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In this chapter you learned how motivation, decision making, and personal responsibility affect college and career success. Revisit the following key points, and reflect on how you can use this information to support your success now and in the future.
Three key components of motivation are self-efficacy, or your belief in your ability to carry out the actions needed to reach a particular goal; the relevance of a goal to you; and your attitude toward the goal. The stronger these components are, the more motivated you’ll feel to work toward the goal.
You can be motivated by either intrinsic rewards (for example, a feeling of accomplishment) or extrinsic rewards (such as praise from others). But intrinsic motivators are more powerful than extrinsic motivators.
The eight-step decision-making process can help you transform your motivation into action by making carefully considered choices.
To take personal responsibility for your learning in college, you can develop a growth mindset, take an active approach to learning, successfully navigate the transition to college, and reflect on how you think and learn and make the changes needed to improve (metacognition).
Motivation, decision making, and personal responsibility set the stage for career success as well as college success. By acquiring or strengthening these skills now, you’ll make an attractive candidate for jobs that interest you, and you’ll perform better in those roles.