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King's High School

by Cursey Adie-Cropley

Positive Education: Determination

Cursey Adie-Cropley - March 18, 2024

Determination is a firmness of purpose, specifically, being determined means, have a firm decision or goal and not wavering in your pursuit of achieving it.

It is a positive emotional feeling that involves persevering towards a difficult goal despite obstacles. Determination starts before you reach your goal but serves to motivate behaviour that will help achieve your goals.

We all have self-determination, the ability or right to make one's own decisions without interference from others. Self-determination is defined as the personal decision to do something or think a certain way. 

How do you achieve self-determination:

  1. Define success for yourself, what does this look like for you
  2. Set personal, academic, and career goals
  3. Keep your expectations high
  4. Understand your abilities and disabilities
  5. Play to your strengths
  6. Develop strategies to meet your goals
  7. Use technology as an empowering tool
  8. Work hard. Persevere. Be flexible.

WHAT IS YOUR WHY?

If your WHY is greater than the obstacles you will face achieving it, you will find the determination. Determination is what will make you stop at nothing to reach your WHY. Your WHY doesn't have to be some big, life altering event (unless you want it to be), it can be completing and passing enough credits to reach NCEA Level 1, but whatever your WHY, chose it and stick with it. 

Once you have your WHY and DETERMINATION, you truly are unstoppable. It may not always be easy, but you will find a way to get to where you are going. 

Zig Ziglar said “I believe success is achieved by ordinary people with extraordinary determination”.

Image by: Cursey Adie-Cropley