In Life Design, one of our core principles is crafting your story. Sometimes, it is important to have a guide or spend time thinking about who you are in order to craft your story about who you are. In doing so, there are many ways one can take time to think about who you are. Some may choose journaling, some may choose mind mapping, some may choose talking to others. Here are some tips to dig deeper and get to know who you are through reflection.

1. JOURNALING

WHY: Journaling can be an awesome tool for reflection. This allows you to write out what is in your head, heart, mind and spirit. InsideThenOut, owned by the JHU alum, Nya Jones, shares that journaling can be “Effortless tools for meaningful growth.”

HOW: Journaling can be done on your own, with others or even shared publicly. It can be guided or free flowing. It can be digital or on paper. It can be with words or imagery. You get to choose how you want to produce your own thoughts in the form of journaling.

TOOLS / EXAMPLES: Below are some resources that can be helpful to support you in reflecting on who you are.

Guided Journaling Resources:

1. Prompts from the Life Design Educator, Clifton Shambry (1.5 min Video)
2. Michelle Obama’s Becoming Journal
3. InsideThenOut Journals (A JHU Alum’s business)

Examples of Published Reflections

• Student Reflection on the Career Closet
• Student Reflections: Student Biotech Trek Reflection 1 | Student Biotech Trek Reflection 2
• Alumni Reflections: Alum Biotech Trek Reflection1 | Alum Biotech Trek Reflection 2
• Clifton’s 5 lessons learned and reminders in leading
• Clifton’s Living Your Best Life Lessons Learned

2. MIND MAPPING

WHY: This is a tool used in design thinking and life design to help people get unstuck. I also use mind mapping to help me check-in with myself, find focus and decide how to move forward. It is also a great tool to help me be in touch with myself.

HOW: To start mind mapping, get out a piece of paper and follow these steps:

Please note: You are in a great place to move forward as you have decided to take action on checking in with yourself.

1. Write “My Curiosities” in the center of the page and draw a medium circle in the center
2. Create spokes to the map outside of the center circle with your responses to the prompts below.
3. What are you curious about? What are your hobbies, things you do for fun? What problems do you want to solve? What are 3 core values? What are 3 salient identities?
4. After you have spent about 1-2 minutes thinking about the above prompts, think about the WHY in each of your responses.
5. Then see if any of the areas connect.
6. Take a breath and review.

TOOLS / EXAMPLES: Examples of mind mapping can be found through:

1. Find examples and a template on OneDrive: Public Link | JHED Authentication OneDrive (Single Sign-on).
2. Talking with a Life Design Educator during drop-in hours so we can work with you to create one. Check out when on our LDL website.
3. Enroll in the asynchronous Embrace Your Story Pathway on OneHop by submitting this form or emailing CliftonShambry@jhu.edu.

3. TALKING TO OTHERS

WHY: Talking to others can be helpful as we don’t know what we don’t know. Sometimes it is also helpful so we can get perspectives on what we are exploring or even guidance on what to explore.

HOW: You can find anyone to talk to about your curiosity either through your family, friends, professionals in industry, Life Design Educators at the Life Design Lab, faculty, staff, alumni, community members, etc. You can find folks on mentoring platforms like OneHop Mentoring, on social media like LinkedIn or even TikTok and Instagram, student organizations on Hopkins Groups, as well as through offices on campus like the center for diversity and inclusion, mental health resources, case managers, success coaches and academic advisors, and more.

TOOLS / EXAMPLES: Below are some folks you can talk to about reflecting on who you are.

1. Connect with your Life Design Educator during Drop-In Hours (welcoming you to speak with us and do the work together in the Imagine Center).
2. Center for Diversity and Inclusion (helping you explore more deeply your identity)
3. JHU Emotional and Mental Health Resources (helping you coping with life and creating satisfying relationships).

CALL TO ACTION

1. Take time to reflect (write, think or draw) on one of the prompts in this video (1.5 min video).
2. Enroll in the Embrace Your Story Pathway today to explore how you can embrace your own story by submitting this form!
3. Connect with an alum or your Life Design Educator.

Written by Clifton E. Shambry Jr.