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Self-reflection: Exploring Strengths and Weaknesses

Categories: Personal Strengths Self Awareness Self Reflection

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Published: Aug 24, 2023

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Introduction, identifying strengths, acknowledging weaknesses, utilizing strengths to address weaknesses.

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Home Essay Samples Philosophy Self Reflection

A Reflective Analysis of My Strengths And Weaknesses

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Don’t Underestimate the Power of Self-Reflection

James R. Bailey
Scheherazade Rehman

Focus on moments of surprise, failure, and frustration.

Research shows the habit of reflection can separate extraordinary professionals from mediocre ones. But how do you sort which experiences are most significant for your development?

To answer this questions, the authors asked 442 executives to reflect on which experiences most advanced their professional development and had the most impact on making them better leaders.
Three distinct themes arose through their analysis: surprise, frustration, and failure. Reflections that involved one or more or of these sentiments proved to be the most valuable in helping the leaders grow.
Surprise, frustration, and failure. Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. These parts of you are constantly in motion and if you don’t give them time to rest and reflect upon what you learned from them, you will surely fatigue.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

Empathy, communication, adaptability, emotional intelligence, compassion. These are all skills you need to thrive in the workplace and become a great leader. Time and again, we even hear that these capabilities are the key to making yourself indispensable — not just now but far into the future. Soft skills, after all, are what make us human, and as far as we know, can’t be performed well by technologies like artificial intelligence.

James R. Bailey is professor and Hochberg Fellow of Leadership at George Washington University. The author of five books and more than 50 academic papers, he is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, The Hill, Fortune, Forbes, and Fast Company and appears on many national television and radio programs.
Scheherazade Rehman is professor and Dean’s Professorial Fellow of International Finance. She is director of the European Union Research Center and former Director of World ExecMBA with Cybersecurity, has appeared in front of the U.S. House and Senate, and been a guest numerous times onPBS Newshour, the Colbert Report, BBC World News, CNBC, Voice of America, and C-Span.

The Importance of Self-Reflection: How Looking Inward Can Improve Your Mental Health

Sanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.

Dr. Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and a professor at Yeshiva University’s clinical psychology doctoral program.

Sunwoo Jung / Getty Images

Why Is Self-Reflection So Important?

When self-reflection becomes unhealthy, how to practice self-reflection, what to do if self-reflection makes you uncomfortable, incorporating self-reflection into your routine.

How well do you know yourself? Do you think about why you do the things you do? Self-reflection is a skill that can help you understand yourself better.

Self-reflection involves being present with yourself and intentionally focusing your attention inward to examine your thoughts, feelings, actions, and motivations, says Angeleena Francis , LMHC, executive director for AMFM Healthcare.

Active self-reflection can help grow your understanding of who you are , what values you believe in, and why you think and act the way you do, says Kristin Wilson , MA, LPC, CCTP, RYT, chief experience officer for Newport Healthcare.

This article explores the benefits and importance of self-reflection, as well as some strategies to help you practice it and incorporate it into your daily life. We also discuss when self-reflection can become unhealthy and suggest some coping strategies.

Self-reflection is important because it helps you form a self-concept and contributes toward self-development.

Builds Your Self-Concept

Self-reflection is critical because it contributes to your self-concept, which is an important part of your identity.

Your self-concept includes your thoughts about your traits, abilities, beliefs, values, roles, and relationships. It plays an influential role in your mood, judgment, and behavioral patterns.

Reflecting inward allows you to know yourself and continue to get to know yourself as you change and develop as a person, says Francis. It helps you understand and strengthen your self-concept as you evolve with time.

Enables Self-Development

Self-reflection also plays a key role in self-development. “It is a required skill for personal growth ,” says Wilson.

Being able to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, or what you did right or wrong, can help you identify areas for growth and improvement, so you can work on them.

For instance, say you gave a presentation at school or work that didn’t go well, despite putting in a lot of work on the project. Spending a little time on self-reflection can help you understand that even though you spent a lot of time working on the project and creating the presentation materials, you didn’t practice giving the presentation. Realizing the problem can help you correct it. So, the next time you have to give a presentation, you can practice it on your colleagues or loved ones first.

Or, say you’ve just broken up with your partner. While it’s easy to blame them for everything that went wrong, self-reflection can help you understand what behaviors of yours contributed to the split. Being mindful of these behaviors can be helpful in other relationships.

Without self-reflection, you would continue to do what you’ve always done and as a result, you may continue to face the same problems you’ve always faced.

Benefits of Self-Reflection

These are some of the benefits of self-reflection, according to the experts:

Increased self-awareness: Spending time in self-reflection can help build greater self-awareness , says Wilson. Self-awareness is a key component of emotional intelligence. It helps you recognize and understand your own emotions, as well as the impact of your emotions on your thoughts and behaviors.
Greater sense of control: Self-reflection involves practicing mindfulness and being present with yourself at the moment. This can help you feel more grounded and in control of yourself, says Francis.
Improved communication skills: Self-reflection can help you improve your communication skills, which can benefit your relationships. Understanding what you’re feeling can help you express yourself clearly, honestly, and empathetically.
Deeper alignment with core values: Self-reflection can help you understand what you believe in and why. This can help ensure that your words and actions are more aligned with your core values, Wilson explains. It can also help reduce cognitive dissonance , which is the discomfort you may experience when your behavior doesn’t align with your values, says Francis.
Better decision-making skills: Self-reflection can help you make better decisions for yourself, says Wilson. Understanding yourself better can help you evaluate all your options and how they will impact you with more clarity. This can help you make sound decisions that you’re more comfortable with, says Francis.
Greater accountability: Self-reflection can help you hold yourself accountable to yourself, says Francis. It can help you evaluate your actions and recognize personal responsibility. It can also help you hold yourself accountable for the goals you’re working toward.

Self-reflection is a healthy practice that is important for mental well-being. However, it can become harmful if it turns into rumination, self-criticism, self-judgment, negative self-talk , and comparison to others, says Wilson.

Here’s what that could look like:

Rumination: Experiencing excessive and repetitive stressful or negative thoughts. Rumination is often obsessive and interferes with other types of mental activity.
Self-judgment: Constantly judging yourself and often finding yourself lacking.
Negative self-talk: Allowing the voice inside your head to discourage you from doing things you want to do. Negative self-talk is often self-defeating.
Self-criticism: Constantly criticizing your actions and decisions.
Comparison: Endlessly comparing yourself to others and feeling inferior.

Kristin Wilson, LPC, CCTP

Looking inward may activate your inner critic, but true self-reflection comes from a place of neutrality and non-judgment.

When anxious thoughts and feelings come up in self-reflection, Wilson says it’s important to practice self-compassion and redirect your focus to actionable insights that can propel your life forward. “We all have faults and room for improvement. Reflect on the behaviors or actions you want to change and take steps to do so.”

It can help to think of what you would say to a friend in a similar situation. For instance, if your friend said they were worried about the status of their job after they gave a presentation that didn’t go well, you would probably be kind to them, tell them not to worry, and to focus on improving their presentation skills in the future. Apply the same compassion to yourself and focus on what you can control.

If you are unable to calm your mind of racing or negative thoughts, Francis recommends seeking support from a trusted person in your life or a mental health professional. “Patterns of negative self-talk, self-doubt , or criticism should be addressed through professional support, as negative cognitions of oneself can lead to symptoms of depression if not resolved.”

Wilson suggests some strategies that can help you practice self-reflection:

Ask yourself open-ended questions: Start off by asking yourself open-ended questions that will prompt self-reflection, such as: “Am I doing what makes me happy?” “Are there things I’d like to improve about myself?” or “What could I have done differently today?” “Am I taking anything or anyone for granted?” Notice what thoughts and feelings arise within you for each question and then begin to think about why. Be curious about yourself and be open to whatever comes up.
Keep a journal: Journaling your thoughts and responses to these questions is an excellent vehicle for self-expression. It can be helpful to look back at your responses, read how you handled things in the past, assess the outcome, and look for where you might make changes in the future.
Try meditation: Meditation can also be a powerful tool for self-reflection and personal growth. Even if it’s only for five minutes, practice sitting in silence and paying attention to what comes up for you. Notice which thoughts are fleeting and which come up more often.
Process major events and emotions: When something happens in your life that makes you feel especially good or bad, take the time to reflect on what occurred, how it made you feel, and either how you can get to that feeling again or what you might do differently the next time. Writing down your thoughts in a journal can help.
Make a self-reflection board: Create a self-reflection board of positive attributes that you add to regularly. Celebrate your authentic self and the ways you stay true to who you are. Having a visual representation of self-reflection can be motivating.

You may avoid self-reflection if it brings up difficult emotions and makes you feel uncomfortable, says Francis. She recommends preparing yourself to get comfortable with the uncomfortable before you start.

Think of your time in self-reflection as a safe space within yourself. “Avoid judging yourself while you explore your inner thoughts, feelings, and motives of behavior,” says Francis. Simply notice what comes up and accept it. Instead of focusing on fears, worries, or regrets, try to look for areas of growth and improvement.

“Practice neutrality and self-compassion so that self-reflection is a positive experience that you will want to do regularly,” says Wilson.

Francis suggests some strategies that can help you incorporate self-reflection into your daily routine:

Dedicate time to it: it’s important to dedicate time to self-reflection and build it into your routine. Find a slot that works for your schedule—it could be five minutes each morning while drinking coffee or 30 minutes sitting outside in nature once per week.
Pick a quiet spot: It can be hard to focus inward if your environment is busy or chaotic. Choose a calm and quiet space that is free of distractions so you can hear your own thoughts.
Pay attention to your senses: Pay attention to your senses. Sensory input is an important component of self-awareness.

Nowak A, Vallacher RR, Bartkowski W, Olson L. Integration and expression: The complementary functions of self-reflection . J Pers . 2022;10.1111/jopy.12730. doi:10.1111/jopy.12730

American Psychological Association. Self-concept .

Dishon N, Oldmeadow JA, Critchley C, Kaufman J. The effect of trait self-awareness, self-reflection, and perceptions of choice meaningfulness on indicators of social identity within a decision-making context . Front Psychol . 2017;8:2034. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02034

Drigas AS, Papoutsi C. A new layered model on emotional intelligence . Behav Sci (Basel) . 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045

American Psychological Association. Rumination .

By Sanjana Gupta Sanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.

Self Reflection Essay Examples

Example of a self reflection essay, strengths, values and perseverance shape your personality.

Over the years, through the highs and lows life has got me through, I have been fortunate enough to understand my personality as an individual. Now, I am more aware of my strengths that I can thrive on and my weaknesses that need to be

worked on. I have a better understanding of how I can learn, unlearn and relearn things. All these factors add up to my overall personality.

As simple as it may sound, a self reflection essay is not as easy as it may seem. When you fully immerse yourself in the thought process, it may seem challenging. Think of self assessment essay as an experiential journey where you impart the experience you have gained and the ideas that you have come up with, over the years. A self reflection essay is a personal piece of writing that narrates your experiences. Let’s have a look at the key elements that make up a English self reflection essay for students.

Strengths, Motivators, Values and Personality

It is key to understand your strengths and make ways to thrive on them. Once you highlight your strong attributes, you get to values, the stable goals that are set in life and the most important factors to an individual.

To me, self-respect is of utmost importance. I am proud of who I am today, irrespective of the poor decisions that I have made in life. I don’t have any regrets, as each of those decisions gave me a life lesson.

Today, as an individual, I exhibit confidence, I am flexible with an open mind, I respect my seniors and am respectful towards my peers and those who are younger than me. I have an optimistic attitude and believe life is too short to be a pessimist.

Besides the positive attitude that i have towards life i wouldn’t say that i have it all figured out, it’s a complex phenomenon. Primarily which is why I have this curiosity that makes me question the surroundings, the good and the bad that happens.

As an individual, I am always punctual. I like to go out but am not very social. I feel socializing makes me anxious, especially when it’s a total stranger on the other end. But whenever I do interact with people, I make sure that I am honest about who I am and try to give the other individual the space he/she needs to feel comfortable communicating.

Talking about positive experiences in life, I have had a chance to get quite a few of them when I graduated from college, when I got my first promotion at work and when I bought myself a home. Such cherishable memories.

My college experience was life altering, I understood my potential and my tolerance threshold that added to my confidence level. I also learned how to handle different social situations and to have an open mind that accepts imperfections in people, everyone has their own special strengths. These are some of the factors that further helped me thrive at my workplace and lead me to getting my first house ever.

