my goals either have to deal with communication skills or confidence, both areas that I lack. Being a natural introvert and very soft spoken until second semester junior year of high school, it has been a challenge for me to catch up on these two things. However I think I made strides over this past semester to improving both of them. Yet there always is room for more growth!

Here are three personal growth goals I set for myself at the beginning of my volunteering time.

Goal 1: Pay more attention to body language and adjust my actions and words accordingly— I can become distracted in conversation and not fully understand everything someone is to communicate to me.

This volunteer position was a great opportunity for me to practice this. I often had to approach people prior to ever speaking to them. I would observe them and see if I should approach them with a warm smile and energy or if a more subtle, softer approach was needed.

Example

As I was emptying a soiled linen bag, I overheard a man in chair next to me joking with his nurse. She asked him what he wanted for breakfast; he told her with a big, childlike smile, “Dessert!” Not only was he funny, he also asked his nurse to keep the curtain open. I read that as he doesn’t want to be isolated and like to socialize; I decided to engage him in conversation and I am glad I did so! I asked him what kind of dessert he was craving for.  “I would eat a big piece of pumpkin pie with TOO much whipped cream on top!” he said with a chuckle. He wanted that because he wasn’t able to eat Thanksgiving food. We then talked for 3 minutes about our favorite desserts. Not only did I enjoy the small talk with this man, it also made me appreciate the little things in life, including tasting all the wonderful flavors at my Thanksgiving meal.

Goal 2: Create a welcoming environment, despite the situation--I am an outgoing person, but in an uncomfortable situation I can shut down.

I love making people happy, and I want to work with the sick. Problem is I don’t have much experience with sick people. RED FLAG: uncomfortable situation.

Example

After the first two shifts, I began to feel more comfortable with my role in the lobby area. As a result I was able to work on my confidence and creating a warm environment. I made sure to keep a smile on my face and avoided the slumped, “don’t talk to me” posture as I walked around. As a man was leaving, he made 2 full 360s. Although I was slightly uncomfortable by his strange behavior, I decided to be the one to talk first. I asked him if he needed help finding a place. He smiled at me and told me that each time he goes somewhere new he takes a look at was is behind him so he knows what to look for next time he comes back to avoid getting lost. I smiled, giggled a little and said “okay.” He laughed and said it was a silly concept but it worked for him. I reassured him that I did not think it was silly but rather fairly bright. He walked out of view for a split second and came back and wished me a rather loud “Merry Christmas!” I know that other people saw and heard this interaction and I wish that his energy was able to brighten their day. I am hoping that due to my confidence and approachability that he was able to share his reasoning for making 360s.

Goal 3: Better verbal communication—I don’t always articulate my message across the way I would like to.

I was not able to work on this as much as I would have liked. I did a lot of listening and following directions. However I was able to achieve this one time when I articulated my concerns towards the program and ended up making some significant changes.

Upon reflection, I have noticed that my goals either have to deal with communication skills or confidence, both areas that I lack. Being a natural introvert and very soft spoken until second semester junior year of high school, it has been a challenge for me to catch up on these two things. However I think I made strides over this past semester to improving both of them. Yet there always is room for more growth!