Growth

Over the course of the week and over the course of the semester, I have learned a lot about growth and how someone as a person can grow in any area of their life.  All my classes this semesters have pushed me to grow and learn all that I could so that I could excel in each one of my classes.  I had to develop a lot of different skills in order to do well.  It pushed me to study hard, practice, and search for what I needed.  A lot of times, I had to step out of my comfort zone so that I could make that growth in the areas where I lacked.  In isn't easy to step out of your comfort zone but it is the only way that you can grow.  Life is all about growth.  If we want to get to where we want in life, we have to grow.

How can you grow if you don't push yourself?  If you don't grow and progress, then you will not go anywhere.  When we set goals and make plans to achieve those goals, we take steps toward growth.  Growth is in everything.  Every time we learn something new, we grow.  Every time we change something in our life, we grow.  Without growth, there is no progress.

I am going to do everything I can to make myself grow in the right directions.  I want to learn all that I can while I am still in school and also take the opportunity to teach myself other things that will help me to become who I want to be.  I want to be like a mustard seed.  A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds there is but it grows to be a very large tree.  I want my growth to be just like that.
A quote that I love says, "There is no growth in the comfort zone; there is no comfort in the growth zone".  I want to live by that quote by getting out of my comfort zone in every situation possible so that I can grow as much as possible.  I know that if I put that in practice, that I will be better and that I will be able to grow in ways I never thought possible.

Growth Blog Post

Networking Event with Needle

About a week ago, I was able to attend a networking event with the company Needle.  I was able to meet and talk with all the major executives of the company.  Specifically, I met Scott Pulsipher, COO, Mike Montour, SVP/Sales, and Morgan Lynch, CEO.  I exchanged numbers and had great conversations with all of them.  I was able to talk to them about their company and what they do.  I learned a lot about networking and why it is important.  After talking with them, I realized that most of them got that job, where they are at today, because they knew someone who helped them to get the job.  I learned that networking is huge in today's world if you want to be able to have a lot of opportunities and chances to work in various different companies and positions within those companies.

This was important to me because in just a couple of years, I will be looking for a career and now I  have more contacts to refer myself to in order to look at all my opportunities.  Networking is important because you can't always do everything on your own,  a lot of times you need help from an outside source and the people you know can give you that help so that you can have the best opportunity that is possible.

After attending that event, It really got me excited to network with people.  So now, I am going to go to a lot more networking events with different companies and organizations so I can get to know a lot of people and make connections with people all over the U.S. and maybe even the world.  The more connected we are in this day and age, the more well off we will be.  I am going make a much greater effort to network and get to know a lot of different people in a lot of different areas.  It isn't what you know, it is who you know.

Remote Team Meeting

While working on our team project, we used Google Hangouts for our remote team meeting.  To be honest, I don't like doing team meetings that way.  First of all, some people might have that good of a connection and so sometimes it is hard to hear that person and things get misunderstood.  Second, it is hard to be able to show or explain something to one of your teammates over the video call.  We used Google Docs to share our information but it was hard to be able to explain our part to the other people during the video chat.  When we were able to meet in person it was a lot easier to talk about the paper and edit it together.  I know that sometimes remote online meetings are the only option because we all have different schedules and are very busy, but in the future, I would like to avoid these at all cost because personally I think that it is a lot more efficient to get together in person to do the project.  I found that our team got a lot more done that way.

Studying effectively

As the semester has come to an end, I have realized that I need to study more effectively so I can do well on my finals.  During the semester, I have studied well but I feel like in some aspects I have lacked.  So I have been learning how to study more effectively.  Studying effectively isn't easy, but as I have tried harder, I have seen a big change in the things that I am retaining from everything that I have learned.  My study habits throughout the semester have only included studying for tests the night before and the day of.  But I have tried to start studying a few days before and then study a little bit every day until the day of my test.

