Personal Growth Program
The Office of Student Affairs is excited to partner with you and offer an optional program on Personal Growth. The Personal Growth Program is an opportunity to assist you with self-exploration, self-awareness and self-esteem to increase your skills and fulfill your personal goals. The process of exploring your innermost self to attain a purpose or a goal, especially in the pursuit of clarity and passion in life, is important. A focus on your personal development alongside professional development helps create a well-rounded physician.
Motivation/Passion (September)
Motivation allows you to increase your creativity, expand your goals/pursuits, develop your skills and improves your engagement with others and your environment.
Read: How to Keep Working When You’re Just Not Feeling It
Listen: OSA Insider Podcast: Finding Your Passion
Action Items:
- Motivation Style Quiz - What's Your Motivation Style? Quiz
- Learn more about Motivation Styles - Differences of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation - Simply Psychology
- Pick a Theme, Image, Music Lyrics or Quote for this year.
- Need help? Check out - https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/motivational-quotes
- Identify 1 person who is a POSITIVE person in your life. Positive support enhances your positive self-talk.
AAMC Spotlight: Aisa Iyawe
Purpose/Vision (October)
Purpose is the reason for which something is done or created. Vision is an imagined mental image of something.
Our personal purpose can serve our personal vision for our future self. Many students (and people) find themselves asking “why am I doing this” or “what do I want.” This is where examining our personal purpose and vision becomes helpful to support not only our professional goals, but our personal ones too.
Read: Start Finding Your Purpose and Unlock Your Best Life (betterup.com)
Listen: OSA Insider Podcast: Your Personal Mission Statement and Brand
Action Items:
- Explore your Purpose: Purpose in Life Quiz
- Write a purpose statement: Purpose Statement Map
- Check out UMB and SOM Opportunities to support your BRAND and MISSION
AAMC Spotlight: Eliana Garcia
Time Management (November)
Time Management is the skill of organizing and aligning your tasks and objectives into a schedule.
Benefits of Time Management: Reduces stress, provides a sense of achievement, allows you to meet your GOALS, VISION, and PURPOSE (see October.)
Read: Time Management Tips for Your Personal and Professional Development
Listen: OSA Insider Podcast
- Episode 92: Improving Your Organization and Time Management Skills (libsyn.com)
- Episode 78: Efficiency and Time Management in Clinic (libsyn.com)
Action Items:
- QUIZ: Test Your Time Management Skills
- Print and tag somewhere visible: Time Management Tips
- Smarter, Not Harder
- Check out UMB and SOM Opportunities to support your BRAND and MISSION
AAMC Spotlight: A Medical Student's Reflection on Time, Our Scarcest Resource
Optimism/Positivity/Happiness (January)
Positive psychology: "a branch of psychology focused on the character strengths and behaviors that allow individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose - to move beyond surviving to flourishing." - psychologytoday.com
Benefits of Optimism-Positivity-Happiness: “Happy people live with purpose. They find joy in lasting relationships, working toward their goals, and living according to their values." psychologytoday.com
Read: Being Happy Takes Practice | Psychology Today
Listen: OSA Insider Podcast
Action Items:
- Happiness Quiz: How Happy Are You? | Psych Central
- Strategies to Improve Happiness: 5 Ways to Feel More Positive Emotions | Psychology Today
- Avoid Toxic Positivity: Toxic Positivity by UMB Counseling Center
AAMC Spotlight: Attitude of Gratitude: How Just 3 Minutes Per Day Can Increase Joy, Happiness and Resilience | Students & Residents (aamc.org)