Experiences emerge in a myriad of forms and can be positive, neutral, or negative. Perspective, however, is the valuable aspect of experience that can alter life in an infinite number of scenarios. Lessons learned are not bound by nature and their interpretation is a time honored tradition of consciousness. They take place solely in the deep recesses of our minds. During my brief existence thus far, I have experienced much, but it is not until recently that I have begun to understand. This is best exemplified by Albert Einstein who once stated, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand”. Spanning from childhood to now, the lessons learned from my teachers have shaped me into the person I am today. Success can be attributed to both the effectiveness and failings of our role models. This model may be demonstrated through a variety of sources including the effective teacher, the poor supervisor, and the absent caretaker. As paradoxical as it may seem to achieve success from both good and bad, the right perspective transcends failure. I participated in Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) for four years during high school before eventually joining the United States Air Force (USAF). The roots of my professional development …show more content…
Each have contributed to my professional development since I was still an adolescent. The success I achieved serves as evidence that good, poor, and absent mentors can attribute to prosperity. Experience serves as the basis for development and perspective is the conduit. There is always a positive, neutral, or negative way to look at every situation. Fundamentally, we have an obligation to turn any of those outcomes into self-improvement because success will follow. As Benjamin Franklin states, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no