I really like flowers, especially projects about flowers

Posted on March 26, 2024 by declan

To talk about myself especially concerning my future seemed a bit daunting. Self-reflection as it is does not come easy. In Richard N. Bolles’ book, “What Color is your Parachute?” he introduces the Flower Petal Exercise in which he lays out an activity that aims to help the participant explore their wants and needs in their career/life.

I think a lot of the reasons we find ourselves unable to accurately portray our opinions on life is not having a real grasp on variety throughout the world. To broadly generalize, most college students have lived in two places. Their hometown and the place where they went to college. While the breadth of opportunity and people vary greatly, the worldview still appear very limited in most cases.

Upon doing this exercise, I found myself struggling. Questions of location, people, knowledge and salary were not things I had even considered as I assume most things work out at some point in time. While that is not the best way to think about life, I am glad that this ‘project’ gave me a structured outlook on my wants.

I decided to start with people as that was the first petal. I’ve worked more part-time minimum wage jobs than I would care to admit. In my first employment at Olde Town Restaurant in Trumbull, Connecticut, I hated it. I worked mainly with people much older than me who had already been broken down by the negativity of life. Niceties were lackluster and the overall pessimism and uncaring made the environment horrible. Skipping forward about 3 years, I began to work in a taco truck. This environment was much better than the previous. Despite working 12 hour days 6-7 days a week over the summer, I never hated going to work. While the tacos were great, It was the people that I worked with who made it worth it. They were funny, nice, and did not find time in our long day to complain incessantly about their lives. It was through this comparison that I understood that I like to surround myself with positive and funny people in the workplace environment rather than those who keep their heads down and perpetuate monotony.

For a workplace environment, I found this easy as I would much prefer to work at home. Getting dressed up in a dress shirt, pants, and tie sucks. Anyone who says its fun is lying to themselves. Additionally, anyone who says they like working in a cubicle is also lying. It reminds me of the Panopticon. Very Scary. My house just speaks to me as a calming place. Especially right now as my room gets natural light pouring in and it fully immerses me in any work I am doing. Maybe I just really like sunlight. I have found however, that I really do not care as long as I am relatively left alone when I want to be and also able to be community based when the time comes. As long as I do not have to wear a tie.

My favorite skills are most typically those that relate to writing. I am not sure if I would consider myself good but it is probably the only thing I have. I like to write in my free time and honestly have very little passion for anything else. If I were to be put into a work environment where I did not write, I do not believe I would be able to enjoy my work. Writing certainly serves as a good skill for me, and it encompasses many of the sub ‘genres’ of the skill such as research and editing which further separate me from the pack.

I do not know if I have a purpose yet. I would just like my work to mean something to somebody despite whatever field it may be in. As long as somebody is impacted, positively, I will be satisfied with what I do in my life. I wish I could be more specific and have a more amplified goal, but I feel far too young to dedicate my life to a purpose. In the last month I have changed my opinions about a million things. One thing stays true that I hope to put positivity out in the world.

Monetarily, I just hope to make enough to support myself. I have never really cared about money or having everything in life. As long as I am able to be satisfied with the life I have, I cannot complain. As I have never made over 15,000 in a year, I believe it would be ignorant to assume what type of money would make me happy. Hopefully, for benefits they take care of everything and 100% match my 401k.

Location wise I would like to stay South where it is warm but most likely will not due to more journalism career opportunities being concentrated towards the North. It does however deserve to be said that despite this I do plan on moving South once I have my career more fortified. As long as it is sunny and urban I can not see myself complaining about the location and as someone who wants to operate more freely in their career I see weather playing an important part in where I would like to stay. Additionally, a more urban environment that is fast paced is definitely more geared to my style which will hopefully further allow me to operate in a manner that is conducive to emotional upkeep.

Self-Exploration Through the Flower Exercise: Unveiling the Layers Within

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Hannah Webster

Field Report #2: “Flower Exercise”

In the pursuit of understanding ourselves, we often embark on journeys outward—exploring different fields, meeting diverse people, and seeking varied experiences. Yet, as I delved into the “Flower Exercise” from Richard N. Bolles’ What Color Is Your Parachute?, I found that the most profound and clarifying knowledge isn’t found in the external world; it resides within us. This second field report, focused on self-inventory across seven key areas, revealed layers of insights and challenges, ultimately bringing me closer to understanding my own multifaceted being.

