Who I really am & what matters most to me.

As I sit here staring at a partially blank Microsoft Word document with the title: Who I really am – I think to myself, “Huh, it's funny how the word ‘really’ is incorporated into the topic title.” What’s the difference between who I REALLY am and who I am? Perhaps, the difference is how people perceive me and how I perceive myself? Perhaps, the word “really” is just a tactic to make us go deeper into reflection to write something totally kick ass.

The funny thing is I don’t think anyone REALLY knows who they are. Half of our lives we graze through life being told who we are, what we’re good at and what colors look the best on our skin. The other half is spent, for some, breaking free of what we’ve been told our whole lives and trying to make sense of it, incorporating our likes and dislikes.

Is this getting too deep for you? Do you need a shovel to dig yourself out yet?

Let’s get to the good part then: me. I mean, that’s why you’re reading this, right? Because you want to know who I REALLY am? Or, perhaps you think you already know? In any case, I’m not going to supply you with an inspirational three sentences encompassing my 21 years on earth. It’s not my style. What I can provide you with are events from my past that that make me who I am – or who I REALLY am.

We’ll start with the basics. I’m from Clyde River, PEI and am a fourth year PR student at Mount Saint Vincent University.

Growing up I had the pleasure of being the eldest of three children and seven grandchildren. Due to this, I developed “things need to go my way” syndrome at times paired with “I’m the oldest, so what I say goes” disease. I can remember a few years ago one of my best friends that lived across the street from me for 18 years told me that she hated playing with me as a child, because I was too bossy.

Sidenote: My tastebuds are telling me I need to consume a diet coke ASAP.

I dismissed this comment and focused on my own assumption which I had for the previous 18 years - that she hated playing with me cause’ I was fat and couldn’t participate in fun sports games.  Now I can go onto my next point about growing up (for which I created a brilliant transition). I was fat.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t due to eating too many processed cheese strings (which also happened as a child) it was from necessary ingested steroids to control lung deficiencies from which I almost died from at the age of three. Apparently I put my parents through much anguish as a child and nearly shattered their lives when the doctors told them I “wasn’t going to make it” and that they should “start making arrangements”.  Do you need that shovel again?

Coming back to the fat childhood remark – I will tell you to just watch an episode of “I used to be fat” on mtv.ca. It basically encompasses my experiences in elementary school.

Now that you know two things about my childhood I believe we know each other well enough for me to list some of the things that matter the most to me. (You’ve probably been wondering what they are, considering “what matters most to me” is in the blog title).

1.       Family and Friends.

2.       Traveling and experiencing the world.

3.       Having fun.

That’s a pretty basic/lame list eh? I contemplated putting “my coach purse” as #4 but felt as though it didn’t fit with the whole theme. In all seriousness, my family and friends are definitely the most important things in my life. (Big shout out to Mum, Dad, Alyssa and Mike). My parents raised us with great morals and values and have definitely played a large role in creating who I REALLY am.

My love of travel stems from an International Student Volunteer trip to Thailand I took in 2008 where I worked in a small fishing village working on community developing programs as a part of sustainable development initiative for the country of Thailand. The trip was definitely a fundamental pillar in creating who I am and steering me in the direction for my future.