Brian Bell
October 21st, 2015
English 111-03H
Summary of Prof. Mirman
I am a Creator, not a Victim
Never rely on being a Victim. People will not accept most excuses unless they
are emergencies. Try to be a Creator; Not only will it help to do better in almost every
aspect, but people will start to see a change in their lives all together. Taking
responsibility for someone’s own actions is more respectable than blaming others for his
or her problems. For instance, “If a hurricane destroys my house, I am a victim (with a
small “v”). In this case I am victimized by a force outside of me. But if I allow that event
to ruin my life, I am a Victim (with a capital “V”).” Do not let one little event ruin the whole
experience. It is all about having to rise above and chose to think like a Creator.
(Downing)
On Professor David Mirman’s internet blog, he gives an example of how two
students in the same predicament, go about solving their issues with opposite
viewpoints. The Professor asked two of his students, who did not have their books on
the first day, if they had gotten their books one week later. The first student said, “No, I
do not have the textbook. I was not able to get it because the bookstore did not have
any more. They said they ran out. It was their fault, not mine”. The second student, on
the other hand, had her book. The teacher then asked where she got it and the student
told the teacher that the school did not have it. She then stated that she even checked
other local bookstores, but had to resort to ordering it off of Amazon. It even ended up
being the same price as the on-campus version. The second student was an obvious
case of a Creator, while the first was a Victim. (Mirman)
Back in middle school I always relied on the Victim’s mindset and blamed
everyone else for every bad grade or assignment that was never turned in. One day, I
had to bring home a math test that I had gotten a D on, which I did not study for, nor did
I inform the teacher that I did not understand the material. I tried my best without even
taking the necessary steps to allow for success. Instead of telling my parents that I did
not study, I said that it was the teacher’s fault for not being a good enough instructor. I
figured out eventually that the only way that I may improve would be to take my life and
education into my own hands and not play the “blame game.”
Speaking of my childhood, the person that comes to my mind as a Creator is my
father. He is a Creator because he always takes responsibility for his actions and never
blames his mistakes on others. I have always admired him for this reason; whenever he
fails, he learns from it and improves upon it. He was the person who told me to start
taking responsibility and that my life was in my hands and that whatever happened was
because I allowed it or made it happen in some way. He really paved the way for me to
be the person I am now.
Learning from his lessons, I am currently on track with the plan I set. School
work comes first, anything I do not understand from the lectures I write down and then
either refer to text or ask the teacher for more information. I worked on my first public
speaking assignment for two and a half weeks, I received an A on the presentation, so
far the hard work is paying off. I am doing pretty well with the tasks that I set up, but
there are still some things I need to improve on. Such as my assignments for art class,
which is arguably my most important class, because I am a Fine Art major and I am
aiming to be an Art Director someday.
Works Cited:
Downing, Skip. "Adopting a Creator Mindset." On Course. N.p.: Cengage Learning, 01 Jan. 2010. Web. 09 Sept. 2015 N. pag. Print.
Mirman, David. "Do You Think Like a Victim or a Creator?" You Are the Prime Mover. N.p., 02 Jan. 2012. Web. 09 Sept. 2015. <http://youaretheprimemover.com/2012/do-you-think-like-a-victim-or-a- creator>.
