Boban

Reflection after the workshop about motivation and self-confidence 1. Self-analysis Before this workshop I was under huge stress and I needed something that can empower me to be highly motivated. This life pressure was stopping me many times from taking reasonable risks and achieving goals. Many people around me were successful, brave and optimistic and, at the other hand, I wasn`t the best version of myself. I had been in search for someone who can teach me how to overcome those problems when I came across program for this workshop. When I had heard about it I thought it could be suitable for my needs. I knew that first step is always difficult, but program looked like this activity is going to be very helpful. I was sure that things aren’t going to change by themselves so I decided to do something useful for my life. My career is closely linked to my personality. My characteristics are also closely linked to my success. I understand that I have to be best version of myself in order to make more money and to feel better as a professional. Tests looked very interesting before completing. I must add they were challenging for me also as they made me look inside my brain and soul. The results were something I expected because I already knew many of my weaknesses. Of course, there were some surprises for me which made me know little bit more about my inner self. 2. Analysis of learning After this learning, I think I am ready to feel more fulfilled. My goal is to improve quality of my life and I feel I can make it. One of the most important things I have now is desire to set and meet specific standards. I have learned how important is to be optimistic and committed to my goals. It is a pity that I never known all the advantages of self-motivation. But, now I understand that I never had control of some aspects of my life and this was very wrong. I am extremely thankful after this workshop because I believe this knowledge will make me happier. Of course, confidence is not so easy to learn; this is actually a set of mind and it requires a lot of practice. But, I am now ready to take a right level of risk and seek for all opportunities. According to famous author Daniel Goleman, there are four elements of motivation – personal drive to achieve, commitment to goals, initiative and optimism. I knew there is a lack of motivation in my case, but I didn’t know which part I should improve first. Now I think I must be more committed to my goals and not let anyone to distract me. Additionally, I have to be more optimistic and cheerful. Reminding me to have faith in happy ending is absolutely essential. According to Bandura people with self-beliefs of confidence have been shown to attribute failure to lack of effort; people with low self-beliefs of confidence ascribe their failures to lack of ability. I was always one of them who believe that mistake is result of lack of ability to achieve something. I was never trying to do something over and over. It was easier for me to give up. Goals I was setting for myself weren’t so high because of lack of my self-confidence. They were too easy to achieve because of my fear. For the same reason, my commitment wasn’t firm enough. 3. Application in context My previous knowledge about my problems was significant but I must admit it wasn’t enough. This step is what I needed to become completely aware of all areas I should take care of. I didn’t gained enough experience in trying and failing to know how it feels and to understand that there is nothing to be so afraid of. Now I know this kind of experience is crucial for development. According to Bandura’s research, some people see high goals as a challenge and some of them see the same goals as beyond their limits, so they don’t even try to achieve them. I recognize my previous behavior in this sentence as I was constantly setting low goals – higher ones were too much for me. Bandura also wrote that low confidence can be a result of many factors including: fear of the unknown, criticism, being unhappy with personal appearance, feeling unprepared, poor time-management, lack of knowledge and previous failures. This list was helpful for me because I understood which factors made me so unsure and weak when it comes to big decisions and acts. My time-management was far from ideal. There were also some previous failures – they were vivid in my memory. One of my personal goals is to look and feel more confident when I meet new people and talk in front of crowds. I would love to get rid of my fears as they often make me feel uncomfortable. Now I am sure that I need to gain knowledge about things I am afraid of. Knowledge and training will make me more prepared for the unknown situations. Mistakes are something I can’t avoid, but I have to have a plan what to do when they occur. My career goal is to be more successful as an entrepreneur – this is actually part of my personal development plan. After the workshop, I took the test that measures self-confidence and motivation. Results were excellent and that made me go for more. I hope I will continue with this way of thinking and doing in years to come. 4. Evaluation This workshop brings a lot of changes to my life. I find it very pleasant and memorable. I appreciate everything I heard during those few hours and I will definitely use my new knowledge as soon as possible. Those lessons weren’t too long and boring and there were many positive examples. I especially appreciate advice I had got. They made me reconsider some of my previous beliefs and ask myself some important questions. It is always a pleasure to look at your own life from completely new point of view. Without this, the workshop wouldn’t be so useful. After all of it, my conclusion is that choosing this workshop was a very big step closer to ideal me. 5. Reconstruct self-concept Now I can follow all the instructions I have got during the workshop. I will give my best to live and behave by those rules and I believe things will change. There are some powerful motivation sentences I have heard and I will use them. Planning and practice will become part of my life and I will complain only when it is necessary and in constructive way. My mistakes will be not something negative but learning opportunities. Also, I will compliment myself more often. If I could start over with my career, I would appreciate more some of my skills and characteristics. I would also be less afraid of mistakes and failures, knowing that so many opportunities will come. 6. Action I met potential client few days ago. It was very stressful situation. I wanted to impress him, but in some moments I was literary shaking. Of course, I remembered all the useful things I had heard during the workshop so I started with deep breathing and telling myself everything will be OK. I gave my best to plan our meeting so nothing can surprise me so much. I reminded myself of all my good characteristics and visualized success. I will not forget everything I learned during this workshop. My future will be brighter than my past. References Benabou, R. & Tirole J. (2001) Self-Confidence and Personal Motivation. University Princeton, pp. 5-6. Bjork, R.A. & Druckman, D. (1994). Learning, Remembering, Believing: Enhanced Human Performance. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press, pp. 173-182. Building Confidence Available at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/confidence.html Self-Motivation Available at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/self-motivation.html