This week, in honor the compare and contrast essay, we will be doing some self and peer reflection. But in order to be able to see another person with clear eyes, it's important to have a strong sense of self to compare to. For this week's blog entry, I want you to take this quick quiz:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/leonoraepstein/what-grade-are-you-getting-in-life
Once you get your "grade," think about why you got that grade. What areas of your life do you think you can improve on? What changes can you make to get a better "grade in life?" First, use this blog entry to write a plan of action of changes you can make to improve your grade.
Then, pick one change you can make. Take the next 3 or 4 days, and make that change in your life. Get more sleep. Talk to family and friends more often. Reorganize your room. Whatever you choose, make the change and see what happens. Then, finish your blog entry, by telling me what happened once you made the change. Did you life improve after you picked up your socks or cleaned that big pile of laundry in the corner?
If you take this test today, and get an A+ and your life is great, tell me why you think you got that A+. What are your biggest and most successful strategies for living and awesome existence?
This blog entry will be due next Wednesday, March 26 at midnight.
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Mahatma Gandhi
I got an A-. my room is clean thank you very much. NO, I think that my life is in progress, I used to do some very crape things with my life, making some bad calls, throwing my life away, until one day when I realized that this is not what I want to do with my life, I don't want to be an engineer, I don't want to study 24/7, I am not a robot, I want to live my life, do what I ma passionate about, meet people, help others, travel the world, be crazy...I have always knew what I want to do whit my life but I just didn't have the guts to say it out loud. I was inspired to change my life. But I still have some challenges like worrying wayyy to much, over thinking, over talking to myself... I just want to shut the hell up and enjoy what I have, and that's the opportunity to do it.
ReplyDeleteyeah it has been a week now since i said i am going to shut up and enjoy what i have, well that didn't happen !! i still over think things and probably still not enjoying what i have. oh God i just want to stop saying:" oh! look at what they are doing!" and focus on what i have and what i do, i know that i should just stop it's that easy but it's like my brain wont shut up. enjoying life is not something you control it's something that comes to you, it happens spontaneously. so even if this assignment is due tomorrow and i will probably forget about it the next day, but i am going to work on this even if it will take me for ever.
DeleteAli, I love your goal and your perspective. But, I disagree with you. Happiness is a choice. You wake up everyday and actively chose to be happy or chose not to worry. It's difficult, and something there are mental blocks that can be huge challenges. But it's not beyond your control. You can do it; I believe in you.
DeleteI got an A+, simple as that. Don't make your life as a big deal, you just have to enjoy every moment you spend on earth; of course don't forget to pray to god because that's the main reason why we live. To live an awesome existence try not to get yourself in others' trouble, and don't feel bad for every bad thing happening to you as we say in Moroccan language " dreb denya b rekla ou 3ich m3a rassek :D " . It is well-known that people who live their life full of stress and care way more of their future, they will end up by attending therapy classes, trying to get away from their daily challenges. In brief, try as much as you can to manage your time well, eat well( pay Attention sodexo and newrest are not included here :p ), get some rest, try your best to not worry much about your issues in your life; and there you go, a successful method to get rid of any discontent thing that used to appear to you.
ReplyDeleteI like your philosophy. I agree, I had Sodexo at my graduate school in the USA, too, and that's not the healthiest. At all.
Delete"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." As someone said before .Happiness is something you should work on .People think that happiness comes with having money others think that money It’s just a way to be happy .But what do I think ?
ReplyDeleteAfter taking the happiness test, I got an A .Actually, I knew exactly what I should answer because those people who made the questions for the test based on some general affects; For example, if you are organized and you work out then you’re happy .There is no doubt that these questions can define how you live but still not convincing .However, this test made me more aware of some things I had ignored, and the most important one is having a social life. I just realized how much I neglect my own family and my friends, which in helped me a lot with my depression .I used to stay all day in my room and only go out when I have classes and once I come back, I start playing music, specifically piano .I’m very good at playing piano but when it comes to having new friends and making new ones ,I’m the worst .My cousin kept telling me that I need to have a life, so I thought it was time to have one .First , I talked with my roommate which I haven’t spoke with for three weeks .She was so surprised because we had never the chance to have a long conversation, she’s very nice actually .I had the chance to know a lot of things about her and the same for her .I told her about my decision, she thought that it was an interesting one, then she invited me to accompany her to the gym .I had so much fun with her, she introduced me to her friends and they were nice too .One of her friends named Adel was acting weird around me .Later on, my roommate told me that he liked me, but I didn’t pay intention to him, .He’s not my type but since I didn’t want to waste more time .I went out with him and I had so much fun watching him trying to impress me and doing some ridiculous moves .three days after, I was able to get rid of the TCAs and I became more organized and satisfied.
