Designing your Life
I 'attended' a presentation by Story Musgrave, the astronaut, on "Designing your
life" or some such similar topic. While I wasn't overly impressed with his
general rambling presentation style, I was very impressed with the message that
threaded throughout his story. I took several keys away from the presentation.
The value of curiosity
The first takeaway was the importance of curiosity in achieving an effective
life. From high school drop out, he went on to earn a BS in math and statistics,
MBA in operations analysis and computer programming, BA in chemistry, MD, and MS
in physiology and biophysics within an 8 year period. He would later earn an MA
in literature. To me, the broad range of areas, as much as the time frame for
these accomplishments, says a great deal. He explored the areas that interested
him. He committed himself to those areas. Most students today would be
counseled to choose a singular path and follow it. Yet, the life he built for
himself was one based on the intersections of his interests. Each area of
interest exposed him to ideas that he wanted to explore further and so he did.
By not limiting himself to a given field, he opened up new avenues for self
expression and provided himself the skills to create new opportunities.
Seizing opportunity
The second takeaway was the importance of seizing opportunity. When
opportunities presented themselves he took advantage of them. He leveraged
those opportunities into even more opportunities. He also, and this is
important, created opportunity by highlighting the skills and knowledge that he
brought to the table. He didn't play the game. He was forthright in what he
had accomplished and what he could do. He recognized that opportunities may
have long-term payoffs when, for example, he chose to work for free in a
neuroscience lab in order to gain the experience and knowledge he wanted from
that field. His earlier skills played a vital role in his success in that
field.
Take risks
The third takeaway, I think, was his willingness to take risks. He did this in
many ways, but the one that stood out to me was his use of a one page resume
that played up his accomplishments and his skills rather than his
'qualifications'. That is he highlighted what he had accomplished and his
qualities rather than his pedigree. This is a truly important concept for the
liberal arts major. Highlighting what you're capable of, rather than simply
listing academic credentials makes the difference. His one page resume showed
his academic credentials, but also highlighted what he had done with those
credentials, as well as the non-academic accomplishments he had that further
attested to his capabilities.
Everything is connected
The fourth takeaway was the importance of recognizing how the fields intersect.
No field operates in isolation. By intersecting his various degrees and
experiences he was able to build a remarkable life of accomplishment and was
able to create new knowledge, new science. I would not particularly care to
suffer through his presentation again, but would love to see the major points he
wanted to make so that I could consider them further.
I wonder if he has a book ....