Feedback Thoughts: Re-Wiring My Brain at OU

When I started my college experience at OU, I was so focused on perfection. After going through high school, where classes were not too difficult but my parents' academic expectations were high, I wanted to carry that success in the classroom over into college. I quickly realized that I could not have been more wrong in my approach.
By focusing on making sure I succeed in every single aspect of my college life, I became overwhelmed and thought I was in over my head. Since then, I've learned the importance of making what I like to call "critical mistakes" and learning from them. While I've improved in that regard, the articles I read for this assignment provided fresh perspective on ways to be better.
The first article, Joel Almeida's "A 5-Second Habit to Rewire Your Harshly Self-Critical Brain", related perfectly to how I address mistakes early in my career. I tend to set a high standard for myself in my work, whether it's academically, journalistically, or even personally. As a result, I saw the mistakes I made in a negative light; I worried less about my long-term development and instead focused on my short-term success. This article stuck out to me because of how it addresses the mentality one should have about mistakes. Rather than looking at mistakes as failures, Almeida emphasizes how seeing those mistakes as a bump in the road and refocusing on your ultimate goal help you overcome them more easily and grow from them.
I also read John Spencer's article, "Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work". While the first article emphasized having the right mentality following a mistake, this article focused on ways to stop doubting yourself in order to produce your best work regardless of the situation. I definitely enjoyed reading this article because it related a little more to my career in sports journalism. I've always been pretty confident when it comes to my journalistic work, but I will be graduating in 8 months (terrifying) and entering a workforce filled with professionals who have been in the industry way longer than I have. The very first point Spencer makes to get rid of that self-doubt is not to compare yourself to others, which will be critical to how I approach my first job out of college. In my opinion, the most important point he makes is to trust yourself. I've always been one to trust my gut and to tell others to do the same. After all, that's what's gotten me where I am today. This article definitely reinforced my confidence in that regard and motivated me to stick to that standard.

A picture after my first time on television in the fall of my freshman year. I thought I was terrible, but I've since learned to grow from my mistakes rather than criticize myself over them.