DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Resilience

 

Briefly reflect on how you handle setbacks and disappointments, academic or otherwise this semester. 

My first semester has been a lot more challenging than I thought it would be. Some of my setbacks/disapointments include low test scores and failing to understand test material. This was a real wake up call for me; I realized that I need to develop my grit. For those of you who do not know, Grit = Resilience + Persistence. In Florida Virtual School's video on grit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwsZZ2rprqc) one quote sums up my setbacks during my first semester: "Learning is Hard." I know that growing in all aspects, especially academically, is going to be challenging and the first step to deal with disappointment is to acknowledge that not everything is going to be a piece of cake.

 

Did you use your "grit plan" to help you "bounce back" (resilience)? 

To be honest, I had totally forgotten about my "grit plan" from over the summer until Dr. Brown emailed it to me around the time of midterms. I have attached my grit assignment below and I hope to use it when I need to "bounce back" in the future.

 

 

If not, what do you need in order to implement it?  List the actions steps.  If you used it, how was it helpful?  If it was not helpful, what is your new plan?

Without purposefully following my set plan, I have been integrating a lot of those action steps in my everyday life. During the rest of my time here at Notre Dame and even after that, I will work on acknowledging the talent around me and being humble enough to ask for help when I need it.

 

Describe a time this semester you were faced with an academic problem or disappointment and how you overcame it.  Discuss who helped you, what resources you used.  If you haven't faced such an issue yet this semester or your haven't overcome it yet, what is your plan?  What resources do you need to access?

Introduction to Chemical Principles Lab has been a very challenging course so far. I remember one week's prelab assignment being especially frustrating. I spent a couple hours beating myself up about not understanding what I would be doing that week in lab. On monday night, I had completely given up. The lab was the next morning and I barely had time to review what I did understand. I went to The Fishbowl (a large room on the first floor of the library) to get work done and when I was there I ran into a friend of mine from the class. I asked him if he understood our objectives and procedures for the upcoming lab; to my pleasant surprise, my classamate sat down with me for almost an hour (time he could have spent doing his own work) and explained everything I needed to know clearly and concisely. I know that I cannot always count on running into someone the night before in the library, so I plan on forming a study group for my hardest classes so that I have solid study partners that I can go to for all my questions. A great way I have began to do this is with the Learning Resource Center and Collaborative Learning.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Grit Reflection & Plan of Action

 

            I never thought about grit the way that we have been taught to think about it at Balfour. grit, to me, was synonymous with “having heart”, but was not essentially a driving force between all emotions. The first time that I heard that grit was defined as perseverance with passion, I began to reevaluate how grit was applied in my life. I thought about what perseverance and passion meant; I realized that I have practiced passion much more than perseverance. I am rarely timely and easily distracted. Although I am able to remain optimistic, broaden my horizons, and challenge myself, I struggle when it comes to being accountable, encouraging myself, reflecting on prior successes, and eliminating obstacles. I even find it hard to keep faith when I am in the face of impossible tasks.

            I have never had a problem with finding my passion. Ever since grade school I knew that I wanted to help other people that had been through things like I had. My whole life, I’ve lived with a disease called Hydrocephalus. I underwent surgeries and procedures; for the first sixteen years of my life it made me feel isolated. When I was a junior in high school, I realized that I could combine my love for STEM courses—or at least science and math courses—with a life goal: my passion would be to help anyone that has found themselves in my position. Through research, and possibly medical school, I will be able to see what could be, be optimistic, and challenge myself to always do more.

            However, perseverance is a whole different story. To me, it’s the putting my plans into action that can be hard. Whether I have a movie to watch or friends to go out with, the promise of short-term gratification often supersedes my long terms goals. After everything I’ve been through, I have found it hard to feel at rest. Since I am striving for such astronomical goals, I almost never reflect on prior success and find discouragement in my failures more often than encouragement in my life. In the next four years, I hope that reflecting upon my personal goals and learning more about myself will allow me to shake off my fears and just be myself. This is when I believe I will gain true grit in my life.

            In the last four weeks, I have learned a lot about myself in the mindful success class. I came into Balfour with the idea that I was at Notre Dame to compete. I believed that I had to be better than everyone else or I would not be the one to get the spot in medical school or the spot on the dean’s list. It was only after I got myself “on the river bank” that I began to realize why I was here.

            From now on, whenever I feel like I am inferior because I did not score the highest on a test and feel afraid that I will not achieve any of my goals, instead of working myself to the bone—like I usually have to stay at the top of my class—I will be more mindful of the talents of those around me. When I learn to appreciate the classmates that I have and everything they have to offer to the Notre Dame community, I have learned that I can actually be happy for other people’s successes. This was a break-through for me; as soon as I realized this, I began feeling more gratified when I did well also. Instead of thinking in such a “dog-eat-dog” manner, I have tried to think of “communal joy” and the “greater good.” If I spend the next four years increasing my mindfulness, I believe that I will become a happier, more self-compassionate person with much more grit.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.