Mindsets and Personalities
I have been constantly reviewing and learning about perspectives and mindsets. Looking back on all of the work I have done, I am able to see my perspective and my personality seeping through each word. I found this article that I wrote about three different characters that had different expectations, but similar dreams. Recently I’ve been comparing myself to identify personality traits and trying to see if my future could be anything like theirs.
When I was analyzing these characters the first time, I was focused on comparing them to each other, but this time I will be comparing them to me. Their mindsets and expectations were forecast to their future actions and behaviors. These characters, both imaginary and real, were dragged down different paths, I want to see if my personalities have or will lead me down their same paths.
The first character is Jay Gatsby from the book The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby was a young boy who fell in love with a girl before going to war, a devastating story really. She married someone else, someone richer, so obviously, he was more worthy. Gatsby took this as a sign to change his lifestyle. He formed his expectations solely on what he thought she wanted. When planning to meet his expectations, he does not think of the long term effects. He only thinks of what is beneficial to him at the moment. Not only was he unprepared, because he didn’t acknowledge the hardship that he would face, but his dream also laid in the hands of someone else. At the end of his story, he ends up killing someone, and then gets himself killed, but not before the love of his life leaves him for the second time. Like Gatsby, I don’t think of the future consequences or the hardships I might cause. It’s important for me to recognize this and try to fix it while I’m still young so that it’s easier to get out of the habit. One thing I don’t have in common with Gatsby is that I don’t focus my life on others. However, I do love to be around people and some of my ideas are based on what others say, but it’s not for them. Gatsby has taught me a lot about myself and my perspective, and I have a lot to improve.
The second character is George from Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. He had this dream of being rich and buying this house on this huge piece of land with his best friend. George ran into many problems that postponed his goals. These problems include, but are not limited to, the lack of money, motivation, and planning. George could have been saving his money every month and earned hundreds of dollars, bringing him closer to his dream each month! The procrastination here caused the lack of motivation. He didn’t truly believe that his dream was achievable. Of course, there is never going to be a goal or dream that is without complications, but a combination of all of them just makes it unrealistic. Which is exactly what our friend George’s problem was. Things did not end up so good for him, one of those things being killing his best friend. Pondering on my life and my personality traits, I have found that I am energetic. I am competitive, and everything needs to be done a certain way. George and I don’t have a lot in common. I do not lack motivation or planning. I don’t sit around and wait or hope for things to happen. My perspective may be clouded from the future events, but the present doesn’t confuse me.
The odd character of the three, from an article written by Cecilia Rosell, titled What is the American Dream today, explains her thoughts about the road to accomplishing one’s goals. The article grasps what it’s like in real life to have struggles and expectations when it comes to their personal version of the American Dream. We are able to see real experiences from multiple different people. One particular participant, April, expresses, “The American Dream is not dead for international students, ‘but it can come at a cost’” (Rosell). She wanted to start over somewhere new, and because she knew what to expect, she was able to do just that. April didn’t set high expectations for her dreams, but they were high enough to keep her motivated and trying. This mindset is something that differs from the other characters. Her dream is realistic, planned out, and thought through. She knew it would cost a great deal of money and that it would not be an easy journey. There isn’t much written about April, but just enough to prove that she was more prepared to achieve her dreams than any of the other characters. Notice how her story didn’t end with murder? Like April, I love planning. Her plan is almost a competition with herself, which is one of the many things that keeps me motivated and moving forward. She addresses her struggles, something I have a hard time doing. After reading about perspectives and personalities and reading about these characters, I’ve been trying to figure out what I can do to change for the better. I need to address the struggles and hardships that I might run into in the future. What of my traits will bring negative consequences into my life in the future? April has helped me to connect my life to hers and see where I need fixing.
In this original article I wrote, “From these characters, I have learned that to meet the goals you have set for yourself, they need to be attainable and have a plan,” but now I will write, From these characters I have learned that our mindsets and personalities from our future possibilities and consequences. My culture and personality have brought me where I am today. Reading about other people can help me to compare myself and my qualities to them to know what I can work on and improve. Other people have lived longer than me and had more experience, so I can find people who are similar to me and view their futures, and use common sense to form my future.