As a normal person, I have had my share of challenging moments as well. Recession hit us hard, but it was the hardest when I was laid off and lost a loved one. It was the darkest time of my life where I felt a gush of emotions, sad, angry, lonely and in denial. I was upset at everyone, even God and blamed myself for every single thing that had happened in this time.

I was devastated, but time heals everything. I was lucky enough to get myself out of this darkness and rediscover myself. However, the experiences shaped me into the person I am today. It was only because of the positive attitude and self belief that I was able to find learning lessons in such difficult times and came out as a better improved version of myself.

My family is very supportive and the driving factor behind my motivation. My parents and siblings encourage me to live life to the fullest and that everyday counts. With my positive attitude, I want to bring positive changes in the society that have a lasting effect. Everyday is an opportunity for me to learn something new and grow simultaneously.

Perseverance is Key to a Content Life

It is my belief that if I keep up the optimistic approach, I will be able to impact society in a positive manner. Also, I want to clarify when I talk about changing the society, it’s not the society as a whole, but in fact impacting few individuals who will be inspired to lead a better life.

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out – Robert Collier

I believe that success is a journey and not a destination. Success is that realization in the morning that someone somewhere is leading a better life because I was able to make a difference. This satisfying feeling that I get by helping others experience a change is what leads me to my leadership journey.

In my role as a leader, I am able to bring about that change in people that makes people’s lives healthier, more secure and satisfied.

Key Elements that Shape up a Good Leader

Emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is a key trait in a leader. It helps manage strong emotions such as fear, anger and sadness. These emotions are usually triggered by the loss of a loved one, or a series of difficult events in life. When an individual is emotionally intelligent, he/she is better equipped to manage themselves and the ones around them because they are self-aware. Emotional intelligence fosters empathy, the ability to put oneself in other people’s shoes and understand things from their view point.

Values and Personality

The values of an individual and the kind of personality they have decides if they can be shaped into leaders. If someone aspires to be a leader, that individual ought to have certain traits that are in sync with the organizational structure and the job description. The attributes I bring to my leadership style include self-respect, flexibility, open-mindedness, family values and the ability to move past things make me suitable for the role of a leader.

Conclusion – The Journey Ahead

The bottom line is that the surroundings and experiences of an individual shapes up the personality of an individual. There are different factors that support this phenomenon that include strength, motivational factors and values. If a person is flexible enough, he/she can adapt to the changing environment and thrive in life. In order to do that, one needs to have empathy, a yearning to learn and good social skills. Life has taught me a lot of things so far with different experiences in life, and I look forward to the journey ahead after writing my self-assessment essay

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Critical Self Reflection Essay Example

My journey towards personal growth, introduction.

Writing a Self reflection is a crucial factor of personal development because it helps the individual to highlight their strengths to thrive on and identify weaknesses to mark areas for improvement. One of the key advantages of critical self reflection is that you get

a very clear understanding of yourself. Very often we hold on to preconceived things about ourselves without ensuring their credibility. When we undergo a critical self evaluation, we get to challenge these assumptions and get a clear perspective on things.

This critical self reflection essay sample will shed light on my journey that led to personal growth. By writing this essay I aim to analyze my experiences and the choices that I made so I can better understand what factors added to the learning process and what steps I took to refine myself and get to the place where I am today.

The Journey Towards Personal Growth

Highlighting areas of improvement.

When I started my self-reflection journey, the first thing that popped up was that I tend to procrastinate. Whether it was about a simple task of completing the assignment or something bigger like achieving personal goals, I had a habit of leaving things to the last day. I realized, whenever I took this approach I not only compromised my ability to perform but also was not able to perform to the best of my potential. I had so much that I could do to add value.

Seeking Personal Growth

Once I highlighted my weakness, I realized this needed to change. I started looking for ways and strategies actively that would help me overcome this tendency to procrastinate. I attended some time-management workshops, read articles and books on how to increase productivity and sought guidance from individuals who overcame this problem successfully. Luckily, all my efforts put to use lead me to develop organizational skills, align task with respect to priority and eventually a more productive me. I am proud of myself.

Taking New Challenges Head On

Further, to support my personal growth, I understood that I am not flexible enough to step out of my comfort zone, that had to change. I purposely sought after challenging tasks academically, personally and professionally. At first the fear of the unknown was overwhelming for me but then I quickly learned to adapt to different situations and was able to solve problems effectively. This practice helped me build resilience.

Developing Self Awareness

Once I developed the sense of self awareness, it altered my life and acted as a key factor towards my personal growth journey. During the critical reflective analysis of my thoughts I was very conscious of my thinking process, the emotions I was feeling and my actions.

It is during this reflective process I noticed that I also have negative emotions such as fear of failure or self doubt. All of which are natural but not normal if I let them persist. When I realized this, I started taking proactive measures to take them head on by addressing them. Since I was now aware of my strengths and weaknesses, I was more regulated and could make decisions in an effective manner that would in turn add value to my personal growth.

Accepting Constructive Criticism Gracefully

The ability to receive feedback and embrace criticism in a positive manner is important for the growth of an individual. At first, I was offended easily and found embracing criticism very challenging, but now that I have learned the importance of criticism and how it helps me improve my personality and refine my skills, I have learned to accept it gracefully and wholeheartedly. Now I pay full attention to the feedback, listen carefully, perform an objective analysis and then implement the changes that are necessary to improve my performance as an individual.

Enhance the Ability to Empathize

During this journey of critical self reflection I learned that it has enhanced my ability to empathize with others. As I engaged myself into questioning my own bias, I paid more attention to how other people feel and think, their perspective mattered to me.

This led me to gain deeper insight into the complex thought process and behavioral patterns of humans and how several factors add to shaping it. This new sense of being empathetic helped me build stronger relationships and communicate as well as collaborate with others. It enabled me to step out of my comfort zone and have a wider view of people’s thought process with diverse perspectives.

Self-Care is of Utmost Importance

Throughout, this critical reflective analysis has been a great learning point for me and made me realize that selfcare is of utmost importance. I need to pay heed to my physical and mental well being only then can I strive for positive personal growth.

To inculcate self-care into my routine, I started practicing mindful techniques, added physical exercise to my routine and made sure I took proper rest so that my body gets to relax.

The effects of adding these to my routine were amazing, not only did my body and mind feel relaxed but also boosted my productivity level and the overall outlook on life.

The Final Say – Conclusion

Lastly, it is important to note that personal growth is not a one time thing. Individuals need to adapt themselves according to their changing environments. By conducting a critical self reflection analysis I have realized that I have set on a transformative journey that will add to my personal growth by making me more productive.

Through this amazing journey I was able to highlight my strengths, mark my areas of improvement, sought personal growth, challenged myself, became more self aware and accepted constructive criticism which led me to become a better version of myself. I believe success is not a destination but a continuous journey. I look forward to this fruitful and life altering journey where I get a chance to grow in all aspects of life.

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Self Reflection Essay On Group Work Example

Self reflection on a group work can be explained as the voluntary collaboration of members who benefit from cooperative learning that enhances the overall output of the activity in comparison to if it was done individually. As beneficial as it is, working in groups can be quite challenging as well. Each member may have a different perspective and may not agree on the same thing.

Group work is fundamental for professional and academic life. Building connections via collaboration, it promotes different viewpoints and provides opportunities that lead to individual and collective growth. I had the opportunity to take part in a group project for my Sociology course recently where I had a challenging yet enlightening experience.

In this English self reflection essay on group work I will do an analysis of the role i played within the group, how did the dynamics change and what lessons did i get to learn on this valuable journey.

Overview of the Project and Group Composition

We formed a group of four members, each of the members coming from a different background, each exhibiting a different skill set and each of them having a different perspective on things. The project required a research study to be performed on a local social issue and then presenting the project findings to the class.

This project was challenging because it required creativity, critical thinking, effective collaboration and coordination. Moreover, we were able to apply the classroom knowledge in theory to practical use in a hands-on situation.

My Role and Value Additions

It was decided during the early stage of the project that I would be the group leader. This role came with a lot of responsibility where I had to manage meetings, set deadlines and ensure smooth communication among team members. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about taking on such a big responsibility but then I realized it is a chance for me to learn and would help in my personal growth. I am glad I took the decision to continue because I learned effective communication skills, better time management skills and was also able to devise conflict resolution strategies.

Additionally, while I managed all these responsibilities as a leader, I supported my team by actively participating in conducting research. While I was at it, I enjoyed conducting interviews, data collection and data analysis. It was such a wonderful experience where I got to witness the strength of working in a team and how each of our individual efforts added to the comprehensive understanding of the project.

Dynamics and Challenges of the Group

When different people work together, conflicts and challenges are imminent. Just like any other group working as a team, ours had our own set of challenges. One of the most prominent issues that arose was about the direction of our research, different members have different opinions. While these differences of opinions created some tension in the group we soon realized that our distinctive viewpoints can help add value to our study. Instead of negating the opinions, we strategized and integrated them in our analysis.

Another major challenge for us was to align our variable schedules so that we all can sit together and work on the project. Furthermore, maintaining a balance between coursework, personal commitments and this project was quite overwhelming. In order to overcome this problem we decided to create a shared calendar online where everyone can see the team’s schedule. Also, each team member was considerate and flexible when it came to meeting schedules.

The Learning Experience

While working in the group as a team, I have gained the following experiences and insights:

Development as a Leader: In my role as a group leader I learned several skills that helped me develop into a good leader, these include organizing meetings, delegation of work and conflict management. In this role I realized that to become an effective leader I had to juggle between guiding the group and developing a collaborative environment.
Diverse Perspectives: I realized if a group leader embraces diversity and respects the different backgrounds then a rich and well curated outcome can be achieved. The best thing about different perspectives was that it forced us to see one thing with several angles, this critical analysis led to a more enhanced, quality oriented research.
Effective Communication: In any team or a group, communication is key. Clear, concise, and regular communication helped us in overcoming challenges quickly and effectively. Also, it maintained a sense of unity and harmony in the group.
Flexibility: It was essential to adapt to different working styles. Each of the group members exhibited great understanding of the fact that diversity would help reach us more comprehensive solutions.
Conflict Management: What caused tension in the beginning soon became our strength where we solved conflicts effectively. We no longer avoided disagreements but welcomed them as they helped improve our decisions.
Time Management: Without a doubt, balancing work and individual roles is challenging. I managed tasks by prioritizing them which helped me in timely delivery.

Conclusion / The Last Word

Working as a group has been a great learning experience that has played a vital and pivotal role in my academic journey. This project served as a growth opportunity personally and professionally. Through the process, I also understood how collaboration and adaptability along with effective communication can take your project to a whole new level, in varying circumstances.

Besides the conflicts and the tension created by being diverse members, I learned to appreciate the value of diverse perspectives. Also, I understood that diversity brings in more effective solutions to complex problems. Going forward, these lessons helped boost my confidence which would add value to future group collaborations both academically and professionally.

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10.5 WRITE: Instructions for the Self-Reflection Essay

Start with the revised paragraphs from the four self-reflection prompts:

What makes a good academic research essay?
Why do we learn to write an academic research essay?
What are your strengths and weaknesses in writing an academic research essay in English?
How does the use of outside sources of information affect the quality of your academic research essay?

Copy and paste each of your four revised paragraphs into one new document. Organize the four paragraphs in a logical sequence so that each paragraph builds on the previous one. Think carefully about the order of information and how to make connections between the ideas. Add transitions for a smooth flow between sentences and paragraphs. Add an introduction, conclusion, and title. Finally, proofread carefully for grammar and mechanics.

Use 1-inch margins on all sides
Use Times Roman 11 or 12 point font or similar
Use double-spaced lines
Use page numbers
Include your full name and date in the upper left-hand of the first page
Include a title, centered at the top of the page
Use the TAB key on your keyboard to indent each paragraph
Use primarily your own words. Outside sources are not required. However, if you use information from an outside source, then you must include in-text citations and a Works Cited page. Follow MLA format.
For this assignment, you may write in first, second, or third person. You may use an informal tone and informal vocabulary.
Use six or more paragraphs. The exact number of words, sentences or pages is not important. What is important is that your ideas are clear, compelling, and complete.
Proofread carefully for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Each draft is worth 10 points, however each draft is graded differently. The grading rubric for the first draft awards more points for content and organization, while the grading rubric for the second draft awards more points for grammar and mechanics.

