Life Long Learning: 7 1/2 Habits

Of the 7 1/2 Habits, the easiest habit for me is to accept responsiblity for my own learning. When I want to learn something, I know it is up to me to to do what is necessary to achieve that goal. I wasn't always like that. When I was very young, I was quiet and shy. I didn't like to ask about things that I wanted to know more about. I had to learn to be vocal or else I would not get what I wanted or needed. No one would just give it to me. I had always hoped that someone would notice that I was having trouble or had the desire to learn, but no one did. It took a lot of courage to step outside myself. Today, I try to be sensitive to students that may have difficulty asking for what they need. I try to draw them out and try to teach them reach out and ask the questions they have. I tell them to say what they want to know more about and not be afraid if they don't know where to start.

Of the 7 1/2 Habits, the hardest habit for me is to view problems as challenges. When a problem appears, I sometimes panic and become paralyzed in my tracks. Even though I have overcome many obstacles and seemingly insurmountable problems throughout my life, the panic and paralysis are "knee jerk" reactions for me. I think those feelings come from the difficulty I had as a child learning to advocate for myself. So many fears kept me from realizing some dreams. I have learned to cope with these feelings and learned strategies to get beyond the obstacles, but I doubt that I will be totally rid of them.