foundations-reflection.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
    <head>
        <meta charset="UTF-8">
        <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
        <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="ie=edge">
        <link href="../blog/styles/main.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
        <title>noms blog - 5 week review</title>
        <link rel="stylesheet" media="screen" href="https://fontlibrary.org//face/lemon" type="text/css"/>    
    </head>

  <body>
    <span class="header">
      <h1>Naomi Joy Smith</h1> 
    </span>

    <span class="container">
      
      <span class="core">
        <h2>The last five weeks in review</h2>
        <p class="text"> 
          Learning new languages, new ways to think and new ways to solve problems is pretty mentally challenging. There have been times where I've felt exhausted, times when I've wanted to give up, as well as a lot of weird ego patterns rising up.
        </p>
        <p>
          Fortunately, it's not all about cramming logic into our heads and writing code. Though we've been doing a good amount of this, each week there have been modules on our core skills which have presenced some really insightful methods for dealing with these challenges.
        </p>
        <p>
          I have formed a habit for journalling before and at the end of each day, creating space to reflect on my state. It's interesting to simply notice what's coming up from my ego under this pressure and to practice holding these observations without judgement. As I wrote in my introduction to the rest of my cohort, curiosity, compassion and courage are core values of mine and it's been great to cultivate these at a whole new level in my learning journey.
        </p>
        <p>
          Entering the world of programming from a place of self-knowing makes a big difference. The interfaces and systems that we build are reflections of ourselves, so to be in service to society, it is essential to know what our values are and to practice these in the way we work, and to have something to work <em>for</em>. 
        </p>
        <p>
          To care for ourselves prevents burnout and other destructive behaviours in the workplace, supporting more creative problem-solving and holding safe space to take risks. <br>By honouring our responsibility for the products we build, we can unlock a well of inner motivation; and by supporting a healthy team culture, we can all feel more comfortable innovating and improving our skills and our product.
        </p>
        <h3>A difference that makes a real big difference</h3>
        <p>
          There have been times in the last five weeks that I've wanted to give up because I just couldn't seem to grasp some concept, or couldn't find my way around a problem, or it seemed like others in my cohort weren't struggling as much as I was.
        </p>
        <p>
          However, I also noticed that I was programming in my dreams, and would wake up thinking about, e.g., using the math random built-in method. In week 4 we covered neuroplasticity, and knowing this as well as witnessing my dreams gave me a lot more confidence in my learning abilities. 
        </p>
        <p>
          One time I was feeling overwhelmed and came downstairs about 6pm to 'call it a day'. I heated up some leftovers and started to journal while eating my dinner. In the journal I found that I was reflecting on the challenge and accessing a new perspective about how to solve the problem, and without intended to, I started motivating myself to keep trying. So I decided to go back upstairs after my meal, and found myself getting in flow. 
          <br>Through these core exercises, I have become more capable of persevering through difficulty and doubt.
        </p>
        <p>
          It's also made a big difference not feeling guilty about taking breaks. Having a cultural norm of working with our emotional intelligence means I can permit myself to do what I need in order to re-center. It's so much more effective than staring at a screen and trying the same things over and over which still don't work. I know that while I'm on a break, the problem is working itself out in my head, so when I come back to the computer I have restored energy and maybe a promising new direction.
        </p>
        <p>
          My code might be broken... for a while... but I'd rather take a break than break myself! And I'm committed to keep showing up, so I have been, and it has allowed me to learn so much in such a short amount of time.
        </p>
        <p>
          Bootcamp is gonna be a crazy journey, but I feel well prepared and supported. I'm expecting to be challenged BIG TIME, yet I'm confident I can get through it and even enjoy the experience. 
          <br>It's so rewarding to persevere - I can feel myself growing!
        </p>
      </span>

      <div class="menu">
        <h3>Menu</h3>
        <ul>
          <br>
        <li><a href="#">Blog Roll</a></li>
        <li><a href="https://nextstepnaomi.com" target="_blank">Projects</a></li>
        <li><a href="https://link.bar/naomi" target="_blank">Links</a></li>
        <li><a href="mailto:hmu@nextstepnaomi.com">Contact</a></li>
          <br><br>
        </ul>
        <div id="twitter">
          <div>
          <a class="twitter-timeline" data-width="280" data-height="440" data-dnt="true" href="https://twitter.com/to_withyou?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Sometimes Naomi tweets</a> 
          <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>  
          </div>
        </div>
      
      </div>
    </span>

    <footer> &#128099; Made with curiosity by noms kinself &#128099;
    </footer>
  </body>


</html>