Assignment: Write a Reflective Paper

This week, your task is to prepare a short reflective paper that consists of two things:

1. Personal Motivational Inspiration

As you look to the future, it is exciting to move forward toward accomplishing your educational and professional goals. As you recognize the many priorities in your life, it is important to find the right balance between them and to stay focused on achieving what you set out to do. Most adult doctoral students find the use of external motivators to be a big help, especially when they are beginning the journey to their doctorate. If you ask, you will find some used positive reinforcements and others used negative reinforcement.

Here are a few ideas:

• Quote from Albert Einstein on a wood plaque: "If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research."

• A picture of a parent who once said: "People can take your house, your car, your clothes, your money: they can take everything, but they cannot take your education."

• A statue of an eagle to remind the student to soar to new heights.

All of these talismans have been seen in the offices of former students who obtained a doctorate. In this assignment, you will be asked to select a talisman to remind you of your goal as you go through your program. Your talisman can be a quote, a memento, a picture, a photo, an object, a song, or anything else you can use to reflect on when the going gets tough.

Now, briefly explain in 1-2 pages:

• What is the value of having a personal motivational inspiration for us when we are struggling with reaching our goals?

• If you would like to share your motivational inspiration with your faculty, feel free to do so by submitting a copy or photo of it.

2. Personal Reflections

Once you have established a personal motivational inspiration, the next part of the activity is to develop a personal doctoral narrative. In this narrative, articulate both what you already know about yourself and your accomplishments, where you intend to go, and the challenges that you anticipate

Specifically, consider the following:

• List three resources from the Center for Academic Success that you will use in your studies.

• Share your initial post to the NCU Commons area, which you made and any responses that you may have received. Briefly, explain how you believe your participation in the Commons will assist you in becoming a part of the NCU community.