Thing 23: Reflection

This has been an interesting and valuable, if sometimes painful, experience. I have learned a lot in the process of moving through the assignments.

Of course, I learned some new tools, but I'm not sure that's the biggest benefit I received from this exercise. When it comes to exploring a new application, I often abandon them if I don't immediately see a need to continue, or if I find it confusing, or frustrating.

Because I wanted to complete the program, I had an incentive to keep trying, to dig deeper, to open my mind to possibilities that I would have rejected by giving in too quickly. And so I have re-evaluated my notion of how I approach new technology. Because I feel bombarded by new tools every day, because it often feels overwhelming, I tend to want to dislike new tools. I'll give something new a cursory try in order to say that I tried it and didn't find it useful. Then I can feel superior to the crowd who accept it unthinkingly.

I didn't even know this about myself until I began this exercise. I want to learn, to know what's out there, to consider possibilities for new ways to tackle issues or connect with others, but I sometimes feel resentful about the sheer number of new stuff to learn.

This program got me over the hump with at least a few of them. What I have discovered is that, while not all tools will work for all people in all situations, but investigating them will only open doors. I've found that if I hang in there, if I open my mind, I just might encounter something life-changing.