Journal Entry #1

In your journal, write the eight areas of the self-assessment and record your scores for each:

1. 47 Accepting Personal Responsibility
2. 43 Discovering Self-Motivation
3. 44 Mastering Self-Management
4. 18 Employing Interdependence
5. 63 Gaining Self-Awareness
6. 45 Adopting Lifelong Learning
7. 22 Developing Emotional Intelligence
8. 52 Believing in Yourself

Write about the areas in which you had your highest scores. Explain why you think you scored higher in these areas than in others. Also, explore how you feel about these scores. Your entry might begin, "By doing the self-assessment, I learned that I..."

Gaining Self Awareness:
"Having self awareness allows you to see where your thoughts and emotions are taking you. It also allows you to see the controls of your emotions, behavior, and personality so you can make changes you want." -www.pathwaytohappiness.com

By doing this self-assessment, I learned that I do have control over my emotions, behavior, and personality which, I completely agree, gives me the full ability to make the changes I want. I also learned though that I don't make the changes I want to and need to. For what reasons? Well this is why we are here. I'm ready for that change.
When I realized that this particular area was my highest score out of them all, I was extremely shocked. I am very aware of my thoughts and emotions and behaviors. And my On Course text book states, "Successful People: gain self awareness, consciously employing behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes that keep them on course." I employ behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes that keep me afloat, but definitely not on course.

Believing in Yourself:
By doing this self-assessment, I learned... Well I didn't learn it just by doing this self assessment. I have known for a few years now my capability of believing in myself. Buuuuut, what I did learn after interpreting this self assessment is this: I do believe in myself but maybe it's only my outer self. If I believed as much in my inner self as I do my outer self I probably wouldn't be on the journey I am presently.


Write about the areas in which you had your lowest scores. Explain why you think you socred lower in these areas than in others. Also, explore how you feel about these scores. Remember the saying,, "If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting." With this thought in mind, write about any specific changes you'd like to make in yourself during this course. Your entry might begin, "By doing the self-assessment, I also learned that I..."

Employing Interdependence:
By doing the self-assessment, I also learned that maybe I am too independent when it comes down to asking for assistance/help. Being a female, I know that the majority of us, even in todays society give off the perception of dependent. Which, what female really doesn't fantasize about Mr.Right coming into their lives, sweeping them off of their feet, and taking care of them for the rest of their lives? But besides the point, I can definitely do without. But I personally don't like anyone to know that I need any kind of assisstance. I never ever ask for help because my mentality is, "I'm independent. I don't need to rely on anybody. I don't need anything from anybody." Which is funny because I do rely solely on 2 people: my mom and dad.

Developing Emotional Intelligence:
By doing the self-assessment, I also learned that my emotions are out of control. When I am angry, I am angry. When I am sad and depressed, I am sad and depressed. When I am happy and content, I am happy and content. The book states "Struggling-live at the mercy of strong emotions such as anger, depression, anxiety, or a need for instant gratification." To me, it's sickening. And sheds a little light on where my confidence lies in myself. Because boy oh boy is that gratification part true. When I do something good, I expect you to at least acknowledge and appreciate it everytime. And if you don't, then I sit back, throw these temper tantrums, stomp around and show my ass and rebel. It's as simple as that. Why does it feel more like an impulse and a reaction than a choice being made that I can control?

Self-Assessment

Read the following statements and score each one according to how true or false you believe it is about you. To get an accurate picture of yourself, consider what IS true about you (not what you want to be true). Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. Assign each statement a number from 0-10, as follows: Totally False 012345678910 Totally True

