Acknowledging Achievements

When I decided to become a lifeguard, the first step to achieving this was to begin water safety and rescue training. I had not realized that this training was going to be as vigorous as it was. During the class, about nine other high schoolers and myself, spent four days straight in training. We were expected to be there from nine in the morning until five that night. Half of the day was spent in the pool, practicing rescues and treading water for ridiculous amounts of time, while the other half of the day was spent inside learning CPR and first aid. During these couple of days, I realized that being a lifeguard was an extremely big responsibility. Not only are you in charge of watching hundreds of kids horsing around in the water, but you also always have to be ready to perform the most severe of rescues at any given time. At the end of the training, we had to be evaluated on our water rescue skills as well as our CPR skills and our knowledge of administering oxygen. At the end of the evaluation, I remember being very nervous, but when they called my name, I walked into the conference room with all the confidence that I could portray at the time. When they told me that I had passed with flying colors, I had the greatest sense of accomplishment and thought to myself "If I could accomplish this without even being a swimmer, I can do almost anything I put my mind to!"

Now you're probably wondering why I told you a story about now of my most successful achievements. Well as I am learning in my Personal Development class, it is so important to acknowledge points in your life when you feel a sense of accomplishment-where you can feel great about something you achieved. For me, one of these moments includes completing the lifeguard training and also getting the job. Acknowledging your achievements can really boost your confidence and that is something I think is really important in society today.

If you plan on going to Santa Barbara City College, I highly recommend taking PD 110, even if you think you know what major you want to go into. I have learned so much about myself through the many personal assessments we have taken, and I have also discovered some possible majors and occupations that I am very interested in!