The first petal of my flower, representing the kinds of people I prefer to be around, unveiled a tapestry of traits I value. I realized I am drawn to individuals who exhibit social intelligence and perception, those who warmly embrace inclusivity and welcome diverse viewpoints. Through this exercise, I recognized the importance of surrounding myself with visionaries in social change and innovation, individuals who challenge the status quo and inspire growth.

Moving to the petal concerning workplace conditions, I was confronted with my ideal professional environment. Guiding mentorship emerged as an essential element, as well as working alongside a diverse team and in a performance-driven culture. The image of a relaxed attire policy and the option to bike or walk to the office painted a vivid picture of a workplace where creativity and comfort converge.

The skills and competencies petal brought forth a realization of my strengths and areas of expertise. From motivating others towards common goals to developing strategic plans, I acknowledged my proficiency in critical thinking and problem-solving. However, the challenge lay in recognizing the importance of ongoing learning and professional development, reminding me of the ever-evolving nature of success.

As I reflected on the knowledge petal, I embraced my passion for cultural and historical understanding, alongside staying informed about global events. Creative writing and storytelling emerged as a central theme, highlighting my desire to engage in philosophical and ethical discussions that shape narratives and perspectives.

The settings and geographies petal took me on a visual journey, envisioning an ideal location. Close to family in Charleston, near water, and within a medium-sized town’s vibrant downtown, I found a sense of rootedness and vitality. These elements, coupled with an easy commute, formed the backdrop of an environment where I could thrive.

Considering the money and responsibility petal, I grappled with the balance between financial stability and meaningful contribution. While recognizing the need for a fair compensation structure, my sense of purpose emerged as a guiding force. To help others, contribute to good in the world, and advance humanity became the compass directing my choices.

Finally, the core of my flower, my sense of purpose in life, illuminated the essence of my existence. Through this exercise, I articulated my deep-seated desire to contribute to kindness in the world, fostering a sense of empathy and compassion in all endeavors.

This intensive self-inventory was both illuminating and challenging. It allowed me to peel back the layers of my being, revealing intricate details and guiding principles that shape my choices and aspirations. The process was not without its struggles; confronting areas of growth and acknowledging vulnerabilities required courage. Yet, in this journey of self-discovery, I found empowerment and clarity.

As I invite you, the audience, into this reflective space, I share the essence of my flower—a symbol of my inner landscape. Each petal represents not only facets of myself but also aspirations for the future. The challenges faced in this exercise mirrored the complexities of navigating life’s choices and priorities. Yet, through introspection and reflection, I stand rooted in a deeper understanding of who I am and where I aim to go.

Petal By Petal

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Mallery

I did not know where to begin with the ‘Flower Petal Exercise’ from Richard N. Bolles’ book “What Color is Your Parachute?” The book is self-help for people who are about to embark on or searching for the next step in their professional lives. This specific exercise centers around getting a better understanding of a person’s wants and needs for their career path through the metaphor of flower petals. I truly thought the whole exercise would be easy, but I was wrong.

Sadly, I believe we as a society are more integrated to point out the negative aspects of ourselves and one another than the positives. So while I think that logic is one of the main reasons that I hit a wall, it is not the only rationale that hindered my ability to do the exercise. I believe the other reason is because I have spent the last eight years truly developing my skills as a student (I don’t really count middle school or any primary education). I have been selling myself as a student for so long that I have to make the transition to prepare to sell myself as a potential employee or graduate student.

When I finally started the exercise, I tried to go in order of every petal. I am a very linear thinker, so I rarely skip around when there is any numerical work that I have to analyze or answer. With this work, though, I had to jump around because there were some questions that I could not think of answers to right away. As soon as I started to skip around with the petals, I decided to order them from the easiest to answer to the hardest.

My List (From Easiest to Hardest)

You and Geography
You and a Workplace
You and the Knowledges You Already Have
You and People
You and Salary/Responsibility
You and Your Purpose in Life
You and Skills

The first two, You and Geography along with You and a Workplace, were the easiest, and that makes sense as both prose of these petals describe the ideal setting in which I can see myself doing the most work for my career. I’ve always wanted to head up north after I graduate, so it was very simple to list the characteristics I have always admired about the New England region. For You and a Workplace, while it was simple, it was also much more fun than I was expecting. I basically go to dream up my ideal workplace, and since I want to be a writer of some sort, I basically describe a piece of my dream home.

