Assignment 14A - Halfway Reflection

Tenacity & Paying It Forward

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." - Marie Curie

1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?

The behaviors I have used to keep up with the requirements of this course are the following:

• Looking at future assignments for their due dates to know when to start working on them
• Using other blogs as reference points for assignments
• Asking fellow students of this course how to do certain assignments or if there are any assignments coming up

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? 

A couple moments where I felt like giving up:

• The assignment that required us to film ourselves doing a sales pitch
• Realizing that we only get 5 minutes for a 5-question quiz

My own motivation to do well in this course was what pulled me through; I was looking at these moments in a superficial manner, which didn't let me see how easy both were to overcome. I do believe I have developed a tenacious attitude during the past 2 months because I have learned to not give up because I think I can't; I must simply try my best and try to come up with a result that satisfies me. I believe the experiences that helped shaped this in me definitely can be correlated to both the coursework of this class and also extraneous events of my life. Sometimes when things don't work out, it isn't a matter of being inadequate, but rather because there are better suited results for me. It isn't about giving up on something that doesn't work out, but rather not giving up on the concept that encompasses the event (i.e. one bad test grade doesn't equate me dropping out and diminishing the importance of getting an education).

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' ?

1. Stay on top of your assignments! The sooner you get them done, the less work you have and the less tenacity you'll have to display.
2. No matter what, always have a hunger for learning and be passionate about the work you do for this class. You'll discover things about yourself and what you might want for your career!
3. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. You'll never know what kind of feedback you could get, whether negative or positive, that could allow you to grow as an individual and as a professional!