Log #7

l   Ten abilities I should acquire in the future:

A.          Being tough and having good flexibility of dealing with pressure.

B.          Embracing changes and keeping flexible.

C.          Passing what I have learned to the juniors.

D.         Showing the attitude that I am more eager to make process than the supervisors do.

E.          Expressing my thoughts before asking questions.

F.           Planning before doing.

G.         Doing more without asking.

H.         Working together and establishing the ability of making structure.

I.            Discovering passion, self-communicating and self-recovering ability on the job.

Log #6

Recently, I am too busy to read a book; I decide to share my life of part-time job. Because I find that acquiring brand-new working skills inspires me more than reading book, there are some reflections to be shared in my next two logs. I always want to work as a chef of an American restaurant and pretend to sauté all kinds of food with my hands holding a pan upside down. As the beginning od pursuing my dream job, I started to work in Second Floor(貳樓) last month as a PT in the kitchen. After I have worked for one month. I come up with some thoughts.

l   Learning to get along with others helps me the most.

One of my coworker told me that there is no need to feel frustrated or panic about being a rookie in any new workplace. I ca get familiar with new job by time of accumulating experiences and hard working. However, I can’t stand the pressure from having a poor relationship with my coworkers, supervisors and even new colleagues after me.

First of all, the whole team needs close cooperation between each team member. If one of us doesn’t get along with others, there will be a communicational gap appear which can cause lots of time wasted and low spirit in the kitchen. Next, adopting proper words and attitude toward the supervisors is definitely a new skill for me to learn. Before I graduate from the college, there are few chances for me to experience the influence of using an un proper word. I always need to remind myself that the supervisors still my supervisors even we will have some jokes between each other. Because there will be now second chance upon you choosing the improper facial expression or speaking tones. Third, my supervisor often tries to encourage my colleagues to greet me with smile and passionate greeting words like “Good morning!” when I enter the kitchen every time. as a result, it’s important for me to pass the culture to the new colleagues because I understand the awkward and embarrassed feelings at the first time of being in a new environment.

One final speech related to our discovery project...

Dear all,

I came across with this speech by a 26 year speaker at NTNU. The whole content is 100% corresponding to our self-discovery journal.

http://www.rappler.com/technology/features/170997-mark-zuckerberg-commencement-speech-harvard-2017

Take a look. I believe you'd know that you could have done better. But bear this in your own mind.

Good luck!

Finally...

Dear all,

Since I am not going to have a formal class tomorrow, I'll be in the classroom since 9 o'clock,  meaning, you don't have to come that early (but the other half have to be on time for Gloria's class). Or you can come and work on whatever you need to, taking the advantage of the place and time.

For  your written project, please refer to my previous post for the structure (elements to be included). I will not have you fill in any survey, but then please give (in either Chinese or English) your feedback for the last project in the following aspects:

1.  Your general reaction to the self-discovery project. Do you think this activity can be kept for your juniors to do next year? Why?
2. Comparing this project to the previous (on a critical/social issue), which one do you prefer, and why?

Thank you, and see you tomorrow in the classroom.

Before you go, here is Zuckerberg's inspiring speech:
http://www.rappler.com/technology/features/170997-mark-zuckerberg-commencement-speech-harvard-2017

Last day of presentations

Dear all,

One group has seven presenters tomorrow, therefore we'd better start on time. Jenny, please help check out the equipment for me, and others come on time to help set the seats as we did last week. And, do remember to bring the note papers I gave last week. I'll also prepare blank ones tomorrow.

Come on! You are almost done!

The deadline to submit your final papers is 6/21; I'll be in the classroom, receive your papers, and to give you one last survey to fill in. The paper should include:

1. A cover page: the project title, your name, and class
2. Your concept maps, from draft 1 to the final version.
3. An introduction that tells the structure of your written project.
4. The main text.
5. References: a list of all the materials you have read or watched.

