Choices you make in university can affect every part of your life. The list of the eight characteristics of successful students depicted in the mindmap below is from Skip Downing, author of On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Take a few moments to consider which characteristics you already have, and which you need to develop. Continue reading to learn more about each of the eight characteristics and find out how UBASuccessfulStudent2 can assist you.
Eight Characteristics
Successful students accept Personal Resposibility for creating the outcomes and quality of their
lives. Struggling students see themselves as victims, believing
for the most part that what happens to
them is beyond their control.
Successful students discover a Motivating Purpose, characterized by personally meaningful goals
and dreams. Struggling students have difficulty choosing a purpose,
often experiencing depression and/or
resentment about the meaninglessness of their lives.
Successful students consistently plan and take Effective Actions in pursuing their goals and
dreams. Struggling students seldom identify the specific actions
needed to accomplish a task. And when they do, they tend to procrastinate.
Successful students build Mutually Supportive Relationships that assist them in
pursuing their goals and dreams. Struggling students are solitary, seldom requesting, even
rejecting offers of assistance from
legitimate resources.
Successful students gaim Heightened Self-Awareness, developing empowering
beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that will keep
them on course. Struggling students are slaves of disempowering life
scripts that carry them far off course.
Successful students become Life-Long Learners, finding valuable lessons in nearly every
experience they have. Struggling students tend to resist learning new ideas and
skills, often viewing learning as
drudgery rather than mental play.
Successful students develop Emotional Maturity, characterized by optimism, happiness, and
peace of mind.Struggling students live at the mercy of their emotions,
having their success hijacked by anger,
depression, anxiety, and a need for
instant gratification.
Successful students Believe in Themselves, feeling
capable, lovable, and unconditionally worthy as human beings. Struggling students doubt their personal value, feeling
inadequate to accomplish meaningful
tasks and unworthy to be loved by others or themselves.
The eight characteristics were carefully analysed, specific "Inspire-U-2" modules were mapped onto each and then grouped into eight success strategies that you can follow in order to develop these characteristics in your life. Get inspired to apply the eight success strategies in your life by exploring the links below and from the menu above (8 Success Strategies), and by then applying the lessons from the corresponding "Inspire-U-2" modules in your life. Enjoy!