Truths and Ways to Live

18 Truths to Start Telling Yourself: http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/03/22/18-truths-to-start-telling-yourself/

"5. My actions and words directly affect the lives around me. – Lead by example...People watch what you do more than they listen to what you say.  Inspire, challenge and encourage people to their best, by doing YOUR best.  And when someone else is doing a great job, tell them that you’re proud of them...recognize their effort."

This truth is basis of every thing I do. From past experience I noticed that there were very few people in my community that I could look up to. Extremely saddened by this fact, I decided that I would be the role model that I once longed for. A role model for someone else who needs inspiration. Its imperative that we have leaders in our communities that not only tell others what is important but who are epitomes of that very thing they emphasize. As the blog mentions, people look at actions more than they listen to words. When dealing with children I would argue that words account for a small percentage of influence on behavior. At a young age it can be difficult to internalize words because the physical is more influential.

So if we as leaders want to show the importance of education, we can not do so by simply saying "School is important." We must go to school and earn degrees our selves. In our homes we must show our children (brothers-sisters/nieces-nephews etc.) that we value education by helping them study, complete assignments, and read books. As the fifth truth mentions, we must praise students when they do well. If we do things such as these by being great role models, I believe we can fix many societal problems.


15 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist: http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/03/19/15-ways-to-live-and-not-merely-exist/

"8. Recognize those who love you. – The most memorable people in your life will be the ones who loved you when you weren’t very loveable.  Pay attention to who these people are in your life, and love them back, even when they aren’t acting loveable.

12. Leave enough time for fun. – Sometimes you need to take a few steps back to see things clearly.  Never let your life become so filled with work, your mind become so crammed with worry, or your heart become so jammed with old hurts or anger, that there’s no room left in them for fun, for awe, or for joy."

I believe that these two tips on how to live are important things that many of us tend to ignore. I noticed that many (not all) people who have demanding jobs and busy school schedules tend to forget to have fun. From personal experience, I would forgo going out with friends and fun school events because of my school work. I would always be bogged down with work and studying. Many times I would neglect family and friends. It was not that I did not want to spend time with them, I was just so focused on doing well academically that I failed to do so. But now I understand that school is a priority but my family and friends are as well. My ability to balance school and family has improved substantially, but there is still room for growth.

Last Friday's session was great! It felt good to be relaxed with the STARS LEAD group, to wind down from the week. Thee capstone video project is coming along, we shot everyone's scene over the past few weeks and then comes the editing process. I am excited to see the finished product!