The last week, 6/21, is still a formal class period for the semester, and should be done as my responsibility. I plan to be in the class and see if any one of you would like to talk to me, about anything. No formal lecture, and you can come and leave freely.

ps. Sorry I can't give you the survey earlier, for the items need to be revised according to this particular project.

See you all tomorrow.

ConceptMap

Final Presentations I

Dear all,

Tomorrow, Presentations will  occur in two groups, two at the same time. So, I need one person in each group to hold the camcorder. The camera man has to catch the whole presentations and the Q&A time.  You can take turn to do that if one gets tired holding it. (I'd personally love to do it myself! It's really fun!)

Each person has 10 minutes (no more than 10 minutes) for giving the presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A. So, I also need a timer to keep the time.

During the Q&A session, I'll put a recording device (錄音筆）in each group and need one to hold it to make sure that the recording is clear.

I'll give you a peer evaluation sheet for you to note down the questions you want to ask or comments you'd like to give.  Before I collect the evaluation sheet, please tell which are the best two presentations you hear.

Finally, please upload your ppt on Moodle.

Thank you and see you all tomorrow!

With very minor change but clearer

Log #5

Recently, I ‘ve watched the video of Ed Helms Giving Knox 2013 Commencement Address. This speech is short yet powerful and inspiring. In addition to his great sense of humor, I like the idea he tried to convey. Mainly, he talked about fear. In the beginning, he said “Fear is good.” Hearing this, my mind was filled with confusion and curiosity. Why is fear good to us? Because of fear of failure, I step away from trying, refuse to make decisions. Then why is fear good to us? After his explanation, I knew I view fear in the wrong way: viewing fear as a feeling and emotion; as a result, I was affected emotionally. However, we actually have better choice to get along with our fear.

“All of that is to say, that fear of known physical danger is obviously warranted and needn't be questioned or overthought. But that other kind of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear that shuts down action without any real explanation. When you feel that fear, let it be a trigger for curiosity.”

“We should look at our fear not as a reason to avoid the things that frighten us, but as a reason to engage them.”

Ed Helm shared his story with graduates. When he was little, he dreamed to be a comedian and make great comedies. To pave the way for this dream, he started as a film editor assistant to make money. Although he encountered with many challenges, he made through it and even became an expert in that fields. However, when he finally got the chance to pursue the position he really dreamed of (comedian), he hanged back and started questioning himself out of fear. I think I can totally understand him. In front of the opportunity of what we truly like or long for, the more fear come to us because we are so afraid of screwing up our dream. As Ed mentioned “It hit me like a rock. Looking deeper into my fear revealed something I truly wanted.”, I think that is also what I exactly fear for. “When you fail at the thing you love, it isn't on the outside of you like dirt or spilled mayonnaise.” Since I planned for so long and worked so hard to get to NTUST, since here is where I had been dreamed about, I am so afraid of screwing this up that I chose to step back, not to make decisions; but in fact, I know, I am only escaping and not solving problems and only making me more ignorant. Rather than escaping from the problems, Ed talked to himself, talked to his fear. And he realized that if you let it, fear can become a kind of spirit guide on your path to a successful life because fear is a sign for us to identify our weaknesses, room for improvements; and if we could take it as our guide, it would make us stronger, lead us to success.

 “When you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.”

When facing fear, maybe I am still not brave enough; nevertheless, I realized I have different choices get along with it and expect to stopped running away from the opportunity to be my best possible self and even take it as my guide in the future.

“That tension will always be there, but so long as your desire to explore is greater than your desire to not screw up, you're on the right track. A life oriented toward discovery is infinitely more rewarding than a life oriented toward not blowing it.”

Log #7

I have watched a movie called “How to be Single” recently. Amazingly, I have got a lot of opinions and thoughts about this movie. The reason is that I have encountered a similar problem. I broke up with my ex-boyfriend on March in a bad way. And after watching this movie I became happier and more optimistic overall.

