Week 1 - Thing # 1 and 2 - 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning is something that I think a majority of us already value. Seeing as this is a Master's program, this is a path that we have chosen in addition to our undergraduate education. We decided to pursue a degree that would help us to continue to learn, and library and information science is a field that will help us to learn, and to teach others to learn, throughout our entire lives. I feel that I have many of the qualities and thoughts that were mentioned in the 7 1/2 qualities presentation. Some are definitely more present than others, but each quality is important and is something that I will work on developing in the future.

The quality that I think is the easiest is "begin with the end in mind". I am very goal-oriented. When I make a decision, it is usually because I have thought out what will happen because of that decision. It is easy for me to know what I want and to figure out the steps that will help me get there. I constantly make lists that will help me to accomplish my goals and often reflect on the actions that I need to take to reach my goal. (I also think that "using technology to your advantage" was another quality that I find to be very natural. I use technology constantly to find out more about whatever is going on in my life. I often use technology to help me to reach my goals and to make life a little easier.)

This brings me to the quality that I find the hardest. The hardest quality for me is "view problems as challenges". Although I am very goal-oriented and know how to reach my goals, I often have trouble when problems come along. I often view small problems as huge, which is not a good quality. I am a big worrier, too. The only good thing about this is that it helps me to keep the goal in mind and to get done what is needed. In the future, I need to view problems as learning experiences and not as a huge deal. Maybe one day...