MSLD 500 Module 1 - Intellectual Perseverance

Intellectual Perseverance

Intellectual Perseverance is not just a simple intellectual trait. I acknowledge it one of the most crucial, considering the contemporary society. According to The Critical Thinking Community, Intellectual Perseverance is:

• having a consciousness of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations;
• firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of others;
• a sense of the need to struggle with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time to achieve deeper understanding or insight.       

       Having this definition as a bottom line, I define Intellectual Perseverance as the ability to reason through challenging situations and believe fiercely on it, aiming to achieve the best outcome and solution, considering all the parts involved.

       Lately, we live in a dynamic world, surrounded by constant political, social, professional and personal changes and challenges. Difficulties are all over, and our capacity to overcome them adopting the most reasonable way, it is what defines us as good leaders towards the world and ourselves.

      All important step taken, independent of the sphere of our lives, brings up difficulties, which can be an obstruction or a stepping stone, a grievance or a triumph. The capability to turn negativity to positivity and failure to success is upon us, on our perseverance and intellectual skills.

      With my studies would not be different. Taking a new step on my career, I decided to major a master after being seven years away from an academic environment. The comfort zone held me for quite long time, but even knowing about all the obstacles I would have, I still took the decision, applied and registered on a Master of Science in Leadership in an aeronautical university. I am passionate for the subject and in love for aviation, and this alliance is what moved me forward to complete the step taken.

       Not being an English native speaker and registered in a north American university for the first time, being away from academic studies for a long period of time, having a job with different shifts every single day while working in aviation, are the most relevant challenges I believe I will face during the program, but considering my passion for the fields in question, my ability to see and turn positivity through negativity, the belief I have on my own intellectual capabilities, it what makes me go on. I will not give up and I am sure I will achieve my goal with delight along the journey, overcoming the difficulties. My intellectual perseverance will play a valuable role on this new phase of my life.

       As good leaders we need to have the knowledge besides the will, we need to be up-to-date, to free ourselves from convenience, we need to be more than critical thinkers and decision makers. We must to be part of the solution and along with knowledge, actual information and analytical thinking, we need to persevere intellectually through hard times!

The Critical Thinking Community. Valuable Intellectual Traits. Retrieved November 23, 2016, from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/valuable-intellectual-traits/528