As I mentioned, I broke up with my ex on March, the main reason that he tried to cheat on me. At that time, I felt so tough and I suddenly blacked out. What’s worse, I started to act like a zombie, I don’t eat, I do nothing but sleep every single day. But, I realized I didn’t need to put focus on the man who was not worth it. I bestirred myself to read books, watch movie and hang out with friend. That’s why I have a chance to watch this movie. This movie is talking about a couple separated for a while to take a breath, but after they separated from each other, everything changed. When the women saw the man in a coffee shop, the man told her that he is seeing someone already and the woman of course felt sad and desperate. Then, she started to go to the clubs or somewhere can forget he pain. During this tough time, she has got a boyfriend as well, but she found that this is not she want at all. Finally, she realized that being single is not a bad thing, being single can do everything you want to try without others permission. You can go shopping any time anywhere as you wish.

        What’s more, there are one more connection between me and the main character: we have read the same book called “Wild.” I truly love this book, and it is also talking about a woman experienced many tough things so she decided to start hiking from the Pacific Crest Trail. I considered that was a hard and brave decision in her life. To sum up, I want to say that girls and women can be single and complete a mission or task by our own. Nothing is impossible until we have our own faith.

Log#7

President Ma's speech

    Last week I didn't go to the class because I went to an impressive and amazing speech. I am neither the blue party nor the green party. I went to this speech just because of the speaker's characters and the urgent problem we were facing nowadays. The topic of this speech is the cross-straight relationship and the international diplomacy strategy of Taiwan. Now, first I have to share the speech style of President Ma.  To our old assumption, politicians are always boring and serious. However, President Ma is totally a different person from that impression. During his speech, I could barely get any boring and dizzy feeling; instead, the humor and joke he used did gain our laughter. I can say that I was quite focusing on what he told in that 2-hour period. What's more, he is the most amiable president I have never seen before. I am not saying that other presidents are not friendly but he is really really approachable. From the news talked about him, we can know that he is really a kind person. I once saw that he sometimes took the MRT and he was just like a normal citizen; all he did was to line up and give priority to the elderly. Furthermore, I could feel that he tried many efforts to answer our questions, hoping that we could indeed benefit from his speech.

    As of the topic, I really get more information that I have never known before. President Ma said that we should fix our frozen relationship with China because this created better conditions for us. He didn't say that we should be united but said that we should be one friend of Mainland China. I agree his suggestion because China is a big market. Lots of industries, from entertainment to manufacturing, develop in China. Just look how the tourism industry goes after our cross-straight relationship gets worse.  He also said that his ideal goal was to build up an Asian educational center in Taiwan, which meant that more and more China as well as other countries' exchange students could study here. I think that education can really bring peace to the world. When students gather together and study together they will form the collaborative relationship. Then these highly knowledged people will have influences on their countries policy. They know that peace brings win while wars cause destruction. I think I really got a priceless lecture last week and I look forward to President Ma's coming next time.

期末報告順序

1(6/7)	馮若陽
2	江穎安
3	楊子慶
4	鄭光宇
5	李欣耘
6	鄭乃瑜
7	李建宏
8	吳停勝
9	鄧圓臻
10	高子晴
11	黃靖媚
12	廖名雯
1(6/14)	廖梓戎
2	康菁容
3	張雅雯
4	林佩甄
5	鄭馨
6	蘇婉榕
7	陳翰泓
8	鮑家安
9	葉欣柔
10	陳思伶
11	李靖誼

1(6/7)	陳亭君
2	劉又菁
3	洪承郁
4	廖元均
5	鮑鳳麟
6	戴婷
7	陳亮妤
8	陳宜萱
9	黃千芷
10	賴禹翰
11	曹兆盈
12	簡嘉慧
1(6/14)	林映捷
2	謝淑方
3	孫嘉芯
4	徐銘傑
5	顏冠睿
6	冉綺蓁
7	王穎心
8	黃威輯
9	劉湘淩
10	毛虹靜
11	林柔加
12	呂喬瑀
13	李昱

Here is the order of your final presentation. Please prepare well, thank you.