Finally, I didn’t become jolly and elated all the time, but I’m definitely more fulfilled than before and somehow that test helped me a lot .I just don’t why I wasted the whole year on my piano?
Gandhi said that quote. It's one of my favorites. A whole year on the piano is not wasted; you just allowed yourself to open up to a new experience, and you realized you loved it. That's all life is; new opportunities (or struggles) that open you up and challenge you. Glad you took this assignment to heart.
DeleteI got an A+. It doesn’t mean that my life is perfect and there are no areas in it that can be improved but simply because I do my best everyday to make it good. Even if the life appears very hard and full of obstacles, we have to be well prepared to face any kind of situations. Whatever the problem that you have, the country where you live…you have to enjoy every single moment. Moreover, people have to consider themselves lucky because they still alive and can enjoy all the good things on this Earth. So if we think well, we will assume that anything is more important than being alive and healthy. That is the reason why we have to stop thinking in a pessimistic way and we have to live each day like the last. And this will make us live our lives without any kind of stress . In other words, it will bring happiness and passion to our heart.
ReplyDeleteI agree, that health is very important in living a happy life. I like your perspective and outlook.
DeleteI got an A+. It doesn’t mean that my life is perfect and there are no areas in it that can be improved but simply because I do my best everyday to make it good. Even if the life appears very hard and full of obstacles, we have to be well prepared to face any kind of situations. Whatever the problem that you have, the country where you live…you have to enjoy every single moment. Moreover, people have to consider themselves lucky because they still alive and can enjoy all the good things on this Earth. So if we think well, we will assume that anything is more important than being alive and healthy. That is the reason why we have to stop thinking in a pessimistic way and we have to live each day like the last. And this will make us live our lives without any kind of stress . In other words, it will bring happiness and passion to our heart.
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ReplyDeleteI got an A+ in life, how fascinating. There are simple reasons of why I got an A+ in life. On one hand, according to the survey. I train couple of times a week, actually I developed this habit after getting to college, and now I train two to three times a week. If I want to rate my personal happiness from one to ten I would probably say eight or nine because I never let something ruin a good day, and I don’t waste my time in being sad when I can be happy ☺. I’m currently still studying, so when it comes to my life outside the classroom, I leave studying and all it’s stress behind as soon as I finish what I got to do, and enjoy my life outside the classroom. I like to keep my room clean, but unfortunately my roommate doesn’t feel the same, so I try to at least keep my side clean. My love life so far can be described as amazing, I’ve been with a girl for two years now and still counting, there are no problems between us, we get along easily. Currently I have no debts, and also no income, so I can say I’m broke but my debts are manageable. I like to read interesting books that talk about life and adventures. My favorite writer is Paulo Coelho, but I only like to read during the summer vacation. In five years I can see myself -hopefully- graduated from the university, moved to a new city or even a new country, and got my dream job. My biggest source of stress is figuring out the future, so I try not to think about it. If one day, a genie comes out in front of me and grants me three wishes, I would do what most people would do, I would ask for infinity more wishes. I could be found guilty of never correcting that one behavior that my BFF doesn’t like, but I always apologize, and admit my mistake. I’m not a coward so whenever I owe someone facetime I always show up. If I called in sick, I wouldn’t waste my day sleeping watching TV, or doing nothing, but instead I try to go on a fun adventure to try to get out of the daily stressful routine.
ReplyDeleteFinally on the other hand, in my opinion why I got an A+ is because of a simple reason. I always think positively, and I live every moment at it’s time, I don’t think about the past nor the future, I just live for today and be happy I made it till today.
