One of my biggest takeaways from Dr. Bieschke’s talk with us this week in class was her mantra “RICE”. She explained to us that she created this mantra herself so that during times of adversity she could remind herself what’s important to her and how to act in ways she wanted to – ultimately, so that she could go home at the end of each day and “like what she saw in the mirror”. Her mantra stands for Respect, Integrity, Compassion, and Excellence. I really loved this idea so I thought I’d come up with a little mantra of my own to use in trying times.
I came up with WRECK – Work, Respect, Excellence, Courage, and Kindness. These are all values I want to possess, and I want to act in ways that reflect these qualities always. However, it’s easy to lose sight of this in difficult moments when you’re heated and frustrated. And when I do momentarily lose sight of the person I want to be and act out in such a way, I always feel awful about it afterwards – so I decided to create WRECK.
Work – In times of adversity and uncertainty, I can always turn to one thing: putting in the work. I’m a firm believer in “hard work pays off”. When nothing is going my way, and I have no idea where to turn to next, I know I can always rely on my work ethic. On my team, we always talk about putting your head down, and doing the dirty work. I pride myself on hard work and want to remind myself of that.
Respect – A very important one, and one that I can get lost in times of frustration or conflict. I believe you should respect everyone, including your opponents or “enemies”. No goal can be achieved if you do not first respect those you are working with and even those you are working against. I don’t think progress can come without understanding, and true understanding is impossible without respect.
Excellence – My ultimate goal is to be excellent in all that I do, in every role that I’m in – I desire to be an excellent student, player, teammate, friend, daughter, and sister. Furthermore, I want to be excellent in all of my future roles as well – such as doctor, wife, mother, and more. Therefore, it’s essential to pursue excellence in all of the choices I make and in everything I do – especially in how I treat others. I need to remember this in trying times and not let anger or frustration cloud my vision.
Courage – I want to be courageous and bold, and always grab opportunities by the throat. I sometimes find myself backing down from confrontation in an attempt to keep the piece – but I don’t want to do this at the cost of my voice or opinion when it needs to be heard. I want to stand up for myself and others when I need to.
Kindness – Last, but certainly not least. Above anything else, I want to be a good person. I want to be empathetic, compassionate, and act in line with my morals. I think just simply being kind to everyone can get a lot of that done most of the time.
Overall, I really love the idea of having a quick acronym to remind yourself of the person you want to be. On a side note, I think the work “wreck” suits me in a way. My mom always told me I’m a bull in a china closet – a wrecking ball, if you wall – always causing havoc in (sometimes?) a wonderful way. Anyone else come up with a mantra of their own after Wednesday?!
Kerry,
I want to start by saying – CONGRATULATIONS!! BIG10 CHAMPS!!!
I think those values embody my opinion of you. I think they’re really accurate, and while I only know you relatively tangentially through the academy, I know that you’re the type of person that will achieve whatever they put their mind to.
That being said, and despite not being enrolled in 401 this semester, I think my own acronym would be DIE – Dedication, Inventiveness, and Excellence. I would DIE without these things – pardon my pun! Regardless, I aspire to be a dedicated husband, father, student, and professional. Note that this implies a certain loyalty, but doesn’t necessitate it – loyalty was one of my old values that I’ve since dropped (what happens when a person rises above a cause?). Next, Inventiveness – I never want to lose my entrepreneurial spirit and learning new things. I see this as a core part of who I am. Finally, Excellence – for all of the reasons you described.
Cheers to a strong finish to your semester and season!
– Cory
Hey Kerry,
I’m not in 401 this semester, so unfortunately I missed out on this talk. It sounds like it was really insightful though, and I appreciate you sharing your takeaways from it! This seems like a really great idea because I know when I’m going through something difficult, I often let my emotions get the best of me. In this state, I feel like I’m not myself, and it’s hard to think logically. Having a mantra seems really helpful in times like that because it’s just one simple word that can remind you of your values and ground you. I like how you took the idea and made it your own. I especially love your emphasis on treating others with kindness and respect – that’s so important! I think I’m also going to come up with my own little mantra. Thanks for inspiring me!
Belle