As we walked to our habitual 5 o'clock Monday dinner before freshman Honor's forum last night, someone in the group said, "This'll be our last forum, y'all," and everyone gave a cheer that dissolved awkwardly into a sad groan. It's strange because Forum was another thing that kind of drew us together, and now we're just not going to have that. I'm sure this semester was just the start of the awesomeness that's been going on among us Nerd kids. We know, anyway, that we'll pick up another like-minded class the first semester of next year too. I liked the speakers and keeping this blog, but if everything stayed the same in life, I would probably get restless and move to San Diego and pierce my eyebrows.
"How to be successful" - is that a new, original, and exciting concept to you? 'Cause it's not to me. No one can learn the one key to success, and yet everyone wants to teach it to us. It was another businessman, Mr. Billy Hargett, that came and spoke to us, and as he began talking about the sort of businessman-type things that we probably cared about the first several times we heard it this year, I geared myself up for fifty minutes of voice tune-out, minimal note-taking, and the eventual throes of depression. I am exaggerating because I'm tired of business. Also, I was wrong. What's new?
As it turns out, I may be an absolute expert at tuning people out while appearing wonderously absorbed with every word-pearl they toss in my direction, career-wise I am not even at the level of Apprentice. Being the aimless peasant that I am, this is a fantastic time to learn how to be responsible. This was the first note that I took:
1. Show up, be prepared, do the right thing RIGHT - consistently.
Seriously, as much as it was my inclination to think, "Gah, show up on time, really?!" I wrote this down because I am one of the most careless people I have ever met, so this was actually sensationally relevent to me. Like, I think I was five minutes late to Speech today because I wanted a vanilla hazelnut latté from Einstein's. Was it worth it? Oh yes. Were there repercussions? Not at all. Out of consideration for my professor and classmates, though, I probably could have resisted the coffee for thirty minutes. (We got out early again.) A further point he made that broadened the horizons of my perspective on time management is that when it comes to anything - work, family, play - "Be there when it counts." So maybe it was okay that I missed the first half of people passing around the sign-in sheet and Professor Hendren joking about military terms because I got there before the good stuff. I'm just copping myself out right now.
What I mean is that even though we won't always be perfectly prepared and tight-ship sailing, we should never completely give up and end up missing what really matters. You may end up missing your firstborn's first steps because you are at work, but that does not mean you should give up on taking part in the rest of your child's life any more than it means you ought to up and quit your job. Do what you can, as much as you can.
The following is a beautiful and magnificent collage of wisdom from last night that I enjoyed enough to jot down and expound upon now:
Professionalism! Have it! Know what to do and how to do it. Know what to improve and why you're doing that anyway. Know how to report your progress. When it comes to executing ideas in a team, know when to lead, follow, or get out of the way. Know the most dangerous place in the building - the break room, of course! Nothing in there but a water cooler designed in a circular fashion in order to make scathing gossip-time more functional. Exceed expectations. Don't leave holes in your plan, because Murphy's law says that of all the things that can go wrong, the worst thing will be the one to happen, at the most inopportune time. Learn to communicate truthfully and effectively. Your life does not have to be a monologue: Anyone can blather for an hour, but it takes skill to get your point across well in thirty seconds. Also, if someone you're talking to asks you a question that you are not prepared to answer, "don't lie, ever."
"I will get back back to you." > "Sure, I guess, maybe."
'Kay?
"If I sold this guitar and a piece of my heart for you, would you hop on a bus and leave just because - would you?" - Hawk Nelson
:K
"How to be successful" - is that a new, original, and exciting concept to you? 'Cause it's not to me. No one can learn the one key to success, and yet everyone wants to teach it to us. It was another businessman, Mr. Billy Hargett, that came and spoke to us, and as he began talking about the sort of businessman-type things that we probably cared about the first several times we heard it this year, I geared myself up for fifty minutes of voice tune-out, minimal note-taking, and the eventual throes of depression. I am exaggerating because I'm tired of business. Also, I was wrong. What's new?
As it turns out, I may be an absolute expert at tuning people out while appearing wonderously absorbed with every word-pearl they toss in my direction, career-wise I am not even at the level of Apprentice. Being the aimless peasant that I am, this is a fantastic time to learn how to be responsible. This was the first note that I took:
1. Show up, be prepared, do the right thing RIGHT - consistently.
Seriously, as much as it was my inclination to think, "Gah, show up on time, really?!" I wrote this down because I am one of the most careless people I have ever met, so this was actually sensationally relevent to me. Like, I think I was five minutes late to Speech today because I wanted a vanilla hazelnut latté from Einstein's. Was it worth it? Oh yes. Were there repercussions? Not at all. Out of consideration for my professor and classmates, though, I probably could have resisted the coffee for thirty minutes. (We got out early again.) A further point he made that broadened the horizons of my perspective on time management is that when it comes to anything - work, family, play - "Be there when it counts." So maybe it was okay that I missed the first half of people passing around the sign-in sheet and Professor Hendren joking about military terms because I got there before the good stuff. I'm just copping myself out right now.
What I mean is that even though we won't always be perfectly prepared and tight-ship sailing, we should never completely give up and end up missing what really matters. You may end up missing your firstborn's first steps because you are at work, but that does not mean you should give up on taking part in the rest of your child's life any more than it means you ought to up and quit your job. Do what you can, as much as you can.
The following is a beautiful and magnificent collage of wisdom from last night that I enjoyed enough to jot down and expound upon now:
Professionalism! Have it! Know what to do and how to do it. Know what to improve and why you're doing that anyway. Know how to report your progress. When it comes to executing ideas in a team, know when to lead, follow, or get out of the way. Know the most dangerous place in the building - the break room, of course! Nothing in there but a water cooler designed in a circular fashion in order to make scathing gossip-time more functional. Exceed expectations. Don't leave holes in your plan, because Murphy's law says that of all the things that can go wrong, the worst thing will be the one to happen, at the most inopportune time. Learn to communicate truthfully and effectively. Your life does not have to be a monologue: Anyone can blather for an hour, but it takes skill to get your point across well in thirty seconds. Also, if someone you're talking to asks you a question that you are not prepared to answer, "don't lie, ever."
"I will get back back to you." > "Sure, I guess, maybe."
'Kay?
"If I sold this guitar and a piece of my heart for you, would you hop on a bus and leave just because - would you?" - Hawk Nelson
:K
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