Introduction to Critical Thinking
Chapter 1: Life Plan
Time to figure out your life! Well, we will take the first step anyway...
For your Life Plan assignment, you will complete the following sheets utilizing the directions and descriptions below.
Your outline should be in complete sentences or even paragraphs that add specific details to your ideas. This should NOT be a skeleton outline with vague words or phrases. The first 3 pages will include:
Identify your three core values - the three things that define you as a person and motivate the majority of your decisions (Family, Faith, Compassion, Independence, Wealth, etc.) and explain why they are important or how you chose them.
Identify your three strengths, the three things you think you are better at than the average person, these strengths help you when you are facing challenges.
Identify your three weaknesses, three areas where you have the most room for improvement. These are three things that consistently get in the way of your happiness and success. Be honest, we all have them!
Three short term goals - goals you can set for yourself within the next 1 - 3 years. Be specific. Goals like "graduate college" are proven to be more achievable than more general goals like, "focus on my education."
Three long term goals - goals you can set for yourself within the next 10-15 years. Be specific. Goals like "buy a house in Wilmington" are proven to be more achievable than more general goals like, "save money."
Identify three action steps for EACH goal, both short term and long term. An action step is a SPECIFIC action you can take to help you achieve your goal. For instance, if your goal is "lower my cholesterol by 20 points" an appropriate action step might be "eat three helpings of vegetables every day."
For the final page, look at your strengths, weaknesses, and goals objectively and identify areas where you excel and areas where you may need support. Then share your answers with someone who knows you (a friend, partner, relative, classmate, co-worker, etc.) and get their input. Revise your plan if necessary. Finally:
Identify three characteristics of a good to critical thinker that, considering your goals, strengths and weaknesses, you think will benefit you most in achieving your goals.
Identify three barriers/resistances to critical thinking, that considering your goals, strengths and weaknesses, you think you will need to work to overcome when achieving your goals.