Only studying the day before and the day of, also known as cramming, isn't effectively because it is a lot of information to remember all at once.  Also, if you cram, then right after the test you forget everything that you studied.  It is important to study effectively so that after you use that information on the test, you still remember it later on.  We are going to school to be able to remember/learn things rather than just get good grades.

I am going to start doing my best to study more effectively so I learn the material and retain it later on.  I am at BYU in order to learn and not good grades so I am going to study more effectively by trying to look at my material on the same day that I learn it and studying for my tests a few days in advance and looking at the material a little every day.  I know that if I do this, then I will learn a lot more and be able to use those things in my life.

Thanksgiving

Being grateful is something that a lot of times comes in short supply.  Several times in my life, I have felt that I have been very ungrateful for things that I have and the people I have in my life.  During this thanksgiving week, it has really helped me to realize the importance of being thankful for everything in my life.  Being in Las Vegas this weekend with my family opened my eyes to how grateful I really am for all they do for me in my life.  Being grateful isn't an easy thing.  You have to humble yourself and really open your eyes to everything around you.  The Lord has blessed each one of us so much and if we humble ourselves and are more grateful, then the Lord will bless us even more than He already has.

It is important to be grateful because everything we have was given to us by the Lord.  The Lord loves us so much and He is more than willing to bless us and give us whatever we need.  He just wants us to recognize His hand in everything that happens.  Being grateful is a sign of how humble we are because if we are grateful, then we recognize the Lord's hand in our life and we recognize the help of other people.

Now I am going to do my best to be more grateful in my life.  I want to be able to recognize the Lord's hand in my life.  Also, I want to be able to be grateful to all the other people in my life especially my family.  This Thanksgiving season reopened my eyes to the importance of gratitude and how it can make our lives better in every aspect.  I want to do my best to be more grateful so I can be humble.  I am going to remember to thank everyone that comes into my life.  I urge everyone to be a little bit more grateful this holiday season so we can all recognize the great things we have in life.

Flip Chart Presentation

This week while preparing for my presentation I learned what I need to do during my presentation in order to make it interesting and to keep the attention of my audience.  I was able to go on the last day of presentations and so I got to see everyone's presentations and it really helped me to refine my presentation.  The most important thing that I learned was to prepare and rehearse for your presentation.  You need to research the topic, figure out what you are going to say, come up with a good hook, and rehearse to someone.  By doing this, people can give you feedback and help you to refine it so that you can get your point across in an effective manner.

This is important because if you don't do this things, you will show up to your presentation and look dumb.  People won't be interested in what you are talking about and it will be a very dull presentation.  Also, people might look down on you because you came unprepared.  You lose your credibility among your associates and those you are presenting to.

I am going to work hard to prepare for all of my presentations and projects so that I can gain credibility and help to persuade people to what I am talking about.  If it is important to you, then you should prepare as good as you can.  Don't look dumb.  I am going to make sure that I don't look dumb and that I am successful in every presentation that I do.   I will be responsible and do everything I can to prepare for the presentations that I do by rehearsing and getting feedback from other people.

Game Changer

This week was a little disappointing.  I didn't get into the program that I wanted to and I didn't do very well on some tests that I took.  I was feeling pretty low but after talking to my dad and a couple of friends, I realized that these things were hard but I still had a good plan to move forward.  Even though my plan wasn't working out the exact way I wanted it to, I still had a back-up plan that actually works out a lot better for me and helps me to magnify my talents.  Also, after talking to my dad I realized that my back-up plan is a better option for me and will help me out in much better ways then the first thing that I wanted to do.  I learned that I need to realize to take these so-called game changers and move along with them in a better direction.

We are all going to have these types of things in our life.  Things don't always go the way we want it to so we need to be positive and take those types of things in stride and use them to our advantage.  When we do that, we realize that those things helped us to realize that our second option was better for us than the thing we really wanted.  We can't get down on ourselves and stop moving forward.  If we do that, we won't get anywhere and we will lose ground.  But by taking those hard things with a positive attitude, we will make lemonade out of the lemons that are handed to us.

