"Things That Ultimately Make You Tick" - Time Out #79

Simple questions.

What causes us to have the adult characteristics/personality we have today??

Put another way, how did we end up where were are as grown ups?

Complex answers for sure, but fun to think about.

One of the obvious answers is genetic,i.e.,some of the ways you react to situations and some of your overall personality is totally beyond your control. This part is established by your relatives long before you were a twinkle in your parents' eyes.

Another strong element is the geographical area of planet earth you were raised. Common sense says people raised in China are quite different from those raised in Africa. The same goes for people raised in different areas of the good ol' USA. Those reared in the industrial Northeast are quite different than those of us growing up in the country's mid-section, better known as Our Town..

I would be remiss if I didn't touch on your basic family set. Did you have the traditional setting, father and mother both present in your household as you grew up, or were you raised by a single parent, grandparents, another relative, guardian or a foster type home? The possibilities here are quite numerous in today's complex societies.

Well, another huge factor is exactly who did you look up to and respect as a youngster, excluding your relatives?

Frequently, when I am interviewing prospective OU Medical School applicants, I ask them,"Please give me 3 of your life's heros?":

Through this probing question over the past almost 20 years , I feel I am able to realize what makes these aspiring individuals tick inside their smart heads, and maybe be chosen to later become excellent doctors..

So, being the curious fellow I always have been, I recently posed an interesting question to my Mazzio's Friday afternoon lunch peeps. I merely asked them "Which teacher made the biggest impact on you during our years at Stillwater High School?"

Since we all remember our teachers, the 10 of us knew each name his former classmate gave for his answer. The answers were very interesting. Only one teacher was mentioned twice, and the answers varied all the way from English teachers, to science, to shop (industrial arts) to business teachers. It was very thought-provoking to me how over half century later, my peers could relate just how a certain public school instructor had had a positive, in some cases profound, affect on them as a student in their classroom long ago.

My personal response was my bookkeeping (accounting) teacher, Mrs. Janetta Loper. Why this lady out of all I had during those formative years? Because she further instilled confidence in me about my personal abilities. Several times during her class, she told me in a kind, motherly way, my professional future could be anything I wanted it to be. That was her telling me, in her seasoned opinion, I was fully capable of accomplishing any educational goal or profession. Simply put, if I set my mind to a life challenge, she knew I could do it!

To have people, like Mrs.Loper, go all-out for you when you are an adolescent person is huge. That awkward age, and with it, trying to find the right career path to follow is difficult at best.

I would like to publically thank you, Mrs. Loper, for your kind words to this young fellow long ago.

So, I would tell you, citizens of Our Town, to carefully reflect on your own lives by having an important introspective moment in this hectic time in which we are living.

Just who are the 1, 2, 3 or more people in your life that have really made a positive difference in your core personality? If they are still around you, or are as close as your personal electronic device, telephone, or a short car ride away, please tell them just what they have meant to you from your relationship with them way back when.

In my way of thinking, your acknowledgement of them is a win/win, and it doesn't get any better than that, my dear time travelers.