Fostering_Commitment

In striving to attain my associate’s degree in psychology, I need to look for meaning. Achievement of this degree means to me that I am capable, and dedicated to going forward into my quest for my bachelor’s degree. Those are intrinsic attributes (Bolt, 2004). My extrinsic attributes would be that my current and future employers recognize that I am reliable to get the job done (Bolt, 2004). I transformed my “I should go back to school” mantra when I took the initiative to seek out the information on online learning. It was then transformed to “I want to go back to school”. Once enrolled, that mantra was morphed once again to “I should study hard so I can pass this class”. When I passed, I changed it again to “I want something that I never had in K-12; I want straight As”. This is the goal I work towards now; not merely passing, but achieving an ‘A’ in every class! Some days, I have to make more of an effort than others to commit to not allowing distractions to derail my success (Bolt, 2004). My friend Ann Marie and I have a ritual; we go out for sushi once a week and watch reruns of “Fringe”. The past three weeks have been difficult because I had to modify my schedule to allow time for physical therapy (PT). I have had to miss the last three week’s rituals not just because of PT, but because after PT, I have homework that I am committed to complete (Bolt, 2004). In this way, I have chosen, or prioritized my commitments (Bolt, 2004). On especially tough days when I just cannot pull myself together and get down to the business of studying, I take a moment to daydream about what life might be like when I finally get to walk across the stage at commencement. I had my GED mailed to me, so my getting to accept my degree in front of my family means a great deal to me. That thought alone boosts my resolve; it gives me hope that I CAN pull my act together, and plug away when I sometimes do not feel up to studying (Bolt, 2004).