Over a week ago, the PLP 10 family came home from our four day learning advance at Loon Lake, and although it was only an hour away, it was still an amazing experience. At the beginning of the year we were told that Florida was going to be the destination for our field school, but quickly that got shut down so we resulted to Loon Lake. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed, it had been over a year and a half since I last travelled so I just wanted to go somewhere out of the country, however I genuinely think that the Loon Lake trip was more beneficial to us than Florida would’ve been. 

The four days we spent there were the busiest yet most relaxed days I’ve experienced in a long time. It seemed that every day we had a lot to do but because of the location, everyone was chilled out and just enjoying themselves. This was when I realized how important place is and how your experiences can be impacted so largely just with a change of location. As I grow up I learn to be thankful for new opportunities I come across rather than the materialistic items. I would never have thought that Loon Lake would be the perfect destination for a group of 20 grade 10s but clearly our teachers thought otherwise. That’s what I love about PLP, how our teachers always find the perfect solution to every problem resulting in us becoming the most effective people we can be. 

Credits to Quinn for this shot

Going into this trip I really didn’t know what to expect, our teachers didn’t tell us much about what we would do, but this element of surprise just made the trip better. Stepping out of the bus in the Loon Lake parking lot was exactly what I needed, with the fresh air and peace and quiet I knew I was in for a great trip. As we settled into our cabins and got familiar with the place we’d being staying in for the next few days, I found myself looking back at Oregon and seeing the similarities but also the differences. Remembering my growth from that trip got me wanting to match it and even push myself to go further, if I was to make the most out of our Loon Lake advance it would start from my willingness to grow and then the rest would come with it. 

A Week On The Coast

When the time came to sit down in the new classroom and get our iPads out and start working, I finally understood why we were here. About half way through reading our new class book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People all the activities to come would be based on your mindset and self growth. To be completely honest, this sort of project was exactly what I needed, some time to work and reflect by myself instead of being a part of a group. I know PLP focuses on project and group based work and most of the time that is more effective, but in order to operate the best as a team, everyone needs to know themselves first; and that’s exactly what we were here for. At the beginning of our stay we’d set a goal for ourselves, something not too easy but also achievable within the four days we were gone, and after a lot of thinking, I decided that what I really needed to focus on was my mindset. I’ve always been the type of guy to play things safe, in some situations that is the best thing to do, but I realized if I wanted to become a more effective person, I need to push myself to get outside my comfort zone. There is no denying that the best work anyone produces comes from when they aren’t comfortable, so my main focus of the trip was to do things I wouldn’t normally do. 

Going to bed that night I was thinking what I could do to achieve this goal and how I’d know I’ve done so, and truthfully, there isn’t really a way, but I remembered that growth was what I was seeking and I don’t necessarily need to fully accomplish this goal to see myself grow. The next morning I started the day by pushing myself, doing something I wouldn’t ever think of doing, waking up early and going for a walk. This may seem like a very simple and easy thing to do and you’re not wrong, but just starting off my day with a clear head and a vision for what I want the day to look like helped me get through what our teachers had planned for us. Just the 30 minutes spent doing something outside my comfort zone put me above where I was yesterday and that’s exactly where I needed to be. I carried this idea of being better than I was yesterday throughout the whole trip, and I understood that not everything has to be a big difference, but really it’s the small things that make the biggest change.

A day full of activities that I had never done before brought an opportunity for growth, and it was an opportunity I didn’t turn down. Although mainly focusing on myself, there was still time to make connections with the people around me, I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone and do these activities with confidence and a smile on my face thanks to the encouragement and support of my peers. My main takeaway from the Pinnacle Pursuits activities was that no matter how much I wanted or didn’t want to do an activity, I’d still go into with a positive mindset. This trip made me realize how important my mindset is, a shift in mentality can and will better my experience and this mindset is something I plan to carry with everything I do.