Thing 1.

Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
-Confucius

This is my first blog for EDUC 5540 class. Blogging is something completely new to me, so bare with me as I might have a rough start. I couldn't get the audio to work for the slideshow for this first blog, but I was still able to view the PowerPoint with no issues. I really enjoyed the "7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners" presentation. As assigned, I will discuss my easiest and hardest habit. I started this blog with the quote from the last slide of the blog. I'm actually a really big fan of quotes. My freshman year of undergraduate school, I kept a journal with just quotes. I think I may go look for it, and see where my thoughts were during that time in my life. So, maybe I am not so new at blogging! I really like what Confucius says in his quote. Every journey must begin somewhere, which can apply to any goal in life. You just have to start somewhere; which is probably the hardest thing, actually starting!!

My easiest habit from the "7 1/2 Habits" presentation is probably Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind. I have always been a very goal oriented person. When I set my mind to something, I always accomplish my goal. I'm definitely not saying that goals haven't changed in my life. For example, 5 years ago, I never thought I would be in graduate school to become a Special Needs teacher!! However, different things in life have led me to where I am now, and nothing will get in my way of becoming an educator. I think it is very important to have an end goal. If you don't, then how does one know where they will go? Or what can be accomplished? If you set your mind to something, it's easier to set smaller goals to make it to your big goal!

My hardest habit from the "7 1/2 Habits" presentation is definitely Habit 3: View problems as challenges. If I ever come across a problem, I view it as something holding me back trying to prevent me from moving forward to achieve a specific goal. I know I need to work on changing my views sometimes, so this is something that I will definitely have to work on. If I look at problems as challenges instead of setbacks, then I will be able to overcome challenges easier than if I just viewed them as problems. Maybe I will just remove that word from my vocabulary for a while!

I am a big believer that everyone should use this approach to all aspects of life, not just with learning. This presentation has some really good advice on how to be confident with other areas in life. One might even use this presentation just to aspire to be a better person! I am looking forward to using this as a new approach to my overall outlook on life, and my outlook on education and learning.