It is said that Knowledge is Power. And I think that it is true in most
cases... the more you know, the better decisions you can make. 
I recently developed a special pack of cards for my students to use to help
them narrow down their college choices. It is based on a process called Top
Card or Animal Kingdom for figuring out personality priorities that help people
understand how they relate to their environment and the motivation behind their
behaviors. The idea is to imagine that all life is erased from the world as we
know it and only 4 species of animals can come back. If you want to be in the
world, you have to choose one of these 4 animals. They are the Chameleon, Lion,
Turtle and Eagle. Lions need lots of challenges, both academically and from their peers. Chameleons are looking to connect with others and collaborate. Eagles thrive in more structured environments, where they know what to expect, and Turtles, well, they bring their houses with them, so they make themselves comfortable wherever they are.
My clients LOVE working with these cards. It has helped us develop a type of short hand
as we discuss their choices of colleges, majors and ultimately careers. I also love
this system because every time I do it, I always learn something new about
myself. And because it isn't a forced choice, I realize that I have aspects of
all the other animals in my personality as well. The end result is a spectrum of information… “You have all
these skills, but when you are stressed you may lean toward using this
set."
Kids as young as 8 can answer the questions on the cards and sort them into
4 categories. It can be a fun family activity to find out which animal
personality fits you best. When the Turtle in the family needs some “shell time”
or the Lion starts to roar, it can also be a way to understand differences and
be patient with each other. These cards are now available as part of Kickstarter campaign (http://kck.st/1yR0VSl). If you would like to support the Animal Kingdom, please consider buying a pack. After the campaign is over the cards will retail for $20 and will be sold on bit.ly/animalkingdomcards.
