Reflection 1

The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.- Thomas Paine

Finally, our Personal Development 1 class has come to an end. The class wasn’t all cake and ale- there were hard moments, complaints and hatred ( towards homework and assignments). But all in all, it is really an interesting class and a highlight of my college life.

Now that it is about to be concluded, I feel obliged to look back at what i have learnt throughout PD1, and thus reflect on the knowledge that I gained in the process. I believe that this self-reflection will be a nice ending to my MPU class journey.

Reflection on:

1) Taylor’s Graduate Capabilities

This was the first assignment that we received for our MPU class. We were asked to contemplate all the 8 capabilities that Taylor’s graduate should possessed. By looking deep into these skills and capabilities, I learned that some skills are vital and of quintessential if one wish to survive the era of modernization. For instances, the ability to communicate appropriately using eloquent language are getting more and more important as people need to stay connected perpetually. Besides, I also learned that I need to pick up on some skills that I am lack on such as intrapersonal skills ( time management, self-discipline and all those tedious… I mean, important skills ). The TGC assignment had really got me into deep thoughts about what can I do to improve myself and enhance my personal skills.

2) S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting 

We all have a dream, a goal that we wish to achieve in our life. To most people, achieving our life goal seems to be so unrealistic and unobtainable, because all we did to achieve it was sitting down, daydreaming and wondering about it. In some cases, people have, ignorantly, set the wrong target or pick a wrong direction in setting their goals. However, the S.M.A.R.T. mnemonic acronym has provide us with a clear and direct guide on how should we set our target and how to achieve it in no time. To ( and for the sake of ) complete this assignment, I recalled back one of my childhood dream ( now a goal or an achievement that I wish to complete ) which is to create my own novel series. I realize that all I did in the pass to achieve this goal was too linear. Now I know that to achieve a goal, the goal itself has to be specific, measurable, attainable, and relevant.

3) SWOT Analysis

I first heard about the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Threats analysis when our MPU lecturer assign this homework to us. By going through this analysis I have come to realize that I have many undesired weaknesses and also some threats that might stop me from obtaining success in the future. These unwanted ( but inevitable ) weaknesses of mine should be eliminated and rectify so that I face no obstacle in achieving my goal and becoming who I want to be. The SWOT analysis helped me a lot in self discovery and I feel that I knew myself more than ever after I have completed this assignment.

So these are some throwbacks on the assignments that I have been through during Personal Development 1, The lectures, the contents and the elements of the classes and the assignments make me realize that I have many weaknesses that need to be rectified immediately. Prompt actions need to be taken in order to get rid of my weaknesses, such as procrastination, laziness, poor time management skills and more. They can be destructive ( or rather deadly) if I ignore them and let them grow out of control. I will suffer in my 2 years college life if I fail to identify my weaknesses. Things that I can ( and should ) do by now is :

1. set up a study timetable and follow it strictly so that I waste not a second in my precious college life
2. Disciplined myself and be on time when come to doing homework
3. cut down on computer games and other unnecessary entertainments as they are a waste of time

I knew that habit couldn’t be changed overnight ( especially bad habits ) but I believe that effort and determination are what matter most. From now on, I will implement what I have learned in Personal Development 1 in my daily life – and i know that they will come in handy whenever I feel lost or feel helpless facing difficulties. All hail PD1 ( and all my awesome classmates) – we did it!