How do others perceive you?

I am taking a Stress Management class during my last semester at USC, and I wanted to share the journal entries that we write every week. They are extremely cathartic for me and great personal exercises to learn more about yourself and what you would like to work on. All of the questions/prompts will be provided in my entries, so feel free to do these exercises yourself too. You'll be surprised at how well you can enlighten yourself just by freeing your thoughts from your cluttered mind.

January 27^th, 2011

What do you think others think about you? What is their perception of you?

Why do you think people have that perception of you?

How do you want to be remembered?

From what I have found out later from friends and peers, many people at school perceive me to be intimidating and unapproachable. I was floored to hear this, because I am a friendly, nonjudgmental person. However, it turns out that being vocal in class, asking questions in lecture, and working hard on my studies and projects really drives people away from me. This is unfortunate, because I know that are many people in my classes who have avoided chatting with me because of how much pride I take in my work and how I like to participate in class. When put into group projects with peers or meeting new people through friends at school, I have much better luck hitting it off with people because they see that there is nothing to be intimidated by. Additionally, all of my friends and many peers will say that I am an over-achiever and that I push myself too hard. I have recently gotten a better grasp on balancing work and fun, but everyone knows that I will never accept anything less than the absolute best from myself.

Adults see me as mature for my age and very driven. Coming from a house of hard-working parents, people see that their ambition has been passed down to me. I like to talk about my accomplishments and goals for the future when family members and family friends ask. Since they are older, this is not intimidating to them, but rather, enticing because we have more things to talk about and it’s easier to relate to one another. For this reason, many of my confidants and good friends are older than me. Though I enjoying sharing my experiences and insights, I have been told that I do not come off as arrogant, and instead adults perceive me as very humble. I appreciate that, because I often don’t give myself enough credit and feel uncomfortable rambling on about school and work when my parents put me on the spot.

I want to be remembered as a hard-working person who really put family and close friends at the top of her list of priorities. I want people to know that I had a deep passion for my work, and that I was always up for a creative challenge. I hope that people remember me for my kind, charitable spirit and that the research I have conducted lives on for decades after I have passed.