Glyph Self-Portrait of a Leader

Although several elements of my two glyphs are similar, there are a couple of differences in how I picture myself as a leader.  Primarily, I drew curly hair on my most recent glyph and straight hair on my glyph from a year ago.  A year ago, I thought organization was more important in leadership and now,  I view creativity as a more important leadership quality.  I also drew mid-length hair meaning I was unsure if an introvert could be an effective leader but in my most recent one, I drew long hair meaning an introvert can definitely be an effective leader.  A year ago, I had a written plan about serving in leadership goals and now, I do not.  I think that is due to all of the leadership hours we needed to fulfill and now, the future is rather unknown.  For 3 months I will be out of town and haven't had the time to figure out how I can lead in the community I will be in.  However, I plan to find ways to be involved and to participate in a healthy leisure activity.  Sadly, a year ago today, I could name more themes from my StrengthsFinder assessment than I could now so my first picture has more eyelashes.  Since I did the assessment over a year ago, it was fresher on my mind but I would like to go back and review the themes of my results!  Something that stood out to me in both of my glyphs is that I drew a rounded nose which means that I thought a person could be a leader without seeing himself or herself as a leader.  I really think of this to be true now because I have been told several times during OT school from both peers and faculty that I am a leader; even a "natural" leader.  If you asked me if I saw myself as a leader a year ago, I would definitely say no.  I now feel that I fit more into the role with some of the tasks I've taken on during this journey and as I've grown in my confidence on all spectrums.  Another key similarity in both drawings is how I drew square faces which represents leadership stemming from nurture over nature.  This reflects my results on the Mindset quiz we took last year where I scored 100% growth.  Yes, most of my family is successful and intelligent but it never came as an inborn trait to me.  I always had to work hard and my dad instilled that in me my entire life.  I see myself as a lifelong learner, always eager to embark on a new journey that will teach me something along the way. 

Overall, seeing the two glyphs made me smile and feel sentimental about the life we've lived in OT school.  In the past, I often doubted myself and my abilities but throughout this program, I think I've found myself and each day I learn something new about my OT identity.  The journey has challenged me and pushed me in ways that may be uncomfortable but I have grown so much here!  I am very thankful for this activity to remind me of where I've been and where I will be!