Commentary On Essential Skills
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to learn many skills, from operating and maintaining advanced analytical instrumentation to chemical applications development to curriculum design. Yet, I did not develop the foundational “soft skills” I needed to be successful. Yes, I had the communication skills; I could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo, as one of my administrators used to say. I was passionate about solving problems, and I excelled at critical thinking. But no one had discussed with me, so I never truly developed the skills of perseverance and resilience. Nor did I recognize the dangers of my pride and the importance of humility. The lack of these traits caused me to struggle, to alienate the people I worked for and with, and when things got tough, to give up and switch directions, never accomplishing what I intended to do. Additionally, I was not introduced to the concept of self-awareness until late in life, a skill that would have assisted me greatly throughout my career.
It has only been in the last 10 years that I have realized the accumulation of knowledge (hard skills) is not enough to insure personal success and just how important it is to develop these soft skills, and learn how we can nurture them throughout our lives, starting at an early age.
Commentary on Mindsets
When there’s a setback, someone with a fixed mindset will start thinking, ‘Maybe I don’t have what it takes?’ They may get defensive and give up. A hallmark of a successful person is that they persist in the face of obstacles, and often, these obstacles are blessings in disguise.
Carol S. Dweck
I encourage you not to give up, not to get defensive, because you do have what it takes. The key is changing your mindset, your perspective. The question now becomes: “How do we change our perspective from a fixed to a growth mindset?” It is not an easy process, especially if you are older, like me, and have had a fixed mindset for a long time. It begins with the understanding of the fundamental difference between the two. Once we have identified and understand the characteristics, we must take action, invest in the process of changing how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. It is crucial to prioritize effort, it’s hard work, and understand that your effort leads to expertise.
The next step is difficult and requires a significant change in our perspective, recognizing that we are not perfect, admitting that we have our weaknesses, and that we make mistakes. Then put in the effort to analyze your mistakes as lessons, not failures. Value the process of learning from mistakes and setbacks as essential components of progress.
I believe that it is important to focus on “deep” learning, not quick results. In college, I coined the phrase: “memorization then regurgitation” for those students who would memorize whatever was required for a test but never retain the knowledge past the end of the semester. I’ll admit my brain does not work that way. I needed to truly understand the material, much of which I still remember to this day, 45 years later. So the lesson in this is, instead of fixating on achieving a specific result, a certain test score, direct your energy towards acquiring knowledge, honing your abilities, and refining your strategies along the way.
Lastly, embrace personal accountability, take full responsibility for your actions, decisions, and their subsequent consequences. Shift your perspective from viewing yourself as a victim of circumstance to empowering yourself as a creator of your reality. Once again, this is not an easy task, especially if you’ve had this perception of yourself and your circumstances for an extended period of time, in some cases years. But, you can do it.
Commentary on Learning From Mistakes
As I have gotten older, my perspective has changed, and I’ve come to recognize and admit to myself the mistakes I have made over the years. I have always been able to apply the concepts of error analysis throughout my career. When it pertained to recognizing the weaknesses or failures in an analysis, it was one of my most recognized capabilities. I prided myself on my ability to apply the Scientific Method to almost any situation. However, very seldom did I apply the same skillset to my personal life.
When we fail, especially in our careers or our personal lives, it is very easy to blame someone else, our boss, a coworker, our parents, spouse, or significant other. We may blame the situation we were in as if it were out of our own control. We blame anyone and everything in order to deflect the responsibility for our mistakes and failures from the person responsible, ourselves. I readily admit I am an example of these same habits.
The personal trait of self-awareness, which I will discuss in detail in a later post, allows us to recognize and acknowledge our weaknesses as well as our strengths. It acts as our internal GPS so to speak, showing us where we make a wrong turn in our lives and directing us back on track. Learning from each misadventure, becoming more humble, less arrogant and prideful, accepting blame where it is needed, and leading us on the path to wisdom.
I am nowhere close on my journey of personal growth, but I do believe I am getting better at admitting my mistakes and attempting to learn from them each day. And, hopefully, by doing so, I am a better person today than I was yesterday and will be an even better person tomorrow.
Commentary of the Essential Traits for Personal Growth
I would like to think that my foundational skills were sufficient for me to succeed. I was, and still am, extremely curious about the subjects I am passionate about. I still keep up on discoveries in chemistry, physics, and education, and have acquired new interests such as gardening and writing, with this blog being an example.
I had the passion for solving problems throughout my childhood, then, nurtured in college under the mentorship of Dr. Walkup and then the technical training I received in my years with Hewlett-Packard’s Analytical Products Division, it has become a major strength.
Looking back, I can clearly see my past and present weaknesses. While my passion for learning is a strength, I’ve always been an independent learner, often to a fault. This reluctance to seek direction or advice from others is a significant weakness. I cannot stress enough the importance of developing and nurturing the skill of asking for guidance and humbly accepting instruction without defensiveness. My pride and arrogance led me to believe I knew more than those around me, and I deeply regret the missed opportunities to learn from them.