You and the Knowledges You Already Have was a bit harder than the previous, but not by much. The petal was hard in the sense that I am not good at categorizing things I know much about, as I do not have to think hard about the subjects at hand. It helped when I listed off my hobbies and could see that there are subjects that I know greatly about. At this point, I could already see the exercise’s main purpose already at work, as it made me focus on myself, get in tune with my mind, and know my worth.

You and People was challenging because I tend to work best on my own, but that does not mean I am closed off to the aspect of working with a group of creative collaborators. I love to listen to interesting writing prompts and see where other writers take them, so while it was hard, I basically had to open myself up to the possibility I would be working closely with others in the workplace. You and responsibility go into the same category for me, as I do not know what my ideal salary is at the moment. All I know is that I want a job. But I had to put myself in the mindset of being responsible for others if I could see myself doing that in the future, which is still debatable.

You and Your Purpose in Life, along with You and Your Skills, were the hardest ones to answer, in my opinion. The petal based around my purpose in life was a little easier because I know what I want my purpose to be: to be a figure of inspiration for writing, even just for one person. I want to create characters that speak to people to be able to bring more representation to the LGBTQ+ community while staying true to whichever genre I choose to write in.

To figure that out, I had to push past all my humility and ask myself what I truly wanted to get out of my life. It was a very scary question, but I found myself more at peace after answering it. You and Your Skills was the hardest for me because, like I said in the introduction, I am not very good at pushing past the negatives, but for this I did. I found myself to be an analyzer, an empathetic person, and a great listener. While those skills seem miniscule, I have learned from this class and the Flower Petal Exercise that they are anything but.

The Flower: “That One Piece of Paper”

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Madison

In Richard N. Bolles’s book, What Color is Your Parachute? he creates a guidebook to better understand oneself, your preferences when it comes to your career, and what you have to offer in the workforce. Overall, this book is extremely helpful for those who don’t know what they wish to do in their professional lives, those who want to hone in on their ideal career paths, and those who are looking for different avenues they might be interested in taking. This book presents various steps and exercises designed to guide you toward valuable insights about yourself and your aspirations, helping you contemplate the life you envision.

One of these exercises is called “The Flower Exercise: A Comprehensive Self-Inventory” (111).

This “Flower Exercise” is meant to get you to better understand yourself, your preferences, and your purpose regarding the work environment. By following each petal, you learn more about what you wish to gain from your career experience and what you believe you can offer.

At the beginning of completing this task myself, I was completely overwhelmed by the idea of the flower, but as I began with the first petal, the details I learned about myself proved worth the effort and contemplation.

When I began to write out the types of people I have worked with in the past, I found a pretty even split between working with coworkers who made my work life enjoyable and those who made it less so. I found myself writing things like “I don’t want to work with someone who is emotionally manipulative” and laughing at myself for even staying in a job like that, even for a short time. It made me realize that when it comes to coworker preferences, maybe my bar was a little too low. At the very least, I don’t want to work with someone who is actively mean to me, but that should be obvious…shouldn’t it?

In recollection of this, I began to think about what I wanted from my work relationships and what types of people I cared about being around. Although it wasn’t necessarily at the very top of my list, I found myself really wanting to be around people who inspire me. I want to work with people who have a strong, passionate curiosity about the world, much like myself. I want to work with someone who is interesting to talk to and teaches me new things all the time. I was surprised by my gravitation toward dynamic agency and shared intellect. In this, I found that wishing for my coworkers to be kind is a given to me, and beyond that, I want more.

The second petal deals with your preferred working conditions. This petal was one of the least daunting of the group, mainly because I have always known I do not want to work in a cubicle. I have never seen myself in an office building or at a desk on the eleventh floor with little to no natural light.

To no surprise at all, I want to work somewhere that has natural light that feels open and inviting. A place that has dynamic energy instead of stagnation.

I then moved on to the next petal, “transferable skills.” Completing this petal and doing the exercises within it took me a while. Not because I didn’t feel like I had important skills to offer but because I had difficulty figuring out which ones I felt were the most important. Even now, I feel like there are some listed on there that might not be in the right order, or perhaps I feel like my order of preference will change. More so, I found that doing these exercises helped me better understand what skills of mine I find are really important. It made me wonder what other people would say about me. What would my skills be if I asked my closest friends, family, and professors what they felt stood out to them? It made me wonder what would change, what would remain on the list, and what might be added that I did not know about myself.