Grading Rubric for Draft Essay – See Appendix B
Grading Rubric for Revised Essay – See Appendix C

MODEL SELF-REFLECTION ESSAY

ANALYZE THE ASSIGNMENT

What is the purpose of this essay?
Who is your primary audience for this essay?
What type of essay will this be? What will you say or show?
What voice or point of view should you use in this essay?
What evidence should you use to support your ideas?
How long should this essay be?
When is the draft version of this essay due?
How will you submit the first draft of your essay?
When is the revised version of this essay due?
How will you submit the revised version of your essay?

Self Reflection Essay

Self reflection essay generator.

What goes through your mind when you have to write a self reflection essay? Do you ponder on your life choices, the actions you take to get where you want to be or where you are now? If you answered yes and yes to both of the questions, you are on the right track and have some idea on what a reflection essay would look like. This article would help give you more ideas on how to write a self reflection essay , how it looks like, what to put in it and some examples for you to use. So what are you waiting for? Check these out now.

10+ Self Reflection Essay Examples

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Defining Self

A person’s self that is different from the rest. On occasions it is considered as an object of a person’s view.

Defining Self Reflection

A self reflection is often described as taking a step back to reflect on your life. To take a break and observe how far you have become, the obstacles you have gone through and how they have affected your life, behavior and belief.

Defining Self Reflection Essay

A self- reflection essay is a type of essay that makes you express the experiences you have gone through in life based on a topic you have chosen to write about. It is a personal type of essay that you write about. It makes you reflect on your life and journey to who you are today. The struggles, the fears, the triumphs and the actions you have taken to arrive at your current situation.

Tips on Writing a Self Reflection Essay

When writing a self reflection essay, there are some guidelines and formats to follow. But I am here to give you some tips to write a very good self reflection essay. These tips are easy to follow and they are not as complicated as some might believe them to be. Let’s begin. To write a good self reflection essay, one must first do:

Think : Think about what you want to write. This is true for the title of your essay as well. Thinking about what to write first can save you a lot of time. After this tip, we move on to the next one which is:
Drafting : As much as it sounds like a waste of time and effort, drafting what you are preparing to write is helpful. Just like in the first tip, drafting is a good way of writing down what you want and to add or take out what you will be writing later.
State the purpose : Why are you writing this essay? State the purpose of the essay . As this is a self reflective essay, your purpose is to reflect on your life, the actions you did to reach this point of your life. The things you did to achieve it as well.
Know your audience : Your self reflection essay may also depend on your audience. If you are planning on reading out loud your essay, your essay should fit your audience. If your audience is your team members, use the correct wording.
Share your tips: This essay gives you the opportunity to share how you have achieved in life. Write down some tips for those who want to be able to achieve the same opportunity you are in right now.

How long or short can my self reflection essay be?

This depends on you. You may write a short self reflection essay, and you may also write a long one. The important thing there is stating the purpose of you writing your essay.

Writing a self reflection essay, am I allowed to write everything about my life?

The purpose of the self reflection essay is to reflect on a topic you choose and to talk about it.

Is there a limit of words to write this type of essay?

Yes, as much as possible stick to 300-700 words. But even if it may be this short, don’t forget to get creative and true in your essay.

A self reflective essay is a type of essay that people write to reflect on their lives. To reflect on a certain topic of their life and talk about it. Most of the time, this type of essay is short because this is merely to take a step back and watch your life throughout the beginning till the present time. Writing this type of essay may be a bit difficult for some as you have to dive deep into your life and remember the triumphs and the loss. The beauty of this essay though is the fact that you are able to see how far you have reached, how far you have overcome.

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Write a Self Reflection Essay on a time you overcame a personal obstacle.

Reflect on your personal growth over the last year in your Self Reflection Essay.

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102 Self-Reflection Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Self-reflection essays are a great way to explore and analyze your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. They provide an opportunity to reflect on your actions, beliefs, and values, and to consider how they have shaped your identity and worldview. If you are struggling to come up with a topic for your self-reflection essay, here are 102 ideas and examples to inspire you.

Reflect on a time when you faced a difficult decision and how you ultimately made your choice.
Discuss a mistake you made and what you learned from it.
Reflect on a time when you felt proud of yourself and why.
Discuss a belief or value that has changed over time and why.
Reflect on a challenging experience that helped you grow as a person.
Discuss a time when you had to step out of your comfort zone and how it affected you.
Reflect on a relationship that has had a significant impact on your life.
Discuss a goal you set for yourself and how you worked towards achieving it.
Reflect on a time when you felt misunderstood and how it affected you.
Discuss a book, movie, or piece of art that has influenced your perspective on life.
Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed and how you coped with it.
Discuss a skill or talent you possess and how it has shaped your identity.
Reflect on a time when you had to overcome a fear or phobia.
Discuss a lesson you learned from a difficult experience.
Reflect on a time when you felt like giving up and how you found the strength to keep going.
Discuss a time when you had to apologize and make amends for a mistake you made.
Reflect on a time when you felt grateful for something in your life.
Discuss a time when you felt like a failure and how you bounced back from it.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you didn't belong and how you found your place.
Discuss a cultural tradition or practice that has influenced your identity.
Reflect on a time when you felt inspired by someone else's actions.
Discuss a time when you had to confront a difficult truth about yourself.
Reflect on a time when you felt conflicted about a decision and how you resolved it.
Discuss a time when you felt judged or discriminated against and how it affected you.
Reflect on a time when you had to stand up for what you believe in.
Discuss a time when you felt lost or confused about your purpose in life.
Reflect on a time when you experienced a moment of clarity or insight.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were living authentically.
Reflect on a time when you had to let go of something or someone important to you.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were on the right path in life.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were failing at something important.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to yourself.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were living up to your potential.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being held back by fear or insecurity.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were making a difference in the world.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your values.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your beliefs.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your goals.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your dreams.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your passions.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your talents.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your strengths.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your weaknesses.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your insecurities.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your fears.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your doubts.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your hopes.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your dreams.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your ambitions.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your potential.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your purpose.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your values.
Discuss a time when you felt like you were being true to your beliefs.
Reflect on a time when you felt like you were being true to your goals.

These self-reflection essay topic ideas and examples are just a starting point to help you explore your thoughts and experiences. Remember, the most important thing is to be honest and authentic in your reflections, and to use them as a tool for personal growth and self-discovery. Happy writing!

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Applying the Strengths Perspective to Your Self-Reflection

by Tarrell Clark, BSW

Tarrell Clark

Many interns and student workers across various disciplines find themselves struggling to be heard in their field placements. Many of us hide behind our shadows in fear that our input will be rejected or outright incorrect. Some of us are capable of much more than our field supervisors would expect, yet, let our inner negative thoughts overpower the positive ones and prevent us from reaching our true potential. Two subjects outlined in the undergraduate social work curriculum could help to increase confidence and the ability to advocate on behalf of clients and ones’ own capabilities: the strengths perspective and self-reflection.

The strengths perspective allows social workers to assess and identify talents, strengths, and skills within their clients. After identifying these strengths, the social worker will then work with the client to utilize these strengths to help them in their current situations. An example could be recognizing that an individual facing housing troubles has a strong support system of family and friends who can help.

Self-reflection is a vital part of evaluation of services and abilities. Furthermore, a social worker uses self-reflection to analyze personal and emotional feelings about a case or situation. After a heavy session with a client who has experienced trauma, social workers should take time to reflect on their own feelings about the situation to ensure that they are working effectively and objectively with the client. Within the workplace, after receiving negative comments from a supervisor, the social worker should take the time to carefully consider these comments.

As an undergraduate social work student, I am very familiar with the concepts of self-reflection and the strengths perspective. However, I do not recall being instructed or advised to use the two collaboratively. After having many struggles in my field setting, I began to reflect more and more on myself and my performance. I then realized that I was being challenged to do things outside of my comfort zone, and when underperformed, I would lose confidence. I would volunteer less and make myself appear less capable and unable to perform the task at hand. Eventually, when I noticed an opportunity to do more administrative tasks and things that are more within my comfort zone, I volunteered. I exceeded the expectations of my supervisor, and she began assigning me more tasks. I recognized what I was good at and pushed myself in that direction. Once I began doing more, I became more confident to speak up. I was able to address issues that I saw and to offer interventions. I was able to be more honest with my supervisor about what I thought of my work.

By this point, I was able to reflect on my performance, address the negative concerns that needed to be worked on, and highlight my positive attributes and moving toward them. This gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment. This reminded me that I was more than capable of being an effective social worker.

Tarrell Clark, BSW, is a May 2020 graduate of Stockton University and works with adults with developmental disabilities.

All material published on this website Copyright 1994-2023 White Hat Communications. All rights reserved. Please contact the publisher for permission to reproduce or reprint any materials on this site. Opinions expressed on this site are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

How to Write a Self-Reflection Essay: Format and 3 Examples

Mar 20, 2022

Mar 20, 2022 | Blog

What is self-reflection?

Self-reflection is the process in which an individual takes time to deeply think about himself. During this time individuals will think about their character and their actions. Most of the time you will ask yourself different reflection questions concerning your life, what you do and where you want to be. The power of self-reflection is evident because it helps you to understand yourself even better. You can be able to know your strengths your weaknesses and how your emotions are through self-reflection . You will be able to understand your strengths too.

What is a Self-Reflective Essay

A self-reflective essay is a brief paper where you describe an experience and how it has changed you or helped you to grow. Self-reflective essays often require students to reflect on their academic growth from specific projects or assignments, though others might require you to have a critical examination of a life experience or think about the impact of a specific event in your life.

Self-reflection is a personal experience. Therefore, the tone and voice of the writing are personal as well. Written typically from a first-person point of view, these types of essays take the reader through a journey of growth and discovery. The structure and format follow a typical essay writing outline. Begin with an introduction that presents the thesis statement , followed by body paragraphs that further the thesis with detailed, thorough supporting information, and conclude with a recap of the thesis statement and summary of logical conclusions.

What Is the Purpose of a self-Reflection Essay?

The purpose of reflective writing is to:

Help you learn from a particular practical experience.
It will help you to make connections between what you are taught in theory and what you need to do in practice.
To provide a platform for the author to not only recount a particular life experience but to also explore how he or she has changed or learned from those experiences.
It’s useful for helping you develop critical thinking skills.
Reflective writing helps you develop as a student and a thinker by examining your beliefs and assumptions, processing new valuable information, and recognizing patterns between knowledge gained through personal experiences and that acquired from outside sources.

The process of reflection can be used to inform future learning and practice.

Reflective essays writing is:

your response to experiences, opinions, events, or new information
your response to thoughts and feelings
a way of thinking to explore your learning
Self-reflection essay writing is not: just conveying much information, instruction, or argument
purely descriptive (e.g. what happened, a summary)
simply a description of your reaction
journalistic – a matter of fact account

What Do I Write About?

Here are some ideas subjects you can write about to help you begin:

The moment you overcame a fear.
A time you felt lost.
The most difficult choice you had to make.
A moment in your life you would like to relive.
The happiest moment, or most frightening moment, of your life so far.
An experience you will never forget.
An introspective look at your choices, or a time you made the wrong choice.
A time something changed your life.
Ways you think you, or people can make the world a better place.
A time your beliefs were challenged.

Reflection Paper Format

The format of a reflective essay greatly differs from that of a normal argumentative or research essay. A reflective essay is more of a well-structured story or an anecdote rather than an academic piece of writing. In order to write an effective reflection paper, it is imperative to understand what it is and what it entails. It can be compared to journaling in which you write about your daily experiences and happenings in your personal life.

You might be required to arrange your essay using the APA style or the MLA format .

Reflective Essay in MLA Format

1” margins;
The top right includes last name and page number on every page;
The last page includes a Works Cited.
Times New Roman 12 pt font double spaced;
The header should include your name, your professor’s name, course number, and the date (dd/mm/yy);
Titles are centered;

Reflective Essay in APA Style

Insert page number on the right;
Your reflective essay should be divided into four parts: Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References.
Include a page header on the top of every page;

How To Write Self Reflection Essay

Introduction.

This is the part of the essay where you will have to introduce yourself to your readers. Your introduction must contain information about your past experiences, things that have changed in your life, how you have coped with those changes and how these things have impacted you in the long run. Tell them everything about yourself and make sure that it is not too boring or too lengthy.