Log #7

I had finished the second book, Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior, from Dan Millman. This book pointed out some important paragraphs in his previous book and gave some annotation and explanation. The core value of this book is similar to the previous book so I won't explain the content again. However, through reading his books, I know clearly of myself that I really value the quality of life and inner heart. Since a few years ago, I tried to find the balance between my life and my heart. I used to study and major in design, but I found that I did not want to do design as my future job. So I took a year off and went traveling to Australia for six months. After I came back to Taiwan, I transferred to major in Language and started to learn in a new field. Along the way until now, I am always searching for myself and my career. I know there is no perfect and ideal job, but I still want to find my career which I meant to do rather than a job that I can handle.

I started to think about some possible choices which I am interested in. I am interested in learning languages, knowing people from other countries, meditation, and yoga, activities like free diving or rock climbing. Before last semester, I dreamed of becoming a dimplomat because I was interested in both language and culture. During the advanced writing class of Gloria's, I was searching for the information of this job. At that time, I found I was actually not interested in the content and the duty of this job.
So I started to look for another possible option. I later found another job I thought I was interested in- a public servant in immigration. I enrolled for a course to prepare for the exam. There were so many books and laws needed to remember. After digging into this field, now I am not sure whether being a public servant as my career can really satisfy myself even though the benefits and the salary are good.

I am a people with free spirit. Can I be trapped in such orderly and limited job?
Maybe I did not think of it thoroughly. I should not find a job only because the payment is good and I have the expertise in this field. But this is still an option for me to choose from since I am not a practical person. I always make the decision based on my feelings and I am too idealistic. Sometimes being practical and finding a suitable job are the ways you should do to fit in the society.

One teaching in the Peaceful Warrior is to find the balance between inner heart and reality. We do not only seek for material satisfaction such as wealth, power, and social status. We also do not go far way from the public and seek for spiritual demand. We combine these two needs to become complete and reasonable.

So for the present stage, I am highly interested in being a person who can help others to find their inner heart because I know the importance with my own experience. I am thinking about being a spiritual therapist using Tibetan singing bowl sound. I once took this sound therapy, and it really had some positive impact and experience. There are some training courses in Taiwan and in India. I think this is one path I can discover more in the future.

I am also interested in the jobs that I can participate in nature such as outdoor activities. I love nature, challenges, and knowing people. Being part of a worker in an outdoor activity company may also be a great choice for me.

Final formal class: readings to understand learning so as to prepare yourself for the 21st century

My friend, the COO (Chief Operation Officer) of one of the (few) technological tycoons based in Taiwan, once told me, to recruit a new member, she focuses on three things in the interview: Professional expertise, language and expressive ability, personality and character.  If you are still new in the professional field, she'd value the latter two. And you'd still have a very good chance to get in if you demonstrate your good character (integrity, attitude, and willingness to learn).  She herself was a law major before becoming an entrepreneur; it was the latter two characteristics that made her what she is today. This is a very inspiring sermon encouraging to you all, I guess. And Google said about the same thing:

1. How to get a job at Google
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-to-get-a-job-at-google.html

So what is learning in this fast changing world? There has been quite a few discussions in the field of education. So tomorrow, let' begin with the article:
2.  Education and accelerated change: The imperative for design learning
    https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2016/09/14/education-and-accelerated-change-the-imperative-for-design-learning/

And from this article, we can learn fast several important concepts via hyperlinks.
3. Design thinking: https://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what
4. Agile mindset: https://www.becker.edu/academics/undergrad/division-of-humanities/agilemindset

Finally, as a language major, how do you see yourself in the contemporary job market? And how and what to do to prepare yourself? (Discussion)
5. 11 reasons to ignore the haters and major in the humanities:
http://www.businessinsider.com/11-reasons-to-major-in-the-humanities-2013-6

"May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in." ------ Mother Teresa  先破而後立, 先打破你心中所有已知的任何想法, 如此才能擁有更大的世界.....（From 劉安婷's talk on TED)

Log #7

        Some people say that if you want to learn to love someone, you have to learn to love yourself at first. Few days ago, I just got home with nothing but tiredness, thinking about having a hot shower to relieve both my body and my mind. I like to think when showering. In the bathroom, I stood in front of a mirror, stared at the girl in the mirror, looked into the girl’s eyes. I saw through her inner part, filled with unconfience, insecurity, confusion, mess. I knew it at the moment, I disliked her. Yes, I dislike who I am now. Then so many “why” popped up in my mind. Why don’t I like myself? Why would I become the person I don’t like? Therefore, recently, I’ve been thinking about those why and my weaknesses.

