What do you strive to be?

What do you want your title to be in three years?

This is an interesting question that I've received a lot in meetings or training sessions over the past few weeks. Knowing the nature of the role you aim to be in is an important question to answer, but I believe there is a more significant question that this one doesn't encompass that everyone must answer to themselves first.

What do you strive to be?

Instead of looking at what you’re doing, it looks at the nature of how you will go about tackling it. What do you want your impression to be at a given work place? What impression do you want to make on friends, family and in relationships? What attributes do you strive to “own”? What type of person do you want to be?

For me, the answer to this is accountability. I want everyone I interact with to leave and know that I will follow through & get the job done. I value accountability over ambition because you can be a go-getter without delivering on every promise.

It is definitely possible to strive for more than one attribute as well, but choosing a primary and secondary quality helps you prioritize actions in many components of your life.

So what do you want to be? Actionable? A leader? Expert on a specific subject? Whether it’s a noun or an adjective, narrow in on some attributes and set goals around them. 

Save money on flights!

Best tip of the week I've seen on this Dot Complicated blog post.

For the possibility of saving money on flights, clear your cookies and browsing history. This will make a website think it is your first time checking out the flight, and not a repeat visitor that they can slowly hike the fare for. Try it out, or search across different browsers! (i.e. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer).

Appreciate who you have

Do not be anxious to keep company or even appear in public and in the company of others for no reason. You should instead dedicate your precious time in the company of your wiser and more prudent relatives, priests, and seriously-minded people, young and old alike.

-St. Gregory the Theologian

I read this in the church bulletin recently, and this passage resonates with me as a student. It is written in the context of advice for Christian women from St. Gregory, especially to new brides. In college and over the weekends, a lot of people go out to bars and parties to do what we call face-time. Apparently, this term isn't so widely used outside of Mizzou, but face timing is going out so people see that you are out. Walking a lap around the bar to say your hellos, making an appearance or talking with a classmate over a quick drink at a party all constitute this definition. 

It's a temptation that's easy to fall into. Rarely do people keep eye contact in a conversation anymore, especially in a bar or party setting, because everyone seems to be waiting for more. Who's going to text you next? Who's walking in the door next? Who else do I need to establish myself with by saying a quick hello? People are missing out on spending time with their own, real friends because they're too busy paying attention to the 'could-be' friends that are in and out of the social setting. 

As a senior, I want to be spending my last semester at Mizzou with people I care about and want to see, not the faux notion that there is an obligation to "have to" see everyone else I've met in college. It's nice to see St. Gregory reinforce appreciating what and who you have, instead of dwelling on the 'coulds' of life.