Hi, learners! After so many full moons, I finally published another article here. I had dormant writing articles on the blog because I was focused on several other activities. Hopefully, from now on, I can be consistent in publishing articles. In this article, I will share the reflective thinking of my experience when I see a spider in my house. Very random, huh? ^^ For articles in the Indonesian version, check this link.
THE STORY
So, a few days ago, I saw a spider climbing up a tiled wall. Incidentally, some parts of the wall are quite dry, and some are wet. The wet part has drops of water. Can you imagine? (Too complicated? Sorry, I'll try to take a photo next time, ok?)
I watched the spider. Initially, the spider had no problems climbing. However, when it hit a damp spot, it slipped. It happened several times. There were even times when the spider slid down to the floor. I stared at the spider, wondering what it would do.
The spider again climbed up the tiled wall, slipping a few times. However, something interesting then happened. The spider slowly extends its legs, repeatedly stamping its feet in certain areas. It looks like the spider was trying to find which area was dry and where it could pass easily.
I saw the spider moving again, from left to right, sometimes retreating for a moment, before finally climbing up again. Move very slowly, carefully. However, I noticed the spider no longer slipped until it finally reached the top of the tiled wall, close to the ceiling.
REFLECTIVE THINKING
Why did I observe the spider? At first, I just accidentally saw it. However, it caught my attention. It got more interesting, and I couldn’t stop staring at it until the spider reached the ceiling.
When I saw the spider climbing quickly and slipping on the wet tiles, I thought it was because the spider might be trying to reach the ceiling quickly. However, when it slipped, there were times when the spider fell to the floor. It's sad, though. However, it occurred to me that the spider I saw at that time was not paying attention to its surroundings, not checking in advance whether the path it was about to walk was safe.
It is like when we try to answer a question or take an action without thinking and planning it first. We don't analyze the situation first; we only focus on achieving the goal quickly or want to get results immediately. Maybe some succeed without problems, and some are a little 'slipped.' However, there may be situations where we completely fail. What does it mean?
Thoughtless action may achieve success. Even so, the risk of failure will be greater. Like a spider that has climbed high enough, then slipped and fell to the floor. It was moving fast. However, suddenly had to start again from the beginning.
On the other hand, after a few slips, the spider started checking the area he would climb through. The process is slower. But, the more he did it, the less often he would slip. In fact, it didn't even slip at all. The spider manages to reach the ceiling that way.
The success of spiders taught me three important things.
First, the importance of planning.
Taking a moment to plan is not a waste of time. That is our way of minimizing possible mistakes or predicting the challenges that will be faced. Watch as the spider rushes its steps. Even though his progress was quick initially, he soon slipped to the bottom of the floor. It was different from when he was careful and considered his moves beforehand. The time it uses is more efficient because it does little failure.
Second, practice makes better.
As I mentioned before, the spider looks like it is searching and practicing until it finds a safe area to go through. Progress was slow, but he arrived at his goal. At first, it occasionally slipped. However, the longer, the less; it doesn't even slip. Already becomes a pro spider. The implication is if we practice repeatedly, our chances of understanding or mastering a certain thing will increase. Malcolm Gladwell also coined this concept in his book Outliers where Gladwell states that we can be experts in any area after practicing at least 10,000 hours.
Third, don't give up.
When you find the hard way to go through, maybe you must find another way. How many times did the spider slip? Did he give up? Sulk? Nope. The spider keeps climbing up. But not in the same way. He seemed to know that the road that made him slip could not help him to reach a higher area. So, he tried another way. The spider does not give up; it seeks another way and does not repeat failure in the same place.
CONCLUSION
Okay, what's the conclusion of this story about spiders that I saw? After observing the spider's behavior, I realized the importance of planning, practicing, and not giving up easily in achieving goals.
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