Educational Personal Statement
1. One of the tasks I feel I need to be more motivated to do is reducing my online presence. I spend a lot of time on different social networks, and because of that, the other aspects of my life suffer. Afterward, I feel like I have wasted my time on something meaningless. Of course, online presence is an inevitable aspect of every modern person’s life, and it brings much good as well. However, I wish I was not as dependent on it. For example, choosing to spend 1,5 hours on the Internet daily and spending exactly as much sounds like a reasonable attitude to me.
Such task would be equally hard for most of my peers, because of the need to belong. Belonging emphasizes our natural need to connect with fellow human beings. Social networking is a modern way of belonging. As Myers (2012) noted, if most of your friends are on Facebook, you’ll have to join as well, otherwise, you will be alienated from a major aspect of the communication (p.367). Another important reason why people are so involved in the cyberspace is the infinite availability of the information. Humans “feel driven to experience stimulation and … hunger for information” (Myers, 2012, p.354). Information is a strong incentive, which is an external stimulus that prompts an organism to action. Both of these concepts, belonging and informational incentives, motivate me to use the Internet more and, therefore, demotivate me from reducing its usage.
Since both of these factors are biological, it is impossible to shut them down completely. What I need to do is satisfy my corresponding needs alternatively. For example, I can spend more time going out with my friends and family. Additionally, I can use other ways of communication, like telephone talks and hand-written letters. Turning off notifications (or turning the devices off completely) will prevent me from getting distracted while studying. Participating in book exchange programs can help me satisfy my need for knowledge, and also learn more about interests of people around me. Because these kinds of behavior can be classified as drive-reducing, they will satisfy the corresponsive needs and lessen the urge to check for social network updates so often.
2. My sports activity is a prime example of a growth mindset. Of course, I always want to win, but the main drive for my training is the enjoyment I get from participation. The failings upset me, but they only motivate me to try again. On the other hand, on some of the school lessons I have a fixed mindset. They are hard and uninteresting for me, which is why I only study them in order to pass the finals and get a good mark. In these situations, I am solely goal-oriented.
The main difference between these two aspects is the enjoyment of the process. Since childhood, I have been taught that some chores are necessary and inevitable, and I must toughen up and do them. Perhaps this is why …
