Module 2 - What is Important to You1
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Centennial College *
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313
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Philosophy
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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Course Code: BUSN313 Course Name: Careers
Activity: How to Find Your Top Three Values
Step 1: Click on the link 100 C
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My top three core values are respect, independence, and truth
Step 2: Define your core values based on what you feel they mean to you.
a)
Respect
– to me, respect means exhibiting to all that we are equal. Whether I like someone or not, they still deserve my respect and vice versa. The way that we are and the decisions that we make are only a reflection of our past experiences, and honouring that in someone else, even if they are exhibiting behaviours that are hurtful or I may classify as wrong, allows me to acknowledge their story and their journey. I believe we are all doing the best we can and are making the decisions in our lives that we believe are best for us. We may not understand one’s choices, but we can all appreciate and respect that most people act from a place of trying to do what is best for themselves and their loved ones. When we each feel respected, we feel that we matter. We don’t have to agree with one another, but the basis of respect between people is an important acknowledgment that we all matter, equally.
b)
Independence
– Independence is a strong value to me. I have always strived for it and in the past, have struggled to have it. When I first had my children, I was dependent on my spouse to support us, as I stayed at home with my children and did not have an income. We relied on family members to house us and could barely make ends meet. I felt completely powerless and lacked the freedom of choice in much of my life, matters big and small. For years, I felt that I had no ability to take control of the things in my life because I was dependent on others and waited until I was offered help or choices, as I felt that since I was not reliant on myself, I could not impose on anyone else. It is a very disempowering feeling. Eventually, I separated from my spouse and after many ups and downs, depression, and fear, I became determined to build myself
into a position where I had the power and freedom of choice for myself and my family. Independence doesn’t mean not asking for help when I need it, but to me it means having the ability to choose, knowing that my life is in my own hands and not in someone else’s.
c)
Truth –
I often tell my children that once we begin lying to each other, we begin working against each other. That may define honesty more than truth, but honesty is an aspect of truth. More than honesty, truth is always present, something that we can seek in everything. To me, truth is a core value because it is a foundation, it is something that is always present and non-
discriminative. It is how people chose to act to truth that is a choice, but truth just is, and acknowledging truth, allowing it to be without resisting it or wishing it weren’t so, is very empowering. To recognize that truth is truth and cannot be changed or controlled, and that our power lies in our reaction to truth, is very reassuring. To me, that is where our power lies, in the treatment of the truth.
Step 3: The Litmus Test for Core Values
1.
Would you sacrifice any value on your list for money? Would you give it up for $1,000,000?
No, I would not sacrifice any of my core values for $1,000,000. I actually gave it a lot of thought, because
$1,000,000 is enough money to buy me the things that I said were my core values, such as independence and the freedom of choice that comes with it. However, $1,000,000 will come and go. To be independent means that I can accomplish so much more than $1,000,000 can buy me and I have the freedom to choose
what I want to create in this life. Respect, independence, and truth ultimately have nothing to do with money. I would not be able to respect myself if I were paid to give up what I value most in myself. How can I possibly live with any type of integrity if I did? I believe that the core value of respect runs so much deeper than we could ever know. It is not just the person which whom we are interacting who feels it, but those whom they go on to interact with as well, the ripple effects are immeasurable. To live as an example of what we want to see in the world, how we want to be treated, and most importantly to me, how I want my children to be treated, is worth much more than any dollar amount. I want to contribute to the creation of a world where my children, and everyone else’s children, can reap the benefits of independent, respectful people who acknowledge and appreciate truth.
2.
Have you lost a core value in times of stress?
In times of stress, I have felt that I lost a feeling of independence, but I do believe now that what I actually was feeling was not a lack of independence but a sense of hopelessness and forgetting my own power and who I am. These feelings led me to have a stronger value of independence, a recognition that it
was there, and an awareness that I could nurture and grow it. At times, my core value of truth could itself cause stress, but then I come back to the basic notion that it is not truth that I wish were not there, but my resistance against it, and that allows me to “go with the flow of life” rather than trying to work against it. At times, I have been challenged in holding my value of respect when I myself, have felt very disrespected by another, whether real or imagined. I have lost sight of what respect is really saying, which
is, “we are all equal and we are all on this same journey of life”. Usually, this is a “heat of the moment” reaction, and creating space between myself and the situation allows me to see that and regain my feelings of respect for that person.
3.
Do you envision in 20 years that this core value will hold true?
I do believe that my core values will hold true in 20 years because they are a strong foundation of who I am and
how I do things. Everything in my life holds a thread of these values, all the choices I make and how I treat people and approach situations come from these root foundations. My core values hold true from the standpoint
of how I approach people and situations, but they also hold true in how I treat myself. To give to others, you must first give to yourself. To respect myself, live through independence and seek and appreciate truth in every situation is not just a way of living but a way of being. I feel that my core values are held so deeply within myself that they are just who I am. These things do not go away with time and experience, they are strengthened through them. These values are a way of living for me. They are important within me and within others. It is a life and future I hope to nourish within myself, so to nourish it within my children, and all those I interact with. It is a gift I can give to myself as well as to others.
