2 - Cultivating Motivation, Resilience, and Emotional Thinking

The Importance of Motivation, Attitude, and Mindsets

Much of college success relates to noncognitive characteristics:

• Motivation
• Attitude
• Mindsets

Motivation

The desire to get things done

Two types:

Intrinsic motivation comes from a desire to achieve something, and the reward is the feeling of satisfaction you get from your achievement

Extrinsic motivation comes from the expectation of an external reward or the fear of an undesirable outcome or a punishment

Attitude

• The way you are thinking and feeling in relation to the events around you
• Often come from previous environments and experiences with others
• Can develop a more positive attitude by thinking honestly about the attitude you’re likely to have in certain situations

Mindsets

Your beliefs about yourself and your most basic qualities

Two types:

A fixed mindset is a belief that characteristics and abilities will not change with adjustment to behavior or effort

A growth mindset is a belief that characteristics and abilities can change with adjustment or with new approaches

Resilience

Not quitting when faced with challenges

Associated terms:

Grit is a combination of perseverance, passion, and resilience

Sisu is going beyond one’s mental or physical ability, taking action even when things are difficult, and displaying courage and determination in the face of challenge and repeated failures

10 Ways to Build Resilience

• Make connections
• Avoid seeing crises as problems that can’t be overcome
• Accept that change is a part of living
• Move toward your goals
• Take decisive actions
• Look for opportunities for self-discovery
• Nurture a positive view of yourself
• Keep things in perspective
• Maintain a hopeful outlook
• Take care of yourself

Understand Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage moods, feelings, and attitudes

• You and your emotions are not one and the same
• Develop an awareness of how your emotions affect you
• Emotions can affect whether a person is successful

Perceiving and Managing Emotions

Perceiving emotions:

• The ability to monitor and identify feelings correctly and to determine why you feel the way you do
• Involves predicting how others might feel in a given situation

Managing emotions:

• Based on the belief that feelings can be modified, even improved

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life

• Naming emotions improves emotional intelligence
• If you can acknowledge your emotion, you will be less likely to be controlled by it
• Consider how to use logic rather than your own emotional reactions to evaluate a situation and be helpful to others

Anger Management

Important skill to develop

Anger:

• Can hurt others and harm your mental and physical health
• Does not always result in negative consequences
• Is a primary, natural, and mature emotion because it can mobilize us to take corrective action

Managing priorities:

• Using healthy EI to prioritize involves deciding what’s most important to you and allocating time and energy to these priorities
• Paying attention to priorities and making adjustments when needed is part of developing strong EI

Improving Emotional Intelligence

Identifying your EI skills and competencies:

• Bar-On model
• Demonstrates how categories of emotional intelligence directly affect general mood and lead to effective performance

Emotional Skills and Competencies

Intrapersonal skills:

• Emotional self-awareness
• Assertiveness
• Independence
• Self-regard
• Self-actualization

Interpersonal Skills:

• Empathy
• Social responsibility
• Interpersonal relationship

Stress management:

• Stress tolerance
• Impulse control

Adaptability:

• Reality testing
• Flexibility
• Problem solving
• Resilience

General mood:

• Optimism
• Happiness

How Emotions Influence Success and Well-Being

• Emotions are strongly tied to physical and psychological well-being
• Research indicates students with strong emotional intelligence skills are more likely to succeed in college
• Healthy EI contributes to academic success, positive professional and personal relationships, and career development and satisfaction

College Success Courses Improve EI

• Students with intrapersonal skills, stress tolerance, adaptability skills, and stress management skills do better academically
• Students who can’t manage their emotions struggle academically
• Students who succeed academically in spite of emotional difficulties can be at risk if unhealthy behavior patterns follow them after college

Tech Tip: Building a Digital Persona

• Manage your online image by being proactive and aware
• Honesty is the best policy, but oversharing is not
• Delete old accounts
• Stay one step ahead
• Build your online professional self