UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF

Exercise 4: Pick a Color

I am GREEN. I am relaxed, intuitive, and perceptive.

Exercise 5: The Private-Eye Game

The person who lives in this apartment keeps a cluttered home. He either collects things or has trouble getting rid of things. He owns a lot books, most of which deal with social philosophy, politics and religion. He might like geography, clues to this being the globe on his work desk and a sizeable map of the world on his bedroom wall. He shops at Jewel rather frequently, which is evidenced by a collection of a Jewel receipts kept near some scattered change on a television stand. A keyboard with a songbook by Gavin DeGraw opened up to "Nice To Meet You Anyway" tells me that he likes that kind of indie, alternative soul genre of music. He is either learning how to play or plays already, but some dust on the keys of the piano tell me that he hasn't sat down to play for a while.

For the most part, I would say that this person has a casual, nonchalant attitude about life. There is absolutely nothing meticulous about his home: his furniture seems a bit mismatched, piles of clothes inhabit the bedroom floor, scraps of paper are on the kitchen countertop. His favorite area is most likely couch, shown by the laptop mounted on top of a book containing Shakespeare's entire collected works lying on the black coffeetable; a nearly-empty cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee sits next to the laptop, and a pile of books are stacked next to the couch itself.

Seeing Yourself As Others See You

Version No. 2: Creating Your Cheering Section

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was both highly intelligent (curious, objective, and open-minded) and acutely emotional (compassionate, empathetic, and sensitive). He was deeply troubled, but constantly conquered his bouts of despair to achieve many great successes. Always seeing himself as the underdog or the outcast, he was able to sympathize with the abused and exploited. With a profound talent for speaking and the writing, he was able to combine a massive intellect with a huge heart and express the most articulate ideas on the social issues his country faced during his lifetime.

Stevie Wonder

Stevie is a musical genius. He has overcome childhood blindness to be one of the most prolific musicians of all time. I plays a variety of instruments, including the piano (which he mastered by age 8) and the harmonica. His music changed the face for music forever. Not only is his music legendary, but so, too, is his songwriting. Like Shakespeare, he has helped define true love for millions of people. He describes the world around him with a vividness most people with sight would be hard-pressed to even come close to equaling.


Robert Kennedy

Robert Kennedy, the younger brother of former president John F. Kennedy, was a loving and insightful individual. In many ways, he was in the 1960s what Abraham Lincoln had been in the 1860s: strong reason matched by a powerful emotional intelligence. Bobby Kennedy came from an extremely privileged lifestyle, but due to his endless pursuit for justice and equality, he dedicated his life to making the world a much better world than you had found it.

Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle is also a very smart and caring person. Other than the fact that he just might the funniest human being on the planet, I think he possess a deep soul. He's a very laidback individual, and only expects people to treat him as he does them: with respect, dignity, appreciation, and compassion that every human being deserves. It would also be good to have someone around who can make me laugh nearly instantaneously.

Abraham Lincoln: "He's a quiet person, possibly unsure of himself. He has a very unassuming posture. He loves to smile, conveyed by the ease in which he does it. He seems kind and patient with people."

Stevie Wonder: "He has a light voice. He laughs a lot, and utilizes a variety of different laughs. He's always talking about society: either politics or religion. But he also makes time to be funny, telling jokes, using different voices, and inventing different characters."