It's seems like you have a good idea of how to manage stress. Just don't be too concerned with the future. It's good to have goals, but live and love in the present.
DeleteActually, i wasn't expecting to have an A-. I was sure that i will have less then that. It is because, in these times of my life, i feel generally lost; it is like i don't know what to do or what to follow. But fortunately I've figure out the reasons behind all of this. Finally now i can work on my negative parts to make my life better. One of my main issues is that i am usually lonely; so when i'm feeling all dizzy, there's no one i can talk to. Furthermore, i think that i am alright regarding my study life. Truly talking, I've known my only problem in my life few years ago,which is my ultimate loneliness, and i have tried very hard to get through it, yet i'm not getting any better. Nevertheless, right now i feel like i should just accept it and get used to it.
ReplyDeleteIt may seem strange, but it's good that you feel lonely. It means that at least you want to seek out genuine connection with others. Here's a website that might give you some ideas to overcome loneliness: http://www.wikihow.com/Deal-With-Loneliness
DeleteForrest Gump used to say:" Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get ". Life is full of unexpected things between those things my grade (A+). My life isn't that perfect but I do my best to keep myself happy. First, I'm thankful of every thing that happens to me because I believe that it could have been worst. Second, by growing up I realize that I have to make a difference between the real friends and the fake ones. Finally, I try to avoid any kind of disappointment by don’t excepting anything from anyone.
ReplyDeleteIt's seems your philosophy is working for you. Good! But, having expectations of people helps you to define your own values. Might want to try this sometimes.
DeleteI think everybody will get A+ or A-. for me, I got A+ and I don't know why exactly. I think I’m not doing well in my life even if I got an A+ because I always want to improve. So my biggest source of stress is figuring out the future. I always think about the future and forget to live the present. I love sports that why I train at least three times a week. Each time I do different thing. I find my happiness in sports. Because of it, my personal happiness fall between four and seven. There is a question about job. I don’t have a job that why I didn’t answer that question. The state of my room is well organized and clean. I think I’m lucky because my roommate helps to clean it. I have been always an organized person. I think that’s the main reason to succeed in live. Anyone of us should ask himself two question: the first one is what your goal is in live. The second one is who will be with you to achieve that goal. If you change the order of this questions, you are in trouble. My love life is actually good. I love everybody. I can say that I have debts to pay. Right now, I’m a student in AUI and we all know that studying here cost a lot of money. My father is the one who pay for me and I’m planning to give him back his money after getting a job. So I can say that I’m broke but my debts are manageable. The question of how many books you read in the past three months is too embarrassing for me because I didn’t read any book for the last nine months. I prefer reading in Facebook . In five years, I see myself getting my degree and moved into my own place and have advanced in my career. If a genie comes and grants me three wishes, I would ask for money, special powers, but not fame. I think I’m most guilty of not calling my parents back since I went to college. When it comes to making and organizing plans, I only make plans for the important things, but for the daily things, I wait life to surprise me. I don’t even take sick days when I’m actually sick. I think everyone should live life the way he want.
ReplyDeleteI think that you're deal with stress management well. You seem to genuinely value your education, which is crucial, because it's your current stage in life.
DeleteI got B in this test. I did a lot of mistakes in my life and took sometimes the bad decisions because I trust the wrong people easily. I was disappointed by few persons, but it was a lesson. Now I expect anything from anyone; nothing surprises me. I just let it goes on. I took the decision few days ago to organize my time and stay with the people that I really enjoy to be with and enjoy every minute. I used to care a lot about what people think of me or see me, but now I do whatever I want without caring about what people can say and 'never regret anything that made me smile'. I decided also to be a clean girl and keep always my side clean because I will feel more comfortable in my room. I am a lazy person when it comes to sport, but I motivated myself and started to go to the gym two or three times a week. I’ll try to do all the things that will make me happy. My life isn't perfect, but I learned to enjoy the most of the things that I have.
ReplyDeleteMeriem, no one's life is perfect. Recently, I heard a quote that I liked, "Life is nothing more than a series of problems and the trick of it is how well you deal with the problems." Doing exercise can definitely help to relieve stress, and it also helps to no focus on what other's think of everything that you do. Good luck with the problem solving of life.
