Completing the wheel Assingment 8 & 9 - Essay Example

Completing the Wheel: Chapters 8-9 The blacksmith symbolizes the individual --- the one who will decide the mold that the material (personality, character) will go through as it goes through fire (lifes obstacles).2. We go through the fire in order to form the better mold for us as individuals, for personal growth.3. Just like Dittmar, I usually panic during individual presentations. The first presentation I did during my college life was the most panicking of all because I know that expectations in college are way different from high school.4. I want so much to overcome this fear of talking in front of several people.

I know that I have “stage fright” and no matter how I try to memorize what Ill say in front of people, my mind usually goes blank during those situations. By doing just like what Dittmar did, facing the fear instead of avoiding it, I know that Ill soon get so used to it that I wont feel the same fear anymore.5. Dittmar fears talking in front of people. He says: “To deal with this challenge, I --- either through a case of sheer brilliance or stupidity --- placed myself in front of a group of teenagers to teach high school English” (Dittmar 86).6. I like the statements: “We all are blacksmiths in our own lives.

How well we use the hammer and the anvil will determine how well we grow as individuals” (Dittmar 85). I like these statements because they basically wrap up the whole idea of the chapter. We are the masters of our lives and everything we get comes from every decision we make.7. In fire, we release those inner capabilities or sources that we sometimes hold back out of fear. Those capabilities that we used to see as mere weaknesses can be molded into strengths through fire.8. Fear results in us choosing to stay within our comfort zones, refusing to pursue the opportunities that lay before us.

Fear will hold us back from re-inventing ourselves and creating a better “us.”9. I learned that learning, improving, and developing ourselves is a continuous process that should not end at certain periods or due to certain factors like fear.10. We can only expand ourselves through the process of “realization of self and the joy of expressing the quintessential part of who you [we] are” (Dittmar 87), and this can be achieved only by going through fire.11. The qualities we need to develop to keep wheels moving with evenness are “curiosity, flexibility, self-reliance, persistence, imagination, risk orientation, ability to focus, and openness to new experiences” (Dittmar 96).12. According to Dittmar, curiosity is important because it provides the continuous thrill and excitement of discovering new things in life.

It prevents life from appearing stale and boring, and keeps the freshness of discovery alive.13. The main quality that Dittmar developed to go from being a high school dropout to receiving a college degree is curiosity. He says: “I was just so curious about things” (Dittmar 98). He never planned what to do with it nor have grand dreams on the possibilities after achieving it. He was merely curious on perhaps what this will offer him after.14. Flexibility is important to our development because it allows us to “notice alternate ways of doing things” (Dittmar 99).

While adherence to the common and usual is good, ability to look for other ways to do something, especially if for the better, is highly encouraged.15. Just as what Dittmar states, lack of persistence (p.100) may be the main hindrance for me to achieve what I want in life. I tend to allow negative events to overcome my inner wants and desires, which in turn make me fail to pursue things against all odds.16. When Dittmar confronted the dean for his masters degree application, I immediately realized it was an act of pure persistence.

He could have easily accepted the rejection letter and moved on with his life doing other things instead, but he pushed forward and gave all he had for that one chance of getting what he wants. He got the life-altering “yes” from the dean because he persisted, which would not have been possible had he let the chance just slip by.17. The womans courage to take a risk is very moving. Some of us want to keep our cards to ourselves out of fear of the unknown --- not wanting to go beyond the comfort zone.

This woman is a very strong eye-opener for me. An image of someone who wants to learn to swim yet refuses to let go of the side bars in the pool comes to mind. Not that Im into gambling, but only those who risk enough and place bets have the chances of winning.18. I learned that each of us has hidden desires and capabilities and that rejection or fear of the unknown should not stop us from pursuing what we want. Fear of failure may always be a reason why some people refuse to even try, without even realizing that refusing to try is already a failure itself.

Trying at least gives us 50-50 chances of wither winning or losing. I know from now Ill always take the half-chance than the no-chance at all.Works CitedDittmar, Warren. Completing the Wheel: An Adventure in Creativity and Life. New York: iUniverse, 2010. Print.