Stefani Mindrebo, Period 2, 3/3/23

 Stefani Mindrebo - Atomic Habits and Growth

Personal goals have always been a present, driving force throughout my life. As a dancer of 13 years, I have always found myself seeking to achieve goals, both in and outside of school. As a student, I hold myself to the standard of trying my absolute best, but the definition of this definitely changed as I got older. At the beginning of high school, my goals were more centered around numbers, and earning perfect grades and high test scores. As I got older, I learned that, while it is important to perform academically, expecting to push myself and focus on self-improvement would be a more substantial goal than expecting myself to earn straight A+ grades.

While these two academic goals may not seem to hold significant differences, to me the simple shift from basing my goals around a numerical result to basing them off of my perception of my work made a huge difference. I crafted this standard while I was at dance one day in my sophomore year. The COVID-19 pandemic was at its height, and I was learning a particularly difficult dance alone in my basement. I remember catching my breath and wondering what my teacher would think of my messy turns and slouched posture. Upon rewatching the video, I had acknowledged that there were many flaws, however, I could see just in my facial expressions that I was pouring so much of my heart and emotion into the dance. After that evening in my basement, I extended that mindset to my studies in school as well, as I truly learned that achieving my goals is always possible when I genuinely want to, rather than doing it to receive an award or a high grade. 

Demonstrating resilience in this goal is extremely different than demonstrating resilience in my initial goal. Now, I demonstrate resilience by focusing on what I can do to ensure that I am doing everything to the best of my ability. For instance, I make sure that I always study for my upcoming exams and fully understand the material before I go to school the next day. However, I do that to make sure that I am prepared, rather than doing it to earn an A+ on the exam. I demonstrate resilience even further in dance by attending every class, regardless of how tired I may be or other plans that I might have the same day. My classes are not always easy, and there have been countless times where I came home exhausted and sore. This commitment pushed me to learn how to properly manage my time, so that I can have time to grow academically at school, socially with my friends, and personally at dance.

Assessing myself with this goal comes naturally, as it is centered around my efforts more so than a tangible recognition. That being said, I am able to assess myself frequently and effectively based on how I am feeling. After finishing a day of school, or practicing a new dance number, I often check in with myself and pay attention to my thoughts. I am able to determine whether or not I felt like I could have done better, and if needed, I recognize the changes that I need to make in order to succeed the next day.