An essay on self-reflection requires academic research. It is very important for the student to present a powerful thesis statement in order to get into the depth of reflection. The thesis statement must be clear and concise. It is advisable to make an outline before writing the introduction of the essay, which will help you to stay focused and provide clear and logical transitions between different points or events that you describe and analyze.

Plot and Narration

A plot defines the series of events in the main character’s life and narration is the style of telling the story. The author chooses the narration technique that best allows him to tell his story.

The author needs to find a plot or an event that defines him. This event can be small and insignificant but it should have had some impact on his life. The event should have given him some insight into himself that he would not have realized otherwise. This proper insight into the overall content is then used as the theme of the essay.

Personal Experiences

Self-reflection is a hard task because you need to be very sincere with yourself in order to write a meaningful essay. Before you start writing, think about the purpose of the whole paper. The main condition is that it has to be a certain personal experience on which the author has his very own perception. This experience involves personal ideas, opinions, and feelings about that situation, and how it affected the author.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Self-reflection can be difficult since we are often unaware of our own flaws. To discover our strengths and weaknesses, we need honest feedback from other people. However, it may be difficult to get honest feedback if others are reluctant to hurt our feelings or they do not want to deal with our reaction to criticism.

Writing a self-analysis can be both rewarding and challenging as you will have an opportunity to analyze your strengths, shortcomings, mistakes, and achievements. Writing about yourself may seem easy at first, but it can be extremely challenging when you start thinking about all the details that have influenced your life. In order to write a thorough self-reflection essay, you need to have a clear idea of what you will discuss in your paper.

Self-Reflective essays should have a clear conclusion. The conclusion should summarize everything you have discussed in your work. It should also highlight the lessons you have learned in the process. Ideally, you should state what you have learned from the experience and why it is important. In most cases, this type of essay does not require much research since it is based on your personal experiences. However, you still need to ensure that your points are well articulated and supported with evidence where necessary.

To enable you to compose an ideal conclusion for your great reflective essay, here are some tips:

Make a summary of your main points. This can serve as the concluding statement of your reflection paper.
Add recommendations. If you were assigned to talk about the lessons of the movie or book, you can make recommendations about it like what people should do after watching or reading such materials.
Include your personal summary and self-assessment. You can wrap up your paper by summarizing everything you have discussed in the body and then give a final assessment of the whole thing. You may also see personal essay examples and samples

Reflective Essay Examples

Get help from the experts with your reflective essay.

If you are having trouble writing a great reflective essay, our experts can help. It’s not unusual to feel stuck at the beginning when trying to write one of these essays on your own. We can help by pairing you with an expert who has been there before and knows exactly what it takes to get you through this assignment with flying colors. Our experts are available 24/7 to help you get started or improve on what you have already written. Don’t wait any longer!

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20 Examples of Strengths for Self Evaluation

By Status.net Editorial Team on May 28, 2023 — 11 minutes to read

Self-evaluation is the process of assessing our own strengths and weaknesses, and it is an important tool for personal growth and development. When it comes to identifying strengths, it is important to look at both personal and professional qualities. Personal strengths can include qualities such as patience, creativity, and empathy, while professional strengths may involve skills like leadership, communication, and problem-solving.

Related: Self Evaluation Examples [Complete Guide]

20 Self-Evaluation Weaknesses Examples

Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses

Importance of identifying strengths and weaknesses.

Identifying our strengths and weaknesses is an essential aspect of self-evaluation. It helps us understand ourselves better and allows us to develop strategies to improve our performance. Recognizing our strengths can boost our confidence and motivate us to achieve our goals. On the other hand, identifying our weaknesses can help us identify areas that require improvement and develop a plan to overcome them.

Examples of Strengths and Weaknesses

Examples of strengths include effective communication skills, problem-solving abilities, adaptability, creativity, and leadership skills. These strengths can help us excel in our personal and professional lives. For example, effective communication skills can help us build strong relationships with our colleagues, while problem-solving abilities can help us tackle complex tasks.

Examples of weaknesses include procrastination, lack of organization, poor time management skills, and difficulty working in a team. These weaknesses can hinder our performance and prevent us from achieving our goals. For instance, procrastination can lead to missed deadlines, while poor time management skills can result in incomplete tasks.

Learn more: Self Evaluation Sample Answers: Strengths and Weaknesses

Self-Evaluation Strengths Examples

Ability to take initiative and be proactive – I am able to take initiative and be proactive in the workplace. I am able to identify opportunities for improvement and take action to achieve success. I am able to take ownership of my work and am able to motivate myself and others to achieve their goals.

More examples: 20 Self-Evaluation Weaknesses Examples

Self Evaluation Examples [Complete Guide]
Self Evaluation Sample Answers: Strengths and Weaknesses

Setting Goals and Specific Feedback

Importance of specific feedback.

Specific feedback is crucial for self-evaluation because it helps us understand where we need to improve. Feedback should be clear, concise, and actionable. It should focus on behaviors, not personalities, and should be given in a timely manner.

For example, if I gave a presentation and received feedback that said “you did a good job,” that feedback is not specific enough to help me improve. However, if the feedback said “you spoke too quickly and didn’t make enough eye contact with the audience,” that feedback is specific and actionable, and it gives me a clear idea of what I need to work on.

Feedback can come from a variety of sources, including colleagues, supervisors, and mentors. It’s important to seek out feedback regularly and to use it to set new goals for self-improvement.

Learn more: 12 Examples of Constructive Feedback

How to Gather Honest Feedback

How to Give Effective Feedback (and Avoid Mistakes)

The Role of Goals

When setting goals, it’s important to make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This is known as the SMART framework.

For example, a goal could be to improve your public speaking skills by attending a public speaking course and practicing in front of a mirror for 30 minutes every day for the next month. This goal is specific, measurable (30 minutes of practice per day), achievable (attending a course and practicing in front of a mirror), relevant (improving public speaking skills), and time-bound (one month).

Learn more: 60 Self-Performance Review Goals Examples

Challenges in Self-Evaluation

Common challenges.

Overconfidence : Sometimes, we may overestimate our abilities or performance, leading to inaccurate self-evaluation.
Confirmation bias: People may have a tendency to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs, leading to a skewed self-evaluation.
Lack of objectivity: It can be difficult to remain objective when evaluating oneself, especially when it comes to personal traits or behaviors.
Fear of criticism: Some people may be hesitant to evaluate themselves honestly for fear of being judged or criticized.

Dealing with Challenges

Despite these challenges, there are strategies that can help us overcome them and conduct a more accurate self-evaluation:

Seeking feedback: Asking others for feedback can provide a more objective perspective and help identify areas for improvement. Learn more: How to Gather Honest Feedback
Keeping a journal: Recording thoughts and behaviors can help us identify patterns and gain a more accurate understanding of our strengths and weaknesses.
Being open-minded: Staying open to feedback and different perspectives can help us avoid confirmation bias and gain a more accurate self-evaluation. Learn more: How to Be Open-Minded and Why It Matters
Being honest: While it may be uncomfortable, being honest with oneself about strengths and weaknesses is essential for an accurate self-evaluation.

Mistakes are a natural part of the self-evaluation process, and it’s important to view them as opportunities for growth rather than failures.

Related: How to Cultivate Self-Awareness (10 Tips)

Authenticity: How to Be Your Authentic Self (Examples & Strategies)

The Role of Managers in Self-Evaluation

The role of managers in self-evaluation is crucial, because managers play a significant role in providing feedback, setting goals, and identifying strengths and weaknesses. They are responsible for creating a work environment that fosters growth and development. Managers should encourage their team members to evaluate their performance and provide constructive feedback to help them improve.

Collaboration between managers and team members creates a sense of trust and transparency, and when team members feel that their managers are invested in their professional development, they are more likely to be open to feedback and take ownership of their growth.

Managers should provide a fair rating system that accurately reflects the team member’s performance. A fair rating system ensures that team members are evaluated based on their performance and not on personal biases. It also encourages team members to strive for excellence and work towards achieving their goals.

Organizing Self-Evaluation

To organize your self-evaluation effectively, follow these key steps:

Gather your accomplishments and achievements. Start by making a list of all your accomplishments and achievements over the past year. This can include anything from completing a project on time to exceeding your KPIs.
Categorize your accomplishments. Once you have your list of accomplishments, categorize them based on the skills and values they represent. For example, if you have a strong attention to detail, categorize any accomplishments that demonstrate this skill.
Identify areas for improvement. After categorizing your accomplishments, identify areas where you can improve. This will help you to set goals for the upcoming year and focus on areas where you can continue to grow.
Create an action plan. Based on your identified areas for improvement, create an action plan that outlines specific steps you can take to improve in these areas. This will help you to stay focused and motivated throughout the year.

Core Strengths and Competencies

Core strengths are the skills and abilities that come naturally to you, and that you excel at. To identify your core strengths, start by reflecting on your past experiences. Think about times when you felt particularly successful or accomplished, and consider what skills and abilities you used to achieve those successes. You can also ask others for feedback on your strengths, as they may be able to provide valuable insights that you may not have considered.

Once you have identified your core strengths, it is important to focus on developing and refining them. This will help you to become even more proficient in these areas, and to use them to your advantage in your personal and professional life.

In addition to identifying your core strengths, it is also important to develop and refine your competencies. Competencies are the skills and abilities that you need to be successful in your chosen field or profession. These may include technical skills, such as proficiency in a particular software program, or soft skills, such as communication and leadership.

To develop your competencies, start by setting specific goals for yourself. Identify the competencies that you need to develop, and create a plan for how you will do so. This may involve taking classes or workshops, seeking out a mentor, or practicing your skills in real-world situations.

Developing your competencies is an ongoing process, and it is important to continue learning and growing throughout your career, in order to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in your field.

Importance of Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand our own emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and being honest with ourselves about our limitations and acknowledging our mistakes. It is an essential skill for self-evaluation and personal growth. By being self-aware, we can identify our strengths and weaknesses, and work on improving ourselves. It also helps us understand how we interact with others and how they perceive us.

Innovation and Creativity Self Evaluation Comments (30 Examples)
Attention to Detail Self-Evaluation Comments Examples
60 Self-Performance Review Goals Examples

Schools & departments

Strengths and weaknesses

Increasing your self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses.

Identifying your strengths and weaknesses can be extremely valuable. Not only will it allow you to approach tasks and challenges with a better understanding of how to succeed and what pitfalls to look out for, but it also allows you to effectively communicate what you can contribute, which is essential for things like job interviews.

How to identify strengths and weaknesses

For all approaches it can be helpful to set aside a period of undisturbed time where you are fully focused on the task and really probe, for example 20-30 minutes. Three different approaches are described below – see what you find helpful, add your own, or mix and match them together!

Asking yourself targeted questions

Analysing experiences.

This approach works for finding both strengths and weaknesses, the only difference is the type of experience you look at. First, identify an experience that turned out/went really well (for strengths) or poorly (for weaknesses). This could be supporting a friend, or a teamwork experience that didn’t go as you hoped.

Ask yourself what skills/strengths made you capable of succeeding or what weaknesses may have contributed to an unsuccessful experience.
Ask yourself what else could have contributed, until you cannot find anymore.
Repeat for as many experiences as you like.

In reality this method can be used to identify many implicit aspects of ourselves – the only difference is asking ourselves ‘What [value/assumption/etc] may have contributed to the outcome of the situation or our actions?’

Asking others

Once you have an idea of your own strengths and weaknesses, or to get you started if you find it challenging, you can ask a critical friend (see ‘Reflection with others’) to suggest what they think your strengths and weaknesses are. Remember to reflect on what they say to see if you agree – it is just their opinion and experience, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are right. If you don’t agree, it is useful to think about why they might experience you in that way.

Reflecting with others (within Reflectors’ Toolkit)

Back to ‘Reflecting for self-awareness’

Crafting a Personal Philosophy Statement

This essay is about crafting a personal philosophy statement, emphasizing self-reflection, clarity, and authenticity. It highlights the importance of understanding one’s core beliefs and values, presenting them clearly and honestly. The essay discusses how a philosophy statement serves as a compass, guiding personal and professional actions and decisions. It stresses the need for simplicity in expression, avoiding jargon, and the significance of authenticity through personal anecdotes. Additionally, it underscores the evolving nature of a philosophy statement, encouraging periodic revisions to keep it relevant. Ultimately, it illustrates how such statements can influence and enhance both personal growth and professional practice.

