PSYCHOLOGY 
RESEARCH LAB

Less than a year ago, I gave presentations to audiences with a shaky voice with confidence as thin as a needle. Today, I have more confidence than ever with the help of my research lab. With experiences full of embarrassment and nerves, I learned to never define myself by setbacks or failures, but to take accountability and figure out how I can improve. The problem was, how?

 

The main problem was the fact that I don’t like asking for help. By only allowing myself to critique my own work, I was actually preventing my own growth. I focused on my own vision of perfection rather than using resources and opinions that can help enhance my own work. While working on this presentation, I stepped out of my comfort zone and had my entire research lab and professors critique my work. These new perspectives showed me that my idea of “perfection” can actually be misleading and misunderstood. In fact, it was my idea of perfection that stood in the way of me learning new things. I learned to serve others in the work that we do together rather than fixating on selfish motives.