        After past difficult time with hard work, I finally entered my ideal university. How come I become a person I don’t like and the person who are getting more and more unconfident and confused? To figured it out, I read many blogs from other classmates because I wanted to know how others explore themselves and learn form them. I am really touched from some blogs and feel better because I know I am not alone and there are partners facing same difficulties as I am. I am also impressed that so many classmates are really good at telling stories and reflecting. Many of them have well cultivated independent and critical thinking, which is what I lack of. Knowing this, I feel more unconfident. But in the meantime, I started to thinking about why some of them are so good at those abilities (independent and critical thinking, story- telling) and why I am not. Recently, I've read some articles related to how to cultivate independent thinking and connections between read and think. I found it is actually related to the capability of thinking and reflecting. So I realized that it somehow results from I am the person who has stopped thinking, stopped writing, stopped reflecting for so long. As I what I’ve mentioned in the last blog, I participate in different school clubs, holding various activities to make my life more colorful, meaningful yet busy as well. However, frankly speaking, busy as I am, I don’t really understand the meaning towards everything I dedicate to because I don’t meditate sometimes; or even I do, I don’t write those thoughts down. I let it be. I let life be. And I gradually realized that’s the problem. I usually let ideas stay in mind instead of organized them and write them down because I see it too troublesome. And thoughts which aren’t noted down are usually not be narrowed down or organized, either; therefore, they may stay in mind in a messy way and easily fade away with time passing. I am thinking that the above may be reasons why I am poor at independent thinking, and even poor at reflecting, which make me feel unconfident and ignorant in front of others.

        In fact, I do embrace the importance of reflection for human beings in life. Reflection reminds us of living more than just alive. It rouses our anger, sympathy, thirst, our all kinds of feelings, guiding us to find the meanings beyond surface. So when seeing a movie or reading a novel, what audiences really gain are more than the stories and the plots but also ideas and metaphor hidden in the words. Because we see, we feel, we reflect, so we would know who we really are and make improvement, make us better people. I’ve stopped writing reflection from movies, from books, from details in life for a quite a while. Now realizing such situation, I’ll try to back to write for the ability of reflecting.

Log #7

I’ve been thinking about what to write down in my newest log, and it’s taken me quite a while to decide that I want to talk about my future. We are required to talk about ourselves in our finals, and it has stimulated me to do a lot of thinking recently. The truth is that, in fact, I don’t know what to do with my future.

A lot of my friends have been talking about what they are going to do in the near future or even further than that, and they have all sounded so certain they have found what they want. I, on the contrary, have been so confused. I have had a part time job now in a political magazine company named Douwai for more than a year now. Even though I am not in the editing department, I have learned a lot from the office, that is, the way to interact with people, especially people you don’t necessarily like. Being in an office is like the reality hitting on me. I am a person who is clear with who I like and who I don’t like, but the society doesn’t allow me to do so. I have learned to respect people I don’t like, not trying to talk behind their backs even when they do (not that I have ever done that, I believe that is very low-class). Most importantly, I am inspired by one of my bosses very much. She is elegant, hard-working, incredibly intelligent, and she is just an amazing leader, and I always admire a classy woman who knows what she wants on both work and personal aspects.

I remember she invited me into her office to have a talk last year July. Her idea was to find out what I want in the future, so she could see what she could offer to help me. She started the talk by talking about her own story. She said she had a part time job in a magazine company in Southern America when she was 16, and every time an incident happened, she was always the first one rushing to the scene, trying to figure out what happened. She told me one time they told her a dead body was found by the river, so rushed to the scene. Nonetheless, her first reaction seeing the body was not being scared but curious about what happened to the person before he died. And she said that was the moment when she realized she was born to be a reporter. She now has been an official reporter for White house for more than a decade, and she said the point for me is to find my own “moment”.

