Question: What do Twitter, Elias Porter’s Relationship Awareness Theory, strengths development and Grove City College have in common?
Answer: TotalSDI and #ImOkay!
Most people want to understand themselves and others. Each person is unique not only in their looks, but also in the way they think…the way they process social interactions and conflicts. Humans want to discern and know, to create and break through. So, how does this happen?
Personality, aptitude and strengths inventories have become increasingly popular over the past decade. One such resource is TotalSDI. TotalSDI was originally created for corporate team and leadership development, most recently going corporate-wide with Twitter! After using MBTI and StrengthsFinder with mentor students and my dad’s senior seminar classes, GCC now has access to TotalSDI. As a certified SDI facilitator, my mom is bringing TotalSDI to GCC in a new personal development mentoring program for young adults.
SDI combines three personal inventories and examines motivational value systems and conflict sequences. Strengths and overdone strengths are integrated in self-assessments, forming a ‘picture’ of each person’s primary value focus of people, process or performance.
In my Technology for Entrepreneurs class, I decided to create a social entrepreneurship company that combines discovery of personal strengths development with awareness and acceptance of human insecurities. My friends and I have completed SDI and are now able to understand each other better, but also more easily avoid and manage conflict. My t-shirt brand #ImOkay combined with SDI opens conversations about being comfortable with who we are and celebrating our differences.
When I think about my own insecurities centered around my anxiety disorder, I remember all of the years that I struggled with self-confidence and acceptance of who God made me to be. Learning about my personal strengths and God-given abilities has helped me to understand that I truly am okay, which is why I decided to label my t-shirt brand #ImOkay. SDI goes hand in hand with #ImOkay, and we are blessed to be able to offer SDI at a deep discount to GCC students, faculty and staff who join
the #ImOkay revolution ($25 compared to the normal $100).
Psalm 139:14 teaches that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image. We are each created for specific purposes in His Kingdom. Strengths exploration, relationship awareness and acceptance of what we consider to be out “flaws” is the foundation for this innovative social entrepreneurship project that we are proud to bring to GCC in 2017.