Who are
you?
Who am I? The question “who am I?” has been plaguing me since I was a child. I know what I like and I know what I don't like, but with every passing day I learn something new and I change ever so slightly. Maybe change isn't the best choice of words. I would prefer to use the word adapt. What I do know about myself is that I'm passionate, driven, adventures, curious and loving. I strive for the best but I attempt to achieve my goals with modesty. I know what I want and I know where I want to go but I don't know who I am yet. I will never know who I am until I achieve all the goals I have set forth to achieve. Unfortunately for those looking for the short answer I cannot give you one. Why? Because my goals are life long. Some goals I may never accomplish, but I know that in my lifetime, time provided, I will give them my best shot. Some attempts may be failures. Perhaps all. But there wont be just one attempt. There will be multiple. Failure is an option but not a deterrent, and with every success comes a new goal. If I know myself, I know this to be true.
Who am I? The question “who am I?” has been plaguing me since I was a child. I know what I like and I know what I don't like, but with every passing day I learn something new and I change ever so slightly. Maybe change isn't the best choice of words. I would prefer to use the word adapt. What I do know about myself is that I'm passionate, driven, adventures, curious and loving. I strive for the best but I attempt to achieve my goals with modesty. I know what I want and I know where I want to go but I don't know who I am yet. I will never know who I am until I achieve all the goals I have set forth to achieve. Unfortunately for those looking for the short answer I cannot give you one. Why? Because my goals are life long. Some goals I may never accomplish, but I know that in my lifetime, time provided, I will give them my best shot. Some attempts may be failures. Perhaps all. But there wont be just one attempt. There will be multiple. Failure is an option but not a deterrent, and with every success comes a new goal. If I know myself, I know this to be true.
So
to answer the question “who am I?”, I am James H. Darling II. I
am one man who has the whole world in front of him and is looking at
every possible path he can take to get where he needs to be. Making
some new paths as he goes. I am not concerned about which path will
get me there the fastest but more focused on the path that will allow
me to see and do the most along the way. To put it simply, I am an
adventurer.
What do
you believe?
I
have several beliefs I stand firmly by them. I believe that patients
is an overlooked virtue, I believe that a proper education can open
up an entirely new world for someone where as an improper attempt at
education can leave a persons world in shambles. I believe that
failure is just a lesson on what not to do on the next attempt or as
Boonshaft referenced Samuel Beckett “Ever tried. Ever failed. No
matter. Try again. Fail Again. Fail Better.”. I believe the word
“can't” should really be “how”. I believe that hostility can
be a motivator but letting someone know you genuinely believe in them
is a far greater motivator. I believe that we as people need to be
able to move freely and express ourselves with out concern but we
fight both of these traits on a daily basis. I believe in the power
of a good conversation, I believe that most people, with enough time
to reflect would prefer to make positive choices rather then negative ones.
- What
are your core values?
Through
out my life I have been lucky enough to see and associate with
people from all walks of life. I have had over $300 a plate meals
paid for by people that believe money is no object and I have lived
in a house that at times would get as cold as 34 degrees because
there wasn't enough money in the budget to pay for the oil. I can't
say I have seen it all but I have seen the difference. I have seen
incredible acts of kindness first hand and I have seen inhuman acts
of anger and aggression. Everything I have experienced thus far has
shaped my core values, and I wouldn't trade any of those experiences
for the world.
I
believe there are moments in this world where your values are all you
have. There are moments where nothing can help you or some one else
other then your values. Every decision you make on a daily basis is
based off your values. Even if you don’t think about them in that
moment there is still something, some form of experience that is
driving you to make that choice.
I
stand by my values, some may even say I am stubborn. But I believe in
these values and until something happens to change one of them, they
will remain the same.
- Always be a positive and nice person. Give people the opportunity to change their actions towards you before you react to them or a situation negatively.
- If you are patient but assertive you will almost always come out on top.
- Always graciously thank someone for helping you. Let them know that you genuinely appreciate them taking the time out of their schedule to help you.
- Never let any one push you or a helpless person around. Stand up for yourself and others. Bullying will not be tolerated.
- Be your own motivation. The only person that’s holding you back from doing something is yourself.
- Take care of yourself physically and mentally. At the end of the day all you have is your health. Nothing more.
- Things can ALWAYS be worse. Take a moment to find the light in every situation. I find that not making light of a bad situation is like holding onto a brick while swimming stranded in the middle of the ocean. Let go of the brick, you'll be able to tread water and swim for allot longer.
- With the right amount of dedication, time and training ANYTHING is possible.
- As the great Henry Ford said, referenced in Boonshafts book, “Don't find fault. Find a remedy!”. It's easy to point the finger, but all you're doing is taking time away from a solution.
- Think about how your actions may effect others.
- Don't be afraid to be passionate about something. As the great Dr. Seuss said. “Those that mind don't matter and those that matter don’t mind.”
- Be yourself, it's allot easier then trying to be someone else.
- Always strive to learn more, achieve more, be greater, push your limits. Play hard, party hard, rest easy, repeat.
How does #8 and #2 get challenged when you have a concert in three days and you haven't seen your fourth grade chorus for two weeks? Can you be patient and survive?
ReplyDeleteI have two answers for this. A.) Lose your cool, lose your respect. Just because you loose your patients doesn't mean that your students will learn the piece any faster. If you must, ask to meet with the students after school for the next 2 days.(do it for two days because some students may not be able to make it one of the two afternoons) B.) I would NEVER schedule a concert knowing that I wouldn't see my students for two weeks prior to the performance. That's poor planning. As a music teacher you should let it be know to all contributors including administration that a two week break prior to a concert would not benefit the students. That is your job as a professional. Don't set up your kids for failure.
DeleteAnd if all else fails and the you must perform and the students aren't ready, there's only one thing you can do..... Go through with it, hope for the best, and if the concert crashes and burns, laugh it off and take note of where you can better prepare for the next time.
DeleteJim, I agree 100% with #7. Speaking from past experiences, I try to adopt that as one of my top goals every day when I wake up. My one question for you is how can you reach out to your students who are dwelling on serious issues and help them to see the light at the end of the tunnel?
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's better to let them talk it out first. Have them tell you EVERYTHING that's bringing them down. Let them get it all off their chest. If you don't have an answer right off the bat let that student know that you're going to work through it with them and reassure them they will be alright. Figure out your solution, seek out the student and give them your advice. Sometimes just knowing that someone cares enough to think about you and actually work on helping you out is all they need. The advice is an added bonus.
DeleteSide note, I really stick by number 10, there's allot of people that sometimes find it really annoying but I love it haha.
DeleteDarling, I am glad to see you put #3 in there. It's sometime disappointing that we don't see as much of it as we would like. That being said I think we should always thank the people who helped us get to where we are, especially when they had nothing to gain from it.
ReplyDeleteThanks bud! I like to think saying "thank you" is like knowing that you owe some one money... When ever you owe some one cash you always want to pay them back immediately! It's just the right thing to do. Plus, if you're ever strapped for cash again, that person would probably be more then happy to help because you're dependable and appreciative!
DeleteJim, really nice writing. As someone who knows you, I can tell that it's all very sincere. #10 is huge. THINK about how your actions may affect OTHERS. Thinking about others... something not enough people do.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris! This one has left me with some tough choices! But I always try and base my decision on the greater good.
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