Week 5 Reflection: The Power of Optimism

Hansen Henok Oktavianus Situmorang — GBE01072

Week 5, my worst week in the #GenerasiGigih program. The module is really challenging, my laptop is broken while fulfilling the module requirements, and my mother was sick because of GERD (Basically my mom’s stomach acid gas is flowing back to the tube that connects the mouth and stomach). It’s overwhelming to me and it makes me feels like “Why me? Why happens to me?”.

So the new leaderboard was posted and when i saw my Week 4 score is lot higher than my previous weeks, it doesn't make me feel proud because my position is really far below and my peers are in the top 10. It made me sad because I thought there’s no way in less than 3 weeks I could be close to the top 10. Now I realized that even though I’m far from the top 10, I should be grateful for each second I have while learning in the #GenerasiGigih program because I believe my position right now will change at the end of the program and I DO believe that I can make it to the next level. I also believe that there is a possibility that I will not proceed to the next level, the Advanced Level. But being optimistic, will help me through this level and absorb knowledge as much as possible.

I envy my peers, in a good way, because I don’t expect to have peers that have so much experience and knowledge about what is being taught in class. So seeing their position in the top 10, makes me believe that I need their help, and I like to ask them to teach me someday.

I believe that my peers, who reached the top 10, have been through a lot of hard times and learn from their experience because whenever they lend their hands to help us, they know the solution in no time, and I learned a big lesson from them:

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded”

My situation right now might not as bad as theirs, but all I can recommend to them is:

1. Be patient, trust the process, value small things
2. Reward yourself for each of what you’ve achieved, even it’s really small
3. Pay attention to others. Your peers and your mentors. Some of them might need help and you should try to help them, or maybe when the QnA session is open, try to ask a question.