Alternative Assessment

A couple of months ago, I found a saying that spoke to me. I do not know if or where I found, saw or heard the saying, but it resonated with me.

I quickly jotted it down in my phone, accompanied with other ideas; I knew I would return to utilize the phrase soon.

As I was trying to decide what to write about, I scrolled through the notes on my phone and the saying resurfaced.

“No one can take away from you what you put in your own mind.” Upon further research, this saying is part of a larger quote used by Dr. Edith Eger in one of her books.

However, I am going to spare the time to research the origin and theoretical interpretation of this saying and reflect on it myself.

When I first read the saying, it just made sense. I did not need to analyze it to determine the true meaning. That is what makes it so powerful. No matter the power or influence of the outside force, nothing that you ingrain in your own mind can truly be taken away.

Let’s refer back to history class. Why were slaves deprived of any form of education? Knowledge is power, and once they learned something, it could not be taken away from them. Once a piece of knowledge entered their minds, there was nothing anyone could do to take it away.

After a few moments of thought, the saying provided another meaning to me. This other meaning, though somewhat ambiguous, speaks to our life and the choices we make.

In my mind, this ambiguous meaning refers to exactly what we put in our own minds.

For example, you have the choice to fill your mind with positive thoughts or negative thoughts.

No one can take away or change the thoughts except you. However, these thoughts leave a strong impact. If you fill your mind with negative thoughts, you are going to have a negative outlook on life. The exact opposite situation will surface when you fill your mind with positive thoughts.

Since no one can take away or physically change what is in our minds, that leaves us with power.

We have the power to introduce academia into our minds and allow it to take root and grow.

However, we also have the power to shape our minds into what we want them to be. We have the power to surround ourselves with positive ideas or negative ideas—choose wisely.

Because, in the end, only one person has the power to make the final change.