first try and identify what you think is important and interesting: follow your intuition and passion.
- What are your accomplishments? Why do think of them as accomplishments? How did you achieve them? What lessons did you learn in achieving them? How did achieving these accomplishments change or help you grow? Don’t limit your accomplishments to just conventional things (good grades, sport success, etc.).
- What are you most proud of, or even secretly proud of?
- Think about times of struggle in your life. How were they difficult? How did you react? What did you learn from those experiences, and from your own reaction to them?
- Think about times of joy and happiness in your life. What were they? How did they come about? What did you treasure about those moments? What did you learn from them? How do they affect or motivate you today?
- Think about art. What is your favorite book, movie, painting, sculpture? Who is your favorite artist? How have your experiences with art affected, changed, or motivated you in life? How has it affected your own efforts to create art?
- Which of your extracurricular, or non-school activities is you favorite? Which activity most satisfies you? Which do you feel most powerfully communicates who you are and what you believe in? What challenges has this activity forced you to overcome? What have you learned from your experiences in this activity?
- Focus on your dreams. When you look back on your life, what do you hope to see? Don’t just think about your career; think about your life?
- Think of an experience that most defines you: the way that you see the world, your personality, your connection to your family and community, your hopes and dreams, etc.
- Have you ever experienced a moment of revelation or epiphany, in which a great understanding suddenly came to you? Describe the experience. How did it change you?