The fourth petal, “knowledges,” seemed to surprise me more than I anticipated. Having a family so deeply woven into the entertainment industry, I have found myself steering away from that avenue to give myself a sense of independence. And yet, this exercise made me realize how much I care about media. As someone who is extremely opinionated, I found myself writing about movies and television shows that I either loved or hated, and I find myself increasingly passionate about discussing them. If I were on a desert island, I would 100% talk about my favorite films and TV shows for days on end. For the most part, I think I just write it off as stupid leisure activities, but this exercise made me realize how deeply I care about the media I intake and that I am extremely opinionated and passionate about them. News to me (clearly, I am blind).

Oof. Petal five is all about money. This is where I felt that I learned the most. Growing up, my family never really talked about money, and to this day, they have been pretty hands-off in teaching me anything that has to do with the matter. I would say that my relationship with money is confusing, and I don’t understand many aspects of it at all. Learning about it and how to properly take care of myself as an individual has been something I am slowly learning on my own. And I am everything but good at it. But working through this petal and the exercises that went along with it, I feel closer to understanding that relationship and how I want it to look in the future.

When it came to petal six, “places to live,” I found myself more attached to aspects of places versus actual places. Yes, I dream of living in Edinburgh, Syndey, and Osaka at some point in my life, but wherever I am called to, I will go. What I mean by this is that I want to follow opportunities, and I want to follow whatever in my life brings me joy. When it comes to physical places, I want to be somewhere that has lots of activities, great food, places to adventure to, interesting people, seasonal weather, and a place that celebrates holidays.

In making this list, I found what really matters to me is, in fact, the little things. I care about having fun things to do, trying new foods, meeting different people, and being in a place that loves Halloween as much as I do. Wherever I can find the little things that bring me joy is where I want to go.

Finally, on to the seventh petal, “purpose.” Although the idea of this petal is extremely overwhelming and, clearly, a very large and daunting question, I found this petal to be the easiest of them all. If there is anything I know about myself, it is my purpose. I might not know every aspect of my purpose in life, but I, at the very least, deeply believe that I know some.

As written in my flower: My goal, purpose, or mission in life is to…

“increase love, compassion, and beauty (in the form and legacy of art) in the world by deeply affecting individuals and evoking emotion and contemplation through my presence, words, and art. I wish to help individuals learn how to love themselves, each other, and the world around us.”

And I hope that one day, I will do just that.

The Scariest Flower

Posted on March 23, 2024 by lilly

Intimidation doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt looking at Robert Boyles’s ‘Flower Exercise’ from his book “What Color is Your Parachute?” Besides intimidation, I began with a positive attitude; I wanted this exercise to achieve something. I wanted to be able to unfold myself and benefit from this experience, but it was hard to have to sit there and think about yourself and eventually describe who you are.

A large portion of my alumni profile interview was very helpful and personal to me specifically because I felt like Mary Alice Miller understood the fear of graduating as well. We talked a lot about the plethora of options there are once school is over, and how overwhelming it can be. I’m afraid of missing out or choosing wrong (what could be wrong? Who is judging? Only me, really.) I care about so many different things and concepts. I want to try so much, but it’s hard to narrow down what I’m exactly looking for.

Beginning this exercise, there were a few petals that were easier for me to do such as ‘Geography,’ ‘People’ or who I would like to work with, and ‘Work Conditions.’ I’ve always known that I would thrive in a city; I enjoy the buzz of life. Since I’ve lived in South Carolina my whole life, I’m ok with the idea of moving and expanding my horizons for a job. Petals 3 and 4 were a little tougher for me to do because I felt as if my transferable skills were very limited. Even though we’ve worked throughout this Capstone to give alternative names to the skills that we’ve acquired as English Majors–specifically looking at “You Can Do Anything” by George Anders–however, I still feel like mine are all very academic based and limited.

Either my skills or my experience, I felt, is all limited to the academic field, but what else is there? I have been in school for the past 16 years, so it makes sense that a lot of my projects and activities are centered around school. Or my skills felt random or out of place. I spent three summers in high school as a summer camp counselor at Camp Gravatt in Aiken, SC. Parts of me feel like this time was silly, but realistically I learned so many leadership, organizational, and teamwork skills.

Part of Boyle’s methods for the job search and finding a career for ones’ self is practicing kindness toward yourself. “…feeling helpless is a state of mind that you can change. It starts by recognizing that if anyone has the power to make changes in your life, it is you” (27). Realistically, I have just started my career journey and I am not the perfect candidate right now. I cannot expect myself to be. Reading this book was a reminder that I have to be gentler with myself.