DeleteAs required, I took the test, and the result was an A+ grade. Honestly, the contrary would have surprised me. The truth is that I am very satisfied of the life I have right now and the life I have had until today. I think the key to get as close as possible to happiness -because in my opinion full happiness doesn't exist, it's only periods of ups and downs- is family. Indeed, my family represents the most important thing in life, I've always been close to my parents, brother and sister, and always managed to keep the ties that bind us very strong. I've learned to make my family come first in every situation, my family members are one of my priorities. Moreover, I think that each one must be passionate about something in his life. For instance, I love sports and especially soccer which I am a big fan of. Practicing soccer has always made me feel good since my youngest years, and it is something I never quit doing. Another successful and efficient strategy that makes me feel happy with my life is that I never give too much importance to unfortunate events, I know that life is made of ups and downs, so each time I have a bad time, I just move on to the next step of my life which can only be better. I also think that nothing in life is worth worrying unless if it concerns health. Stress and anxiety never lead to good results, so one should enjoy every moment of his life and be patient during the tough times. Because after you've touched the bottom, you can only go up.
ReplyDeleteGood lifestyle, Mahdi. You're lucky to have such a healthy outlook.
Deletewell i got an A-, i was not expecting that at all cause my life isn't that perfect, yes i always clean my room so what? my life is perfect beacuse of that? of course not. yes i'm studying in a prestigious univesrity which is good but that doesn't mean i'm happy. I'm Lucky to have my friends that support me as they can but it's just not enough cause i really feel lost and under stress, maybe it's because i think quiet a lot about the future, but i just can't help it it's normal to think about your career and things you want to accomplish. my family and friends are the best thing in my life, so i guess that all i need to do now is stop stressing about my studies and work hard as i always do and hopefully things will be just fine.
ReplyDeleteThere's a quote I like that I think of in stressful times: "It's all OK in the end. If it's not OK; it's not the end." I thought of this when I read about you worrying about your studies. Try hard, focus, and preserve.
DeleteI got an A+! . My mum would be so proud of me. My life is not perfect, but I’m grateful for all what I have. I love my life, and I would never want to change a thing about it.I have so many blessings that was given to me, and I’m very thankful. Every time I talk to my mum on the phone I smile, and thank God for that the presence of my loved ones makes me want to live more. Being grateful is the most important reason why I’m always happy. I’m also very positive no matter what happened ,and I always look at the bright side of things. I never plan things, I enjoy day by day. I do what I have to do ,and I never expect anything from anyone. By doing these easy steps Getting an A+ in a quiz wasn’t so surprising to me.
ReplyDeleteI am really impressed by how much you value gratitude. Being gratitude and happy for our blessing makes life fulfilling. You are fortunate that you understand this principle very well.
Deletei got an A- and I don't know why I had this bad grade . my life is perfect , I have everything I need ,and I am surrounded by adorable people who understand me very well. Maybe this grade is the result of my continuous thinking about home and my friends in Casablanca . I always want to go home but there are some issues concerning the long distance between ifrane and Casablanca . Furthermore , finding happiness in life is an easy task especially when we believe in our strength and manage ourselves without giving much importance to some problems that are not a big deal to be stressed about .
ReplyDeleteAnas - I think you've missed the point. An A- on an online personality quiz is not a bad grade.
DeleteI got an A-,and I I don't deserve it . To be honest, this grade is not what I should have obtained, I still need lot of things to be that perfect . However, I made lot of improvement in my life. First, I start working out 4 days a week , second I can know relay on my self , and third I start wondering about my future and what can I do to realize my dreams and my ambitions. Concerning my personnel happiness , it depends on my mood sometimes I enjoy what I'm doing, sometimes I feel like I'm forced to do a task that I don't like it . My love life is currently bad and that because I have a big gap in my emotional side. Anyway, my life outside work, is enjoyable, I hang out with my friends during the week-ends, I workout regularly, also I try as hard as possible to maintain a healthy diet, but unfortunately I fail most of times , because of the wonderful food inside of campus. Overall, my life is not that bad, I'm satisfied by all I have , I know that lot of people wish that they had the same needs as me , so thank you god for all the gifts that you provided me , and I wish I could be better in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to maintain healthy diet in college; pizza and fries are so good! But at least you are aware of areas to improve upon in your life. Good luck in your progress.
