Halfway Reflection

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

A few of the things that I’ve had to practice with this course are time management, planning, and prioritization. This semester has been specifically difficult because it’s my first semester at UF, I’m taking 4 courses, and working full-time as well. For this course specifically, I’ve had to learn to plan accordingly for the assignments. A lot of the assignments require you to interview people or read materials in order to complete them. This means that you cannot wait until the last minute or procrastinate. It’s also challenging because you have to deal with other people’s schedules for the interview, so you have to make sure to give yourself plenty of time.   

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 had a few moments this semester where I definitely felt like giving up. The most difficult moments are when everything that can possibly go wrong does at a moment when all of my obligations intersect. One that was specifically challenging for me this semester is when I had assignments due for two of my classes, an exam for another, and my brother’s graduation all in one week. I had to make time to study for the exam make sure my assignments were done on time and I was able to spend time with my family for my brother’s graduation. I definitely feel like having a tenacious attitude got me through these difficult moments. I think what contributes to this is the determination that I have to achieve my goals – graduate with honors will continuing to advance my career.

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. I would work on making sure to develop time management skills and prioritization. I guess how much this will depend on what your workload is for school and other activities. Either way, I think these two skills would be vital to your success.
2. To develop a tenacious attitude, you’ll need to make sure you understand your goals and what drives you. When things get difficult, the only thing that’s going to get you through is knowing what the end goal is.
3. Try to network and develop relationships with people who have similar goals as you do. This is helpful because you can help each other through those difficult times when everything seems to be going wrong.