The Joys of Group Work

This past week, my team in class was able to meet through Google Hangouts.  This was an interesting experience because i had never before used Google Hangouts.  I was surprised as to how simple and efficient this means of communication was for my group.  I am actually looking forward to using a web service to communicate with business partners and clients in the future.
We were able to discuss how we performed during our group presentation.  After discussing our performance, we were able to discuss other features of the Google Hangouts application.  This means of communication can be very useful for professional purposes.  It is amazing to me how the technology in the world is truly made to benefit the business world.

Spirit of Thanksgiving

This was a very special Thanksgiving year for me as it was my first Thanksgiving with a new family.  Although it was difficult to not be with my own family and enjoy our yearly traditions, it was a blessing to be able to grow closer to my new in-laws.  I had to pay attention to what i was really thankful for because it was difficult in the beginning of the break.  I was definitely missing my family and the way i was used to celebrating the holiday season.  I learned that in every situation there is thanks to be given.  We can always find something to be thankful for no matter where we are.  Though the negatives may seem more apparent, we can highlight the positives to enjoy ourselves.  

The Little Lights

I had an interesting experience with a few lightbulbs this week.  My wife and i have been living in our apartment for several months, and we have noticed our living room is quite dim.  It wasn't pitch black where we would have known immediately that we had burnt out bulbs.  It was simply not bright.  

While having some free time and deciding to do some cleaning, i took the cover off the light fixture.  I realized that there were two empty spots where lightbulbs could have potentially been the whole time.  Words cannot describe the feeling i had. I felt as if months of light had been taken away from my life.

Honestly, it turned into a joke.  My wife and i laughed it off, but we did learn a valuable lesson.  We realized we condemned the light before we bothered to look at it's potential.  If we had just checked what the light's potential could have been, we would have been able to enjoy it's valuable light.  

Presentation Skills

I enjoyed giving my own presentation this past week as well as listening to other classmates give each of their presentations.  I noticed how I perceived my own presenting skills were different than what my classmates viewed my skills as.  For example, I thought I was energized and showed emotion through my abilities, but I was critiqued that I needed to show more emotion. 

I realized that when giving a presentation or simply having a conversation requires “over doing” several emotions and other aspects that occur in conversation.  I believe this applies to many things, but most commonly found is a lack of volume among presenters.  If I were the one presenting, I would need to be even louder than I had previously planned. 

Ensuring that the presenting abilities are on par and you are able to make a connection with your audience, you will be able to convey your message in a positive way.  Your message will stick as that connection is made. 

I will make sure I apply the critique I received into future presentations and simple conversations. 

Sacrifice

I learned a lot about sacrifice this week.  I had an interesting experience taking a family member to dinner.  This person invited my wife and myself to have dinner at a restaurant.  I knew it was important to go just to show him we love him.  It was a restaurant that neither my wife or I even enjoy.  My wife and I never have a free night together, and this was also on our anniversary night.  

We could have used this rare free night to celebrate our anniversary, however we discussed that we needed to show love to our family member.  At this dinner, we were there for over two hours, and ended up paying for a dinner we did not enjoy that much.  

On the long drive home from Salt Lake, my wife and I discussed what we learned from this experience.  We were not bitter or upset; we were humbled.  We were grateful we had the opportunity to sacrifice some things that are important to us so we could show support to someone who is important to us.  It was a good feeling knowing we did the right thing.  

Mock Interview Posts

I really enjoyed practicing the interview that i am highly looking forward to.  I noticed many things that i need to practice, and i also received several ideas on possible questions to expect.  

One of the most important things that was pointed out from my interviewer was that feeling comfortable in a situation allows us to eloquently "wing-it" and not prepare the best we can.  I feel like i really need to practice my PAR stories and be able to simply state the problem, action, and result.  I feel as if i over-complicate my PAR stories.  

Vocabulary is another crucial element to an interview.  Many interviewers have strong opinions on how the vocabulary of the interviewee in the initial phase is important.  I know that i definitely need to improve my professional vocabulary and stop using specific words so frequently.

Overall, i really enjoyed this experience and found it valuable to my professional life.  It is not too often that we get to practice these interviews in a professional setting.  Usually the practice we receive is in front of a mirror, or recited to a two-year old brother.  I am excited to be able to apply the critique i received.  

Ceilings and Floors

       This week I learned that there are certain caps that the human life can have.  These caps vary with age, education, and other aspects of life.  This past week I believed that my cap was higher than I found it to be.  The caps I am referring to are those of what we are able to achieve and put into life.  As a college student, we are capped with time we can put into off-campus activities. 

       I recently got a new job, thus putting my total current jobs at two.  After working 35 hours at my new job, and another 10 at my other, I had realized I had gone far over my cap to be able to still put in sufficient time to succeed in school.  My assignments and studies were severely lacking this week. 

       After realizing this, I was able to talk to my manager and work out a new schedule where I only work about 20 hours per week.  This is a huge relief, but at the same time I need to put in very diligent time towards school with the limited time I have.  I’m excited to be organized this upcoming week and be able to give it my all and succeed. 

Professionalism

I learned a lot about professionalism this past week.  I am seeking a high-profile internship with the sports marketing team at Under Armour, Inc., in Baltimore, Maryland.  I have prepared through my experience, education, and ethics, to be able to fulfill my career dreams and goals.  I feel like my ability to have a successful job interview has increased dramatically this week.  I was able to perfect my resume and cover letter to be able to help the recruiters at Under Armour believe I am more than suitable for the internship.  More than anything, I believe my passion is enough to help me progress in the world of sports marketing. 

The Art of Focus

      What does it really mean to focus?  How can focusing affect our day-to-day lives?

The lesson I learned this week was that as we focus on the essential things we are going through and forget the less important issues; we will have a more positive attitude at the end of the day.  This week I have realized that as schedules become more hectic and busy, we tend to organize ourselves and have a higher success rate at focusing. 

      I recently changed jobs.  During the period in between jobs where I had a lot of free time on my hands, I was far less organized and more easily frustrated with myself.  As I started my new job, I realized how the less free time I had caused me to focus on the essential items I needed to get done.

     I now value the free time I have far more than I did before, and I will continue to filter through the essentials in my life. 

Champions

          I’ve been listening to a song this past week that really inspired me.  The song is called, “The Hall of Fame” by the Script.  I listened to this song a lot this past week to help motivate myself and see my potential.  What I felt, was that no matter where we are in our life or what our situation is, we can truly be champions.  We can succeed in whatever life throws at us.  A champion is defined as “one who shows marked superiority.” (Webster’s Dictionary)  If we mark ourselves with superiority by the things we accomplish day to day, we are each a champion. 

A Drop in the Ocean

      Is it just me or can Mother Teresa just inject some motivation directly into your heart?  It seems as we pay more attention to the things we learn each week, the more knowledge we retain.  As I have started to form the small habit of keeping my eye out during the week for something I learned so I can write about it, I have found that my mind is far more sensitive to recognizing a much-valued lesson.  As a poor college student, it is difficult to feel as though you make a difference in the world.  It is a trying time in life that is mentally difficult.  All hard work put in will not yield results, in most cases, in the near future.  The powerful lesson I learned this week came from Mother Teresa as she said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

      What I learned was that as we live our life, we need to treat ourselves as an important role to the world; as if the world would be a little worse without our influence.  It is not the influence of one day, but that of a lifetime that really matters. 

As I have felt motivation and happiness from this realization, I commit to give myself more credit for making the world just a little bit better.