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L
EARNING
TO
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EARN
: B
ECOMING
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ELF
-G
ROWER
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XPERIENCE
12: U
SING
F
AILURE
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TEPPING
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TONE
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UCCESS
READING
Step 2—Explore Contextual Issues
What are the environmental, social, and contextual aspects of your life that are supporting or hindering
your self-growth? It may be challenging but essential, as Leise explains, “to accurately assess issues
such as family support, peer behaviors, experiences with authorities, and sufficiency of resources in
order to support goals or overcome barriers (Leise, 2007).
You may want to reflect on these aspects of your life with a trusted mentor, and write about your
reflections in your Life Vision Portfolio.
Ty and Alicia don’t have a lot of money for child care and family is very important to Sandra.
School is important to both Sandra and Alicia as well.
Step 3—Prioritize Based on Values
What values do you live by? We all have values, and they affect our daily decisions, our relationships,
our priorities, and how we look at life at all levels. We rarely have to clarify those values though, even
to ourselves. If you had to write a “values statement” for your life and your future, what would it say?
We’re often not conscious of our own value system unless we are in a new situation, with new people,
or in some kind of transition. Once you have identified and articulated your values, you can prioritize
your actions to best serve your goals. You might again use your Life Vision Portfolio for this reflection.
Sandra realized that she values her strong sense of duty and responsibility, a value that was
clarified while she was overseas. She also values challenging herself to be the best person and
the best friend that she can be. Sandra’s college states their values as: Excellence, Respect, and
Integrity. Sandra thinks those fit into her values statement, too.
Valuing Self
Valuing Others
building self-esteem
attending to personal needs
identifying personal values
establishing an ethical code
committing to self
trusting self
creating a vision
maintaining a sense of wonder
following convictions
desiring self expression
respecting
being non-judgmental
empathizing
caring
sharing
forming shared values
committing to others
desiring to serve others
appreciating diversity
practicing family values
Sandra sits down with Ty and Alicia and explains her concerns and her priorities. If she gets
on the Dean’s List this semester, there may be scholarship money for her next year. And she’d
really like to prove to herself that she can be on the Dean’s List. She will not stop providing
child care completely; she enjoys the time she spends with her niece.