Simple Gestures Can Make All the Difference

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You never know when a simple hello, hug or smile will truly make someone’s day. A simple gesture of love or genuine care to show someone you notice them, could be the difference that person needs to have a brighter outlook on life.

I should have gone into psychology. I’m naturally good at it (not to toot my own horn, but it’s true) and have personal experience dealing with people or observing their reactions to situations. I’m like a heat seeking missile to people in trouble, who need a shoulder to cry on or talk to, who need a little personal direction, or whatever else someone needs. I just get people. I took enough psychology to understand the underlying relationship between actions and reactions, but I also have the knack of observation. Put all of that together and I’m your unofficial counselor friend!

Going back to the reason for this blog. I’ve been dealing with a few of my students and friends who have troubling outlooks on life. They take reality and create an extreme version in their minds of situations, and then cultivate those thoughts to become their new reality.

Some people don’t understand why others don’t know how to pull themselves together. Don’t understand why others think the way they do. It can be taxing to try to understand, but it can also be difficult for people to express themselves as well. Maybe someday I’ll go into depth about what I’m talking about, but for now, just trust me.

Deeply, emotionally, passionately care about the people around you. If you make their day, someday they’ll be there to make yours.

Boldly challenge status quo.

(To be continued...)

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Stop, Look & Listen

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Side note: My title makes me want to yell out in a cheer from high school! (Dedicated to my Wolf Pack!)

I get so annoyed with myself. When friends are stressed, heartbroken, unnerved, or frustrated with life, my heart literally aches for them and I can’t seem to get it off my mind. The motherly instinct kicks in (and I don’t even have kids yet!! Good grief!) and I just want to fix everything. I hate when I can’t help people, or fix problems. It’s the same reason why I hate when people are disappointed or mad at me, and I have no control over changing their opinion. Why is it that we have such deep bonds like this for our dearest friends and feel helpless when we can’t fix the pain, or why we go to any length to help those in need? But more so, why don’t we trust each other enough to be completely open and honest so those of us that want to fix it can pinpoint the problem!?

Simple answer. We’re human. Past experiences of others destroying our capability to trust others. The thought that others are judging us for being “weak” when pouring our hearts out. Because we have become a selfish public without genuine care or the art of listening. And because it becomes humorous when we struggle with ignorance. If you saw a man repeatedly running into a wall until he was a bloody pulp, after awhile it would make you laugh because it was so absurd. For this exact reason, we throw the wall up to relieve ourselves from embarrassment. It is unfortunate that we build walls so high and tough, that few people know how to break through. No one wants to get hurt, but life isn’t about being safe.

Craving Mental Stimulation

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Pandora current song: Only Hope, Switchfoot

The last few weeks have made me realize why I NEED to go back to school. Since graduation, I haven’t had to use my noggin as much as I used to. I’ve been working in areas I am good at and have excelled greatly. Yet, my recent projects haven’t been easy. I’ve created and implemented political events, helped sign multimillion dollar leases, morphed an old building into a residence hall, built a positive cash-flow company and managed from the ground up, developed a position for myself within the university and furthermore designed a new position to expand student involvement on campus.

Student activism

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Pandora current song: Yellow, by Coldplay

I’ve always believed in involvement no matter where I live, but especially when I was in school. I miss the easy opportunities, and can’t wait to dive right back into them when I go for my MBA in Aug 2011. Being involved gives people a sense of ownership, uniting for a cause or purpose. Creating and upholding traditions while passionately leading and following for that cause. It could be a sorority, a team, a society, organization, work place, institution, or charity. Caring about the outcome and celebrating the successes, even if minute one, can give a person a reason to grow and learn.

Earlier this year, I gave our students a platform to create a forum to ban together to voice their opinions about operations at our school. They didn’t seem to be heard previously, so I thought I would make sure they were. A student meeting where no administration, besides myself, were present to talk openly and honestly. There weren’t any subjects off limits and I wanted them to be as candid as a Kodak moment.