Summary

The author credits their 9th-grade chemistry teacher, Mr. Mosby, for instilling the principle that organization is fundamental to success, a lesson that has profoundly influenced their approach to learning and personal growth.

Abstract

In the article, the author reflects on a pivotal moment in their education during the fall of 2006, when Mr. Mosby, their chemistry teacher, emphasized the importance of organization as the key to success. This lesson resonated deeply with the author, shaping their mindset and contributing to their achievements both in school and beyond. The author acknowledges that their ability to excel in various endeavors is not due to innate talent but rather a disciplined and organized approach to work, which was first introduced by Mr. Mosby. The article underscores the significance of preparation, planning, and structure in achieving goals, suggesting that these practices make hard work more manageable and lead to greater accomplishments.

Opinions

The author believes that organization is a critical factor in achieving success, rather than relying on raw talent or being 'naturally' good at something.
Mr. Mosby's teaching style and presence had a profound impact on the author, commanding respect and attention.
The author emphasizes the importance of starting from the beginning with a structured plan when trying to become proficient in a new area.
Personal organization techniques, such as creating checklists and maintaining a tidy workspace, are highlighted as effective methods for the author.
The author advises that time spent organizing thoughts and plans is an investment in success, and neglecting preparation is akin to preparing to fail.
The article suggests that everyone should find their own methods of organization that resonate with them, making the process of hard work more streamlined and less daunting.
The author cautions against the belief in a unique gift that exempts one from the need for an organized plan, drawing from their own experience in writing where lack of planning led to difficulties.

How My 9th Grade Chemistry Teacher Shaped My Success

A simple lesson on how to find success before you start anything new

There are some memories that seem to stay with you in life forever.

You may not notice their significance at the time. It might even take years, or in some cases decades for you to realise the role they would end up playing in your life.

But when you do take that trip down memory lane, it all starts to make sense. Everything starts to come together.

And all that you’ve accomplished since then can somehow be traced back to that one very moment.

…

It was the fall of 2006. And I remember it like it was yesterday.

I had just started 9th grade, somewhat excited for the semester ahead, somewhat disheartened by the end of the summer holidays.

The class was filled with a bunch of attention-seeking, slightly arrogant, 13-year olds who thought they knew the answer to everything.

Oh, how naïve we were back then.

The adolescence-infused noise began to ease as Mr. Mosby entered into the room, a few minutes late, but not by much to keep us waiting.

Now Mr. Mosby was a relatively young teacher, I’m guessing early-30s at most. His hair was best kept untidy, but he managed to display an aura of confidence that stemmed from his noticeably athletic build.

(By the way, Mr. Mosby wasn’t his real name. I just felt compelled to reference my favourite character from my recent binge of ‘How I Met Your Mother’).

Now there are very few people in this world who are able to command your respect in the moment that they grace you with their presence. Mr. Mosby happened to be one of those people.

“The first thing I want you all to do is take the first page of your notebooks,” he said.

We were all eerily quiet, listening attentively to every word, every syllable, concentrating as if our life depended on it.

It just so happened that our lives did depend on it. At least mine did. I just didn’t realise this at the time.

Mr. Mosby proceeded to the blackboard, and slowly began to chalk out the following:

Organisation is the Key to Success

“Underline it. Circle it. Make it bold. Highlight it. This will be what makes or breaks your success in this class,” he said.

Organisation is how you become “naturally” good at something

It turned out that those simple words were in fact destined to make or break my success in life.

So what happened next? Well, I ended up doing quite well in chemistry. And in school for that matter.

To be honest, I became one of those people who became quite good at a lot of things. If you don’t say so yourself!

But the reason I am able to get good at what I do isn’t because I am magically ‘gifted’ or because I possess some raw talent.

And as much as I’m not a huge fan of those phrases anyways, this is far from the truth.

I just find it easy to work hard at whatever I set my mind on.

And it really comes down to what I learnt during that chemistry lesson in the fall of 2006.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

― Benjamin Franklin

It’s simple. Start from the beginning.

The most natural way to get good at anything is to start from the very beginning. And that involves having a structured plan that you are able to stick to.

Take the time to organise your mind and provide some order in what you want to achieve.

Even that gigantic book of an Oxford Modern English Dictionary seems to agree that organisation is the first step you should be taking.

Organize:

1. given an orderly structure to, systematize

2. arrange for or initiate (a scheme etc)

Find what works best for you.

I’ll admit that I can get quite finicky about ensuring that I have the right checklist set up, or a perfectly-planned timetable ready to follow before I start anything new.

But these are the things that work best for me.

Buying a brand new notebook or a fresh pack of coloured pens (or practically anything else I can get my hands on in a stationary store) gives me a warm feeling inside, comforting me that I am on the right path towards succeeding.

Re-organising my workspace and altering its feng shui gives me the clarity of mind to know where I am going.

These are the things that work for me. And they might work for you.

The point is that you need to find your own ways to re-organise how you work hard so that it doesn’t become hard anymore.

Time spent organising your thoughts is time well spent.

So before you start that next project which could potentially lead to a promotion at work (fingers crossed), spend the time getting rid of that huge pile of papers that are doing nothing but collecting dust on your desk.

Before you muster up the courage to quit your day job and focus your energy on that side-business you’ve been working on over the past few years, plan out each and every milestone that you wish to hit, and how you want to get there.

And before you decide you want to become a writer, make sure you plan each and every story (very few people can just freestyle their writing).

Don’t be that person who decides to give up because they don’t know what to do next, because they didn’t take the time to structure their ideas.

And please don’t be that person who thinks they are possessed with a unique gift that makes them immune from having an organised plan.

I made that mistake when I first started writing. And it bit me in the backside.

Final thoughts

Our achievements in life are often defined by whether we are trying to open the doorway to success with the right key.

So I’ll end with where I started.

‘Organisation is the key to success’

Thank you, Mr. Mosby.