4.
Would you stop holding this value if, at some point, it became a competitive disadvantage?
Because these core values are a foundation of who I am, that is my competitive advantage. To change them or abandon them could not make me stronger in any way, but only weaker. Once I decide that the foundation of who I am can change, then it is not much of a foundation. I strongly believe in these values, which makes me believe in myself. When things get tough, confusing, or overwhelming, turning to my core values reminds me of my strengths and of who I am. It can be easy to get caught up in stress, fear, and worry, but I feel my core values oppose fear and weakness within me. I would never want to lose that. Anything that may momentarily seem like a competitive disadvantage is only that, momentarily. But my core values are permanent and will take me further than a perceived disadvantage. Changing my core values for any reason is a permanent solution
to a temporary problem and I will, no doubt, become lost if I chose against them.
If you answered yes to any of these questions, go back and pick again. If you answered no to all of the questions,
then you have found your core values!
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Activity: What is your MBTI Code?
Once you have your MBTI results, take a screenshot of your results page and add this to your Activity Workbook.
Next, read through your results report thoroughly. Check out the strengths and weaknesses, and answer the
following questions:
a.
Do you agree/disagree with these results? Why? Consider examples from your life that support or contradict your results.
Reading through my strengths and weaknesses was very enlightening. I strongly agreed with most strengths, thinking that was probably typical and that I will probably disagree with many of the weaknesses. However, that was not the case. I feel that I agreed more with the weaknesses than the strengths. Some things pinpointed aspects that I had been aware of for most of my life, and putting it into words was somewhat reassuring. Some things made me chuckle, knowing that it was so accurate and recalling that I often thought I was the only one who did those things or think that way.
The strengths highlighted the rational, logical, independent, and determined part of me. I also found it interesting that one of my strengths was “original”, and it was defined as a “rebellious streak”. While I do tend to try to keep the peace, avoid confrontation, and don’t like to cause a fuss, I also like to do the unexpected, choose to not conform when conforming goes against my beliefs, and in situations where I lack a belief in the reasoning or rules, I am prepared to make big moves or just walk away. That being said, I am a very committed and loyal person, but I must believe in the cause and work with conviction. I seek truth and sincerity in people and situations, and when that is lacking, it is hard for me to go along with it. I need a reason why, and that is something that showed up repeatedly in my report.
The weaknesses has some words that may be considered harsh, but upon further reading, really resonated with me. For example, “arrogant” came up. My first reaction was disagreement, I always had a distaste for arrogance in others, as most people do, and can be combative with these people just to prove them wrong. Reading the description of arrogance made me realize that that is exactly what arrogance is, “harsh in trying to prove others wrong”. That was enlightening. I can try to “wear” the identity of being a “right-
fighter” and be combative (which in itself is another weakness in the report that I agree with) with those whom I feel “deserve it”, because they’re arrogant, rude, or wrong, but ultimately, I am being arrogant myself, in those times. Whether I’d like to admit it or not, I am someone who believes she is “always right” and I have become recently aware that that seeps through in how I communicate with someone if I have that mindset while interacting with them. I’d like to change this, and it highlights another one of my weaknesses, “overly critical”. While this can be used as a strength when I am criticizing certain situations and can be an analytical tool, I certainly agree that it is a weakness when it comes to people. I don’t openly
criticize people, but sometimes to make myself right in my own eyes, I need to make others wrong and judge myself against them to try to make me better in my own eyes when I feel “less than”, which is a go-
to for me. I recognize this and how counteracting it is to myself and not fair to others.
I didn’t agree with the weakness of “socially clueless”. I have come a long way since I was younger and had to really put a conscious effort into how to interact with people, I was always shy, awkward, and introverted. But now I quite enjoy interacting with people and feel that I can be much more outgoing. I do understand some aspects highlighted in the “socially clueless” area, such as rationality over emotions, and although I feel that I often try to be rational or logical in situations, I am also one to appreciate and honour my emotions and those of others and appreciate the value of emotional connection.
b. How might a better understanding of your personality help you be more successful as a:
Teammate? Becoming aware that some of my weaknesses are being arrogant, dismissive of emotions, overly critical, and combative makes me realize how difficult it can be to work with me. When I approach situations thinking that I have the right way, that makes me dismissive of others. If I am arrogant or overly critical, many people may not want to even try to correct me or say something in opposition to my thoughts or ideas. I would not want to work in those situations, how can I expect others to? I also recognize that when I sometimes think I am doing others a favour by doing more than my share, what I actually am doing is showing them that I have no faith in their ability
to do something and that my way is the right way. Recognizing all this can help me to be a better teammate by making a conscious effort to show that I respect others’ opinions, thoughts, and ways of doing things and that while I may think that I am always right, I also know that I am often wrong, or that others have other ideas that may be more effective, efficient, or better. Independent is one of my strengths, but when it comes to teamwork, opening up and looking at it as a fun experience to work with others would be a great way to approach it.
