Chapter 2 Learning about Yourself
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People with a negative attitude are just the opposite. They
complain often and are rarely satisfi ed. They think their ideas are
the best and are unwilling to compromise. People with a negative
attitude can be very diffi cult coworkers. Employers try to avoid
hiring individuals with negative attitudes.
Aptitudes
Many people have natural talents and can learn to do new things
quickly and easily. An aptitude is a natural talent and the potential
to learn easily and quickly. For instance, some people can play a
song on a musical instrument after hearing it only a few times. They
have an aptitude for music.
If you have an interest and an aptitude for something, you
would probably be very successful in a related career. If you enjoy
writing and do it well, you would probably be a good author or
journalist.
Some people discover their aptitudes on their own. They
may discover their aptitudes when learning something new.
Sometimes others can see your aptitudes when you cannot. Your
friends, family, teachers, and employers can all help you discover
your aptitudes. You can also discover new interests and aptitudes
by doing volunteer work, having an after-school job, or exploring
a hobby.
A school counselor can give you an aptitude test. Such a test
does not have right or wrong answers. It just helps you learn about
your aptitudes.
Abilities
Skills you have developed are your abilities. An ability is a skill
that you have developed and improved. For instance, an ability to
make quick, coordinated movements could be developed into the
ability to key quickly and accurately or play the piano well. Different
jobs require different abilities.
The next time you need to clean the smudge
marks off your LCD screen, TV screen, or computer
monitor, remember to avoid chemical cleaners.
Chemical cleaners are hard on the equipment, and
some are bad for the environment.
Go Green
Elaborate/Extend