George Kohl #2

I have continued to have to the opportunity to regularly chat with my mentor, Marty, whom I more fully introduced in my first post. Our conversations have continued to be rich and Marty continues to challenge me on things deriving from several aspects of my life.

Marty and I engaged in a memorable call a few weeks ago and I want to share some about what we discussed that night. We were on the topic of weaknesses how to challenge things that we are struggling with. The first step is relatively easy, you need to admit that you have weaknesses and identify what they are. Then the next step is to take conscious effort to combat your weaknesses. I told Marty that one of the things I struggle with is that I often get upset too easily. It can be the slightest thing, but if I’m primed for it, it’ll set me off. Marty encouraged me to visualize a recent time when I got upset, and what I wanted my response to that situation to be. Marty told me that if I didn’t practice what I’d do in a bad situation ahead of time, I would not succeed when it happened in reality. I think this is a really important lesson for all aspects of life. Whether it’s a sporting event, a business meeting, or struggling with a temper, if you don’t visualize success, you’re less likely to succeed.

One other notable thing Marty and I discussed was the idea of taking risks. Risks can be scary but ultimately they can really pay off. Marty emphasized that by taking risks (calculated risks), opportunities you never thought possible can result from you going out on a limb. He also mentioned that taking risks shows confidence and helps someone stand out from others. Taking risks is something that should be of great relevance and importance for us. As students who will soon be fending for ourselves in the work place, we need to know how to be confident and to dream big. Risk-taking is not something that has to wait until we are in a work force however. Marty stressed that this is something I can practice now. I can take risks in my classes, in sports and extra curricular activities, by making friends, the list goes on. Marty brought up risk taking simply to encourage me to pursue my passions (which I wrote about previously). He stated that no dreams were achieved by playing it safe. I think that’s something that everyone can apply to his or her own life.