I expected to not have a good time doing petal 7 “Purpose in Life,” but I was pleasantly surprised by this part of the exercise. A large portion of the petal felt very grounding. It was like a reminder of who I am and what I believe in. It was nice to be reminded of the values that I appreciate and look for in life, even if I have a hard time incorporating them into my career. The questions and values Boyles brought up were extremely helpful in centering me and what I want out of life.

Similar to petal 3, petal 4 “Knowledges” made me feel silly, despite it being something I could easily fill out. At times I felt like the things that I know about such as Pop Culture and TV and movies aren’t necessarily transferable skills, but they’re what I love.

I, 2023, work with kids, even though I don’t plan on pursuing a career involving kids.

We talked a lot in my literary publishing class about how working in the book industry is about apprenticing and learning while on the job. Publishing, editing, and writing are some of the last jobs where apprenticeship is extremely important and it’s one of the best ways to learn. A lot of my early career might be waiting and learning. Doing this exercise has shown me I need to have faith in what I know and all my experiences have given me useful skills. This next chapter of my life will be a practice in patience, but I’ll be rewarded with knowledge.

The Flower Exercise and Law School decision making

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Michael

Throughout this semester, I’ve been balancing the CofC English Capstone curriculum with my personal plans. I’m set to go to law school, but there is still much to learn from our class. In “What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles, there is an activity called the Flower Exercise, which is a seven piece self-inventory meant to help individuals figure out what they are looking for in work. The Flower Exercise has helped me narrow down my plan and especially has helped me decide where I will go to law school.

There are seven overall petals, ranging from smaller questions such as “who do you want to work with?” to larger questions like “what is your life’s purpose?” For me, I felt as though I already knew the petals about my skills and working conditions, but two petals that taught me a lot were petal 6, “Places,” and petal 7, “Purpose.”

One of the biggest struggles for me right now is picking where I want to go to law school. I have consistently heard that where you go to law school is generally the state in which you will practice, and my interview with Morgan Insley, filed under the Alumni Profile section, confirmed this belief.

I knew that I wanted to practice in the Southeast, but that’s about all I knew. Undertaking petal 6, “Places,” I had to really focus – where have I lived, what did I like/dislike, what do I need vs. could live without – and that was something I’ve never thought about. I always thought I’d just stay in Richmond, my home town. That’s not off the table, but this exercise made me realize I might want to go further South. After careful consideration, I ranked certain things higher than I thought I would have – for example, nature. I put nature as the fourth most important thing. I have taken trips to visit my friends in New York and I literally had headaches every time and just couldn’t deal with the city. This petal exercise made me cut out those dreams that really just make no sense.

And yet, Atlanta still made it onto my list of top places to live. There are other factors that are even more important to me – a Jewish community is up at number two. I was raised essentially secular but have been moving towards Modern Orthodox practice for the past two years. I wake up every morning and attend shacharit services, among many other practices, and it has really changed my life. I realize now that going somewhere extremely rural or that simply does not have a Jewish community is out of the picture for me. It would make me unhappy in everything I do, and somewhere like Atlanta has a strong community.

teaching my summer campers how to put on Tefillin, a morning prayer tool. Masks b/c 2021

Then there’s petal 7, “Purpose.” This was the petal that took me the most time, because I had to push out the corporate talk that I’ve used for so many professional applications. Yes, the goals are important there, but there is more to my purpose than work. After careful consideration, I wrote out the main important things for me: a faith and community driven lifestyle, respect in both life and death, with physical and mental flexibility.

Yes, that’s relatively abstract, but those are the pieces that matter to me. It means that I want to be a daily congregant at a synagogue, where I can learn and connect with friends with a similar background. It means that I want to do good things for the people around me, being able to host or provide for others. It means that I want to treat people better than I do and feel good about how I act to people, whether they know it or not (if you’re dead, you’re probably not caring how I treat you…) And finally, it means that I have the physical condition to do what comes to me: whether I want to lay on the couch all day or play basketball (my favorite sport) with my grandchildren. It means that I can continue to push myself through lifelong learning, just like my grandparents – I never want to stop.

I am so glad for this exercise and will continue to revisit it as my plans change.

Beyond the English Major

ENGL 475 | Spring 2024 | MW 2-3:15 | MYBK 319 | Dr. Seaman

Category Archives: Field Report 2: Flower Exercise