I am going to start taking these game changers and using them to my advantage.  Just like I took the disappointment this week and made it better, I am going to try and do that for everything that comes my way.  It won't be easy by any means, but it will be worth every second.  I know everything happens for a reason and if we all believe that, we will be able to live a happy life.  So let us all take these game changers in our life and turn them into a great opportunity.

Preparation

This week I learned the importance of preparation.  The definition of preparation is the action or process of making ready or being made ready for use or consideration.  I learned that you always need to make yourself ready for whatever comes your way.  You never know what is going to happen in life.  Whether it be a disaster, some kind of trial, or even an interview, you must always be prepared to give your all and do your best.  I had an interview this week and I did my best to prepare and because I prepared myself, I was able to do well in the interview.  I look back and I realize that if I didn't prepare the way I did, I would have done terribly in the interview.  Also, when I look back I realize that I could have prepared myself a lot better.  Preparation is key in all aspects of life.  We must do all we can to prepare for everything that happens in life.

Preparation is important because without it, you would most likely fail at everything.  If you didn't prepare for a test by studying, you would fail the test.  That happens with everything in life.  The Lord has told us that we must prepare for the day that He will return.  Also, when we prepare ourselves, we show how important that thing is to us.  If we don't prepare for something, it is a sign that it didn't really matter to us in the first place.  Preparation is important so that we can be ready for the things that we will all do in our lives.

After that experience with the interview, I am going to do everything I can to prepare myself for everything in life.  I have had many different experiences where I have felt so unprepared.  That is one of the worst feelings and I can avoid those feelings if I just stop being lazy and get ready for whatever comes my way.  I am going to make sure that I am prepared for the future because the Lord promises us that if we are prepared, then He will bless us and help us be better prepared.  I challenge all of you to be more prepared for everything in your life.

Online Interview

After participating in the online interview, I found out that I have a lot to work on.  I get really nervous for things like that, even if, they are just mock interviews.  I need to learn to calm myself and be able to speak clearly and not use filler words.  During the interview, I used "so like" a lot of times and I need to be more confident in myself so I don't use things like that to fill in.  Also, one thing that is super important is making sure that the internet connection is good.  Doing our interview it was freezing a lot and sometimes it was hard to know what the other person was saying.  So for a real interview, I need to make sure I have a good internet connection so it doesn't freeze like that.

I did a good job with dressing professionally, having a good background, and using good PAR stories.  Sometimes I felt a little jumbled with my own PAR stories and I didn't really know where I was going with it.  I need to settle down and just answer the question.  One thing my partner suggested is that I make sure I have a good reason and explanation of why I want the job that I am applying for.  I need to do more research on the jobs I apply for and have good questions for the interviewer at the end.  I haven't had much experience with interviews in my life but as I move forward and do these mock interviews, I see things that I need to work on and things that will help me to be more successful in interviews.  I have a lot I need to work on and a lot I need to do to prepare myself for a real interview but I am willing to do my best to succeed in this area of my life.

Myself and Others

This past week, I have struggled a lot with being selfish.  I have been selfish towards other people with how I have been acting.  I haven't really thought about other people's feelings.  I have been looking inward instead of searching for ways to help and serve others.  I haven't been very kind to anyone. Because of this I feel that life has been much harder.  I remember times on my mission when I was doing everything I could to serve other people and my life was still hard but I had a lot of help from the Lord.  I learned this week that if we do our best to serve others, then the Lord will give his helping hand in our lives.

Many times in my life I have come to know that concept the hard way. This concept is so important because we can't go through life without help. Whether that help be from the Lord or from other people. If we serve others, we could be an instrument in the Lord's hands to help another one of his children. We could be the answer to someone's prayers. The more we serve other people, the more love we have for others and the less we judge them.

