20040206 Personal inventory of intangible assets
February 6, 2004•309 words
Prompted by some principles of Carl Jung and Edgar Cayce, I'm going to take this opportunity for introspection and review to write what I am calling a personal inventory of intangible assets. It's a great exercise at any stage of life, but particularly important as a prerequisite to reintegration and wholeness, for finding a meaningful direction out of a transition phase such as the one I find myself in. Play along at home, if you like.
The first step is to recognize and iterate one's core attributes—those strengths which ring most true to sense of self. They need not be qualities which shine through consistently—in fact, one must take care to include those nearly forgotten for lack of confidence, bending to social pressure (accommodation), neglect while rather opposite strengths dominated, or any other reason. Dreams sometimes reveal core qualities or inclinations which haven't had the opportunity to flourish in waking life. Choose adjectives which convey a sense of your inner best self, that joyful self you know in your gut is how you were meant to be.
If you cannot, at first, list over a dozen positive inner attributes, you are short-selling yourself. Review memories of your finer moments; can you see what in you made those events possible? Examine some of your apparent faults to unearth the underlying strengths. Ironically, some of your best traits have probably been overdone, misused, or otherwise distorted and just come out looking bad sometimes. Discernment as the seed of being judgmental. Integrity as the basis of stubbornness. Spontaneity as the upside of poor planning. You get the idea.
Here is my personal list assembled over the last few days, in no particular order: reliable, intuitive, empathic, perceptive, flexible, innovative, loyal, deliberate, organized, kinesthetic, visual, compassionate, adaptable, curious, adventurous, patient, kind, supportive, creative, efficient, playful, articulate, open-minded, and objective.