What am I even doing here?
Most of the time I don't know what I'm doing here. I hardly know how I arrived here--life is funny that way. The best part is I definitely don't know where I'm going next. I've changed my mind so many times before and who knows when that'll happen again. The first thing I wanted to be when I grew up was a dolphin trainer. Typical, right? And then I wanted to be a veterinarian, until my mom told me I'd have to kill puppies to do that. It was ruined for me then. Next, I started watching Criminal Minds and that's when I decided I was going to be an FBI agent, work for the BAU, and catch serial killers. Then I realized I'm anxious walking down the street in the dark alone so how could I ever be tough enough to capture the likes of Bundy and Dahmer. Cognitive neuroscience was the next closest thing. Maybe I wasn't cut out for chasing criminals but at least I could try to understand their brains. Neuroscience was actually why I came to DU in the first place. After a few psychology classes and a stint in a psychology lab, I realized psychology is fluffy and boring and I also realized that I really just don't like people very much. Now it's my last quarter at DU, I'm about to graduate with degrees in Biology and Environmental Chemistry and I am applying to Ph. D programs in Marine Biology. I suppose I was always meant to be a dolphin trainer of sorts, although my career goals are a bit more ambitious than that now. It all came full circle for me, at least so far. Who knows if I'll change my mind again.
For someone like me who would literally sell their soul to gain gills and an ability to live underwater permanently, it is unsurprising that my favorite thing to do is scuba dive. I learned how to dive one year ago while living in Hobart, Tasmania and I have never enjoyed anything more. I made the right friends and was able to go diving at least once a week, sometimes more. During my time in Australia, I was even able to travel to the Great Barrier Reef and get a couple of dives in there. And yes, it really is as amazing and beautiful as you would imagine, probably even more so. The unfortunate reality of my current situation is that I haven't been on a dive in almost 9 months because I no longer live steps from the ocean. Regardless, one of my life's greatest goals is to dive all over the world. Thailand, the Philippines, Cape Town, Perth... I have an extensive list. Hopefully someday I'll have the money and time to make it all happen.
I pride myself on being an introspective person, although more often than not my introspection verges on detrimental overthinking. I feel as if I am constantly questioning my own actions, overanalyzing the choices I have to make and considering the possible motives of everyone around me. When it comes to thinking, learning and reflecting, I am very detail and fact oriented. I need to know all the available information because without all the facts I am very hesitant about making any concrete choice. Half the time when I go to restaurants I won't even order until I can ask the waitress multiple questions about each of my options. Yeah, I'm that obnoxious person everyone hates. I also tend to ask A LOT of questions. Do you know that phase every 2 year old has when they respond "why?" to every thing their parents say? I don't think I ever outgrew that phase. I am inquisitive by nature and I love learning; I truly love these things about myself and it probably explains why I never want to leave academia.
In this course, I hope to learn how to reflect more productively. As I said before, sometimes my tendency to overthink can be detrimental so I would really like to learn when reflection crosses that line. I would also like to learn how to use reflection as a way to cope with my personal life in a way that decreases anxiety and increases positivity. I think reflection is very important in day-to-day life because it helps us to consider our actions, determine if they were appropriate and leads us to make better choices or decisions in the future. I think learning from our mistakes is one of the most vital parts of the human experience, and this is essentially impossible without productive internal reflection.
Finally, I'd like to draw attention to the German phrase at the top of this blog: "Selbsterkenntnis ist der erste Schritt zur Besserung". This common phrase means "Self-reflection is the first step to improvement." I hope to embrace this philosophy on my 10 week journey.
For someone like me who would literally sell their soul to gain gills and an ability to live underwater permanently, it is unsurprising that my favorite thing to do is scuba dive. I learned how to dive one year ago while living in Hobart, Tasmania and I have never enjoyed anything more. I made the right friends and was able to go diving at least once a week, sometimes more. During my time in Australia, I was even able to travel to the Great Barrier Reef and get a couple of dives in there. And yes, it really is as amazing and beautiful as you would imagine, probably even more so. The unfortunate reality of my current situation is that I haven't been on a dive in almost 9 months because I no longer live steps from the ocean. Regardless, one of my life's greatest goals is to dive all over the world. Thailand, the Philippines, Cape Town, Perth... I have an extensive list. Hopefully someday I'll have the money and time to make it all happen.
I pride myself on being an introspective person, although more often than not my introspection verges on detrimental overthinking. I feel as if I am constantly questioning my own actions, overanalyzing the choices I have to make and considering the possible motives of everyone around me. When it comes to thinking, learning and reflecting, I am very detail and fact oriented. I need to know all the available information because without all the facts I am very hesitant about making any concrete choice. Half the time when I go to restaurants I won't even order until I can ask the waitress multiple questions about each of my options. Yeah, I'm that obnoxious person everyone hates. I also tend to ask A LOT of questions. Do you know that phase every 2 year old has when they respond "why?" to every thing their parents say? I don't think I ever outgrew that phase. I am inquisitive by nature and I love learning; I truly love these things about myself and it probably explains why I never want to leave academia.
In this course, I hope to learn how to reflect more productively. As I said before, sometimes my tendency to overthink can be detrimental so I would really like to learn when reflection crosses that line. I would also like to learn how to use reflection as a way to cope with my personal life in a way that decreases anxiety and increases positivity. I think reflection is very important in day-to-day life because it helps us to consider our actions, determine if they were appropriate and leads us to make better choices or decisions in the future. I think learning from our mistakes is one of the most vital parts of the human experience, and this is essentially impossible without productive internal reflection.
Finally, I'd like to draw attention to the German phrase at the top of this blog: "Selbsterkenntnis ist der erste Schritt zur Besserung". This common phrase means "Self-reflection is the first step to improvement." I hope to embrace this philosophy on my 10 week journey.
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