Due by class on Thursday, Sept. 8: Rewriting your Narrative
Due by class time Thursday, September 8
Submit your assignment in PDF or Word format ONLY.
It should take at least 500 words (two double-spaced pages) to thoroughly complete this assignment.
Step 1
Think of a time you faced a failure or a major disappointment (e.g., a time you weren’t chosen for something, a time you didn’t get the grade you expected, a time you got fired from a job). Describe the situation in detail so that a stranger could understand it.
Step 2
Describe your approach to handling the failure at the time. How did you feel when it happened? How did you behave? What did you say? What did you tell yourself about what went wrong? Who did you blame? Try to recall the little voice inside your head at the time of the event: What was it saying to you? How did that particular failure influence your future actions and beliefs about yourself (e.g., the way you prepare for challenges, the things you try out for, the way you talk to yourself about who you are and what you can do)?
Step 3
Now, think about alternative ways you might have responded to that failure or a different story you might tell yourself about what happened. Draw on our discussions about narrative identify, fixed and growth mindset, and Parker Palmer’s views on honesty, limitations, and “the way closing.”
Describe this alternative response. What would your internal monologue (the voice in your head, the way you encourage or berate yourself be saying to you? Who or what would you blame for the failure? What would you do next? What effect would this response have on your future behavior and choices? On your self-esteem?
I’m not looking for a perfectly crafted essay here. The purpose of this assignment is to see how you’re applying concepts from the course materials to your own life. While I do expect good grammar and a thorough spellcheck, what I’m really interested in here are your thoughts.
Citations
Don’t worry about including a bibliography. Since we’re all using the same sources, if you reference specific ideas from the readings or videos, you can simply mention the source as part of your sentence. For example, “According to Dan McAdams, while you can’t control the traits you were born with you do have some degree of control over your story.” Or, “Researcher Carol Dweck defines growth mindset as…”