• Write a conversation between you(ME) and your Inner Guide(IG) about a problem you are facing in college. Label each of your IG’s responses with the listening skill it uses: silence, expansion, clarification, reflection (remember to reflect feelings as well as thoughts). Let your IG demonstrate the skills of active listening without giving advice.

Me: I’ve realized what a difficult time I have keeping track of all of my assignments.

IG: Would you like to say more?(Expansion)

ME: Well, I have a total of five classes,including freshman seminar. I find it hard to balance all the work that I have for all my classes. I find myself forgetting about certain assignments which is why I tend to get them done at the last minute. I have a planner where I all my assignments are written but I don’t really check my planner regularly.

IG: What do you mean by “regularly”?(Clarification)

Me: I don’t check my planner at all. When I come home from school, I do assignments that is usually due the next day that I can remember. I don’t do assignments the day that they are given to me.

IG:  Oh…(Silence)

Me: I’ve never truly been a procrastinator. I only ever started to leave my assignments for the last minute was my junior year in high school. Ever since then, I’ve been leaving things for the last minute. In high school it’s acceptable since the workload is not as heavy as it is in college. But it’s hard to balance college, work and my personal life, all while being criticized

IG: You seem frustrated that no one is praising you for being able to balance all three or at least maintain all three aspects of your life.

Me:  Yeah, it’s hard enough that I have teachers with their assignments attacking me and with me beating myself up over it, now I have to deal with what others have to say when they don;t know how difficult it is and that I’m trying my best in everything.

IG: How are you trying your best?(Clarification)

Me: Well, now I’m attempting to at least start the assignments when I am given them. As well as doing some in between some of my breaks

• Write what you learned or relearned about active listening during this conversation with your Inner Guide.

What I learned about active listening is that I can often find the answers to my problems and that I can motivate myself to work even harder when I sit down and have a conversation with my Inner Guide. Through this conversation I was able to see that I am not trying as hard as I can try, that I am not giving it my all. I was able to identify a problem and see all of the little problems that come from the main problem. With this I will be able to accomplish what needs to be accomplished. I need to learn to be more organized and productive with my free time. Learn to mange my time properly and pace myself so that I have time to do my school work and concentrate on only that. 

Miguelina Ortega

Ilse Junod

FRO 2000S

17 November 2015

Journal Entry #12

• Write a one-sentence statement of one of your most motivating goals or dreams in your role as a student.

A goal/dream that I have is to reach  3.0 GPA and maintain it.

• Write a list of personal qualities that would help you achieve this educational goal or dream.

• Organized
• Intelligent
• Hard-working
• Persistent
• Confident
• Articulate

• Circle the three qualities on your list that seem the most essential for you to achieve your goal or dream as a student.

• Confident
• Hard-working
• Organized

• Write three versions of your personal affirmation.

Format A: I am a confident, hard-working, organized woman.

Format B: I am a confident, hard-working, organized woman, attending Baruch College.

Format C: I am a confident, hard-working, organized woman, and I will achieve my goal.

• Circle or highlight the sentence from Step 4 that you like best.

Format B: I am a confident, hard-working, organized woman, attending Baruch College.

• Write three paragraphs- one for each of the three qualities in your affirmation.

The first quality from my affirmation is confidence. A specific experience in my life when I demonstrated that quality was in my senior year in high school when I was trying out for the Spirit Squad with two of my friends. We were supposed to memorizes three cheer and perform them in front of the coach. Both of my friends were nervous and had doubts of not being able to make it in the team. I was confident that I would get all three cheers done correctly and get a spot on the team. I took the lead in the tryouts and was able to make it on the team.

The second quality from my affirmations is hard-working. A specific experience in my life when I demonstrated that quality was when I volunteered for an event called Toys for Tots. It was a hectic event with many children to attend to and a small amount of volunteers. I had to wrap gifts, label them by age and gender range, seat the children, take children to the bathroom and help them, as well as prepare their food for them. I did not get to rest or take a break until I made sure that all needs of the children were met. I’ve never worked so hard until that day.

The last quality from my affirmation is organized. A specific experience in my life when I demonstrated that quality was when I was couponing for my mother. I had to cut out all of the coupons and place them in our coupon book. I created a system where I cut all the pages with the same coupon together to save time. When placing the coupons in the coupon book, I created another system where all the coupons had a page or two to their specific type. For example, on one page I made sure that all of the coupons that had to do with cleaning products were in it and so on.

Miguelina Ortega

Ilse Junod

FRO 1000

27 October 2015

Journal #13

• Write a list of 15 or more specific actions you have taken in the past two days.

• Started and completed Citations Assignment for theatre that was due that day

• Wrote my third required blackboard post for theatre
• Went to the Rubin Museum of Art
• Went to the doctors after the Rubin Museum
• Went home to eat
• Went to work
• Stayed up late
• Washed my hair
• Flat ironed my hair
• Activated a card for my mom
• Searched up a video for my mom
• Set up my homework
• Go to Work
• Get started on homework

• Using an entire journal page, draw a four quadrant chart.

• Write each action from your list in Step 1 in the appropriate quadrant on your chart.

• Write about what you have learned or relearned concerning your use of time.

What I relearned about my use of time is that I spend time that I am free doing things that are not important. I work late in the afternoons which leads to me waking up extremely late. In waking up late, I lost a few hours that I could have used to do homework. Instead of doing homework, I just go on my social media accounts, read or I am usually running errands or doing something for my mother. In doing this I learned that I always stop what I am about to do or am currently doing for my mother because she always needs my help for helping. I also relearned that I leave my assignments for the last minute which is not healthy since it leaves me stressing and rushing to complete the assignment and turning it in on time.