CONTEXT: In 1997 I separated from my husband. This was a difficult decision to take, as I was left with responsibility for our two children, then aged 5 and 7, and was only reached after much discussion and consideration of the issues. In many ways, it would have been easy to continue in a marriage that offered stability and financial security, if little else, but I finally decided that a separation would be in the best interests of all involved, particularly the children.
ACTION: I therefore analysed my financial position, sought legal advice and obtained a part-time job that I could combine with bringing up the children alone. I had to adjust to taking all the day-to-day household decisions, learning new skills (such as DIY), managing limited personal finances and attempting to ensure that the children maintained a good relationship with their father.
RESULT: This has been a struggle at times, but I feel that I have succeeded in all these tasks and gained enormously in self-confidence and independence.
COMMENT:Not everyone would choose to use such a personal example, but, it is fine to use your personal life in answer to such questions, but avoid going into too much detail about private issues. This answer achieves a good balance in giving personal information necessary to illustrate the points requested while keeping a focus on the issues.