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? 

I've used my adaptability, time management, and creativity most of all for this class. The requirements for the class often require you to have to create ideas and develop these ideas. It requires a lot of time, adaptability in your approaches to it, and creativity in the actualization of these ideas for your assignments. Then you also need to start the assignments early to give yourself enough time to meet the various criteria of each assignment, which often can not be completed in one day.

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?

I felt like giving up studying for my business law exam. Due to the demand of my summer A classes I neglected to set aside time for the summer C class and had to watch 20 hours of lecture, read 400 pages of the, textbook and do 400 practice problems for the exam in 5 days. This required me to study basically all day for those 5 days, and it was stressful and exhausting but I pulled through and did it because doing well on the exam is part of a bigger picture of doing well in the class, doing well at my major, and building myself into a successful person, with a successful career in the future. This vision I have for myself allows me to persevere now and is one of my driving motivations. I do believe I have developed a tenacious attitude. The interviews I had to do for this class are the main experiences that developed this. I rarely talk to strangers and having this class made me have to reach out to them at various points in order to be able to complete the assignments. There is a certain level of discouraging rejection when getting interviews that you have to overcome.

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' ?

I would offer these 3 tips.
Starting early/Time management- There's a series of deadlines you will experience in your life and often there will be no second chances in being able to seize unique opportunities. You have to manage your time well in order to be successful and meet the deadlines of the various things expected of you, or opportunities that present themselves.
Building discipline- Motivation only does so much to produce action, you also have to have build a sense of discipline, to do things that push you out of your comfort zone. This ties into time management since it takes discipline to manage your time and not waste it on fun, but ultimately frivolous activities.
Seeing the bigger purpose- This is one of my driving motivations as a person and is what gives me the perseverance to keep going even when I feel like giving up. I think its of the utmost importance to have a vision or purpose in order to build a tenacious mindset. This is what your discipline, time, and energy are all building to.