When I was in middle school, I started playing chess. I was not particularly good at the game, but I decided to enter a chess tournament. As I was getting ready to play my first match, my dad (who knew nothing about chess) said, “Move with confidence, and then when you come home, you can evaluate your moves.” As it turned out, I did not win the tournament, but I have used his advice in other areas.
The thought process behind my dad’s statement was that you needed confidence in your decisions to be successful. That if you were constantly second-guessing yourself in the moment you could never win. That later on, you would have the opportunity to evaluate those decisions and therefore learn from your mistakes.
When I was coaching, I realized that you had to evaluate the process more than the outcome. You might have called a play that gave your player a great chance of winning the game, but in that instance, they missed the shot. You made the right call even if the result was not what you desired. As a student, you can read your teacher’s comments on an essay and reflect upon how you can implement these suggestions on your next assignment. Students can examine a test to see were there any areas that they need to go back and study
As I grew older, I also realized it was important to bring others into the evaluative process. When I worked in the pizza business, I asked customers and team members to evaluate me. Now, as a teacher, I ask students for suggestions to improve my class. Taking the time to examine our actions is an important part of the growth process.
Make sure to plan some time each day to evaluate yourself. While this method did not make me into an excellent chess champion, it has allowed me to grow as both a professional and as a person.
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