STEPS - Library - Central Queensland University

Part Four: Student transformations
STEPS — A guide to learning, a guide
to living
James Ukena
Sometimes we never achieve our potential because we have no idea what it
is. In 2003, I entered the STEPS program with reservations. I was already
unsure of attempting a university program, and I felt uneasy about the
possibility of discovering I was not even worthy of the preparatory
program.
I had not completed high school, preoccupied with the distractions that a
wayward youth offered. I can recall in one of my early classes sharpening a
pencil for ten minutes, avoiding the mathematics problems laid out before
us. I was certain that I had made the wrong decision. I was 34 years old,
sitting in a classroom, sweating over year 11 mathematics problems. I was
overwhelmed with the thought of not being able to cope with real university
courses.
Every week, the STEPS Coordinator, Karen Seary, spoke to us about us.
We were relieved of our maths and English commitments to look into our
own lives more closely and to understand how to use our minds to achieve
our goals. I will not lie to you. It felt a little bit like a support group. Instead
of abusing alcohol, we had been victims of abusing our life’s potential.
These moments of self-awareness were the greatest revelations I have ever
experienced. Suddenly, I had a basis for understanding the origins of my
cynical nature. I understood that my brain worked differently from other
brains, and it’s OK to solve problems differently. With all this new
information on board, I allowed my mind to let go of all its past
preconceptions of how I should think. Essentially, I had gained a sense of
confidence that I never had as an adolescent.
The introduction to the famous De Bono’s lateral/global thinking methods
was a profound experience. I had always thought I was clever at some
things, very few things. I was never able to transfer that cleverness to other
activities. Therefore, I assumed that simply was how life was going to be —
that was my lot. The De Bono experience, which millions of people around
the world have already been exposed to, opened up my mind to endless
possibilities. I guess what I am trying to say is that my brain worked fine; I
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