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Itzel Garcia

Spacht

Adv. speech pd.4

25 September 2018

As a student, I have to think about my everyday experiences and how they affected my

life. Questions to reflect off of would be “what happens when new learning or experiences shift

our understanding” and “ How do you improve by setting goals”. By asking myself these

questions everyday I can note my growth and have a better understanding of myself. Being too

comfortable with one’s surroundings almost completely limits the ability to grow because it

causes a fear of change. My life has changed dramatically over the years and it will continue to

do so, to note these changes it’s important for me to think about these questions often.

Over the years students are exposed to new learning materials. Because of that, think about

how the things around us alter our thinking and affect our actions. I picked this question as one

to guide my speech because there are multiple ways in which these have had an impact on my

life, my life is always being influenced by those around me, and affected by the hardships that i

have had to overcome. In the poem invictus, the author has a very clear message, this message

being how he is the master of his own fate. In this poem, line 5-6 says “ In the cell of clutch of

circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud” People go through a lot everyday and the only

way to get grow from this involves everyone to be there for themselves , and like in the poem

instead of giving up because they have made someone tired of everything they had to conquer,

make those experiences a positive impact to your life. Instead of letting the small inconveniences

cloud my judgement like I have grown accustomed to to doing, take that as a way to make
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myself stronger. To avoid of a group full of ignorant citizens is to have a growth mindset, this

would be growing from one's experiences and not expect to leave everything they have overcome

aside. Growth mindset is being a “better you” despite the times people feel worthless because we

grow as people, as friends, as siblings, parents, and in our careers as well. The way that my

experiences have impacted me, have made me healthier, more aware of the people around me, as

well as aware of my reactions to certain situations. Reflecting and taking into consideration my

past experiences has helped me grow and increased my knowledge of myself , this including

knowing how much I can overcome as well as my limits in that matter.

Setting goals have been a big part of our lives and it brings to consider what one would

receive from setting a goal , or working towards a goal. What is a goal? A goal is “a clear idea of

what you want to achieve”. When setting goals, a person can begin with a small goal to lead

towards a bigger goal. As it talks more about in chapter 1 ‘building a foundation’, goals and

planning don’t do any good to anyone without acting on said goals. Looking at our ‘sleep

record’, ‘perfectionism quiz’ , and ‘water drinking record’ one can set goals for improvement .

An improvement for me would be drinking more water throughout the day, like 65.2 oz, and

sleeping at 9 giving me 8 hours of sleep. Looking at my perfectionism quiz, one would see me

struggling in, putting too much focus on small unimportant things like the look of my notes,

doing anything out of my comfort zone in fear of being judged for something that may come of

as a struggle for me at the start, and criticizing and comparing myself to others in a highly

competitive way, as well as having some issues with anxiety. However by setting a plan to focus

on the quality of notes and not how they look, being around people who encourage me to do

things I have never tried, see everyone as someone who can positively impact my life, and being
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in environments that keep me calm in times of stress,would help me achieve my goals to reduce

my bad habits. This would make me a better friend, student, daughter, and person over all.

Over time, the way I plan out and take action on my goals and dreams, become a big part

of me. Anytime of doubt or lack of energy will motivate me to be someone I am proud to be seen

as. Setting goals for myself keeps me moving forward and creates a new challenge everyday.

Instead of looking for reassurance I can keep my dreams to myself and not depend on someone

or feel pressured. Looking at myself before there's been multiple changes in my life and my can

see there is still more to improve on. Still now I want to try more things, and to have an open

mind when thinking of clubs and sports to join. This way I can take into consideration how the

way I put myself out there would define me as a person.