If I had to use three words to describe myself as a person, I would say that I am someone who is optimistic, hard-working, and open-minded. Being brought up in a family where hard work is of great value and importance, I have always been motivated to put my best foot forward by ensuring that I am putting my full effort into whatever I do. Having lived in a range of different countries, I have been exposed to a variety of cultures, and as a result have been able to gain further knowledge and understanding. Additionally, being brought up in a third culture family where my parents themselves have been influenced by a culture other than their own, I have developed a sense of cultural awareness and open-mindedness. Nevertheless, I have grown up facing some challenges within my life, but knowing that things will be better and through having a sense of optimism have I been able to get through them.

Moving forward, I would like to maintain the characteristic of being a hard worker – especially as I get older and take on different levels of schooling. Knowing that the level of difficulty and quantity of schoolwork will only increase, I need to be able to set clear goals for myself and set about ways of achieving them. In order to do this, I need to have a good sense of self-drive and inner motivation to reach my full potential. Additionally, another goal that I would like to set for myself would be to persevere when faced with new and uncertain situations. Learning to carry through with things over a long period of time will enable me to become a more dedicated, committed learner that shows a consistent development of skills and qualities. For instance, if I had to engage in an activity that is quite challenging and requires a great level of commitment, the amount of perseverance that I have acquired will help me to be successful in whatever I do.

The main influence behind this aspiration stems from the fact that as I get older – fewer people will be telling me what I need to do and how I should do things. Developing a work ethic that is fuelled solely by determination and self-drive as opposed to the instruction of others will allow me to succeed – not just during schooling, but working years as well. An example I can draw from my school life would be within the subject of maths as I tend to not want to put the time or effort towards it, knowing it is something I struggle the most with. In a sense, I do sometimes feel unmotivated to develop my understanding of various concepts learned during math. But by setting up ways in which I can achieve and maintain this goal consistently across all subjects, I can consider myself as a more well-rounded student.

One of the ways in which I plan to achieve this goal would be to, first of all, put more time towards the subjects I feel less confident in, taking for example maths. Secondly, a timeline that helps me to identify and set adequate motivations will enable me to put in the hard work and perseverance needed to achieve what I set out to do – both in long and short term. In terms of perseverance, I need to be able to visualize myself at the end of the challenge – having accomplished something that I initially would have quit doing. Taking things one day at a time and analyzing the ways in which I can further improve my goals is the first step to developing myself as an individual and as a learner.

Ashia

9SHI