1. 10 I control how successful I will be
2. 0 I'm not sure why I'm in college
3. 5 I spend most of my time doing important things
4. 8 When I discover a challenging problem, I try to solve it myself
5. 8 When I get off course from my goals and dreams, I realize it right away
6. 0 I'm not sure how I learn best
7. 10 Whether I'm happy or not depends mostly on me
8. 4 I'll truly accept myself only after I eliminate my faults and weaknesses
9. 0 Forces out of my control were the cause of my low grades I received in school
10. 3 I place great value on getting my college degree1
11. 0 I don't need to write things down because I can remember what I need to do
12. 3 I have a network of people in my life that  I can count on for help
13. 0 If I have habits that hinder my success, I'm not sure what they are
14. 3 When I don't like the way an instructor reaches, I know how to learn the subject anyway
15. 10 When i get very angry, sad, or afraid, I do or say things that create a problem for me
16. 6 When I think about performing an upcoming challenge, I usually see myself doing well
17. 5 When I have a problem, I take positive actions to find a solution
18. 10 I don't know how to set effective short and long term goals
19. 10 I am organized
20. 10 When I took a difficult course in school, I studied alone
21. 8 I'm aware of beliefs I have that hinder my success
22. 5 I'm not sure how to think critically and analytically about complex topics
23. 5 When choosing between doing an important school assignment or something really fun, I do the school assignment
24. 10 I break promises that I make to myself or to others
25. 10 I make poor choices that keep me from getting what  I really want in life
26. 10 I expected to  do well in my college classes
27. 8 I lack self discipline
28. 6 I listen carefully when other people are talking
29. 0 I'm stuck with any habits of mine that hinder my success
30. 8 When I face a disappointment, I ask myself, "What lesson can I learn here?"
31. 10 I often feel bored, anxious, or depressed
32. 10 I feel just as worthwhile as any other person
33. 0 Forces outside of me control how successful I will be
34. 5 College is an important step on the way to accomplishing my goals and dreams
35. 8 I spend most of my time doing unimportant things
36. 5 When I encounter a challenging problem, I ask for help
37. 0 I can be off course from my goals and dreams for quite a while without realizing it
38. 10 I know how I learn best
39. 10 My happiness depends mostly on what's happened to me lately
40. 8 I accept myself just as I am, even with my faults and weaknesses
41. 10 I was the cause of the low grades I received in school
42. 5 When I lost my motivation in college, I didn't know how to get it back
43. 0 I have a written self-management system that helps me get important things done on time
44. 8 I know very few people whom I can count on for help
45. 10 I am aware of the habits I have that hinder my success
46. 5 If I don't like the way the instructor teaches, I'll probably do poorly in the course
47. 0 When I'm very angry, sad, or afraid, I know how to manage my emotions so I didn't do anything I'll regret later
48. 0 When I think about performing an upcoming challenge, I usually see myself doing poorly
49. 8 When I have a problem, I complain, blame others, or make excuses
50. 0 I know how to set short and long term goals
51. 0 I am disorganized
52. 0 When I take a difficult course in school, I find a study partner or join a study group
53. 8 I'm unaware of beliefs I have that hinder my success
54. 2 I know how to think critically and analytically about complex topics
55. 5 I often feel happy and fully alive
56. 2 I keep promises that I make to myself or to others
57. 0 When I have an important choice to make, I use a decision making process that analyzes possible options and their likely outcomes
58. 0 I didn't expect to do well in my college classes
59. 5 I am a self disciplined person
60. 10 I get distracted easily when other people are talking
61. 5 I know how to change habits of mine that hinder my success
62. 8 When I face a disappointment, I feel pretty helpless
63. 8 When choosing between doing an important school assignment or something really fun, I usually did something fun
64. 0 I feel less worthy than other people

0-39 Indicates an area where your choices will seldom keep you on course
40-63 Indicates an area where your choices will sometimes keep you on course
64-80 Indicates an area where your choices will usually keep you on course

My Scores in Ascending Order:
Score#4: Employing interdependence: 18

• Successful : build mutually supportive relationships that help them achieve their goals and dreams (while helping others do the same)
• Struggling : solitary, seldom request, even reject, offers of assistance from those who could help

Score#7: Developing Emotional Intelligence: 22

• Successful : effectively manage their emotions in support of their goals and dreams
• Struggling : live at the mercy of strong emotions such as anger, depression, anxiety, or a need for instant gratification

Score#2: Discovering Self-Motivation: 43

• Successful : find purpose in their lives by discovering personally meaningful goals and dreams
• Struggling : have difficulty sustaining motivation, often feeling depressed, frustrated, and/or resentful about a lack of direction in their lives

Score#3: Master Self-Management: 44

• Successful : consistently plan and take purposeful actions in pursuit of their goals and dreams
• Struggling : seldom identify specific actions needed to accomplish a desired outcome, and when they do, they tend to procrastinate

Score#6: Adopting Lifelong Learning: 45

• Successful : find valuable lessons and wisdom in nearly every experience they have
• Struggling : resist learning new ideas and skills, viewing learning as fearful or boring rather than as mental play

Score#1: Accepting Personal Responsibility: 47

• Successful : see themselves as the primary cause of their outcomes and experiences
• Struggling : see themselves as victims, believing that what happens to them is determined primarily by external forces such as fate, luck, and powerful others

Score#8: Believing in Myself: 52

• Successful : Believe in themselves, seeing themselves as capable, lovable, and unconditionally worthy human beings
• Struggling : doubt their competence and personal value, feeling inadequate to create their desired outcomes and experiences

Score#5: Gaining Self Awareness: 63

• Successful : consciously employ behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes that keep them on course
• Struggling : make important choices unconsciously, being directed by self sabotaging habits and outdated life scripts