Commentary for the Introduction to Personal Growth
You will not always know which path you should follow or what role you are meant to play. It is only natural for you to make some wrong turns in your journey and at times feel lost. But it is so very important to realize these missteps, whether they are small or large, are valuable learning experiences. They teach us to be resilient and the importance of adaptability and self-correction – all benefits of practicing the art of self-awareness. And sometimes, regardless of the path we follow, we end up exactly where we are meant to be. Meaning we can’t always control the circumstances and situations we face in our lifetime; the best we can hope for is to be the best version of ourselves at the end of our journey. Knowing your own limitations is valuable; it requires an understanding of both your strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of what point you’re at in life, frequent self-assessments can be beneficial. To get started, you’ll find one on the Self-assessment page of this blog.
Commentary On The Key Components Of Personal Growth
Let’s be honest, most of us, myself included, have at some point in our lives created unrealistic expectations about how quickly we should be able to master something – studying for an exam, getting a promotion, completing a training course. Perhaps it’s “I expect to be paid ‘x’ number of dollars for working as a (fill in the blank) because they’re lucky to have me.” Or, “I shouldn’t have to start at the bottom and work my way up, because they’re lucky to have me.”
Growing up I put all my effort into meeting the expectation of others, especially my parents, while neglecting the other supporting components of the personal growth building . My dream to attend medical school and become a doctor was totally based on my parents expectations. I never had anyone talk to be about aspirations or how to set and act on goals. My motivations were entirely external, again meeting my parents expectations. Everything I accomplished – science fair awards, winning speech contest entries, and my Eagle Scout award was to please my parents.
The first semester of my freshman year at college I had two science courses, PS 11, Introduction to Physics with a Lab and Organic 1. Due to my sheer arrogance, being extremely overconfident in my knowledge of the subjects, my lack of study skills and having never written a research paper in my life, I received a “D” in both classes. My accumulative grade point average for the semester was a 2.0. All my dreams of attending medical school, meeting my parent’s expectations were flushed down the proverbial toilet. My sense of self worth, again based on pleasing my parents, was severely shaken. I lost all my self-confidence and considered not going back to college for the winter semester.
I’m not saying that trying to meet your parent’s expectations is a bad thing, but it should only be part of your makeup, everything needs to be in balance, I should have developed internal motivations, understanding what truly made me happy, recognizing where my passions truly were and acting on them. Building on those passions a sense of self-worth that could not be shaken even when faced with adversity.
Commentary On The Relationship Between Perception, Perspective, Expectations, and Motivation
A common theme that I heard during the time I was tutoring students, and even from my grandchildren when talking with them about their classes, was their perception of their teachers and their teacher’s expectations for them.. It seemed that if their teacher’s expectations required them to follow strict guidelines as far as classroom behavior, no talking or no cell phones, for example, or the timely submission of homework to receive full credit, then the teacher was being “mean.” And, I imagine the same concept applied when our parents said we had a certain curfew and they held us accountable when we were home late; were they being “mean”? If we had a brother or sister who got to do something that we weren’t allowed to do because they were older or there were special circumstances were our parents being “mean” then as well? And as we become adults and enter the workforce, if we submit a request for certain vacation days and our supervisor denies it for whatever reason, are they just being”mean”?
How we perceive situations that don’t go our way, or there are expectations for us that we disagree with, whether it is for our behavior or our performance, as a son or daughter, as a student in the classroom, or the workplace, is critical to our success in life.
I never struggled when it came to my perception of what my parents or my teachers expected of me. It was a combination of respect and fear as it pertained to my parents; I could not bear to disappoint them for fear of the consequences. I spent most of my life trying to meet the expectations of others. It’s only in the later years of my career when I admit my arrogance and sense of self-importance led me to question or rebel against the expectations of others above me. Never perceiving them as being “mean”, but simply that their expectations and requirements did not apply when it came to me, which is even worse.
So if you’ll allow me to make the following observation based upon my years of experience, my successes, and my failures. When dealing with someone’s expectations for you, regardless of the circumstances, see it as an opportunity for growth. Before you react, ask yourself why these expectations exist, and how you can utilize the situation to make you better, as a student, an employee, or as a son or daughter. You are the architect of your personal growth and only you are responsible for creating your blueprint for success.
Commentary on a Step-by-Step Procedure for Personal Growth
So, how does this concept of a detailed procedure apply in our chemical reaction analogy of personal growth? I can honestly say there were points in my life that I had no idea what I was supposed to do, what decision to make, what path to follow. I wished I had had a detailed procedure to follow, a document that told me what decisions I should make, and when, to obtain the goals, and the success I was seeking. A set of step-by-step instructions defining what skills and traits I needed to possess, and the decisions I needed to make. And more importantly, I could’ve used a sources of error section that identified what mistakes I might make, describing how to, if not avoid them, deal with them constructively and not get sidetracked on my journey.
But, as I have learned and become painfully aware of at times, there is no one universal set of instructions we can follow for personal success. While there are plenty of books written on the subject, not one is universally applicable to each of us, with our individual personality traits, gifts, dreams, and aspirations.
