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Self Branding Assignment

After speaking with some of my family members and friends, I confirmed and learned a few aspects about myself. Some parts were a bit hard to hear because the truth can be harsh; however, I appreciate their honesty, and I know their criticism comes from a place of love and respect. 

My strengths:

I am a risk-taker. I can agree with this. In general, I am not afraid to go for an opportunity if I like what it offers. Of course, I do a little research and some critical thinking beforehand, but I like to just go for it. Like Nike says, “Just do it!” I do not spend too much time thinking and analyzing, which could be my downfall one day, but it is one of my adventurous qualities. A recent example would be buying a home. My boyfriend and I are going to purchase a condominium. I personally liked the place, but he is more of an extreme critical thinker and wants to do more research and ask more questions. I wanted to sign for it, and I pushed him to sign as well, but he wants to take his time. I think positively about opportunities, and if I like it, then I like it. I am willing to take risks. 

I am detail-oriented. Anyone who knows me to some level would agree with this. If I have a task, I always put my heart and soul into it because I believe my work is a reflection of myself, and I do not want to give others the wrong impression. Sometimes I will even do more work than is required because I want to push myself to be better. For example, let’s say I have a homework assignment for a foreign language class. I will go the extra mile and write more or practice more just to improve myself. My teachers appreciate this about me. I was even nominated for the Tyler Award in my department because of my hard work in Chinese class. I double, triple, and quadruple check my work to make sure it is acceptable. I may even be a bit OCD about it, but I like to be precise and leave no mistakes. 

I am motivated. In actuality, I usually see myself as someone with low self-confidence, but others see determination in me. They always believe I have a bright future ahead of me, even when I doubt myself. In their perspective, I have the drive to reach my aspirations. As I thought about it, I saw where they were coming from. Even when I do not believe in myself, I will still work hard because it is in my nature. In times when I want to give up, I can hardly bring myself to fall through with it because there is an inner force that will take the wheel when I want to sit in the backseat. I do not know what it is exactly, but I suppose I should not question it. I am glad that there is this juggernaut within me, always keeping the fire in my heart alive. This, I believe, is my strongest quality. I am very happy that others see this in me, even when I do not.

My weaknesses:

I am impatient. I cannot argue with this because I know that I hate waiting. When something has to be done, I have to complete the task immediately. I am working on being more patient, but it is a process. This attribute ties in with my risk-taking quality. Many times when I take a risk, it is because I am impatient. When I want something, I have to have it right now. They say that patience is a virtue, which it is, but I unfortunately have not achieved this yet. In the example previously mentioned, I wanted to sign for the home immediately because I could not wait. My family and friends say that I just need to slow down sometimes and think things through. They are right; I need to take a step back and analyze everything before taking action. Being patient is important in both personal and professional life, and that is why it is crucial that I continue to work on this. 

I am temperamental. I definitely cannot deny this. I tend to get angry very quickly, especially when something does not go my way or someone says something that I do not like. It is one of my greatest faults, and I am not proud of it. I have learned to maintain it better, but I can still lose it at any moment. Many times, my temper is related to my impatience. If something is not done in my preferred time frame, I am not a pleasant person to be around. An example would be when I am stressed out from school with so many deadlines and not enough time; I will become extremely mad and lash out on others. Lowering my temper is also a process that I am working on, and I hope that one day I can remain level-headed in stressful situations. 

I am stubborn. This is actually the one attribute that everyone mentioned, which means it must be my greatest weakness. Again, not proud of it. I am a strong-headed person who always has to be right. If someone thinks I am wrong, I will fight until the end to prove my point, even when I really am wrong. I wish that I could learn to back down and be humble. It is not fair to be this way around other people, especially the ones I love. I have had multiple fights with my family members because I am stubborn and will not back down. Since this is my biggest fault, it could lead to my greatest downfall. I suppose the best remedy for this fault is to control my temper and reanalyze the situation. I need to learn to apologize and admit that I am wrong when it is necessary.

My feature-benefit:

Despite my impatience, temper, and stubbornness, the one feature that stands out the most is my arsenal of talents. My major is East Asian Languages and Cultures, and I have minors in business, Spanish, and architecture. I have a wide variety of interests, which shows in my educational pursuits. I did not want to limit myself to only one or two fields of study, and that is why I chose to pursue four different fields. Not only are my studies diverse, but I speak multiple languages. I can speak two dialects of Chinese (Mandarin and Taishanese), Spanish, English, and a little bit of American Sign Language. I enjoy meeting people from around the world, and if I can speak to them in their native language, then I feel as though I have accomplished something great. Aside from languages, I am creative as well. Since I was a child, art has always been a part of my life. I can draw, paint, sculpt, and create digital art. I have won several awards and had my work shown in galleries before. It is not something I brag about often, but I am proud of my artistic achievements. I love that I have a variety of talents to show because I do not feel limited. The world is my oyster, and I believe that with my motivation, attention to detail, and willingness to take risks, I can achieve my goals in life. This is me, and this is what I have to offer. I am Knox.