Therefore, the question arrived. How do I find my moment? And the truth is for the past 6 months I have been seeking for the answer, but there is none. And it is scary. Throughout the 20 years of my life, I have never been really good at anything. I like all lot of things like, drawing, writing, and more, but I am not necessarily good at any of that.

I am terrified of ending up being mediocre. What if I am mediocre? What if this is it? I certainly don’t want to be that kind of women who get married right after graduating college and becoming housewives ever since. Not that I don’t respect people who make that kind of choice, just deep down I know that is not me, that is not my destiny. I want to always want more. I don’t need to be rich, but I want to be able to enjoy a little bit when I want to (Jokingly, just like my favorite comic Ali Wong claimed that she wanted to “be able to take a stroll on the sidewalk, see a quarter on the ground, and just keep on walking, like a princess”). I want to have a job that I would not mind working overtime. I want to still be passionate with my life 20 years later. I want to look back 10 years later and know that I didn’t have regrets and I didn’t waste my time on something I don’t want. I know so much, the only thing I don’t know is what I should/want to do in the future to achieve all the things I mentioned above.

I wish I know what to do. I wish I was at least gifted in some aspects. I wish there would be someone to tell me everything would be fine because this is the time when I really need some good advice.

Log #7

   




Recently I have read a book called "The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of leadership." I know, the book looks like it has no connection with self discovering. Well, it doesn't. However, in this book is one point about "love" that I found interesting, and the point can also come to explain my actions after knowing my true self.







The book, although talks about leadership, mentions that one needs to love in order to lead. The definition of "love" here is far different from what I believe. Cited from the Bible, "love" is patience, kindness, humility, respectfulness, selflessness, forgiveness, honesty, and commitment. Love is a verb and thus should be expressed with actions. Then, what does this have to do with  self discovering?

Do you love yourself? Do I love myself? Do I show patience and forgiveness to myself when I make mistakes, or I indulge myself in the self-blaming, self-doubting environment? Am I honest to myself? Do I keep promises to myself? Am I humble, am I respectful, am I selfless to myself? Do I accept myself? After questioning myself, I realize that I do not love myself enough.

If I loved myself enough, I would accept what I truly am. I would not blame myself so hard last week in the log. Now with the new meaning of love, I decide to embrace. Even though I am not courageous any more, even though the reality nearly defeats me, even though I almost lose direction, I have decide to love myself. Without these feelings, these situations, I would not be me. These experiences are valuable because they make me who I am. So, do I take actions? Yes, I would start to love myself.

Own Your Behaviours, Master Your Communication, Determine Your Success |...

LOG#7

Recently, the election of the new leader of the student association of the AFL.

One day, when I was going back to the classroom, I encountered the new leader. He asked me if I am interested in joining the student association. I hesitated for a moment. Then we added each other on Facebook. This can be considered as the biggest change I have ever made in my life. As a lazy person, I always keep myself out of public affairs. Because the first time trying it sucked. It was the graduation song back in my high school. I composed the lyrics. And the result was not what I excepted. And I even been complained for about 2 weeks. It was such an awful experience and it got me frustrated.

For now, I am already busy enough. And I don’t want any trouble. But there’s somewhere deep inside my heart always goes: “I cannot avoid this forever.” We all have to take part in some of the public affairs after we grow up. Whether it’s voting or even join the election. Later, we contacted each other. He said that there was still a vacancy of Activities Director. And he said that I looked a lot like a person who loves participating activities. It’s pretty interesting. Basically, except the classes, I have no contact at all. I asked some of my friends about this. They all said that when they first met me, they also thought that I am a party guy. Especially the ones I knew after entering college.

