Goals and Dreams

Goals and Dreams

A big goal is attainable but first you must clear the path:

Goals. Believe in yourself or don’t even try. The journey is long, but finishing is more important than your medals. There is only a select few accepted what makes you so special? Why are you doing this? is it because you want your parents to be proud or is it an inner drive? Figure it out. The military is very organized why are you so disorganized. That’s going to be a big adjustment. Service.

Goals. On your own is the only way. It's more important where you finish then where you start. Not everyone can do this, but why you? You might miss your family and life before this but remember why you wanted to do this in the first place. Be afraid to fail but not to the point where you quit trying. Service.

Your hard work will pay off in the end. Everything you’ve worked for in high school has led to this.  What is in your way? Is it yourself or your responsibilities?  Remember to believe you can and you will. Service.

  

Authors Statement

My self-portrait is of me and my brother at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The academy is a fascinating place and is very special for me. In this image you’ll see my brother and I facing a large chapel. This chapel is the most visited man-made tourist attraction in Colorado because of its unique architecture and beauty. I have a goal of being accepted into the Air Force Academy, this is a very rigorous process and requires a lot of academic and physical requirements as well as letters of recommendation from teachers and influential people. To be accepted you need a letter of nomination from a senator. Only an average of 6 people from Iowa are admitted. Although this is not distinctively obvious in the image I am walking on a path. I would hope that the viewer would interpret my image as the struggles of reaching a hard goal are obtainable if you stay on the right path. This path is important in my portrait because it symbolizes the struggle of staying on course and the amount of discipline and determination it has required for me to resist temptations that could threaten my goals. My flash fiction differs from my portrait in their ideas, but they complement each other in a theme. My flash fiction explains my internal struggle with this process of getting into the Air Force Academy. You can see in the text that I question my drive and ability to stay on the path “not everyone can do this but why you?” “only a select few are accepted. What makes you so special?” I want the reader to see my flash fiction piece as this goal is hard to reach and even though I might appear confident about obtaining it I do struggle with some insecurities and doubt of my ability to stay on the right path.

This fall semester has influenced my self-reflection with understanding why I have specific personality traits of service and striving for big goals. In my first journal I described what has contributed to my perspective I thought deeply about this and concluded that my family background of being a triplet and having older twin sisters has influenced me to pursue a life of teamwork and leadership.

They Say/I Say

Many psychologists believe that personality can be categorized into 16 different categories. They believe that personalities don’t change frequently. The mind uses confirmation bias to believe that people that commit two similar acts can't change their personality. although it is logical to see personalities as unchanging with the fact that criminals commit repeated crimes and that people can repeat the same lie, you can also see that many personalities change because of certain events and opportunities.

        One of the resources that has attributed to my belief of personality is the website 16 personality theories. The Thinker, Analysts, Diplomat and the Explorer are the 4 broad personality categories that people are categorized into. Others don’t believe that your personality changes, “Tara had already shown that the negative patterns of 40 years were far gone for at least 6 years.” (Personality) Tara had a history of violence and trouble but through new opportunities like a new job she changed into a better person with a calm, helpful personality.

I believe personalities are constantly changing. different life experiences have changed my personality. for example, I have changed from having a personality of a follower to striving to be a positive leader. For example, being the student government president has changed me personally because now i am not afraid of leadership and responsibility. Managing and organizing groups of volunteers has changed my personality. many skeptics believe that personalities don't change because criminals that have been penalized and given a second chance are often caught committing similar crimes when they are released from prison. but as shown in the personality myth Tara is someone with a long and repetitive history of negative personality traits but given the right experiences and opportunities Tara was able to change and create a successful life for herself. Personalities are always changing, you should never lose hope that someone can change for the better.