Habits of Mind

Habits of Mind

After reading about Costa and Kallick’s 16 habits of mind, I feel consciously tuned in to some of the more important and beneficial habits in my own life. I had never before heard of these 16 habits of mind in this context, and while I feel that I have been aware of some of these more important habits subconsciously, I can now understand them at a deeper level. I believe that Costa and Kallick do a good job touching on the most important habits, yet I also believe that they are missing a key point. In my opinion, the most important habits are persisting, managing impulsivity, and responding with wonderment and awe. Another habit of mind that I have found exceedingly useful in my life is thinking independently, which they fail to acknowledge as an important habit.

Persisting is by far the most important habit of mind in terms of attaining success. Regardless of intelligence, experience, or any other level of expertise, everyone is guaranteed to face significant challenges in professional and personal life that cannot be surpassed with ease. For these challenges where there is no easy answer, only persistence and sheer force of determination can carry one through to the ultimate goal. In my life, I have dealt with injury that has hindered my new career choice, raised six children, and have helped to keep three small businesses afloat despite the state of the US economy. There is no level of intelligence or expertise that could have prepared me for all these challenges, only the ability to persist. With enough persistence, failure just becomes a stepping stone, forcing you to endlessly push towards inevitable success. Paraphrasing Calvin Coolidge’s famous quote, neither talent nor genius nor education can take the place of persistence, for “persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Another key habit of mind that requires ample persistence to actually follow through with is managing impulsivity. The ability to delay gratification is...