Skip Downing, in the book On Course, states, "Successful students adopt the Creator role, believing that their choices create the outcomes and experiences of their lives. Struggling students accept the Victim role, believing that external forces determine the outcomes and experiences of their lives."
In other words, whether or not you succeed in college is significantly dependent upon you and your choices.
Imagine that you are a single parent, working long hours, and now your child is sick. You choose to stay home with your child (a responsible choice), and thus miss your Math test. Now your Math instructor states that you received a zero for the test. Tough situation, right?
A student acting as a Victim might say that life is not fair and just drop the course. Or, the Victim might blame their zero score on the inflexibility of the instructor.
On the other hand, a student acting as a Creator might provide documentation of his child's sickness, and discuss the instructor's academic policies related to legitimate absences. Or, the Creator might identify how to handle the situation differently in the future by calling his professor as soon as he knew he would miss the test.
Your child got sick; there is not a whole lot that you can do to prevent this situation (in the short term). But, you do have control over how you respond to the circumstance, either as a Victim or as a Creator.
The question is: Which response is more likely to keep you on track to reach your academic and career goals?
Check out the Finish Strong video on SimpleTruths.com, which nicely encapsulates the Creator philosophy.
Bibliography: Skip Downing, On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and Life. Boston, MA:Wadsworth, 2011.
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