Assignment 14A- Halfway Reflection

Assignment 14A- Halfway Reflection

1. Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?
   - Some behaviors I have used/developed to keep up is time management, first and foremost. In conjunction with my organizational skills, it has helped me keep up with doing the assignments to the best of my ability, as well as complete them all on time. Furthermore, I find that I need a clear head and non-distracting environment since this class takes a lot of effort and critical thinking.
   
2. Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?
   - Recently, there have been quite a few days where I've felt like giving up. Unfortunately life comes at you really fast with good and bad things that happen unexpectedly, and those can really take a toll on your physical and mental health. These past two months have probably been the most difficult two months of my life due to personal reasons, and the love and support from my friends and family has truly been the thing that keeps me going. I was never really one to reach out or ask for help when things got rough, but once you get to a point where there's no choice but to do so, it's like the weight of the world is slowly being lifted off your shoulders. I cannot stress how much even a simple text message of encouragement from a friend or hearing your favorite person's voice helps, and has made me develop a tenacious mindset in everything that I do. Now, I celebrate my victories (no personal victory is too small to celebrate) and work harder to overcome my defeats. Life is so so so hard, but a tenacious mindset, a little bit of coffee, and a strong support system will go a long way.
   
3. Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset' ?
   - Tip 1: Time Management! If it hasn't been said enough by everyone else, this class has by far been one of the most time-sensitive intensive classes I've taken. Having done the IB program in high-school, I needed to learn time management at an early start. Once you get to college, life becomes SO different and you have more responsibilities/commitments that become a little difficult to manage. Set aside some time in your day that you know you can get some work done (and listen to your body: if you can't do work late at night, do it in the morning and vice versa. Your body knows you better than you know yourself) and really get it done. It will be difficult but manageable, and all it takes is a little planning. Which leads me to my next tip...
   Tip 2: Organize yourself. Get a journal, white board, Google Calendar, etc. to keep yourself organized with your assignments and know what you have to get done by the end of the week. Decorating it is a plus to make your tasks more enjoyable to do, but as long as you have a way of physically seeing what needs to get done, in what order it needs to get done, you're set! Another quick pro-tip is getting as much as you can done all at once because it feels sooo good to know your comments due Monday have already been completed by Friday. Trust me.
   Tip 3: Reward yourself after you get your assignments done so you have an incentive to do them. Knowing I get to watch a few episodes of a Netflix show or can go out to eat with my friends after I get my assignments in makes it so much easier to actually have motivation to do them, and is much needed for detailed assignments like these ones. If you have a friend in the class as well, encourage them to do their work and don't forget to reward yourselves!