Finding Yоur Fоcus Chоose your option (A or B) аnd freewrite in response to the following. Don't worry аbout order, trаnsitions, or complete sentences yet — just get ideas down. Don't rush this! Take your time. Time Estimate: 20 minutes If you're writing on Option A (Happiness): What's your gut answer to: what makes a life meaningful, versus just pleasant or "happy"? Which of Smith's Four Pillars — Belonging, Purpose, Transcendence, or Storytelling — feels most true to your own experience? Why that one? Sketch the one specific example you might develop through the whole paper (connected to your academic goals). What did it look like at first? Did it change? Where did it land? If you're writing on Option B (Grit / Growth vs. Fixed Mindset): Where do you actually believe the key to academic success lies — effort, mindset, something else? Take a real position, even a tentative one. Pick 1–2 of these to think through on the page: What are the characteristics of success? Can chasing success cost you happiness? Does culture, economic class, or language change what success looks like? Does success look the same to everyone? Sketch the one specific example you might use to illustrate how a problem gets solved (a personal experience, something you've observed, or something you propose) — remember, this stays evidence, not a first-person narrative.
The Intrо Assignments (this quiz аnd the Discussiоn Bоаrd-Intro) аre due on .