Reflecting On All the Things I've Done

in ,

Clist2 I have felt at some points in my life that I have had a tragically mundane, ordinary life that hasn't had much good or bad happen in it. It was a depressing thought to consider, especially in my darker moments, but recently, I've taken time to sit down and put my mental energy to work writing down all my "greatest hits" (just like with Charlie Pace in one my favorite television shows of all time, Lost). Moments in my life, big or small, that I'm proud of. They include the places I've traveled, the accomplishments I've achieved, and the small things we should all think of more. Here are some specific examples of what I'm talking about:

  • Smiled so much my face hurt
  • Presented at a national conference
  • Visited Las Vegas, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC
  • Gone to a comedy club
  • Gave good lives to my pets

Some of these things are concrete experiences in my life that I am happy to have done. Even if they aren't that special to others, they're special to me. Others are things I look back and affirm for myself. People can have regrets, doubts, and think negatively about the experiences in their life, but I challenge myself to think positively. I can never know for certain if I gave a good life for my pets, they can't tell me, but I choose to believe that I did based on the memories I have and the things I did for my two wonderful dogs I had growing up.

I'm keeping a list of experiences I want to partake in before I turn 30 in a few years. I'm making intentional efforts to accomplish them and keep updating my list of "greatest hits". It will help me in my darker moments realize that I have lived a full life and have the ability to take actions to make change my life.

I encourage folks to do something similar to this to keep the positivity flowing in their lives. Things like this or a happiness journal can let us be more mindful of what happens around us each day, and what brings us joy.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 06/26/15

in

Geek-and-proud

Greetings!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

  • New Student Orientation

This past week has been our summer New Student Orientation at my institution. It's always a fun, exciting time welcoming new students to college and this was the first time I've been able to go through the entire process here. I even helped plan and track everything ahead of this week, so it was really nice to be able to see everything come together. A great NSO can go a long way with paying dividends for the upcoming academic year. If we really a good job getting our new students excited to come to our institution, properly prepared, and generally just feeling like they have support for this big life transition, we can retain more students and have them thrive instead of just survive. I see myself easily (ideally) transitioning to a position with orientation in the near future. It's just so much fun as well as important for the rest of the institution's operations.

I was really excited to see the news this week that we finally have our Peter Parker/Spider-Man casting for the new Marvel Cinematic Universe iteration of the beloved character. Tom Holland will be portraying the webslinger, and since he is a relative unknown, there isn't much baggage coming for the actor, which is good. He has the look and physicality down, so I'm intrigued to see if he has the comedic chops, which is so important for the character, especially go along with the current vibe of the MCU. I'm we'll see much more of Holland ahead of his debut in Captain America: Civil War in May 2016.

Seinfeld is one of my favorite shows of all time. I've seen most of the 171 episodes of the show, but I know there are some I've missed. Hulu now has the entire series streaming as of Wednesday, June 24 (only for their paid subscribers). It brings so much more value to the table for people paying into their service, and now, with a Showtime add-on on the way, it is continually proving to be a solid competition (or companion like I do) to Netflix and the other up and coming streaming services.

Thanks for stopping by!

Why Graduation Isn't The End, It's the Beginning

in

* This article was originally posted on The Student Affairs Hub.

Graduation is a huge life milestone that is a mix of so many emotions for college students: excitement, fear, accomplishment, sadness, and anticipation all come to mind. It can feel like the end of something, which it is, but it is also the beginning of an era of endless possibilities for students. Once you have the time, knowledge, income, and courage to do so, life after college can be even more full than one's life at their institution. The world awaits all the recent graduates to do whatever they so choose, and it's something students should work hard to take full advantage of.
As higher education faculty and staff members, here are three key pointers to give to your students in order to encourage their personal growth and their thirst for learning after college."Keep on Being a Student"

There are numerous ways to keep on learning in the classroom like you're used to. You can keep taking one off classes at institutions near you, you can take classes online with established colleges and universities, or you can take advantage of the plethora of other web-based learning tools. Everything from Lynda.com, udemy, Codecademy, or even YouTube can help you learn new skills, master new software or tools, or even just learn some fun trivia. A lot of things can be found for free too, which is even more awesome!

 
"Travel the Country (and the World!)"

 

Whether for business or for pleasure, traveling around to new places can be an amazing learning experience. Even just going to visit a friend in a new city locally can help you understand more about what makes us all different and what makes us all the same. You can take in local sights, museums, fairs, festivals, and shows to build a list of cool and unique experiences to the fabric of your life. It's hard to capture the immense importance of traveling, but it's such a great way to become more acutely aware of the world that you just can't replicate. I encourage you to get out as much as you reasonably can so you can learn and grow as a person (and have some fun in the process!).
"Read!"

Since graduating and being done with college for the foreseeable future, it's been nice to have the time to read for pleasure. Some of you may not want to see another book for a while, but trust me that it is a tried and true (and often cheap) avenue to better yourself. There are classic works, new writing by cool current authors, and even several comic books (I'm personally a big fan) that can convey some deep concepts that enlighten you to morals about life. I've always heard that it doesn't matter what you read, it's that you read. So by all means, it can be that you read a lot of articles online about any number of things, just make sure you're keeping current on the world and reading something every once in a while for pleasure. You'll thank yourself later for it.

