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KNOW THYSELF 6
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Know Thyself
Psychopathology/Emerg Trends (PSY-540)
Know Thyself
One of the highlights of this course is the constant opportunities to participate in surveys and tests that build on the knowledge of self. The VIA character assessment presents a fantastic opportunity to know myself, to serve others better, and to be at peace with myself. One of the top strengths determined by the assessment is lightheartedness. I like telling jokes when appropriate (VIA Institute, 2024). I believe that lightheartedness lights up a room and makes people comfortable. The second highlighted strength is spirituality. I am a Christian, which plays a massive role in my life. I find my strength and peace in my Christianity, and this is a strength (VIA Institute, 2024).
The third strength that I have learned about is creativity. The test asserts that I think of novel ways to make things come to life, including artistic ways. The fourth strength is curiosity (VIA Institute, 2024). I have an interest in a variety of topics, and this often helps me achieve my goals. The fifth strength is the appreciation of beauty and excellence. This is where I notice beauty and excellence in everything I encounter.
I agree with these results. I honestly believed that spirituality would be my first strength. I believe everything I do stems from my being a Christian first and then everything else later. However, I am glad that my spirituality emerged and became a source of strength for me (VIA Institute, 2024). I was surprised that lightheartedness would make it to the top. I consider myself to be an individual with a sense of lightheartedness. However, I had no idea how much of a strength that was. I appreciate my curiosity and creativity, and I recognize their vital role in my life (VIA Institute, 2024). My idea of God-given gifts goes beyond spiritual gifts; it moves even to gifts such as creativity and curiosity. When Moses was building the ark, God instructed him to pick Bezalel and Oholiab to aid him with the construction. The Lord says, “‘See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.
Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamak and of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also, I have given all the skilled workers the ability to do everything I have commanded you.” This shows that the strengths and skills come from the Lord, and he is the one who distributes them fairly among His people. I am pleased to have been blessed with the gifts of lightheartedness, creativity, appreciation for beauty, and curiosity, all for the glory of God (VIA Institute, 2024).
These strengths have been evident in the past year. I have grown my discipleship group due to my lightheartedness. I try not to make it too serious, constantly approaching things with lightheartedness and including everyone. This often disarms people, and they become more vulnerable. This has also helped me in my coaching practice, making it easier for people to open up and share their experiences (VIA Institute, 2024). My spirituality has been beneficial for me. Striking a balance between ministry, family, and education has been difficult. More often than not, I find myself questioning why I am doing all this. Then I am reminded of Philippians 4:6-7, which states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I find peace knowing when I can come to the Lord, He will give me peace. I also apply my spirituality in my discipleship practice. I remind my disciples that if they trust in the Lord with all their hearts and lean not on their understanding and submit to Him, the Lord will make their paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). This shows how I use spirituality as my strength.
I have used my creativity and curiosity greatly when preparing my research proposal. The creativity came in designing how I would approach the research. I learned how to understand and interpret data, which helped me better understand how to derive patterns and meaning from data. I also used creativity to find the best data collection attributes and how to make my ideas into a reality. I then used my curiosity to learn about mathematical methods. I was not keen on mathematics until my encounter with Microsoft Excel. Here, my curiosity peaked, and I became interested in learning more about mathematical formulas and statistics. That was very helpful in preparing my proposal as it gave me an insight into how data is processed in research.
My appreciation for beauty is something that I truly benefit from. I will admit that there are times this year when I have felt overwhelmed and somewhat disappointed spiritually because of all my life’s pressure. I felt like the fire was too much, and I didn’t know how to talk to Him in prayer without sounding like I was complaining more than trusting Him. In these moments, I would walk and see nature and art. These entities would remind me of how amazing God is, and that would help me calm down and express my grievances to God in peace.
These gifts would be beneficial in my ministry. In particular, lightheartedness and appreciation of beauty have already been very helpful. I look forward to being a life coach in the future. I know this career path would benefit me as I have been interested in it for a while. Lightheartedness and appreciation for beauty will play a vital role in this endeavor. My lightheartedness will be crucial in disarming those I am ministering to. It is something I intend to use significantly in my coaching endeavor. My appreciation for beauty will help me to be gracious. This skill will help me appreciate even the smallest of life coaching efforts, making me a better life coach.
I am partially satisfied with my spirituality rank. I am glad it came up, though it saddens me that my lightheartedness exceeded my spirituality. It reminded me of the necessity of working on my spirituality to improve it continuously. A friend mentioned that my increased approach to viewing things from a lighthearted perspective would benefit the lives of others and mine, and I am starting to believe that they might be right. I need to grow my spirituality to make it the center of my life even more. The strategy I intend to take is to balance all things and grow forward.
References
Bible, D. (1985). The Bible. Chrysalis..
VIA Institute. (2024). Login | VIA Institute. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from https://www.viacharacter.org/surveys/freeresults?sessionID=30949152