Photo By Staff Sgt. Jeremy Miller | KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait – 2nd Lt. John L. Denkler, 35th Infantry Division project...... read more read more
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KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait – Undergraduate students at the Kuwait College of Science and Technology are preparing to graduate this spring. As graduation draws closer, a seemingly endless line of questions emerge before the next chapter of their lives begin. Should they continue their education? If not, where will they work? How will the decisions they’ve made so far impact their future?
“A lot of people think they have to have it figured out in those four years,” said 2nd Lt. John L. Denkler, 35th Inf. Div. project management officer. “They put all of this pressure on themselves to have the right answer and are afraid they might screw-up the rest of their life. It’s not true”
Denkler was invited as a guest speaker to the Kuwait College of Science and Technology as part of a U.S. Embassy and Kuwait partnership program, Feb. 7. During his presentation, Denkler described three core attributes to the soon-to-be graduates, in the hopes of giving them perspective and guidance as they embark on the next chapter in their lives.
Purpose
“There are multiple studies showing money and success are not the ultimate goals you should be seeking,” said Denkler.
Denkler explained the necessity of having a greater purpose in life and that the most rewarding thing that can lead to it is service to others. Without some form of devout focus, the quality of life most seek is unattainable and can easily become derailed by other distractions.
“You have to maintain focus and balance or the purpose gets overwhelming,” said Denkler. “Once that happens it’s hard to re-gain that direction and take steps toward personal fulfillment regarding service to one’s community or cause.”
Denkler also warned that a person’s purpose can easily grow too large, preventing them from initiating proper action or making them incapable of taking action.
Design Thinking
“The decisions you’ve made or are currently making in life don’t have to define your future,” said Denkler. “I’ve had a lot of adaptation in my professional career. I started off as a college student pursuing a history major, then went to grad school as a cultural anthropologist, did field work in Africa and graduated with an MBA in marketing and international business.”
Outside of the Army, Denkler has worked with foreign refugees, been a department of defense contractor and currently works as a marketing analyst, deciphering statistical data to project future trends in customer demands
“The whole idea of design thinking is you are constantly re-inventing yourself,” says Denkler. “Your whole life is going to be an interactive process, so when you try one thing and it doesn’t work, you try something else.”
Denkler said that if you’ve made plans for your life and they don’t work out, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are a failure.
“Keep thinking of ways to drive your life in the direction you want to go,” said Denkler. “If it doesn’t work, find another avenue that provides intrinsic value and meaning to your life.”
Ambition is important, but isn’t everything, said Denkler. Students should understand that they can have a successful professional career and still maintain a healthy work-life balance.
“They are young, ambitious and shouldn’t feel pigeon-holed into thinking they have to have all of the answers right now,” said Denkler.
Cultivating Relationships
“The strongest predictor of having a long life is strong social bonds,” explained Denkler.
Referencing an 80 year-long Harvard study that analyzed the lives of a small group of men from the late 1930s, Denkler explained the importance that the development of relationships had on these men throughout their lifetime.
“It’s not about having two-thousand friends on Facebook,” said Denkler. “It’s about having close family relationships and close friends, who on a daily basis, you can rely on when you’re having a bad day.”
The study theorized that the amount of social support a person builds throughout their lives directly correlates to levels of perceived happiness in the later years of their lives.
“This has the greatest impact on having a longer lifespan,” said Denkler. “Loneliness kills. It’s a stronger predictor of a shorter life than alcohol or drug abuse. That’s pretty shocking to me.”
As a final thought to the students of the Kuwait College of Science and Technology, Denkler said change is always possible if you put in the effort.
“Don’t let your present circumstances define who you are.”
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2018 08:31 |
| Story ID: | 265610 |
| Location: | KUWAIT CITY, KW |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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