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?

  • The behaviors that I have used the most to keep up with this course are time-management, discipline, and passion. The assignments due each week are not things that can be quickly thrown together the half hour before it's due. These assignments take a lot of time and energy to complete. It requires discipline to devote time to doing them each week and a certain amount of planning to figure out when I have the time to do them. I would also say that finding a way to connect what I'm learning to my own unique passions has been incredibly helpful for me. I am super passionate about health, food, wellness, and taking care of the environment, so making my business idea connect with those passions has helped me connect with the assignments and find fun within the work. 


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 experiences most contributed to this?

  • A few weeks ago I was preparing to miss a week of school for a weeklong program in New York City that I was participating in. In anticipation for missing a week of school I had to do double the amount of schoolwork for all of my classes in that one week. The work for this class was especially overwhelming that week because there were 5 assignments I had to complete and some of them required interviews and research. It was a lot of work. In order to stay on track I had to complete one assignment every day on top of my work for other classes and other commitments. It was stressful and very time-consuming, but in the end it was worth it to have all that work finished so that I could really enjoy my time in New York. That was what pulled me through, just knowing that my future self was going to be glad that I grinded to get the work done beforehand. Plus, I knew that I had made a commitment to this class, and I had to find a way to make it work even if it meant staying up late and getting less sleep. I feel like over the past two months this class has definitely forced me to utilize my tenacious attitude more, but I think that's something I have always had. I have always been that way. Sometimes I wish I could just take the L, but it's not in my character to not step up to a challenge. Even if in the moment I hate that I am having to do something difficult, I will always get it done. 

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'?
  • View challenges as opportunities. The work is not always going to be fun, especially when life gets in the way, but you still have to find a way to get it done. Even though at times you are going to want to give up, always push through and you will be glad you did. Take every opportunity in this class to learn more about yourself and challenge your old way of thinking. 
  • Cultivate grit. That extra bit of determination will take you a long way. The life of an entrepreneur is being able to persist in something you feel passionate about and persevere in the face of obstacles. You might not be passionate about this class or the assignments, but you can always find a way to connect it to what you are truly passionate about. 
  • Value the process over the end result. It's easy to want to quickly finish an assignment so that you can check it off your list of to-dos. However, it's less about getting something done or meeting all the requirements and more about learning from doing. Don't be in such a rush to finish the assignments each week so that you can check them off. Instead, learn how to embrace the process


Comments

  1. Madylin McConnellMarch 7, 2020 at 5:30 PM

    Hi Grace,
    I really enjoy your posts. You can really tell that you genuinely put time and effort into all of your posts and your descriptions of the work you put in aligns. I really like how you put your advice into phrases and then further explained it. It makes it easier to remember and put to use for future students.
    ~Mady

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oph06March 8, 2020 at 9:28 PM

    This class has definitely had me honing in on my time management skills as well. Your spin on viewing challenges as opportunities really struck a chord with me. It took all of my college career and some of my previous career to understand what that meant. Using opportunities as an opportunity for growth changes a negative outlook into a positive one which really changes how you approach the problem or concern.

    ReplyDelete

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