---
title: Designing your Life
date: 2017-10-20
categories:
    - 'General Education'
tagss:
    - education
---

I 'attended' a presentation by Story Musgrave, the astronaut, on "Designing your 
life" or some such similar topic.  While I wasn't overly impressed with his 
general rambling presentation style, I was very impressed with the message that 
threaded throughout his story. I took several keys away from the presentation.
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### The value of curiosity
The first takeaway was the importance of curiosity in achieving an effective 
life. From high school drop out, he went on to earn a BS in math and statistics, 
MBA in operations analysis and computer programming, BA in chemistry, MD, and MS 
in physiology and biophysics within an 8 year period.  He would later earn an MA 
in literature.  To me, the broad range of areas, as much as the time frame for 
these accomplishments, says a great deal. He explored the areas that interested 
him. He committed himself to those areas. Most students today would be 
counseled to choose a singular path and follow it. Yet, the life he built for 
himself was one based on the intersections of his interests.  Each area of 
interest exposed him to ideas that he wanted to explore further and so he did.  
By not limiting himself to a given field, he opened up new avenues for self 
expression and provided himself the skills to create new opportunities.
### Seizing opportunity
**The second takeaway** was the importance of seizing opportunity.  When 
opportunities presented themselves he took advantagse of them.  He leveraged 
those opportunities into even more opportunities.  He also, and this is 
important, created opportunity by highlighting the skills and knowledge that he 
brought to the table.  He didn't play the game.  He was forthright in what he 
had accomplished and what he could do.  He recognized that opportunities may 
have long-term payoffs when, for example, he chose to work for free in a 
neuroscience lab in order to gain the experience and knowledge he wanted from 
that field.  His earlier skills played a vital role in his success in that 
field.
### Take risks
The third takeaway, I think, was his willingness to take risks.  He did this in 
many ways, but the one that stood out to me was his use of a one page resume 
that played up his accomplishments and his skills rather than his 
'qualifications'.  That is he highlighted what he had accomplished and his 
qualities rather than his pedigree.  This is a truly important concept for the 
liberal arts major.  Highlighting what you're capable of, rather than simply 
listing academic credentials makes the difference. His one page resume showed 
his academic credentials, but also highlighted what he had done with those 
credentials, as well as the non-academic accomplishments he had that further 
attested to his capabilities.
### Everything is connected
The fourth takeaway was the importance of recognizing how the fields intersect.  
No field operates in isolation.  By intersecting his various degrees and 
experiences he was able to build a remarkable life of accomplishment and was 
able to create new knowledge, new science.  I would not particularly care to 
suffer through his presentation again, but would love to see the major points he 
wanted to make so that I could consider them further.

I wonder if he has a book ....