English 9 HP- Conn PERSONAL PROMISE PAPER Due:______

Freshman year is a magical time to start afresh; to reinvent yourself, to seize opportunities, to set goals for yourself, to make promises to yourself (that you intend to keep!) and….to think BIG!!! Sometimes, when you become stressed or experience obstacles, there is a danger that you might compromise your values and make choices that you will later regret. It’s easy to lose sight of your priorities, and to cheapen yourself into believing that what feels good in the moment IS being good to yourself. Too often, it is not.

As Adrienne Rich says in her article, by taking responsibility towards yourself; by valuing your time and your integrity, you can authenticate your educational experience. This is a way to go beyond the “Little Boxes” that you are being forced into.

As you reflect on your first couple of days this semester, think about the dreams that you have, not only for this year, but also for the future.

Your task is THUS:

  • Reflect upon the notion of honesty, integrity, and personal responsibility. Write a “one-pager” exploring your goals and ideals. Some questions to spark your thinking are:
  1. What “responsibility to you owe yourself?
  2. To whom do you owe your time?
  3. What is your definition of integrity?
  4. What does honesty mean to you? Who is important to you?
  5. How will you meet your own goals without giving up your own integrity?
  6. In short, what personal promises do you want to make to yourself?
  • Feel free to write on both sides of the paper; draw pictures, include photographs, jot down mottos or quotations that are meaningful to you. Write in poetic form if you wish.
  • Decorate the page in any way that you choose.
  • You will keep this paper with you throughout the year, using it often in class. Make sure that you put time and effort into it!
  • Keep it real!

Another quote to spark ideas:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech (quoted from Maryanne Williamson)