How it works

Creating a personal philosophy statement is a profound exercise in self-reflection and articulation of one’s core beliefs and values. It is not merely a document but a vivid representation of an individual’s guiding principles and ethical framework. This statement serves as a compass, providing direction and clarity in both personal and professional realms. As we delve into the art of crafting a philosophy statement, it becomes evident that this endeavor is a unique blend of introspection, clarity, and authenticity.

At the heart of a philosophy statement lies a deep understanding of one’s self. It requires an exploration of personal beliefs, experiences, and values that shape our worldview. This process is akin to peeling an onion, layer by layer, revealing the essence of what truly matters to us. It is essential to approach this task with an open mind and a willingness to confront our most fundamental convictions. This introspection is not always comfortable, but it is a necessary step in developing a philosophy that is genuine and reflective of our true selves.

When writing a personal philosophy statement, clarity and simplicity are paramount. The goal is to articulate complex beliefs in a manner that is both accessible and impactful. This does not mean simplifying the ideas themselves but rather presenting them in a clear and concise way. A well-crafted philosophy statement avoids jargon and overly complex language, opting instead for straightforward, honest expression. This clarity ensures that the statement resonates with both the writer and the reader, fostering a deeper connection and understanding.

Authenticity is another critical component of an effective philosophy statement. It is easy to fall into the trap of writing what we think others want to hear, especially in professional contexts. However, a philosophy statement should be a true reflection of our beliefs, not a tailored narrative designed to impress. Authenticity shines through when we write from the heart, sharing personal anecdotes and real-life examples that illustrate our principles. This personal touch not only adds depth to the statement but also makes it more relatable and impactful.

A personal philosophy statement is not static; it evolves as we grow and experience life. Our beliefs and values may shift over time, influenced by new insights, challenges, and achievements. Therefore, it is beneficial to revisit and revise the statement periodically, ensuring it remains aligned with our current perspective. This ongoing process of reflection and revision keeps the philosophy statement relevant and dynamic, much like our own personal development.

The impact of a well-crafted philosophy statement extends beyond personal reflection; it can significantly influence our professional life as well. For educators, for example, a teaching philosophy statement can guide their approach to instruction, classroom management, and student engagement. It provides a foundation for decision-making and helps maintain consistency in practice. In the corporate world, a leadership philosophy statement can inspire and motivate teams, fostering a positive and productive work environment. By clearly communicating our core values and expectations, we can build trust and credibility with those we lead or work alongside.

Crafting a personal philosophy statement is a deeply rewarding endeavor that demands honesty, clarity, and self-awareness. It is an opportunity to articulate what we stand for and why, providing a touchstone for our actions and decisions. Whether for personal reflection or professional guidance, a philosophy statement serves as a powerful tool for self-expression and growth. Embrace the process with an open heart and mind, and let your unique voice shine through in your words.

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Ibram X. Kendi in a suit surrounded by bookcases.

Ibram X. Kendi Faces a Reckoning of His Own

In 2020, the author of “How to Be an Antiracist” galvanized Americans with his ideas. The past four years have tested them — and him.

Ibram X. Kendi, the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Credit... Wayne Lawrence for The New York Times

Supported by

By Rachel Poser

Rachel Poser is an editor for the magazine. She spoke to Kendi over a period of several months and visited him at his research center in Boston.

June 4, 2024

Ibram X. Kendi has a notebook that prompts him, on every other page, to write down “Things to be grateful for.” There are many things he might put under that heading. First and foremost, his wife and two daughters, and his health, having made it through Stage 4 colon cancer in his 30s — a diagnosis with a 12 percent survival rate. Tenure at Boston University, where Martin Luther King Jr. earned his doctorate in theology. A National Book Award, and a MacArthur “genius” grant for “transforming how many people understand, discuss and attempt to redress America’s longstanding racial challenges.” Then there were the millions of people who bought “How to Be an Antiracist,” the first of five of his books to take the No. 1 spot on the New York Times best-seller list. But he was particularly grateful to the readers who wrote to him to say his work changed them for the better.

Listen to this article, read by January LaVoy

These days, he could use the reminder. Four years have gone by since George Floyd was murdered on the pavement near Cup Foods in Minneapolis, sparking the racial “reckoning” that made Kendi a household name. Many people, Kendi among them, believe that reckoning is long over. State legislatures have pushed through harsh antiprotest measures . Conservative-led campaigns against teaching Black history and against diversity, equity and inclusion programs are underway. Last June, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. And Donald Trump is once again the Republican nominee for president, promising to root out “the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country.”

Kendi has become a prime target of this backlash. Books of his have been banned from schools in some districts, and his name is a kind of profanity among conservatives who believe racism is mostly a problem of the past. Though legions of readers continue to celebrate Kendi as a courageous and groundbreaking thinker, for many others he has become a symbol of everything that’s wrong in racial discourse today. Even many allies in the fight for racial justice dismiss his brand of antiracism as unworkable, wrongheaded or counterproductive. “The vast majority of my critics,” Kendi told me last year, “either haven’t read my work or willfully misrepresent it.”

Criticism of Kendi only grew in September, when he made the “painful decision” to lay off more than half the staff of the research center he runs at Boston University. The Center for Antiracist Research, which Kendi founded during the 2020 protests to tackle “seemingly intractable problems of racial inequity and injustice,” raised an enormous sum of $55 million, and the news of its downsizing led to a storm of questions. False rumors began circulating that Kendi had stolen funds, and the university announced it would investigate after former employees accused him of mismanagement and secrecy.

The controversy quickly ballooned into a national news story, fueled in large part by right-wing media, which was all too happy to speculate about “missing funds” and condemn Kendi — and the broader racial-justice movement — as a fraud. On Fox News, the conservative activist Christopher Rufo told the host John Roberts that the center’s “failure” was “poetic justice.” “This is a symbol of where we have come since 2020 and why that movement is really floundering today,” he said. In early October, a podcast affiliated with the Manhattan Institute, the conservative think tank where Rufo works, jubilantly released an episode titled “The End of Ibram X. Kendi?”

‘I don’t know of anybody more ill suited for fame than Ibram Kendi.’

In December, I met Kendi at the Center for Antiracist Research, which was by then mostly empty, though I caught signs of its former life: Space heaters sat idly under desks, and Post-it notes lingered around the edges of unplugged monitors. On the frame of one cleared-out cubicle, a sticker in the shape of Earth read “Be the change.” Kendi welcomed me into his office in a pink shirt and a periwinkle blazer with a handkerchief tucked neatly in its pocket. He was calm on the surface, but he seemed to me, as he often did during the conversations we’d had since the layoffs, to be holding himself taut, like a tensile substance under enormous strain. The furor over the center, he said, was a measure of how desperate many people were to damage his reputation: “If this had happened at another center, it would either not have been a story or a one-day story.”

In “How to Be an Antiracist,” his best-known book, Kendi challenges readers to evaluate themselves by their racial impact, by whether their actions advance or impede the cause of racial equality. “There is no neutrality in the racial struggle,” he writes. “The question for each of us is: What side of history will we stand on?” This question evinces Kendi’s confidence that ideas and policies can be dependably sorted into one of two categories: racist or antiracist.

Kendi is a vegan, a tall man with a gentle, serious nature. “He’ll laugh at a joke — he’ll never crack one,” Kellie Carter Jackson, the chair of the Africana studies department at Wellesley and someone who has known Kendi for years, told me. He considers himself an “introvert and loner” who was chased down by the spotlight and is now caught in its glare. “I don’t know of anybody more ill suited for fame than Ibram Kendi,” said Stefan Bradley, a longtime friend and professor of Black studies at Amherst. There is a corniness to Kendi that’s endearing, like his use of the gratitude notebook — a thick, pastel-colored pad with gold spiral binding — or the fact that his phone email signature is “Sent from Typoville aka my iPhone.” Though he is always soft-spoken, volume sometimes seems to be a gauge of how comfortable he feels. The first time I met him in person, he greeted me so quietly that I worried my recorder wouldn’t pick up his voice.

Kendi had hired a pair of crisis-P.R. consultants to help him manage the fallout from the layoffs, a controversy that he believed had fed into dangerous, racist stories about Black leaders, and about him in particular. In the fun-house mirror of conservative media, Kendi has long loomed as an antiwhite extremist trying to get rich by sowing racial division. Kendi told me he received regular threats; he allowed me to come to the center only on the condition that I not reveal its location. “When it comes to the white supremacists who are the greatest domestic terrorist threat of our time, I am one of their chief enemies,” he told me.

Boston University had recently released the results of its audit, which found “no issues” with how the center’s finances were handled. The center’s problem, Kendi told me, was more banal: Most of its money was in its endowment or restricted to specific uses, and after the high of 2020, donations had crashed. “At our current rate, we were going to run out in two years,” he said. “That was what ultimately led us to feel like we needed to make a major change.” The center’s new model would fund nine-month academic fellowships rather than a large full-time staff. Though inquiries into the center’s grant-management practices and workplace culture were continuing, Kendi was confident that they would absolve him, too. In the media, he’d dismissed the complaints about his leadership as “unfair,” “unfounded,” “vague,” “meanspirited” and an attempt to “settle old scores.”

In the fall, when I began talking to former employees and faculty — most of whom asked for anonymity because they remain at Boston University or signed severance agreements that included nondisparagement language — it was clear that many of them felt caught in a bind. They could already see that the story of the center’s dysfunction was being used to undermine the racial-justice movement, but they were frustrated to watch Kendi play down the problems and cast their concerns as spiteful or even racist. They felt that what they experienced at the center was now playing out in public: Kendi’s tendency to see their constructive feedback as hostile. “He doesn’t trust anybody,” one person told me. “He doesn’t let anyone in.”

To Kendi, attacks from those who claim to be allies, like attacks from political enemies, are to be expected. In his books, Kendi argues that history is not an arc bending toward justice but a war of “dueling” forces — racist and antiracist — that each escalate their response when the other advances. In the years since 2020, he believes, the country has entered a predictable period of retrenchment, when the force of racism is ascendant and the racial progress of the last several decades is under threat. To defend antiracism, to defend himself, he would simply have to fight harder.

Not so long ago, Kendi thought he saw a new world coming into being. “We are living in the midst of an antiracist revolution,” he wrote in September 2020 in an Atlantic cover story headlined, “Is This the Beginning of the End for American Racism?” Nearly 20 percent of Americans were saying that “race relations” was the most urgent problem facing the nation — more than at any point since 1968 — and many of them were turning to Kendi to figure out what to do about it. They were buying his memoir and manifesto, “How to Be an Antiracist,” much of which he wrote while undergoing chemotherapy. “This was perhaps the last thing he was going to write,” Chris Jackson, Kendi’s editor, told me. “There was no cynicism in the writing of it.” (Jackson was the editor of a 2021 book based on The 1619 Project, which originated in this magazine in 2019 ; Kendi contributed a chapter to that book.)

Kendi speaking into a microphone in front of a crowd in chairs surrounded by bookshelves.

Kendi confesses in the introduction that he “used to be racist most of the time.” The year 1994, when he turned 12, marked three decades since the United States outlawed discrimination on the basis of race. Then why, Kendi wondered as an adolescent, were so many Black people out of work, impoverished or incarcerated? The problem, he concluded, must be Black people themselves. Not Black people like his parents, God-loving professionals who had saved enough to buy a home in Jamaica, Queens, and who never let their two sons forget the importance of education and hard work. But they were the exception. In high school, Kendi competed in an oratory contest in which he gave voice to many of the anti-Black stereotypes circulating in the ’90s — that Black youths were violent, unstudious, unmotivated. “They think it’s OK to be the most feared in our society,” he proclaimed. “They think it’s OK not to think!” Kendi also turned these ideas on himself, believing that he was a “subpar student” because of his race.

Kendi’s mind began to change when he arrived on the campus of Florida A&M, one of the largest historically Black universities in the country, in the fall of 2000 to study sports journalism. “I had never seen so many Black people together with positive motives,” he wrote at the time. Kendi was disengaged for most of high school, as concerned with his clothes as his grades. His friends at the university teased him for joining a modeling troupe and preening before parties, particularly because once he got to them he was too shy to talk to anyone. “He would come out, and you could smell the cologne from down the hall,” Grady Tripp, Kendi’s housemate, told me. But experimenting with his style, for Kendi, was part of trying on new ideas. For a while, he wore honey-colored contact lenses that turned his irises an off-putting shade of orange; he got rid of them once he decided they were a rejection of blackness, like Malcolm X’s straightening his hair with lye.