Communicator?
I tend to keep much of my thoughts and feelings to myself, thinking “I’ll handle it”, “never mind, there’s no point in sharing this”, or just smiling and nodding to humour someone or avoid further confrontation, knowing that I’m right. While independence is a strength of mine, in certain situations, it can be a weakness, and communication can
be one of those areas. I know that I can be more expressive of what I feel, especially to those closest to me, because I often keep it in and think, “I’ll just deal with it myself”. I also recognize that my strength of being rational can inhibit my ability to communicate more through connection and emotion in certain situations, especially when I am trying to protect myself. I can also see that many of my weaknesses can get in the way of good communication such as being dismissive of emotions, overly critical, and combative. Seeing all of this can help me be a better communicator in first feeling safe to open up and share my feelings, to be vulnerable. I can also
be a better commincator by respecting the fact that I don’t always have the answers, others have life experience that is worth hearing and honouring and learning from, I don’t always need to have to right answer myself. Just as much as I want to be heard by others, I can respect that others fee l the same need, and respectful and loving communication is a two-way street
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Activity: Writing down our goals can deepen our commitment to them.
For this next activity, start by writing out a short term career goal that you would like to achieve. Remember, this should be a goal that you could obtain in the next few months and certainly in less than
a year, so make sure that your goal is appropriate.
One short-term career goal that I would like to achieve is to do bookkeeping and tax services for small
businesses.
Next, write out a SMART goal that you could set to help you accomplish this short-term goal.
Specific
– I would like to be an independent bookkeeper for small local businesses. This is something that I would mostly do from home, with some in-person meetings and visits with clients when necessary. This would suit my lifestyle while I am still in post-secondary school full-time with two children in elementary school. Building a client base and a name for myself in this field, starting small, is a great way to learn and grow my business and experience in the field of finances while I pursue a business degree.
Measurable
– Having finance, accounting, and computer software experience in school is beneficial, however, since I have not had any clients yet or work experience in this field, I would like to start small and start with people I know. I have some family and friends who are entrepreneurs and starting with them to build a good reputation can gain me word-of-mouth referrals. I can also take advantage of tax season and offer to do taxes for a few individuals whom I know and whom I can get more referrals from. Ideally, doing taxes for small business owners may offer an opportunity for me to continue in bookkeeping duties for them throughout the year.
Achievable – I believe this goal is achievable because I have a very good knowledge of accounting and taxation. Learning much about this in school, I also know where to find information if there is something I need to double-check or be sure of. I have always had a strong interest in accounting and really enjoy it, as well as a strong interest in taxes. My dad worked for the CRA for over 40 years, and
I feel would be a great mentor to me whom I can go to if I feel unsure about any aspects of this new position.
Relevant – I feel very excited about this goal. I have a passion for this area of work and would love to
work with and support local small businesses. Obtaining my college diploma in Financial Services by April of this year is ideal because of the credential that I will hold, along with the industry certifications I received through the program. This goal suits my lifestyle perfectly right now, as I embark on a new career and will be able to work mostly during any hours of the day, be able to continue my education through online university courses and be available to my children and family. I
can take on as many clients as I need.
Time-Based – Because tax returns for sole proprietorship business owners are not due until June 15
th
in Canada, this is the perfect time frame for me to market to this clientele while still in school, while also being prepared to start their tax returns after I have finished school. I could market through local BIAs entrepreneurial friends and family. I would begin working at the beginning of May, hoping to take on only a few clients at first. Being able to start with taxation for small businesses is beneficial because it is a service that many seek and an opportunity to prove my competency and abilities and build a good relationship, personal and business, with these clients, possibly leading to referrals. Is your objective specific?
Can you measure progress towards the goal?
Is the goal realistically achievable?
How relevant is the goal to your organization?
What is the time for achieving this goal?
One More Thing
Do a quick Google search to see what careers are recommended for your MBTI code. Have you
considered any of these career options before? Are there any you might like to explore further?
Interestingly enough, upon doing a google search, I found that one of the best careers for my personality type, INTJ Architect, is financial advisor, the very role that is best suited for my Financial Services diploma that I am currently working towards. One thing that had me second-
guessing this role was the need to be somewhat of a salesman in this career. I don’t like soliciting or seeking clients, although I enjoy helping and solving problems for ones I may already have. I learned that financial advisor is a good role for my personality type because of analyzing facts and numbers, evaluating criteria, and working out solutions for clients. These are the things that are most ideal about this industry to me. It also states that this role requires people to work on their own, which is very appealing to me, and deal with challenges, which I very much enjoy.
Other roles that were stated as a good match for my personality type are quantity surveyor and project manager due to the leadership roles, strategizing, working with numbers and figures, and
being able to think creatively and logically. These are definitely roles that interest me that I would like to explore more about and possibly work towards through my future education in obtaining a degree in business administration.
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