Life Reflections

Evan Frank

LRNS-111

May 04, 2016

Enrolling into the On Course class was a new subject for me. As harsh as it may sound, I had initially thought the course was a waste of my time. I had felt that the class was for the most part, common sense. Though, as the class progressed, my outlook of this class changed and I had found the course topics very motivating and useful in my everyday life. I learned and revisited previous life lessons in a more clear and concise way, thanks to On Course. For this essay, I intend to use the course in ways I will describe in the following paragraphs.

Through this course, I have a better understanding of what success means to me. To capture my success, I first plan on constructing and achieving my short term goals. Completing a semester at San Juan College was my primary short term goal. I was not planning on completing a semester, but I’ve always had the intention of completing a secondary education. One of the disadvantages was using my GI bill for an income. But with implementing yet another short term goal, I was able to find job so I could have an income and attend school simultaneously. I has also set a personal goal to pass every exam and course work with a letter grade of a “B” or higher.  I was able to construct goals and achieve them thanks to this course. I believe that my success is measured in the goals I have achieved. Achieving my goals is how I measure my success.

Behavioral psychologists believe that it takes 32 days for a person to break a habit or create a new one. This was a new technique that I was able to use to my advantage inside the classroom and outside. I used this technique to improve my composition. I would pick a couple passages to read in textbooks and reflect on what they meant to me. I also used it towards my studying habits which had freed more time to study for my other classes.  I had also used the 32 day commitment framework in my personal day to day life. I began to meal prep for 32 days and also scheduled my regular weight lifting using the 32 day commitment work.

Stress has always been something I’ve dealt with in my everyday life, as I’m sure is the case for most people. I believe that I do have adequate coping skills to successfully deal with stress thanks to my background in the military. I have recently had a tremendous stressful event that had happened in my immediate family. I dealt with a family emergency that caused me to miss important information in class that was pertinent to my final exam. I took a moment to reflect on the New Behavior and New Thoughts model. I used the list provided and prioritized my thoughts and stressors. Using model helped me through many stressful times and also enabled myself to assist with the overwhelmed feelings I had.  

In conclusion, this course has helped me deal with many stressors and simple planning in my life. I am able to construct short-term and long-term goals in my life so I can have a brighter future and become more independent. I’ve explained how the 32 day commitment has impacted my life in a positive way so that I am now able to rid bad habits and create new ones.  I also now have a better ability to cope with stress on my own, but also keep the thought of needing assistance with coping in the back of my mind.  Given that this course has benefited me in a positive approach, I would definitely recommend this course to a fellow student.