You Majored in What? (5 page)

So if you haven’t started already, get out your blank piece of paper and start mapping.

Remember:

•
Quickly
write whatever comes to mind and keep going. Get as much as you can on the paper.

• Don’t waste time erasing or making it look perfect.

• Don’t worry about spelling. As long as you can read it, that’s all that matters.

• Use short words, phrases, or even drawings if you prefer.

• Don’t censor yourself or try to make the map look a certain way. For instance, if you’ve been thinking about becoming a lawyer, but you notice you are putting down items more related to music,
don’t
start thinking “I’d better put something down that relates to being a lawyer.”

• Don’t worry about organizing your thoughts—just get them down on the paper.

Congratulations!

You did it. Does it look a little chaotic and crazy? So many different things—and all seemingly unrelated? Don’t be stressed—we’ll fix that soon.

•
Take another look to see if you want to add anything
. Remember, you can always add things at any time and we’ll keep building your map throughout the book.

•
If you’re out of time, you can quit now as long as you promise to return for the analysis.

ANALYZING YOUR NETWORK: FINDING YOUR THEMES AND THREADS

Creativity is connecting the unconnected.

—JOHN MAXWELL,
THINKING FOR A CHANGE

Now the fun begins. We’re going to step back and look for some connections. If creativity is connecting the unconnected, as author John Maxwell says, we’re going to be very creative. And trust me, there’s a gold mine in here.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE BASIC CATEGORIES

Let’s start by making some obvious connections. Look over your map. Would some of the items you wrote down fit into a particular category? For instance, did you list several jobs, vacation spots, friends, or classes you liked? Draw lines on your map to connect the different categories.

On page 30 you’ll see how Bill drew his lines to connect the categories.

From this map, Bill can now create a list of categories:

1. Jobs

2. Creativity

3. Money-related items

4. Classes

5. Sports

Write down your list of categories from your Wandering Map. See if you can identify at least five below, or if you prefer, write them on the back of your map or on a separate piece of paper.

1. _____________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________

5. _____________________________________________

• Are you surprised by your list of categories?

• Are there categories you weren’t expecting to see?

• Is there a pattern to your categories?

• Does any one category have a lot of items?

Note anything that you find interesting or possibly significant.

STEP 2: DIG DEEPER: IDENTIFY THEMES AND THREADS IN YOUR LIFE

This time you’re going to look at your map again, but instead of focusing on the obvious categories you noted above, ignore them and dig deeper to see if you can find some new connections beyond the simple categories you identified earlier.

For instance:

• Do you see a thread that follows you from elementary school through college?

• Is there a pattern to the types of jobs you’ve held?

• What might some of your seemingly disparate experiences have in common?

• What did you learn or what strengths did you acquire by pursuing a particular activity?

Before you try this yourself, let’s revisit Bill’s Wandering Map on page 32 to see how he redrew his lines and connected themes and threads rather than categories:

Bill’s list of themes and threads follows:

1. Leadership is shown by his time in the Boy Scouts, his outing club work, and his role as a camp counselor. Bill has discovered that he likes to be a leader and the person in charge. He had to solve a lot of problems when he was in his leadership roles and he did them well.

2. Teamwork is exemplified by his baseball experience and his work with the outing club. Bill enjoys activities where he can interact with others. He can work alone as well, but he prefers the energy he gets from working closely with others.

3. Bill had to demonstrate practice and discipline consistently in practicing the piano and at baseball practice. He had to learn to put up with a sometimes dull routine. He learned that some things don’t come quickly and that learning one small part (like four measures on a line of music) can be a big accomplishment.

4. Notice that Bill has drawn arrows that go from biology to history to creative writing to psychology and then end with his major in finance. He connected them because he realizes that
he learned key concepts in these courses that have been valuable to his understanding of finance.

He also discovered that he tended to focus on financial elements of

each subject he was studying, such as when he studied the Great Depression in history class or gambling behavior in psychology.

5. He enjoys writing, as illustrated by his taking an elective creative writing course. This is a long-term thread in his life; he even wrote a play back in elementary school. He likes being creative, and writing is relaxing and something he would do even if he weren’t paid to do it.

6. Risk taking is shown in his kayaking and white-water rafting hobbies. He believes that his ability to take risks, while at the same time knowing how to remain safe, is a unique skill.

7. Bill is starting to identify the kind of work he doesn’t want: working in a hotel or a law firm. He will want to analyze further the specific aspects of those jobs he didn’t like.

Now it’s your turn. What new connections can you make? See if you can
identify any themes or threads
that run through your life. For instance:

• You, too, might see examples of an interest in writing: you created a neighborhood newsletter when you were a kid, and then you got an A in creative writing in high school and are now working on your college newspaper staff.

• Maybe you’ve worked with children in one capacity or another for a long time.

• Maybe you do a lot of physical or hands-on activities, such as playing sports or building things.

• Maybe you’ve always been the peacemaker in your family or with your friends.

• Maybe you’ve done lots of activities that involve international themes.

Can you identify at least four or five themes or threads in your Wandering Map? If so, draw lines connecting the different entries on your map and then make a list of your basic themes below, on the back of your map, or on a separate piece of paper.

1. _____________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________

5. _____________________________________________

This part of the process is challenging and it’s not always easy to spot the themes and threads that run through your life. If you’re stuck, here are some more ideas for possible themes and threads:

Achievement/

Awards

Alone or with others

Animals

Art

Computers

Creative ideas “Doing” or “Thinking”

Drama

Equipment or tools I use

Family

Fun Hobbies

Indoors or outdoors

Internally or externally rewarded

Knowledge I’ve acquired

Learning

Locations

Music

Physically active or deskbound

Reading

Research

Risky or safe

Roles I’ve played in family or elsewhere

Solving problems

Subjects—topics of interests

Things I want to change

Types of people

What comes naturally to me

Maybe your themes fall under specific skill areas such as these:

Analytic

Artistic

Communication

Computer

Counseling

Creative thinking

Detail/Follow-through

Interpersonal/People skills

Research/Investigative

Leadership/Management

Manual

Negotiating

Mathematical/Financial

Organizational

Outdoor/Athletic

Presentation/Performing

Problem-solving skills

Serving/Helping

Teaching/Instruction

Thinking strategically

Sometimes your themes can reveal what’s important to you. Do any of these themes show up consistently?

Adventure:
taking risks, frequent change, trying new things
Challenge:
testing skills, seeking stimulating physical/mental experiences
Contribution:
making a difference, helping victims, solving problems
Creativity:
self-expression, ideas; art, music, and/or drama; beauty
Diversity:
being around people from many cultures, appreciating differences
Expertise:
possessing knowledge or skills, having authority
Family:
nurturing, children, appreciating relatives
Friendship:
close friends, collegial environment, friends at work
Harmony:
peace, orderliness, calm surroundings, meditation
Health:
time for exercise, eating well, safe work environment
Independence:
freedom, autonomy, acting on own terms
Joy:
pleasure, humor, happiness
Justice:
helping society, equality, fairness, important causes
Leadership:
organizing, delegating, managing, inspiring, influencing
Learning/Knowledge:
acquiring education or training, teaching, expertise
Leisure:
finding time to relax, pursuing hobbies
Physical Work:
using your hands, building, physical fitness
Power:
exerting personal power, controlling, influencing, assigning
Prestige and Recognition:
being successful, attaining a high status
Productivity:
accomplishing, hardworking; excellence; efficiency
Security:
safety, stability, secure job
Spirituality:
practicing religion, meditating, spiritual exploration
Variety:
different tasks, exploring new territories
Wealth:
acquiring money, economic security, high-paying positions