#1 Reflection: Hardship Paper 

Submit the Hardship Paper by uploading typed, double-spaced pages, times roman 12, 1 inch margins, detailing a time when a hardship or suffering or failure in your life helped you develop character. Evaluate a hardship situation that is related to your personal (family, personal or family illness, close friend situation, etc) or professional life (work, school, etc). Discuss a situation you are comfortable sharing. Please note your paper will not be shared with the entire class. Only the professor will read. 

Your hardship must be linked to the course readings from any areas (at least 5 different text concepts must be used) that have been covered thus far in the course and you believe fits best with your personal hardship situation. Concepts from Leader’s Light or Shadows, Stepping Out of Shadows, The Leader’s Character, Combating Evil, Forgiveness Process, Spirituality and Leadership or any area/concepts you choose can be used. Proper citations from the Craig Johnson textbook are required to support your hardship example throughout your paper as needed. Please do not use actual names of individuals in your essay.

Hardship Reflection Paper must include the following 4 sections and should have the following headings in your paper (Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, Section 4,):

Section 1) Describe the hardship situation. What happened? How long ago did it happen? How old were you? What was your role and what did you do through the hardship? Describe how you felt and your thoughts as you experienced the hardship situation. If applies, explain what types of evil occurred? Discuss which elements of character you tried to use or did use to be as effective as you could be in this situation. Include positive and/or negative aspects; simply tell your story from your perspective.

Section 2) Move forward in time to identify any positive outcomes that came out of the hardship, including lessons you learned, skills you acquired, and any relationships you established. How you now feel and your thoughts as you look back on this situation.
When you now look back, how did this situation build your character?

Section 3) Identify how this hardship changed or shaped you as a person, noting any new attitudes, personal beliefs you aspire to or traits you have adopted. If applies, describe any aspect of the forgiveness process as it relates to your experience. State whether you are are more mature now than before this hardship occurs. Again, add any more thoughts as it applies to this topic area Section 3. How did this situation build your character?

Section 4) Connect your hardship to ethical leadership. How does your hardship relate to aspects of ethical leadership? Did this hardship experience increase your capabilities to understand ethical leadership better? Did this experience increase your ethical leadership skills?  Back up your perspectives from what you learned in the course this semester.

On very top of your submitted essay; state your Name (first line) and Hardship Reflection Paper (second line)