Musings of an Old Chemist

A Chemist's Perspective on the Habits and Skills STEM Students Need For Success

Tag: endothermic

  • Self-assessment Exercise Four: Practicing the Art of Self-reflection and Evaluating Your Openness for Change 

    Self-assessment Exercise Four: Practicing the Art of Self-reflection and Evaluating Your Openness for Change 

    For your consideration:

    “You know, to be able to do something great in your life, you’re gonna have to realize your failures. You’re gonna have to embrace them and figure out how to overcome it.” 

    – Dave Chappelle

    Introduction

    Honest self-reflection is a precursor to self-awareness and the starting point for our discussion of personal growth. To start to know yourself, you need to consider who you are and what’s important to you at this point in your life. This is the final of four exercises designed to encourage you to take the time to think about and identify your goals and motivations. This exercise is designed to help you understand the forces driving your pursuit of a key personal or professional goal. It may help you know yourself better, figure out your goals, and make more informed decisions about your future. It may also help you to develop a stronger sense of purpose and direction in life. 

    Key Points to Remember

    Be honest with yourself; there are no right or wrong answers, and no judgment is attached to your responses.

    Take your time with these exercises, thinking about what is important to you and why.

    As you work through each prompt, take a moment to record your thoughts. These reflections serve as a valuable resource when developing self-awareness.

    Self-reflection and Your Openness for Change

    Prompts

    Prompt #1: 

    Think back over the past year. List one thing that you wish you could do over. Did you react harshly to a person’s comments or criticize someone unfairly? Were you given an opportunity to display your talents and skills or asked to do something meaningful and, for whatever reason, failed to meet expectations? Is there a decision you made whose consequences did you more harm than good? If so, what did you learn from the situation? What could you have done differently? If this is a repeating occurrence or behavior, are you willing to and how do you intend to change your behavior in the future?

    Prompt #2:

    Is there someone in your past who has left a lasting impression due to their constant support and guidance? This person consistently stood by you during times of need, providing advice, emotional and financial assistance, all without expecting anything in return. Someone who may not have said what you wanted to hear at the time, but precisely what you needed to hear. How did you respond to their guidance: were you grateful for their wisdom, or did you harbor resentment? Do you consider this person to be a role model for you? If so, how have these interactions changed your perspective on life and working with others?

    Prompt #3

    List three things you value most regarding your personal growth, for example: Faith, Family, Financial Freedom, Recognition, Success. Now, look back at the past 2 weeks, what was your time investment on your personal growth process? How many hours did you dedicate to activities directly serving these three values? Which activity or relationship gave you the greatest sense of satisfaction or positive reinforcement (exothermic growth)? Was there a drain on your energy levels (endothermic growth)? What activity or relationship consumed the most of your emotional or mental energy, often leaving you depleted?

    Self-assessment Conclusion

    You’ve completed the vital work of moving from self-reflection to action by honestly considering answering these questions. You’ve identified and acknowledged any recurring failures and regrets (Prompt #1), influential mentors and guidance in your life (Prompt #2), and, most importantly, evaluated your personal energy investment (Prompt #3).

    As discussed in a previous blog post, the Law of Conservation of Energy applies to personal growth: you cannot generate more personal energy; you can only reallocate it to different endeavors. 

    Your life is subject to this law. Every time you dedicate mental or emotional energy to low-value activities or relationships that drain you, you’re experiencing endothermic growth; that energy is simply lost.

    Conversely, when you commit to activities aligned with your most important values—such as your faith, mastering concepts or talents, your family, or financial desires – you’re exhibiting exothermic personal growth. You’re releasing your stored personal energy, producing serious personal growth. While these endeavors may be challenging in the moment, this process (perseverance and resilience) builds the person you truly desire to be.

    With the four parts of your self-assessment now complete and your answers identified, the crucial next step is to actively pursue the traits, habits, and desires that will help you become your best self. We all need, no, we all must, stop passively waiting for change. So utilize this blueprint of your values and begin, right now, to invest your personal energy in becoming the person you desire to be.

  • Personal Growth as a Series of Energy Transformations

    Personal Growth as a Series of Energy Transformations

    The Law of Conservation of Energy

    Have you ever felt completely drained after a project, even a successful one? Or, conversely, felt energized and alive after tackling a difficult challenge? The reason for this might be found in a fundamental law of the universe: the conservation of energy.

    The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another. The principle of conservation of energy absolutely applies to the process of your personal growth. You can’t get energy out without putting energy in.

    In our chemical reaction analogy for personal growth, this principle is foundational. It means that the personal energy you have is a finite resource that must be accounted for. It can’t simply disappear.

    We can view our personal growth as a series of energy transformations. In this model, you are the most precious resource you have—your personal energy. Personal growth requires an investment of personal energy—your time, effort, focus, and emotional commitment—to initiate and sustain a change. The outcome you get is a direct result of this transformation.

    The key to living the life you desire isn’t about finding more energy; it’s about choosing where to invest the energy you have.

    Exothermic Personal Growth

    An exothermic reaction is one that releases more energy than it takes to get started. Think of a campfire: you invest a small amount of energy to light a match, but the fire then releases a much greater amount of heat and light. 

    Exothermic personal growth is a process that provides a net gain. In a highly efficient “reaction,” your invested energy is transformed into a net gain of new, positive energy. This is the ideal. It’s a process where your small, intentional investment of personal energy leads to a large and rewarding release of positive energy. 

    For example, the challenging work of learning a new skill that brings you joy, taking on a difficult but meaningful project, having a deep, honest conversation with your friend. These actions require effort, but the feeling of accomplishment, connection, and confidence you get in return is a powerful surplus. The emotional reward is far greater than the initial effort.

    Endothermic Personal Growth 

    An endothermic reaction is one that absorbs energy from its surroundings. Think of a chemical cold pack: it needs to absorb energy from the environment to become cold. The process leaves the surroundings with less energy. In a draining “reaction,” your energy is transformed into by-products like stress, frustration, and burnout. You put in a great amount of personal energy, but because the process is inefficient or misaligned with your goals, you are left feeling drained and with a net loss of energy.

    It’s when you are constantly investing a large amount of personal energy into a process or relationship, with very little emotional or mental energy being returned. This could be staying in a job that makes you miserable for too long, trying to earn the approval of someone who constantly criticizes you, or pursuing a goal out of obligation, not because you’re passionate about it. These are processes that leave you feeling drained. The energy you invest is not returned to you, or the products of the “reaction” aren’t worth the cost.

    Key Understanding

    In this analogy, you are the “chemist” of your own life. You can’t create more energy, but you can choose where to direct the energy you have. Your goal is to design a life filled with reactions where a small investment of intentional effort yields a significant release of personal energy, making the entire growth process both powerful and sustainable. To identify and pursue the exothermic reactions that fill you up and provide momentum for the next challenge. Just as importantly, you must recognize and minimize the endothermic reactions that drain your most precious resource: your personal energy.

    Personal Commentary: The Importance of Self-awareness

    I’m a perfect example of how the benefits of exothermic personal growth, such as accomplishment and confidence, can lead to negative outcomes. For much of my life, I have 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 my way the the best or only way and that 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.