Over long hours spent reading alone in the library, Kendi found his way to some unlikely conclusions. In “How to Be an Antiracist,” he describes bursting into his housemate’s room to declare that he had “figured white people out.” “They are aliens,” he said. Kendi had gone searching for answers in conspiracy theories and Nation of Islam theology that cast whites as a “devil race” bred by an evil Black scientist to conquer the planet. “Europeans are simply a different breed of human,” he wrote in a column for the student newspaper in 2003. They are “socialized to be aggressive” and have used “the AIDS virus and cloning” to dominate the world’s peoples. Recently, the column has circulated on right-wing social media as evidence of Kendi’s antiwhite extremism, which frustrates him because it’s in his own memoir as an example of just how lost he had become.

Kendi went on to earn a Ph.D. in African American studies from Temple University. The founder of his department was Molefi Kete Asante, an Afrocentrist who has called on the descendants of enslaved people to embrace traditional African dress, languages and religions. Kendi eventually changed his middle name to Xolani, meaning “peace” in Zulu; at their wedding, he and his wife, Sadiqa, adopted the last name Kendi, meaning “loved one” in Meru. Kendi has called Asante “profoundly antiracist,” but Kendi remained an idiosyncratic thinker who did not consider himself a part of just one scholarly tradition; he knew early on that he wanted to write for the public. In a 2019 interview, when asked about his intellectual lineage, Kendi named W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells and Malcolm X.

Kendi became part of a cohort of Black writers, among them Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates, who, through the sunset of the Obama presidency and the red dawn of the MAGA movement, argued that anti-Blackness remains a major force shaping American politics. They helped popularize the longstanding idea that racism in the United States is systemic — that the country’s laws and institutions perpetuate Black disadvantage despite a pledge of equal treatment. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended de jure white supremacy, but President Lyndon B. Johnson, who signed it into law, acknowledged that it wouldn’t uproot a racial caste system grown over centuries.

“The next and the more profound stage of the battle for civil rights,” he said, would be to achieve “not just equality as a right and a theory but equality as a fact.” Kendi and others wrote bracingly about the failure of that promise. Far from economic redress, Black Americans were met with continued discrimination in every realm of life, while being told the country was now “colorblind.” Kendi and others argued that remedying the impact of hundreds of years of subjugation would require policies that recognize, rather than ignore, that legacy, such as affirmative action and reparations.

‘The vast majority of my critics either haven’t read my work or willfully misrepresent it.’

Far too many Americans, Kendi felt, still thought of racism as conscious prejudice, so conversations got stuck in cul-de-sacs of denial, in which people protested that they were “not racist” because they harbored no anti-Black animus. To convey this, he landed on the binary that would become his most famous and perhaps most controversial idea. “There is no such thing as a not-racist idea” or a “race-neutral policy,” he wrote in “How to Be an Antiracist,” published in 2019. “The opposite of ‘racist’ isn’t ‘not racist.’ It is ‘antiracist.’”

Black activists have long used the word “antiracist” to describe active resistance to white supremacy, but “How to Be an Antiracist” catapulted the term into the American lexicon, in much the same way that Sheryl Sandberg turned “Lean In” into a mantra. After George Floyd’s death, the book sold out on Amazon, which was “unheard-of,” Kendi said. Media coverage of Kendi in those days made him sound nearly superhuman. In a GQ profile, for example, the novelist ZZ Packer describes Kendi as a “preternaturally wise” Buddha-like figure, “the antiracist guru of our time” with a “Jedi-like prowess for recognizing and neutralizing the racism pervading our society.”

During the summer of 2020, Kendi sometimes appeared onstage or onscreen alongside Robin DiAngelo, the educator whose book “White Fragility” was also a No. 1 best seller. Kendi and DiAngelo write less about the workings of systemic racism than the ideas and psychological defenses that cause people to deny their complicity in it. They share a belief in what Kendi calls “individual transformation for societal transformation.” When Kendi took over Selena Gomez’s Instagram, for example, he urged her 180 million followers to “1. Acknowledge your racism,” “2. Confess your racist ideas” and “3. Define racism and antiracism.” Then they would be ready for Steps 4 and 5, identifying and working to change racist policies.

Kendi and DiAngelo’s talk of confession — antiracism as a kind of conversion experience — inspired many people and disturbed others. By focusing so much on personal growth, critics said, they made it easy for self-help to take the place of organizing, for a conflict over the policing of Black communities, and by extension their material conditions, to become a fight not over policy but over etiquette — which words to use, whether to say “Black Lives Matter” or “All Lives Matter.” Many allies felt that Kendi and DiAngelo were merely helping white people alleviate their guilt.

They also questioned Kendi’s willingness to turn his philosophy into a brand. Following the success of “How to Be an Antiracist,” he released a deck of “antiracist” conversation-starter cards, an “antiracist” journal with prompts for self-reflection and a children’s book, “Antiracist Baby.” Christine Platt, an author and advocate who worked with Kendi at American University, recently co-wrote a novel that features a Kendi-like figure — a “soft-spoken” author named Dr. Braxton Walsh Jr., whose book “Woke Yet?” becomes a viral phenomenon. “White folks post about it on social media all the time,” rants De’Andrea, one of the main characters. “Wake up and get your copy today! Only nineteen ninety-nine plus shipping and handling.”

Those who thought of him as a self-help guru, Kendi felt, simply hadn’t read his work. Like most scholars of race, Kendi believes that Blackness is a fiction born of colonial powers’ self-interest, not just ignorance or hate, meaning that combating racism today requires upending the economic and political structures that propagate it. But Kendi doesn’t like the term “systemic racism” because it turns racism into a “hidden and unknowable” force for which there’s no one to blame, so he prefers to talk about “racist policies.”

In The Atlantic, he warned against the country going down a path of symbolic change where “monuments to racism are dismantled, but Americans shrink from the awesome task of reshaping the country with antiracist policies,” like Medicare for All, need-based school funding and reparations. Changing policy was exactly what he aimed to do at Boston University. During the protests, in the summer of 2020, the university named Kendi the Andrew W. Mellon professor of the humanities, a chair previously held by the Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, and announced the creation of a center on campus to put his ideas into action. Donations came pouring in, led by an anonymous $25 million gift and a $10 million gift from the Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, which the provost said would give Kendi “the resources to launch the center like a rocket ship.”

Kendi started the center from his home in Boston, while Sadiqa, a pediatric E.R. doctor, came and went from the hospital in full protective gear. Kendi ran a research center as part of his old job at American University, but he felt unable to make a meaningful impact because the resources were modest and he was diagnosed with cancer just four months after its founding. Now, granted tens of millions of dollars to enact his most ambitious ideas, Kendi was determined to create an organization that could be a real engine of progress. “We’ve got to build an infrastructure to match what the right has created,” he later told a co-worker. “We’ve got to build something equally powerful.”

Kendi’s two centers were part of a wave of racial-justice spaces being founded at universities, like the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard or the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab at Princeton, that pledged to work in partnership with activists and community groups to achieve social change. Kendi envisioned an organization that supported people of color in campaigning for policies that would concretely improve their lives.

To reflect that mission, he designed a structure with four “pillars” or offices: Research, Policy, Narrative and Advocacy. He recruited data scientists, policy analysts, organizers and educators and brought in faculty members working on race from across the university. They set up a model-legislation unit, which would draft sample bills and public-comment notes; an amicus-brief practice, which would target court cases in which race was being overlooked as an issue; and a grant process to fund research on racism by interdisciplinary teams elsewhere at the university, among other programs. Kendi also struck up a partnership with The Boston Globe to revive The Emancipator, a storied abolitionist newspaper. “It was a really exciting time,” he told me.

That summer, however, Kendi found himself on the defensive beyond Boston as Republican book-banning campaigns revved up. On Fox News, Tucker Carlson denounced “How to Be an Antiracist” as “poisonous,” plucking out Kendi’s summary of the case for race-conscious policymaking, which sounded particularly maladroit when taken out of context: “ The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination ,” Carlson read in mock disbelief. “In other words, his book against racism promotes racism.” This was around the same time that Rufo, the conservative activist, started to position Kendi as a leading proponent of critical race theory, a school of thought, Rufo told The New Yorker, that he discovered by hunting through the footnotes of “How to Be an Antiracist.”

Critical race theorists were a group of legal scholars in the 1970s and ’80s who documented ways that the American legal framework of racial equality was nevertheless producing unequal treatment. They elaborated the idea of systemic racism and the critique of “colorblindness” that inform much of the writing of Kendi’s cohort. Rufo wrote on Twitter that his goal was to change the meaning of the term “critical race theory” — to “turn it toxic” by putting “all of the various cultural insanities under that brand category.” In his attacks on Kendi, Rufo also amplified the left’s critique of Kendi’s corporate-friendliness, caricaturing Kendi as a grifter out to enrich himself by raking in speaking fees. The number of threatening messages Kendi received began to rise. “I don’t feel safe anywhere,” Kendi later told a colleague. “I’m constantly looking over my shoulder.”

By the time the academic year began, in the fall of 2021, Kendi decided to take extraordinary measures. Before the center began in-person work that September, Kendi sent the staff an email about “security protocols,” instructing them to conceal the location of the center even from other Boston University faculty members and students. “It is critical to not share the address of the center with anyone or bring anyone to the center,” Kendi wrote. The email included a mock script to be used in the event of an inquiry about the center’s location, which ended abruptly with, “I gotta go.”

Though such precautions felt necessary to Kendi, they were met with incredulity and frustration by some employees who were starting to question his leadership. Problems emerged within the first six months, according to more than a dozen staff and faculty members I interviewed. Some told me they had gone to the center because they considered Kendi a visionary; others had reservations about or flat-out disagreements with his work but believed he had brought much-needed attention to issues they cared about. They would be able to find common ground, they thought. They were ready for some chaos as they tried to spin up a new organization remotely, but they quickly ran into difficulty as they tried to execute some of Kendi’s plans.

Kendi emphasizes in his books that policies alone are the cause of racial disparities today. In “Stamped From the Beginning,” his 2016 history of anti-Black ideas from the 15th century to the Obama presidency — which won the National Book Award and was recently made into a Netflix documentary that made the Oscar shortlist — Kendi writes that blaming Black people for their own oppression, by implying that Black people or Black culture are inferior or pathological, was one of the oldest cons in America. He had witnessed it again during the early days of the pandemic, when the numbers suggested that Black people were dying from Covid faster than every racial group save Native Americans. Some pundits speculated about the “soul food” diet or posited that Black communities weren’t taking the virus seriously, even though a Pew survey found that Black respondents were most likely to view the coronavirus as a major threat.

Kendi wanted the center to build “the nation’s largest online collection” of racial data to track disparities like this one and do analytical work to understand each policy responsible. In the case of Covid, for example, Black Americans are disproportionately likely to work in low-income essential jobs, to live in crowded conditions and to lack access to high-quality insurance or medical care. The center might research these conditions and propose targeted interventions, like changes to Medicaid coverage, or more transformative measures, like a universal basic income. One faculty member involved told me that she was “initially incredibly enthusiastic” about the idea. “It seemed like an opportunity to do rigorous, well-funded social-science research that would be aimed at real policy change on issues that I cared about,” she told me.

Like Kendi, his staff believed that historical oppression and ongoing discrimination explained why Black Americans fared comparatively poorly on so many measures of well-being, from education to wealth to longevity, and that centuries of injustice demanded a sweeping policy response to remedy. But understanding that past and present racism is the underlying cause of Black disadvantage is different from the work of assessing its role in any single policy, let alone figuring out how to change the policy to eliminate it. That takes careful analysis. “You have to have specificity,” the faculty member said, “or you can’t measure.”

Kendi pushed back at staff members who argued that the center should constrain its focus. There were plenty of academic centers and researchers that tracked data on racial disparities in one policy area or another, he said; he wanted to convene that pre-existing data, bringing it together in one place for easy access by the public. In a 2022 meeting, when the team tried to get a better sense of his vision, Kendi told them that he wanted a guy at a barbershop or a bar to be able to “pull up the numbers.” To many employees with data or policy backgrounds, what Kendi wanted didn’t seem feasible; at worst, they thought, it risked simply replicating others’ work or creating a mess of sloppily merged data, connected to too many policies for their small team to track rigorously. In the midst of the pandemic, the center struggled to hire a director of research who might have been able to mediate the dispute.

