"It's hard to do the hard thing. That's why they call it the hard thing...Just jump into that cold pool of the thing you don't want to do, and if you can't, don't be too hard on yourself." - Hank Green
I've learned over the past few years that repetitive, consistent activity, repeated over long times, can produce results. I've managed to learn a healthy amount of Spanish that way on Duolingo. In this job, I'm obviously hoping to grow as a scientist, engineer, and educator. This means daily practice at the things I'm weakest at. Chip away, chip away, a little every day, and watch the results build up over time.
A few areas where I need growth:
- Expertise in designing and running experiments
- Advising students on research projects
- Working efficiently and getting things finished, even if I don't think they're 100% perfect.
For me, the key is to just jump in without thinking too much about it. My conscious mind is very good at stopping me before I commit to something. The solution, I'm finding more and more, is to jump in.