DeleteAfter doing this test, I got an A+ .Two years ago, my life was kind of a mess. I had health problems, family problems,relationships problems.My biggest problem back then was being an introvert person who found small talk incredibly cumbersome and felt alone in a crowd.For me, Giving a talk in front of 500 people was less stressful than having to mingle with those people afterwards because I used to notice details that others don't, which gave me anxiety every time .However, I did my best to change that. I stopped undervaluing extroversion and thinking that it was hassle.I started to develop my social skills; I learned to become better at building rapport, introducing myself, keeping a conversation going, asking someone out on a date, feeling socially comfortable instead of nervous. I greet people with a smile on my face and say "Hello". That's how simple it is! I stopped hanging out with the wrong kind people and started finding the right social group for me. Eventually, I found myself becoming more and more extroverted. I embraced spending time with other people, went out of my way to meet new people.Now, I feel I've done a good job balancing the introvert and extrovert parts of myself, such that I enjoy both types of activities equally .
ReplyDeleteI still find small talk incredibly cumbersome. If you find the cure for that, write a book, and you will make millions! I am glad you found a good balance between your introverted and extroverted social lives.
DeleteI got an A+ after doing the quiz, but I didn't really expect it.However, I'm sure that I enjoy my life by doing what I love , and that I don't care about people's opinion. My life is not perfect still I try to enjoy it. I'm not rich like Bill gates ,and I don't have a Ferrari,yet I love the way I'm living. I want to thanks my family , my friends , and especially my girlfriend. She's always here for me to make me feel less lonely despite that I'm 400 miles away from my parents. Probably my life deserves an A+ thanks the persons who are around me, who believe in me and see me as a person with a good heart.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to hear that you are so happy because of the good people around you. I hope this good social network continues for a long time into your future.
DeleteI got an A+ in that test not because my life is perfect but because I am always trying to make it almost perfect. I am always trying to be a better person. One of the strategies I apply is being determined; when I decide to do something because it will have a positive impact on my life, I will 100% do it whatever it can cost to me. I also try to think compatibly with my abilities so that I won t fail in doing it (actually I hate failure more than anything else). However this test shows that I have a perfect life, I think that I still need to improve some points. I have to me a bit more organized and a less sensitive person. If I can do so, I think that my life will start approaching the perfection I m looking for.
ReplyDeleteAttitude is everything. If you can see it in your mind's eye, you are one step closer to achieving your goal. I am sure this helps you to have such a good perspective on life.
DeleteMy grade is B. In fact, I’m not surprised for getting this grade, and I know that I have to change a lot of things in my life especially the way of thinking and acting. The important area which I must improve it, it’s my job, I have to find the job that I love in order to be satisfied with it. Also, losing my lover last year makes me sad, so I have to surmount this period and look to the future even if it’s difficult. To my mind, to get better “grade in life”, I have to make two important changes. First, I must sweat so as to find the job that will make me happy, as the proverb said “Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”. Then, I need to meet the other half of me, with who I will live the rest of my life in love and happiness. After this change will be happened, I’m sure that my life will be glad and I will be satisfied, so in this case I will certainly have the grade of A+ in life.
ReplyDeleteI agree, having a job you love and a great life partner are important to happiness (very important), but so is having a good attitude and enjoying the present moment. Be happy with what you have right now, and the right job and the right partner will be directed toward your path.
DeleteI got an A-, and I can say that my life doesnt look like paradise. Indeed, i have to change a lot of stuffs on it. First, I'm this kind of person who never go to the gym, and who doesnt care about her helth. I use to smoke everyday, to eat smuts without thinking about my weight... I don't like sport, and when I force myself to do it, I stop after 10 minutes. So that, I think that I have to change and to devote more my free time to sport. Second, I have to be less naive because people think that i'm stupid. When you trust on everything, people think you are an idiot. Finnaly, I have to be less aggressive, sometimes I don't know how to speak with words, so began to fight with the other person. I'm a girl I have to be more sweet and nice.
