For some reason, I hate learning new things. I remember once my dad bought me a training bike when I was 5 years old, but I refused to take off the training wheels. I didn’t finally learn to ride a bike without training wheels until age 11 when two of my friends convinced me that they would sit behind me. They jumped out midway through the bike ride and that was when I discovered I could ride a bike without training wheels.
Maybe because my astrological sign is Taurus, I’m very stubborn and I don’t like change. In college, I took the same beginner yoga class for 4 years while my friends moved on to the immediate and advanced classes. I am taking yoga classes here at MIT, and I’m wobbly at holding some poses. The instructor said, ‘don’t worry if your body doesn’t cooperate yet, you’re just planting the seeds of improvement.’ This really struck a chord with me.
Prior to MIT, I could literally count on my fingers the number of friends I made outside of work in the last 10 years. At my old job, I didn’t attend any work events. I had lunch with the same people every single day, and my routine was set. At MIT, everything is different. I quit my job and my family and friends are not here. I’m challenged with making new friends, building a career network with my classmates, SCM alumni, and finding new job opportunities.
Slowly but steadily I am letting myself adapt to the changes. Last week, my advisor Dr. Correll told me that I was making good use of Python for my SCM capstone project, and I was super surprised, because I had told him repeatedly that I didn’t have programming experience and that I was scared of Python! His words made me gain confidence and assured me that I am making good headway into things I thought were never meant to be.
I am being pushed beyond my comfort levels but hey, I’m here and I’m taking things one day at a time.
Yes, I’m planting the seeds of growth inside me at MIT.
(Source: Clipart Library)