It’s cool, I think. Many of the teachers taught me when I was in junior high said that my vulnerability was caring too much about my reputation. I focus too much on how people’s opinion about me. If their opinions were not what I expected, I would be affected severely. Not only my mood but also what I would think. I would start to think about “why would they have such opinion about me? Have I done something wrong?”  Hence, my productivity declines.

I always want others to consider me as a good person. By good person I mean a person who is almost good at everything. Like personality, knowledge, attitude …etc. and I know that caring too much affects me a lot. So, I’m still figuring out how to stop caring. Maybe life would be better when I stop caring that much. But, who knows? Just gotta try.

Log #7

“Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me. Insisting on this story was a form of mind control, but for the most part, it worked.” 
― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

I was a girl who was timid and concerned too much. I was afraid to face challenges and to set out my comfort zone. Every time when I was forced to set out the comfort zone, I was anxious and nervous. Changing, in fact, was one of my nightmares. However, those feelings toward changing became totally different since I studied in the senior high school. 

Once I was nominated and had a chance to be a class leader. It was a heavy burden. I was so afraid that I would disappoint my homeroom teacher and my classmates. I was so stressed that I couldn’t sleep well in the beginning. Last, I could not bear the pressure and turned to my younger sister. It was she who gave me the courage. She told me to have faith in myself since my classmates had that faith in me. All the worries were just imagined by myself. Did not think too much and just focused on what you should do. After talking with her, I did relieve a lot and gain confidence. Also, I realized that I was not alone. I stopped concerning too much in advance. I decided to just do it first instead of imagining the worst result before doing it. I pretended to be confident because I thought that if I got used to pretending to be brave and confident, I would be courageous and confident truly. If there were difficulties, I would turn to others, asking their suggestions. Fortunately, there were kind and warm friends and classmates who were willing to help me, which I really appreciated. Finally, I got the good feedbacks from my homeroom teacher and the classmates. In addition, I discovered that taking challenges brought out another aspect of me. I discovered that there were more possibilities for me. Those I once regarded as impossible became possible in the end. When I recalled, I had done a lot of impossibilities. 

Since then, I have loved to take challenges. Even though I still feel nervous and anxious when taking challenges, I feel excited and expectant at the same time. I become more willing to try and learn new things. Tring something new and setting out the comfort zone make me realize more potentials in lives.

Log#7

Log 7

  After reading the novel Divergent, I couldn’t help but search for the series immediately. The second book of the series is called Insurgent. Although the book is mainly the story that is similar to the first one, it taught me a lot of lessons the first one did not.

 

1.      Leadership

As a college student, I usually hear people ask us to have a good leadership. However, being a leader is not as easy as people might think about. Actually, being a leader sometimes needs skills. In Insurgent, there is a leader from the faction of Erudite. She is one of the people who started the holocaust to Abnegation. She is really smart, but that’s all. She was a leader who would be willing to leave no means untried just to control everyone. After reading this books, I found that a leader should not be a dictator. People might not be obedient if you just keep giving orders.

2.      Being honest might hurt people.

In the book, the female leading role Tris killed her friend’s Christina’s boyfriend, Will. Although it happened because Will was the one trying to kill Tris first, Tris still feels really bad. As a result, when Christina asked her if she saw Will, Tris lied to Christina. She was afraid that once she tells the truth, Christina would be mad at her even it was just self-defense. However, all the truth came out when Tris was forced to insert the truth serum. She told the truth that she killed Will. Christina did not talk to her anymore.

As for Tris’s boyfriend Tobias, he noticed that there was something wrong about Tris, but he was truly surprised that Tris kept the secret to herself. he was frustrated, but he decided to forgive her in the end.

From these two perspectives, I realized that truth sometimes does hurt people. However, not telling the truth will make things worse and give people unnecessary hopes. It is better to tell the truth so that you will always feel guilty for the rest of your life.

  In the parts I just read, these two are the most impressing things I learned. I think that they are important lessons for me to keep learning in my life. Since I might get the chance to become a leader or the chance to decide whether to lie or not, I will choose better ways to deal with them.