Page 355 - Keys To Community College Success

19. Have a reasonable level of self-confidence and a belief in their ability to accomplish
their goals. They believe in themselves enough to get through the tough times,
while avoiding the kind of overconfidence that stalls learning and growth, and
alienates others.
20. Balance analytical, creative, and practical thinking. They sense what to use and when
to use it. When problems arise, they combine all three skills to arrive at solutions.

These characteristics are “self-activators”—your personal motivational tools. Con-
sult them when you need a way to get moving. You may even want to post them some-
where in your home, in the front of a notebook, or as a note in your smartphone. Use
the “Get Analytical” exercise to see how you have developed the self-activators over
the course of the term.

Lifelong Learning and the Growth Mindset

Knowledge in many fields is doubling every two to three years, and your personal
interests and needs are changing all the time. With a growth mindset—the attitude that
you can always grow and learn—you are as ready to achieve the goals you set out for
yourself today as you are to achieve future goals you cannot yet anticipate.
You leave this course with a set of tools, skills, and attitudes that open the door to
success in the 21st century. Throughout the term, you have built skills and knowledge CONTINUING EDUCATION
in each quadrant of the 21st Century Learning grid. As you continue your educational Courses that students can
journey, you will further develop these tools that benefit you in everything you do. See take without having to be
Key 12.8 for details. part of a degree program.
What risks will reward you with learning throughout your life? Here are some:

Spend time with interesting people. When you meet someone new who
inspires you and makes you think, keep in touch. Form a book club, get a pickup
basketball game together, join a local volunteer organization. Learn something
new from everyone you meet.
Talk to people from different generations. Younger people can
learn from the broad perspective of those belonging to older genera-
tions; older people can learn from the fresh perspective of those
younger than themselves. Communication builds mutual respect.

Investigate new interests. When information and events catch
your attention, take your interest one step further and find out
more. Instead of dreaming about it, just do it.

Read, read, read. Reading expert Jim Trelease says that people
who don’t read “base their future decisions on what they used to
10
know. If you don’t read much, you really don’t know much.”
Ask friends which books have changed their lives. Keep up with
local, national, and world news through newspapers, magazines,
and Internet sources.

Keep on top of changes in your career. After you complete your
degree and move into the workforce, stay on top of ideas, developments,
and new technology in your field. Seek out continuing education
courses. Sign up for career-related seminars. Some companies offer addi-
tional on-the-job training or pay for their employees to take courses that
will improve their knowledge and skills.

Delve into other cultures. Invite a friend over who has grown up
in a culture different from your own. Eat food from a country you’ve
never visited. Initiate conversations with people of different races, reli-

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