Trees are an important symbol in my life. I feel so connected to these strong tall forces of nature. My family makes fun of me because I put up 5-6 Christmas trees every year (fake ones of course). My favorite restaurant is TreeHugger’s Café (which I am sitting in right now writing this blog and enjoying a vanilla bean tea). And ever since I was little I would see certain trees and dream about sitting underneath those trees and pouring out my soul through the magic of pen and paper.
I have not focused on writing in my life but I have known it always was a gift. I am not sure if I didn’t have the confidence in my strength or didn’t realize I could have a career with writing. However, for the first time in my life I understand my gift of word more than ever. I understand because of an amazing journey I took in my Senior Leadership class under the wise instruction of my professor, Julie Miller. She opened a window into my strengths and helped me define them. By the way, we all have strengths and I celebrate people who focus on their strengths not their weaknesses. Today, I can go out to the world and define what makes me special, which will help with the job interviews.
I am special because I am a collector of information about people, places, and things. I connect the dots between this information and help people see these connections. I am essentially a storyteller. Each person I meet in my life adds another page to my story. When I see a connection between people, places, things, experiences, or anything I am energized. These connections are so strong I can actually feel people’s sorrow, joy, and anger. These connections help me see a person’s story.
Being the oldest student in my Senior Leadership class I assumed the wise Owl hat. Yesterday, I gave these words of advice to my fellow students who are the future game changers of the world.
“I don’t know if you remember from my vision board but I love trees. I love the tree of life, the tree of knowledge, and family trees. Trees represent strength to me. I love how trees grow, bud and blossom just like each one of us will in our lives. If you look at the rings of the tree you see the history of the world, trees are the storytellers of Mother Nature. Not a day goes by that a tree has not impacted our world and each of us from the oxygen they give off and we breathe in, to the trees that shade us when we walk on campus through the pages of the textbooks where we have learned so much.
In honor of the stories you have shared with me in this class and the fact that I believe each of you will make a great impact on this world, I have purchased a tree in honor of each of your 5 strengths. Arbor Day Foundation will plant 95 trees in celebration of our strengths and us. You have already impacted my world by just being you. Thank you for being a part of my story. And Best wishes on your story.”
My gift to my fellow classmates was a celebration of their strengths. Ninety-Five trees will stand tall like each one of them. Hopefully, if they are ever in doubt of their strengths, they will remember this girl bought them trees because she believed in their strengths so much.
Let me ask you this…Do you celebrate your strengths? Do you know why you are special? If not, I think you should start. We have a world filled with amazing people and I love to hear their stories. Be strong. Be special.
“A nation’s growth from sea to sea stirs in the heart of a tree.” — Henry Bunner
Less is More with Less Jess 