by Matthew Kerchner, University Division Academic Advisor

The most fundamental three questions you are going to ask yourself are these:

Who am I?
What do I want?
How am I going to get it?

The interesting thing is that you will spend the rest of your life asking these questions. You can answer them now, and should. But you will ask them again and again as you grow and change and your priorities and goals evolve over time. Life experiences and living with decisions that you make will impact how you see yourself, your role in the world, and the challenges you want to accomplish.

Everything unfolds from these central questions. Whether it’s getting a college degree, traveling overseas, finding a partner, developing a hobby or nurturing an intellectual or creative talent, it starts with these questions. From these, one decides priorities and then investigates the necessary steps to achieving goals.

Consider taking time at the beginning of each semester to ask yourself these questions. What priorities emerge as you answer them? Are your classes and extracurricular activities reflective of these priorities? Are you prepared, in terms of skills, time management and other resources, to be successful in taking on these challenges?

The world around you will continue to change at a rapid pace. Taking time to answer these questions every so often can help you stay centered and focused on the decisions and actions you want to take in order to fulfill both the small tasks that take up one’s days and weeks and months, and the larger dreams you have of the life you want to live.

Not sure how to begin? Use the Aspirational Resume, an IUB app that guides you to think about what you would like to do during your time at IUB. You can update it is often as you like. Submit your Aspirational Resume to your advising record (AdRx) and then schedule an appointment with your advisor to share who you are, what you want, and seek advice on how to get it.