Commentary on Conservation of personal Energy: Role of Self-awareness
I’m a perfect example of how the benefits of personal growth, such as accomplishment and confidence, can lead to negative outcomes. For much of my life, I made the most of my God-given intelligence and my ability to grasp and explain complex concepts, gaining recognition and self-confidence. However, as this recognition grew, my self-confidence transformed into arrogance. I stopped recognizing and acknowledging my weaknesses, believing I no longer needed others’ help. This led me to forge ahead alone, alienating people and ultimately causing my failure. The very processes that were initially energizing became draining, leading to frustration, resentment, and the abandonment of those career paths.
At the time, I blamed others for my setbacks. Now, with age, wisdom, and a new perspective, I realize I was my own worst enemy. This highlights the critical importance of self-awareness in navigating our lives. It shapes our perspective, ensuring we neither waste our energy nor allow positive, personal growth to become a long-term detriment. Self-awareness is the key to developing our action plan, the specific steps and habits we need to follow, the “procedure” in our chemical reaction analogy of personal growth.
Personal Commentary on Safe, Secure, and Supportive Environments for Students
During my tine teaching middle school science, I was mentored by a teacher who advocated for a pass/fail grading policy for students during their middle school years, grades 6-8. He believed that the significant emotional and developmental changes experienced by students aged 12-15 made it more important to focus on building essential communication, study, and critical thinking skills rather than pressuring them with specific grade requirements. He also pointed out the growing number of students facing poverty, living in single-parent homes, living in fear of abuse, and dealing with various crises, leading to a lack of sufficient rest, parental support, and proper nutrition. Citing Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory, he argued that these stressors needed to be addressed before students could be expected to achieve academic excellence in the classroom.
Commentary on Nurturing Young Minds Through Science
The students’ initial reaction to observing spectral lines through diffraction grating glasses was truly captivating. It felt as though I had opened up an entirely new world for them. There was no immediate need to delve into the scientific explanations behind the spectra’s generation; the demonstration’s primary goal was to cultivate the joy, awe, and wonder inherent in scientific discovery. My experience often reveals that many high school and college students prioritize grades over a sense of wonder, potentially finding such a demonstration unengaging or even dull. However, sometimes the simplest method for explaining complex phenomena is by nurturing the innate sense of awe and wonder within us all.
Commentary on Creative Problem-Solving: Answering the Question “What if?
Since retiring, I’ve dedicated myself to two main passions: gardening and assisting family members with their electronic devices, whether it’s installing new televisions or troubleshooting computer issues.
When it comes to gardening, I’ve noticed that many gardeners simply follow seed packet instructions and use the same soil mix year after year. If a plant doesn’t thrive, they often blame a “brown thumb” or the weather, sticking to conventional methods.
However, my goal is to become a master gardener. I’m deeply committed to researching soil science, meticulously tracking the microclimates within my raised beds, and experimenting with companion planting. I view a struggling plant as a puzzle to solve. I’ll test and adjust the soil composition, fine-tune its pH, or even construct a custom cold frame. By leveraging research and divergent thinking, I’ll integrate chemistry and construction to boost my garden’s yield and deepen my understanding.
When my family and friends encounter issues with their electronic devices, I’ve observed a common tendency: they often consult installation instructions and rarely attempt to troubleshoot problems independently or consider unconventional solutions. While they can resolve straightforward issues, they tend to give up when standard steps prove ineffective.
In contrast, when faced with a computer or electronic device problem, my curiosity drives me to delve into user forums and perform internet searches. I’m not just seeking a solution; I’m driven to understand the root cause of the issue and how to prevent it. My approach goes beyond merely fixing the problem; I want to comprehend why the failure occurred. This involves using divergent thinking to connect various hardware failures and device programming issues I’ve seen in the past, and asking the question “What if?”, to devise and implement a solution. By making the extra effort to learn and understand an issue, I can effectively explain the solution to my family, teach them how to recognize the problem should it arise again, and enable them to either avoid it or, in a worst-case scenario, correct it themselves without my help in the future.
Commentary on Calculators
I believe it is crucial to learn how to evaluate a graph, a skill that goes beyond just plugging an equation into your graphing calculator and seeing the resulting graph on the screen. I had a Physics professor at Centre College, Dr. Marshall Wilt, who insisted that we learn how to graph and interpret the experimental data we obtained in the laboratory, as well as the relationships between small changes in inputs and the resulting output for equations such as the distance equation: ( ). Albeit this was in the late 1970s, before graphing calculators were available, this was a skill that I used throughout my career.
I must admit I am not a fan of the Ti-83/84 series of graphing calculators, perhaps because I have not used them as much as the students I‘ve tutored. I use the Ti-30 series for calculations, and for graphing functions, I use Desmos (www.Desmos.com), which I find to be a powerful tool that produces graphs I can easily manipulate and that are easier to see on my computer screen. I recommend it to every student I work with.
Learning to evaluate graphs, regardless of how they are produced. Understanding the data they represent is a critical skill, useful, for example, on the ACT Science section, where graphical interpretation determines the correct answer.
Graph concepts such as slope and y-intercept play an important role in data interpretation, especially in chemistry, where they represent the reaction rate and the endpoints of a reaction.
