Taking Control of Who You Are
1
“The people who were trying to make this world
worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?”
― Bob Marley
Bob Marley and his family were ambushed and shot in his home for his
involvement in an upcoming peace rally organized by the president in his
country. With bullet wounds in his arm and chest, he kept his promise to
perform despite being unable to hold his guitar.
When asked why he came in such a condition and despite the danger of
another attack he is said to have responded, “The people who were
trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?”
Think about who you struggle for and what you want. What and who do you fight for? Who are your allies?
Think about who you struggle for and who you struggle against. Who is your adversary, what do they want?
Think about the difficulties you face daily. Rewrite Mr. Marley’s words in your own way. Make it your own.
Think about at the time you have been faced with adversity and had a good reason to quit. Describe how the
phrase you wrote could have helped you in your difficulty.
Taking Control of Who You Are
2
“Accomplishment is socially judged by ill-defined criteria so
that one has to rely on others to find out how one is doing.”
~
“In order to succeed, people need a sense of
self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience
to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of
life.”
-Albert Bandura
The RAISE values are a checklist to help us weigh our actions against
to see how well what we do matches with what we want. Self-efficacy
(an idea developed by psychologist Albert Bandura) is our ability to
line up what we do with what we really want.
Think about yourself at your personal best. Rate your current ability to
use these values to your advantage on your best day.
Respect
☆
Integrity
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☆☆☆☆☆
Accountability
☆☆☆☆
☆☆☆☆☆
Service
☆☆☆☆
Excellence
☆☆☆☆
☆
Albert Bandura believed that the way we talk about ourselves and
the stories we tell about our future have a big impact on how well we
do and how we feel. Tell a story about you in the future where you are
amazing.
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Taking Control of Who You Are
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Taking Control of Who You Are
4
We must reject not only the stereotypes
that others have of us but also those
that we have of ourselves. -Shirley Chisholm
Shirly Chisom was the first Black woman elected to the
United States Congress. She spoke fluent Spanish, held
d a Masters’s in education, 40 honorary doctorates, was
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and ran for
President in 1972 (just to name a few of her accolades).
She was known for her audacious creativity a quality which indeed her to even her most ardent
critics.
What are some of the labels and stereotypes you feel people put on you?
What are some of the labels and stereotypes you feel you place on yourself?
Pick a label or stereotype, how can it impact your life?
Shirley Chisholm said, “You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and
complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” Think about your daily life and how it is
impacted by how we see ourselves. In what ways can you reject a stereotype to help you make
progress and implement ideas?