If you follow these tips in whatever way makes sense for you, you'll grow, learn, and be active mentally (and physically) which will help you better achieve any other goals in your life or career that you might have.
 
Go forth and do good, Class of 2015!

 

 

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 06/19/15

in

Geek-and-proud

Howdy!

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

I just finished this new season a few days ago (I promise not to spoil anything), and I was pleased with how it progressed. It wasn't great, but it was good and much better than a lot of other TV out there right now, I feel like. The slow burn character work is reminiscent of something like Mad Men or Breaking Bad, which I know isn't for everyone. I enjoy it (most of the time) but I found myself frustrated at times with the consistently dark viewpoint it had where nothing ever works out well. I also yearned for more coherent and deep back stories for the inmates. What they had was always great and I wanted more! I look forward to see where season 4 takes the story (and how long they can keep the show going).

  • Chicago

My long awaited trip out to visit my friend out in Illinois is happening this weekend. I'm really excited to take another adventure out to someplace I've never been, especially because I'm seeing my friend who I haven't seen in about a year. We'll have a lot to catch up on and I know it will be an awesome weekend. I don't really know what to expect of Chicago as a city but it is always neat to see new areas of our country as well as new college campuses specifically (which I know we'll get around to a couple over the course of the weekend).

I recently confirmed everything for what is an amazing, unexpected opportunity to help support some awesome student affairs colleagues who are putting on a panel at San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) this year. They've been doing this session for 5 years now (they've also presented at ACPA) and it's a great connection between the worlds of student affairs and geekdom (sound familiar?). I'm happy to help cover their session, check out San Diego, and soak in all of the convention that I can. I'll also be getting some things off my "Before I'm 30" list, which include dipping my feet in the Pacific Ocean, and going to SDCC. Be sure to stay tuned here for coverage of the panel as well as my adventures out to San Diego next month! I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I Was Geeking Out About: May 2015

in

Geek-and-proud

Hey there! Here's what was going on in my world last month:

Every Friday, I share what's on my mind from the past week. There was so much to geek out about last month, and to help you sift through it all, here's my monthly wrap up of all the stuff that was going on in May (I skipped a week last month for my birthday, just in case you're wondering where that week is):

Thanks for stopping by!

Book Review: Start Something That Matters

in

book7

"A leader can create a company, but a community creates a movement."

My latest review is for the 2012 book by Blake Mycoskie, Start Something That Matters, which chronicles the beginnings of his company, TOMS, and the lessons he has learned from the journey.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read with some great takeaways, good stories, and a positive message. It's a message I can certainly get behind and have believed in for a while now. I always try to vote with my dollars and make globally conscious purchases. Every company should incorporate such tenets into their organization, seeking to make the greatest positive social impact they can with their efforts, whatever it is. They can donate money, time, or resources to help others, and we'll all benefit in the end. It just seems that it is far easier for a lot of people and groups to be selfish and not empathize with the struggles of others (especially if they cannot relate, and never went through such struggles). The good part about all this is that it is never too late to start making a difference in people's lives.

Some of the other quotes I took away from this book were:

"...To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. [Often attributed to Elisabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley]"

"In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"

"Today’s successful leaders are those willing to share credit as much as possible, who give away as much as they can, and who promote an environment of creative cooperation instead of rabid competition."

What I like about TOMS is that it is a for-profit, social good company. They can exist, and they can do just as much good in the world (if not more) by working to make a profit. Their shoes and other items are desirable and valuable, and by working to make money, they can use those profits to make a positive social impact. A lot of other companies have followed in the footsteps of TOMS in recent years, and I think that's a beautiful thing. I love my TOMS shoes and my Warby Parker glasses, and my Krochet Kids hat. They all have the added benefit of helping others in need around the whole world. What's not to love?

Check out Start Something That Matters at any of your favorite book retailers!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 06/05/15

in

Geek-and-proud  

Here's what was going on in my world this week:

I just started checking out this British series on Netflix the other day and have watched all of it (there's only six episodes). It's an intriguing, dark, dystopic, near future science fiction drama centered around the idea of seeing where different aspects of our technology obsessions and proliferation would possibly take us. Some examples include terrorism, augmentations that record every second of our lives, our indulgences in voyeurism and humiliation, as well as our digital afterlife. There is also just some cool future technology in the show that is pretty creative. I've been wanting to watch the series for a long time and it has definitely been worth the wait. Check it out if you're interested. It's an original look at ourselves through sci-fi, just like all the best entires in the genre.

The impossible sixth season of Community has come to an end. It has been a wonderfully weird ride this past season. The apparent creative freedom the show's been given at its new home on Yahoo has been awesome and I've enjoyed the show now as much as I ever have. I don't know if this is really the end now (we still need that movie!), but even if it is, I'm happy to have been able to watch it for as long as I have. Even so, I could always go for more! #CommunityLivesOn

  • Boston, Redux

So I'm heading down to Boston again this weekend to visit my partner who is working there in the area this summer. We went down together for her birthday back in April, and I'm excited to go down again. We did a lot on that trip and there is still plenty to do this time around. We want to visit more college campuses, take in more local food, and possibly check out some sites like museums, aquariums, and all that good stuff. It's a great city and I could definitely see myself living in that area. I'll be sharing photos and thoughts on the social medias, so connect with me there!

Thanks for stopping by!