ReplyDeleteI can conclud that the test I have taken is not so significant, i got an A-, yet I have to change alot of things in my life.
I repeted the test for 3 times just to make sure and I always have A- , at first it seems like my life is perfect and I cannot believe it . But it all needs a look to answers and to the test . For me this test doesn't look for if your life is good or not , but it looks for how you are able to manage it and the way you look at it .
ReplyDeleteI still have to change a lot of things in my life like working out and things related to sports, but in all cases I see my life with a very optimistic way , and I think I do my best to be happy .
Believe in yourself. You are amazing. The test realizes that. Why don't you trust it?
DeleteI got an A+, that doesn't mean that my life is perfect in any way! but I think I have a pretty much calm and easy going life, that's probably because I don't care much about a lot of things, I don't let stupid things ruin my day. failures happen all the time, so why should we get upset about it? instead one should try to understand the reason of this failure and try to change the things that should be changed for a better life.
ReplyDeleteThere is a great saying that I'll share with you, "May I have the serenity to accept the things in life I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." This quote reminds me of what you said your blog post.
DeleteI got an A-. I don't know if my life is really good, or this test is really bad, but all I know, is that I have to be thankful to my parents for giving me the chance to have the life I have. I am studying in one of the best universities in Morocco, I have been to the best schools, and high-schools of my city, and I need anything. This test made me realize that sometimes we are not thankful enough for things we already have. To be happy, I thing we have to give value to things we have, and not ask for too many things, because we might be disappointed at the end.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that it's all luck what circumstances in life we are born into - rich or poor, good parents or bad, royal or common. But what we make of those circumstances are largely up to us. I'm glad you see the value in this.
DeleteTwo weeks ago, I had an F as my life’s grade. I thought that I was going to have a really good grade. I didn’t change a lot from the two last weeks but I had an A minus this time. I used to go through on-an-off again phases when it came to sport but now, I do sport every single day. On a scale of 1-10, my personal happiness used to fall at 7, and it’s still the case. I used to hate my job (In my case, I mean my studies) and it’s still the case for that too. My apartment wasn’t and isn’t as clean as I want it to be but I make way more efforts. I always read a lot of books, and I think that in five years, I will be on a Harley Davidson travelling all over the world, so I would surely be in a different city. My biggest source of stress has always been my studies. If a Genie comes and grant me three wishes, I would ask for infinity more wishes, logic! I declared myself guilty of paying my bills late, which is not true, but I had no other choice. If I pretend that I am sick, I would be in a fun adventure.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've made some changes in your life that you think are improvements. I've noticed that you've come to yoga a few times, and you've been increasing your amount of exercise. It does make a person feel better and more alive to be physically active. Good for you!
DeleteI had A- , it did not seem odd to me because I lead a lifestyle very enliven . I am a very active person who does not like to sit doing nothing, the A is for the fact that I am someone who loves to laugh and spend very good time with friends . by the way I'm surrounded by many people with what I have a lot of fun . A- I think I got it because I am a person who thinks a lot, especially when it depends on my future , I stress a lot about my future . my family and friends complain all the time about the fact that I 'm too thoughtful. for a whole week i tried to live day to day and think only of my studies and live my college life as it should without a very early responsibilities. then it was profitable because I was well in my heart and I did not stress the people around me too. I think henceforth I will live that way, live day to day not age very top .
ReplyDeleteI hope you can keep up that practice. Stress kills!
DeleteWell,I got an A+,guess thats vey simple.One shouldn’t stress out for nothing or make a huge deal out of everything.Just relax,take it easy and things will just be fine !Don’t over think things too much because that might lead to serious mental problems,which isn’t the best thing you can get from life,really.So thing is,just live for the momment and your future will get built by itself.Do whatever you have to do for the momment being only and live your life in every way possible,hang out with your freinds,have fun,get fast food,do whatever you feel like doing and whenever you want to.LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL AND EVERY MOMMENT IS WORTH LIVING !
ReplyDeleteThat is a very positive attitude. I like it.
Delete