I am going to make it a goal to start thinking more of others and less of myself. One of my MTC teachers gave us a challenge for when we returned from our missions and that challenge was to think about others before we thought about ourselves every morning that we got out of bed. I haven't done very well with this challenge so I am going to start putting it into practice and I know I will be blessed and I know I could be a means of helping someone else.

Responsibility

We all have responsibilities in life. Sometimes we like to put them off on other people but there comes a time when we have to man up and take them on ourselves. It's not easy but it's necessary if we want to be successful in life.  I am no expert at this but I am doing my best to take on more responsibility. The biggest responsibilities I have in life right now are work and school. I have been focusing so much on school that I have neglected to do my work responsibilities. I had a good talk with my dad and I realized that I need to put more time into work to help balance out my life.

This is important because we all need to take on responsibilities so we can accomplish all that we need to in life.  If we don't don't this, then we won't feel that we belong. People become lost when they don't have the necessary duties.

I am going to start balancing myself more by doing my work duties along with my school duties. Which means I will have to sacrifice time to do other things in my life so that I can better my future.  It won't be easy but in the long run it will be worth it.

A Good Friend

Humans are beings that feel the need to belong.  We all need to have friends in life to be able to meet our needs.  Sometimes we feel weak, alone, and sad.  We need other people to lift us up and help us get through the tough times.  This week I learned just how important a good friend really is.  I learned that we can't rely on just ourselves to get through these times but we need that other person to guide us through.  Good friends aren't easy to come by but when we find them, we need to keep them close and also help them when they are feeling down.  A lot of times we are guided to those friends we need in life because the Lord knows who we need in our life.

Friends are not only important in life, they are vital.  We need friends to feel like we belong.  We need to feel like we belong because that is a natural human need.  People tend to find themselves in dark places when they don't have anyone to talk to or rely on.  They are important to strengthen us and not only that but to make memories with us.  As humans we need to do fun and exciting things and with friends we can also fulfill that.

You don't need a lot of friends, just a few good ones.  In order to have a good friend, you need to be a good friend.  So I am going to try to be a better friend and be there for them so that in my time of need, they will be there for me.  I am going to look for those true friends instead of just having a lot of friends.  We all need to find those people who are willing to be those good friends and help us out in our time of need.

Decisions Determine Destiny

I know that most of my blog posts have been similar but they are all connected in some way.  I feel as if this post about decisions will connect them all together.

Decisions determine everything that goes on in our lives.  We have to make decisions every single day.  There is not a day that goes by that we don't make a decision that could change our lives forever.  Decisions are difficult.  They are hard to make and sometimes take a lot of research.  This is the reason why so many people in life are indecisive and never want to make decisions.  I have tried hard to make the best decisions that are possible but sometimes it is hard to make the right decision.  Sometimes we make the wrong decisions and that affects our lives in a negative way.  But we can only fix those decisions because not everything is permanent.  We need to learn what constitutes a good decision and how we can learn to make those good decisions.

Decisions are important because without them we cannot progress and move forward in life.  Without them we are stuck in one place.  They are important so we can choose the things we want in life such as (a) work, (b) school, (c) eternal companion, etc.  All those things are important to us here on this earth and by making decisions we can accomplish those things.

Then what should I do?  I am going to start implementing this things my life.  I need to take decisions more seriously.  I need to research more before I make decisions so that I can make the right decisions.  I know that if I do this I will be happier and that I will make all the decisions necessary to accomplish the things that God has planned for me in this life.

Effort. "You get what you ask for"

This semester I have struggled to get back into the school mode after a nice long summer.  It has usually been difficult to transition back into school but this year, for some reason, has been extra hard.  This past week really opened my eyes to that and how much I need to buckle down.  This week I learned that the more effort you put into something the better you do and if you don't but that effort in, then you won't get the results that you want.  Effort is like the phrase "You get what you ask for."  When we put effort into something that is important to you, then you are asking for that thing.  Effort is key to getting what we truly want in this life and it is key to getting what is truly important in this life.