In November, a confidential complaint was filed with the university administration raising concerns about Kendi’s leadership. The anonymous employee told a university compliance officer that Kendi ran the center with “hypercontrol” and created an environment of “silence and secrecy” that was causing low morale and high turnover, claiming that “when Dr. Kendi is questioned, the narrative becomes that the employee must be the one with the ‘problem.’” The employee warned the university that the situation “is potentially going to blow up.”

One of Kendi’s refrains is that being antiracist demands self-criticism. “If I share an idea that people don’t understand, I’m to blame,” he told an interviewer in 2019. “I’m always to blame.” Kendi told me that his most productive conversations with critics of his ideas often happened in private, including one with a prominent Black thinker who inspired him to make a change in the revised edition of “How to Be an Antiracist.” “This person talked about how the goal should not just be equity,” Kendi said. “The goal should not be the same percentage of Black people being killed by police as white people. The goal should be no one being killed by police.” But some Black scholars, as the right-wing backlash strengthened, debated whether to make their criticisms in public. The philosopher Charles Mills, after listening to a graduate-student presentation about Kendi and DiAngelo at a conference in 2021, asked the presenter: “Are their views now sufficiently influential, or perhaps sufficiently harmful, that we should make them a part of the target?”

Kendi was frustrated to be constantly lumped in with DiAngelo, whose ideas diverge from his in important ways. DiAngelo considers “white identity” to be “inherently racist,” while Kendi argues that anyone, including Black people, can be racist or antiracist. That puts him at odds with an understanding — common in the academy and the racial-justice movement — that Black people can’t be racist because racism is a system of power relations, and that Black people as a group don’t have the structural means to enforce their prejudice; this notion is often phrased as a formula, that racism is “prejudice plus power.”

Kendi thinks of “racist” not as a pejorative but as a simple word of description. His reigning metaphor is the sticker. Racist and antiracist are “peelable name tags,” Kendi writes; they describe not who we are but who we are being in any particular moment. He says he opposes the censoriousness that has become the sharp edge of identity politics, because he doesn’t regard shame as a useful social tool. But he has no intention of taking the moral sting out of “racist” completely. “I wouldn’t say that a person is not being condemned when they’re being called a racist,” he told Ezra Klein in a 2019 interview.

Rather than replacing one definition of racism with another, Kendi is really joining two senses into one. For much of the 20th century, the white mainstream considered racism a personal moral issue, while Black civil rights activists, among others, argued that it’s also structural and systemic. In his definition, Kendi aims to connect the individual to the system. A “racist,” he writes, is “one who is expressing an idea of racial hierarchy, or through actions or inaction is supporting a policy that leads to racial inequity or injustice.”

Kendi’s focus on outcomes is not new. For decades, civil rights activists have brought lawsuits based on the legal theory of “disparate impact,” which holds that unequal outcomes prove that certain practices (by, for example, an employer or a landlord) are racially discriminatory, without evidence of malicious intent. Kendi’s definition urges us to perform this sort of disparate-impact analysis all the time. In Politico in 2020, Kendi proposed the creation of a federal agency that would clear every new policy — local, state or federal — to ensure that it wouldn’t increase racial disparities. But as his team at the center knew well, policies can have complicated effects. Let’s say that a local environmental policy would improve the air quality in Black neighborhoods near factories but would also lead to hundreds of lost jobs and worsen the area’s racial wealth gap. Should it be cleared? Is such a policy racist or antiracist?

The question is made even trickier by the fact that the racial impact of many policies might not become clear until years later. The legacy of desegregation, for example, shows that even a profoundly antiracist policy can be turned against itself in its implementation. This is what the term “systemic racism” captures that can be lost in Kendi’s translation of “racist policies.”

In “Stamped From the Beginning,” Kendi writes that “racist policy is the cause of racial disparities in this country and the world at large.” Mary Pattillo, a sociologist at Northwestern, told me that Kendi’s focus on race didn’t fully capture the complexity of social life — the roles of class, culture, religion, community. “No one variable alone explains anything ,” she said. But she thought there was value in simplifying. She understood Kendi not as an official making policy but as a thought leader making a “defensible, succinct provocation.” “We live in a country whose ideology is very individualistic, so the standard response to any failure is individual blame,” she said. “Those of us who do recognize the importance of policies, laws and so on have to always push so hard against that that we have to make statements like the one that Kendi is making.”

I came to think, after months of talking to Kendi, that this was the key to understanding him — to remember that he is trying to push so hard against that . To shove back the anti-Black stereotypes he documented in “Stamped From the Beginning,” the racist ideas that poisoned his own mind and sense of self-worth. His aim, at every turn, is to blame the policies that create unequal conditions and not the people enduring them. But Kendi is so consumed by combating the racist notion of Black inferiority that some of what he says in response is overstated, circular or uncareful, creating an easy target for his critics and discomfiting his allies. Conservatives were far from the only ones alarmed, for example, by his proposal for a constitutional amendment to appoint a panel of racism “experts” with the power to discipline public officials for “racist ideas.” (Kendi told me he modeled this proposal on European countries like Germany, where the bar for hate speech is much lower.)

Some of Kendi’s ideas are softer than they appear at first. Kendi told me that people who believe that his binary applies to “everything” are misreading him. Though he writes that “there is no such thing as a not-racist idea, only racist ideas and antiracist ideas,” he says he never meant that sentence to apply to the whole universe of ideas, only to ideas about race. When I asked him whether the environmental policy above would be racist or antiracist based on his definition, he qualified that “policies can be like people, both racist and antiracist,” and went on: “By improving the air quality in Black neighborhoods near factories, the policy is being antiracist. By exacerbating the area’s racial wealth gap, the policy is being racist.” Many of his critics might find this a more reasonable position, but it also leads to a question about how useful or powerful a dichotomy it is in the end.

Kendi wanted to remain open to criticism, but so much of what he encountered was racist mockery, lies, professional jealousy, misreadings and threats. “I have thought many times about exiting my vocation as a scholar who studies racism,” he wrote in the revised edition of “How to Be an Antiracist.” “After the experience of the last three years, it does not feel safe for me to be publicly self-reflective or self-critical. It feels dangerous for me to be vulnerable.” Though he commits to doing so anyway, the onslaught brought on by celebrity seemed to cause Kendi’s introversion to harden into distrust. “Fame can be defeating and depleting,” Stefan Bradley, Kendi’s friend, told me. “Every word he puts into the atmosphere will be chopped up a hundred different ways, and that takes a toll on somebody’s mental health.” Bradley continued: “I think that if he were a lesser spirit, he would have been destroyed.”

That Kendi felt under siege became clear to Yanique Redwood when she started her job at the Center for Antiracist Research. Redwood had met Kendi once, in 2017, and she remembered him as soft-spoken but burning with big, exciting ideas. In the fall of 2021, when she interviewed to be the center’s executive director, Kendi told her he felt as though he was failing. Fund-raising while also running the center was too much for one person, and he wanted Redwood, a Caribbean American health and racial-equity researcher who had spent nearly a decade running a small foundation, to take over internal operations. Redwood was prepared to find some disorder, but the state of the center’s finances was a mess unlike any she had ever seen. “Nothing was in place,” she said. “It was unbelievable that an institution like that, with so much spotlight on it, just did not have systems. I understood why I was being brought in.”

Before starting, she conducted a round of entry interviews with faculty and staff members, and by her 27th and last conversation, she was exhausted from absorbing their frustration. “There’s something really wrong here,” she told Kendi. Much of the staff was relieved when Redwood was hired. There had been widespread confusion as employees were asked to do “damage control” by performing jobs for which they weren’t hired, or even qualified. “Everyone was overwhelmed,” Redwood told me. “There were too many promises being made to funders. Products were being promised that could never be delivered.”

Redwood designed a process to help get researchers going on pilot projects tracking disparities relating to felony murder, the health and social safety net, reparations and student-debt forgiveness. She wanted to share some takeaways from her round of entry interviews with the staff, in a tactful and encouraging way, to start the work of repairing the center’s culture, but Kendi worried that whatever she wrote might leak. A reporter from a conservative media outlet was reaching out to former employees, asking about problems at the center. “This media storm was coming,” Redwood told me. “It was brewing.”

Employees said Kendi’s fear of leaks slowed the work and created confusion and unease. The first time Rachael DeCruz, the head of the Advocacy office, asked Kendi about the center’s finances to help her budget, in 2021, he reacted “bizarrely,” she told me. “Why do you need that information?” he asked. (Kendi denies that this conversation took place. DeCruz says that after asking repeatedly, she received the information about six months later.) The threat of outside scrutiny exacerbated what employees described as Kendi’s tendency to withhold information to avoid interpersonal conflict. “He doesn’t understand people, how to nurture them, how to make them want to do their best work,” Redwood told me. “It’s not his strength, not even a little bit.”

During her entry interviews, Redwood asked each employee what the organization’s values were, and many of them responded by saying something along the lines of “I’ve been wondering that myself.” She encouraged Kendi to hold a retreat to talk through the mission as a group. Kendi was hesitant because he found work retreats “uncomfortable” — “sitting in a room with a large group of people all day long is exhausting for me,” he told me — but he committed to holding one anyway and solicited staff comments on a document he wrote laying out his theory of social change and the center’s role in it. “I was happy to receive all this great feedback,” he wrote to Redwood. “I think the changes will make the document much stronger and clearer.”

On a spring day in 2022, the staff met at a conference center a half-hour’s drive from campus. The day’s agenda, though couched in the gentle jargon of nonprofits, contained hints of the mood: The organizers on staff had scheduled time for an acknowledgment of the center’s growing pains, for a “healing justice moment” and for a period of “wicked questions” when concerns or challenges could be raised. At the start of the day, Naima Wong, an outside facilitator, encouraged the staff not to hold back. “We’re here to really get into this,” she said.

Late in the afternoon, when it was time to wrap up, the group assembled at tables arranged in a circle. Saida Grundy, a sociologist, was seated across from Kendi. She had never been on board with Kendi’s understanding of racism, subscribing instead to the “power plus prejudice” view. Grundy had forwarded Kendi’s email about security to colleagues with the note “The paranoia is INSANE.” “Ibram is so lily-livered he probably jumps when the biscuit tin pops,” she told me. Grundy was the one who, back in November, had made the anonymous complaint, in which some charges carried a hint of paranoia of her own, like the idea that Kendi “despises academia” and had “gotten satisfaction out of pulling academics out of their own research.” She had accused the center of being an exploitative workplace and, after having conflict with her supervisor, had already mostly stepped back from her role. Grundy had told the compliance office that the center might explode, and now she was ready to blow it up herself.

Her voice raised, Grundy laid out an indictment of the document Kendi wrote. “This is a mile wide and an inch deep,” she said. She argued that the center needed to be more specific about its goals; “fighting racism” was such a broad mission that it felt cynically strategic, allowing the center to take in money for all sorts of projects. “If there is a grant for antiracism on Jupiter, great,” she said. “We do extraterrestrial antiracism.” Grundy, unlike most of the staff, thought the center should become a resource for university faculty members and students; her parents were Black student activists in the 1970s, and she believed that real change starts where you are. “If you lined up 99 Black students at B.U.,” she said, “99 will tell you the center’s made no difference to their experience.”

When she finished speaking, the room was silent. Several people were crying. Dawna Johnson, the center’s financial director at the time, called it an “explosion.” “People didn’t know what to say after that,” she said. “It just left you so unhappy and uptight.” Kendi, his face inscrutable behind a Covid mask, said nothing, and the facilitator wrapped up the session. “Scholars who study the experience of Black leaders find that the No.1 racist challenge Black leaders face is contested authority, even from other Black leaders and staff,” he wrote to me later. I asked him what he remembered from that day. “It’s almost like trying to remember a day in which you were really happy, but then something horrible happened at the end,” he told me. “It’s hard to remember anything else other than that horrible thing.”

