My Puzzles - My Life

     When I was studying at the university, my lecturer asked me to answer this question: “What is the biggest lesson you have ever learned?” I told him that the most vital lesson I have ever learned is the importance of what we think. I said that because if I knew what people think, I would know what their mindsets are. I always believed that our thoughts make us what we are and our mental attitude is the factor that determines our fate. I even realized that the biggest problem people have to deal with-is choosing the right thoughts because our life is what our thoughts make it. Each of us, we have our own mindsets and over the years, we have developed certain rules to discipline our mind and filter information. Most of the time, we are doing our judgment and that judgment are driven by mindsets. Naisbitt (2006) has introduced 11 mindsets and after reading all those mindsets, I choose Mindset #5 “See the future as a picture puzzle” and Mindset #7 “Resistance to change falls if benefit are real” to be the most important and meaningful to me.

     My first puzzle in life started when I was born in a small village and grew up with my mother at my grandparent’s house. I started school when I was seven years old and during those days, I was a particularly distinguished student. My grades were good but obtained more by steady work than any brilliance on my part. I vividly remember my mother told me that I have to work hard because it is not easy to be rich and it is not difficult to be poor. At that time, there seemed to be an unwritten rule that I have to pass all of my examinations with flying colors. I dedicated this achievement to my mother and my grandparents, who were very supportive and concerned about my grades in academic. Although, they themselves never had an opportunity to go through formal education, but their endless support has given me an inspiration to succeed in the future. Childhood is such a memorable time for me, a time of discovery and innocence.

     My second puzzle created when I reached adulthood, my parents divorced and my grandfather passed away, a time when I experienced a roller coaster of emotions, a difficult time but it’s also a time of adjusting my feelings and awareness. There were times that I get bored and felt depressed, but my mother made my life better. As a single mother, it was not easy for her to manage our life but her spirit and encouragement was the only thing that brought me through. Those memories made a lasting impression on me and becomes the forces that have shaped me and as a driving force of my life. Her strength and passion acted as a trigger for me to look for a better future. Since then, I believe intelligence, talents, and abilities can be developed over time. I believe, abilities can be improved through hard work and persistence.

     I have created a few more puzzles while working as an administrator for almost 23 years. Working in various departments enabled me to deal with different types of people. When presented with an obstacle, my mindset tends to rise to the challenge. Often my mindsets do not fear failure; instead, I choose to see failure as an opportunity for personal growth. As mentioned by Naisbitt (2006, p.43) that the future is a collection of possibilities, directions, events, twists and turns, advances and surprises. According to him, as time passes, everything finds its place and together all pieces form a new picture of the world.

     As usual, whenever I have a group of people working together, I can expect that some sort of resistance will occur, especially when I wanted to make changes. I was trying to do some changes in the office when I was transferred to a new department. One of the changes that I wanted to do was to move a few sections to the other side of the office. I have to do that because the existing office was so crowded. It was not easy to do that because each person has his or her own ideas about how the work should progress or how things should be done. Each has different attitude, values, beliefs, mindset, and needs. Difficult people are everywhere and I have to deal with one. Difficult people are disruptive, and they always challenge my ability to accomplish what I need to do. I have to call a special meeting to enable me to make it transparent. I make it understood why changes are made and communicate the benefit of change. Then I realized that it is always importance of making benefits transparent before change can be expected to be embraced. Through that experience, I found that people embrace change when they truly believed they will benefit or when they perceived that it is to their benefit. As mentioned by Naisbitt (2006, p.57) that resistance to change falls if benefits are real.

     As a mother, I found that children nowadays are very demanding and difficult to deal with. It was very difficult to do some changes at home, especially when dealing with my children. They refused to adapt changes unless I make it understood why changes are made and communicate the benefit of change. Due to that I have learned to look for their resisting or if there are good reasons for them to resist. My mindsets begin in childhood and extend into adulthood. These mindsets can drive every aspect of my lives, with a wide range of influences including parenting, relationships, and work. The mindsets that I possess help me to achieve personal goals and dreams.

References

Naisbitt, J. (2006). Mind Set! Reset your thinking and see the future. NY: HarperCollins Publishers.