I went to hear Connie Duckworth speak today. I thought she was a great and inspiring speaker. There were two main takeaways that I got from the talk were that one should treat every job as a learning experience and that people are their own roadblocks.

These are two ideas that I try to live by in my everyday life. Firstly, I try to make all of life a learning experience. Every interaction with a person is something I can learn from. Every minute of the day can be spent either consuming information or processing information I already have. Even when I’m physically busy doing something else such as exercising, that time can be spent in deep contemplation and learning.

The other idea that I thought was especially important is that idea that people limit themselves with their own preconceptions. I am someone who believes in the infinite possibilities of the human mind, and try to live to that ideal. I have often heard acquaintances and friends idly wish that they possessed some knowledge or a particular skill, and then lament that they cannot do so. There is often some made up reason that they cannot reach their goal or be what they want to be.

It was a great talk and I hope to hear from many great minds during my time here.