Grundy had admittedly come in hot, many staff members agreed, but it didn’t seem to matter how they couched their concerns. Employees continued to push to make sure that the center’s research projects were both rigorous and responsive to community needs, but the issues they raised in response to Kendi’s “theory of change” document never seemed to get fully resolved. “He’s communicating one thing,” one person said. “Behind the curtain, he’s behaving a very different kind of way.” Redwood and several others said that if someone was too persistent about a concern, Kendi would slow or stop his communication with that person. “If someone disagrees or someone is being vocal, you can’t just get rid of them,” she wanted to tell him. “Like, this is how you breed distrust.”

Redwood ultimately decided that Kendi wasn’t interested in building consensus around a shared mission. “Only he had the ideas,” she said. “We were there to execute on his ideas.” Redwood resigned in October 2022.

In a memo to The Times, Kendi disputed many of the staff’s recollections of his leadership. “This is not me, and anyone close to me, who has worked with me for a long time, knows that I’m open to constructive criticism as a writer and a thinker and a leader,” he wrote. Many progressive advocacy groups, Kendi pointed out, have been torn apart by internal clashes in recent years, conflicts that he said were driven by employees who “care more about performing their radicalism” than working to “improve the lives of everyday people.” “Former employees constantly deauthorized me as the director of the center — not because they were against hierarchy — but to assume authority for themselves,” he wrote.

Even before Redwood’s departure, Kendi told me, he realized the center was in financial trouble. He was far from the only nonprofit leader caught short as funding for racial-justice work collapsed after 2020. Funders that doused organizations with cash in the wake of George Floyd’s murder proved unwilling or unable to sustain their commitment, and layoffs were taking place across the sector, even at large nonprofits like the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative. The center had gone from raising $40 million in 2020 to a fraction of that — $420,000 — the next year.

In June 2023, after he went on parental leave, Kendi approached university leaders with the idea of switching to a fellowship model, which could adjust its number of awards to fluctuations in fund-raising. He told the staff only that he would be announcing some major changes when he returned from leave. Dawna Johnson, who succeeded Redwood as executive director, was left to manage a staff frustrated by being kept in the dark. “I think the staff thought I knew more than I actually did, as far as what the future of the center was,” she told me. “He’s like, Just don’t spend money, essentially, which is kind of difficult in an organization that needs to move forward.” (Kendi denies that he said anything like this to Johnson, who remains in her role today.)

Kendi spent the next three months taking care of his newborn daughter, Imara, and his wife, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer while pregnant. In his absence, at another staff retreat, four employees stood up and spoke in turn about the problems at the center. Much of the staff had just learned that the center agreed to partner with the D.E.I. arm of the consulting company Deloitte, which does work for the police and prisons, on designing an antiracism training for corporate workplaces. “Why wasn’t this shared with the broader staff sooner, as a potential high-risk partnership that could impact the relationships we are forging with movement leaders?” one person said. “Why are we contemplating this partnership that arguably goes against our values?”

Kendi, who identifies as a police and prison abolitionist, suggested that donations from corporations could be seen as a “form of reparations,” and he stressed to me that the Deloitte agreement “allowed us to control the products from design to delivery.” He once again dismissed the critics at the retreat as “performative radicals” of the sort that have been “causing all kinds of havoc in Black-led social justice organizations for years, claiming that they are against hierarchy when they really are against being directed by a Black person.” He thought they were being hypocritical in objecting to the Deloitte partnership because they “do not object to personally having profiles on social media corporations that platform copaganda, or buying goods from retailers employing incarcerated labor in their supply chains, or using technology from corporations providing carceral states with technologies of surveillance.”

When I asked the employees about this, one of them called Kendi’s comments about hypocrisy a “deflection tactic.” She stressed that the staff was not making a demand but asking for an open dialogue — or at least a clearly articulated rationale — about decisions that affected them. His response fit a clear pattern, they thought, of believing that employees were trying to undermine him when they really just cared about the work. “I understand he’s coming from a place of trauma,” another told me. “He’s criticized unfairly and through a racist lens constantly. I do understand it. But then to distort that into an inability to receive feedback that’s going to ensure the success and usefulness of the center — that’s where it becomes a problem.”

In September, Kendi fired 19 of the center’s 36 employees in a series of Zoom meetings. Many told me they could understand the layoffs given the financial climate, but to change the model from an ambitious organization that had pledged to drive social change to one that handed out academic fellowships felt like a betrayal of the mission. The abruptness of the decision forced the staff to scramble to find other homes for projects, including a research program supporting Boston-area organizers on a campaign to challenge family policing in schools, for which they were in the midst of sensitive interviews with affected parents and caregivers. Breaking promises they’d made to grass-roots partners was what bothered her team most, said DeCruz, the head of the Advocacy office, because equitable and sustained relationships between communities and advocates build a strong network — a movement aligned on its goals. Pulling out damaged those relationships.

Though some staff members told me they appreciated Kendi — “My life forever, forever changed because I worked for someone who pushed me to envision what’s possible,” one said — many others had become darkly cynical about him. The most vocal among them was Grundy, who took to Twitter calling Kendi a “grifter” and fueling the rumor that he might have stolen funds. Redwood tried to have empathy. She imagined what it must be like to be constantly attacked — to have your intelligence insulted, your motives questioned. “I wonder if some of the secrecy and paranoid behavior came about as a result of that,” she told me. “I have no idea, and I had to just eventually stop trying to figure it out and just move on, because I couldn’t understand how the person I met when he was at American, when I sat down with him for lunch, the person who appeared to be so humble, so committed — and I still think he is committed — could be the person that I worked for. It is not something that I have ever been able to understand.”

Several people stressed to me that Kendi’s weaknesses as a leader were not as important as the larger forces that surrounded his leadership — the opportunism of white-led institutions, the boom and bust of trend-chasing nonprofit funding, the commodification of Black thought and activism. I asked Boston University to comment on a complaint I heard from the staff, that its administration had failed to provide adequate oversight. “Boston University provided significant financial and administrative support to Dr. Kendi and the center. Dr. Kendi did not always accept the support,” a spokesperson wrote. “In hindsight, and with the fuller knowledge of the organizational problems that arose, the university should have done more to insist on additional oversight.”

The spokesperson also said that the decision to end the center’s projects was Kendi’s choice. “Several different models were discussed with Dr. Kendi, including bringing many of the projects to completion over the next two years and lessening the impact on staff,” he wrote. “However, Dr. Kendi’s preference was to terminate the ongoing projects and ask the funders to repurpose the funds for his new endeavor.” (In a written response, Kendi accused the interim university administration of trying to undermine the center’s work. “The center has faced more oversight and scrutiny than every other center at B.U. from the Office of Research and this interim B.U. administration,” he wrote. “I’m disappointed that this interim B.U. administration is giving The Times a version of events that doesn’t reconcile with the facts.”)

The last time I saw Kendi in person was in January, when he came to New York to promote his newest book, a young readers’ adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Barracoon,” based on her 1927 interviews with Cudjo Lewis, one of the last survivors of the Middle Passage from Africa. That night, Kendi was doing an event at an independent bookstore in Brooklyn Heights, where the streets were salt-streaked after a light snowstorm and white string lights glowed on a tree outside. One of the three personal-security officers he brought with him — bearded Black men in black peacoats and dress pants, fitted with earpieces — was checking bags at the door.

Kendi was standing by a wall of books in a teal blazer, his pocket square in place. For a while, he said, he stopped doing many public events because of his security concerns, but he realized it had contributed to his feeling alienated and embattled. “Not doing live book signings prevented me from engaging with the people who were reading and appreciating my work,” he told me later. Going on tour again had “helped tremendously,” he said. But he didn’t want to be away from home long while Sadiqa was in treatment. “It’s incredibly difficult to witness someone you care about deeply facing so much pain and loss,” he said. “I’d much rather just be the one facing that pain.”

Boston University had cleared him and the center of grant mismanagement, but he was still waiting for Korn Ferry, the management consulting firm hired by the administration, to finish its culture inquiry, and he continued to attribute any dysfunction at the center to the hardships of the pandemic and employees who repeatedly contested his leadership. He was coordinating with the university on the center’s next phase, he said, but the work that felt most meaningful to him at the moment was “getting back to my roots as a writer.” He was at work on his next big project, a contemporary political history.

Kendi has spun out 13 books since “How to Be an Antiracist” in 2019, 10 of which are adaptations of his or others’ work for children. Since becoming a father, he told me, it has become even more important to him to reach young readers — particularly Black kids like him who may have internalized racist ideas about themselves. Earlier that day, Kendi spoke to 250 kids at a middle school elsewhere in Brooklyn, taking questions from a panel of seventh and eighth graders. “Barracoon” was the latest in a series of books he was adapting by Hurston, the Harlem Renaissance ethnographer he has called the “greatest antiracist novelist of the interwar era.” “I wanted it to read like a grandparent sharing their difficult life story with care and love to their grandchild,” Kendi wrote on Instagram.

During the talk, Kendi told the audience that there are some Black people who, from the way they maneuver in the world, you can tell are spiritual maroons. “This is the person who truly is living and navigating from the standpoint of a freedom,” he said. “They’re unafraid or not worried at all about the white gaze. They’re operating and navigating the world based on their own destiny, based on what they want.” Hurston, who traveled throughout the South, Jamaica and Haiti collecting folklore from the descendants of slaves, was one of those people, Kendi said.

Listening to him, I wondered how often he felt like one of them, too. I got the impression that Kendi spent a lot of time in his head, in that defensive pose, anticipating or parrying attacks from his critics. When I asked him later where he and Sadiqa had gone on vacation over the New Year holiday, he declined even to name the country for fear that “bad-faith people” would try to figure out where they had stayed and how much their hotel room cost. I told him it seemed as though he devoted a lot of thought to how something he said or did could be used against him by the least generous person on the internet. “I certainly don’t want to provide fodder for it,” he told me.

Kendi is right that there’s a mess of misinformation about what he believes. He has become a cipher for the unfinished national conversation about the post-George Floyd moment — the outrage and wild hope of the protests, the reactionary anger, the disillusionment. In tying together racism’s two senses — the personal and the systemic — Kendi has helped many more Americans understand that they are responsible not only for the ideas in their heads but also for the impact they have on the world. But this gap between intention and action, so core to his thinking, is where all the hard work takes place, DeCruz told me. That’s where organizing and movement-building happens, where you practice the kind of world you want to live in. “Having a shared language is important,” she said, but “it’s just the first step.”

Read by January LaVoy

Narration produced by Emma Kehlbeck and Krish Seenivasan

Engineered by David Mason

Rachel Poser is a story editor for the magazine. She has previously written about whiteness in classical studies, sting operations and the charms of paleoart. Wayne Lawrence is a visual artist in Brooklyn and Detroit whose work is focused on community and purpose. His work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

An earlier version of this article misstated the center’s fundraising in 2021 as compared to the previous year. It was approximately one-hundredth of the amount raised in 2020, not a tenth. The article also misstated the recognition given to the documentary adaptation of “Stamped From the Beginning.” The documentary was named to the Oscar shortlist, but was not nominated for the award.

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Strengths and weaknesses
Analysing experiences. This approach works for finding both strengths and weaknesses, the only difference is the type of experience you look at. First, identify an experience that turned out/went really well (for strengths) or poorly (for weaknesses). This could be supporting a friend, or a teamwork experience that didn't go as you hoped.
Self-Reflection: Strengths and Weaknesses Essay
Self-Reflection: Strengths and Weaknesses Essay. This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. Papers provided by EduBirdie writers usually outdo students' samples. The purpose of this essay is to reflect on what I have learned and developed as a student of professional skills and ethics and how I can implement the ...
Strength & Weaknesses Reflection (Essay)
Evelyn Rios Strength & Weaknesses I think that my main three strengths are curiosity, determination, and being creative. I really like that I'm very curious about the world around me. This is because it helps motivate me to be more productive and just to learn things. Especially things that interest me the most.
Crafting a Personal Philosophy Statement
Essay Example: Creating a personal philosophy statement is a profound exercise in self-reflection and articulation of one's core beliefs and values. It is not merely a document but a vivid representation of an individual's guiding principles and ethical framework. This statement serves
Ibram X. Kendi Faces a Reckoning of His Own
One of Kendi's refrains is that being antiracist demands self-criticism. "If I share an idea that people don't understand, I'm to blame," he told an interviewer in 2019.

Self-reflection: Exploring Strengths and Weaknesses

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A Reflective Analysis of My Strengths And Weaknesses

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Reflection Paper Format

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Plot and Narration