Effort is important because if we don't try and put the appropriate effort in, then we will never get anywhere.  If we want to get smarter and get good grades but we don't study, then those things won't happen.  Sometimes it is hard to want to put in the effort because life gets hard and we don't always get what we want even when we do put in the appropriate effort.  If we can learn the importance of this concept, we will begin to be more successful in all aspects of our life.

In order to apply this in my life, I need to change my attitude about everything but specifically about school.  I need to put more effort into my classes at school by studying and learning all I can so I can be successful in life.  I am going to put my priorities in line and put effort into the more important things in life.  It's time to buckle down and get my priorities straight.

Agency

Agency is one of the most sacred things that the Lord has given us.  It allows us to make our own choices.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he gave us this gift to be able to choose for ourselves what is right and wrong.  I learned this week that everyone has their own agency and we can't force people to do what we want them to do.  Every one makes their own decisions and we can't make it for them.

This could be one of the most important principles that we can learn.  Once we learn this, we will learn that we can't manipulate people to do things that they don't want to do. Also, we need to learn to use our agency correctly by choosing to make decisions that are in line with the Lord's will.  The only thing we have to give to the Lord is our will and once we learn how to do that, we will live a happy life and the Lord will bless us beyond measure.

I need to practice this principle every day of my life.  It won't be easy but I am going to start putting this into practice right now.  I am going to do that by doing everything I can to give my will to the Lord.  I can do that by serving others, fulfilling my church calling, studying my scriptures, and helping others whenever they are in need.  Life will be easier and much more enjoyable when we learn to give our will to the Lord.

Eternal Perspective

This week in my marriage and family class with Brother Brooks, we talked about our eternal perspective and specifically a talk given by Elder Uchtdorf.  The talk was entitled "Forget Me Not".  In this talk he talked about 5 things that we shouldn't forget to do and one of them stuck out to me more than the others.  He counseled us to forget not to be patient with yourself.  He talked about how God knows that none of us are perfect and that we are all going to make mistakes.  We need to be patient with all of our weaknesses and do everything we can so that one day we will be able to become like our Savior.

This is important because it is one of the most important lessons we can learn in this life.  I struggle a lot with the weaknesses that I have and sometimes it is hard to overlook those.  If we have that eternal perspective of being patient with ourselves, we will live a much happier life and we will be able to find those ways to become more like Christ.

Now what? Now I am going to look at my weaknesses as an opportunity to grow because I know if I do that then I will be much happier in my life.  I will also try not to focus too much on my weaknesses, and instead, look at the strengths in my life and how I can help people with those strengths.  I know this kind of patience won't come right away but as I work at it, day by day, I know that the Lord will help me to become a better person and help to make those weaknesses, that I have, become a strength.  All I have to do is be patient with myself.

Time Management

This week I learned all about time management.  I was having a hard time managing my school work, my job, and my social life.  Because of this, I have been talking a lot with my dad and he was given me a lot of suggestions of what I should do to be able to get everything done in a timely manner and what I should make my priorities.

This is important because I need to be able to get my school work done and get good grades.  I have already procrastinated a lot of assignments and it has been very stressful.  I need to eliminate the stress by putting these things into practice.  We all need to be able to manage our time effectively because that is one of the most needed skills by college students but it is the one most lacked by college students.

I am going to put these things in practice right now during this next week so that I can better prepare myself for the things in life.  I am going to do this by making a little schedule of assignments and things that are due, by doing my homework before I go out with friends (even if it means staying on campus and doing homework in the library), and by using a schedule to put things down that I need to complete first before I do anything else.  Also, I am going to list my priorities on a piece of paper so that I can make sure I do those things first.  I know it will be difficult but if I want to be successful, I know that I need to develop this skill.