11.9.11

"Music and Passion" Bejamin Zander

I love this man. Mostly for his hair. But also for his passion. I love passionate, talented people. Because I have never found my one true skill in life and have instead opted to be the best I can (even if that means being very mediocre) in as many areas as I can, I have always really looked up to the people in this world who have incredible talent. A passionate musician, dancer, singer, or artist is incredibly inspiring to me.

The thing I find most inspiring about Zander in this video is his intense desire to share something he believes in. He believes in the beauty and value of classical music, and more than anything, he wants to use his talent to share that passion with everyone he comes in contact with. It is clear that he has a great musical talent, but he is not stuck up about it. I think therein lies his greatest success. He can talk about music to those who don't understand it and make them feel like they are a part of it.

I think that is an essential part of leadership. If we could all find a way to share information with those we come in contact with, and somehow make them as excited about it as we are, the power of our influence would be so much stronger. Another lesson we can learn from Zander, is that to achieve true success, we sometimes have to abandon the step by step mentality and embrace the whole picture. Once we have a grasp on that, our drive to share it increases, and our passion becomes a force.

10.26.11

"The Three A's of Awesome" Neil Pasricha

I have long believed that the key to happiness is appreciating the small things. If a beautiful sky or a bag or sour patch kids can't make your day, then how are you ever going to rise above the pressures and disappointments of every day life. I'm not saying that candy alone can cure heartbreak, but by trying every day to focus on all the little positive things that make our world colorful, we can become happier and stronger and more ready to face the real difficulties life trows at us. I really enjoyed this video, because it reminded me of something that we are so often taught in church. Though Pasricha doesn't bring religion into his talk, it reminded me of another bright light of hope I have to look to every day. When we no longer feel like the world cares about us, we know that our Heavenly Father does, and I have never turned to Him in honest prayer and not felt reassured that He cares about me.

Pasricha's ability to rise above the pressures of his life and throw himself into positive thinking is incredibly inspiring. I think if we woke up each morning and resolved to keep a constant check on our attitude, awareness, and authenticity (what he describes as the three A's), we would not only be happier, but we would brighten the lives of others around us as well.

10.12.11

"On Being Wrong" Kathryn Schulz 


Why do we have problems with being wrong? Why are we afraid of being wrong? I really enjoyed Kathryn Schulz's ideas about "wrongness." I think our society has a crippling fear of being wrong, and that that prevents us from our greatest potential for progression, compassion, and understanding. The biggest way this is manifested is in the way that we are afraid of people who think differently than us. Many people will look at someone different and simply assume that they're wrong. We shouldn't be afraid to be different. We shouldn't be afraid to learn of others who are different. When it comes to our understanding of the world, if we are able to step outside of ourselves and embrace being wrong, our creative abilities will sky rocket. Getting something wrong doesn't mean there's something wrong with you, it means that you weren't afraid to try, and to me that is admirable. 


I loved when she quoted St. Augustine, "I fail, therefore I am."Just because things don't go according to plan, doesn't mean things went wrong. Being able to accept the unexpected can actually enrich our lives.


I think I am fairly good at realizing when I’m wrong. Maybe too good. What I’m not as good at is turning that into something positive. Instead I often tend to see it as a dead end. I don’t let it destroy me, but I sometimes let it stop me in my tracks. While being able to admit our failures is certainly a valuable skill, I think sometimes the far more important thing is to be able to be ok with being wrong, and then to do something about it. I often find myself realizing I have been wrong about something, and then doing absolutely nothing to change it. When I watched this video, the question for me wasn’t “are mistakes good or bad?” It doesn’t matter whether a mistake is useful or not unless we take into account what happens because of it. I think it’s crucial that when we fail, no matter how big or small, we let ourselves learn from it. When we are wrong, it gives us an opportunity to realize what is right, which can be a valuable lesson if we let it. If we take this approach, we won’t be so afraid to be wrong. We will speak up, try things that interest us, and if in the end we find failure, we will have learned from it.

9.28.11

"The Fringe Benefits of Failure" J.K. Rowling

This was my contribution to the class blog, and I still stand by it wholeheartedly:

One of the greatest benefits of failure is that it has to the potential to push us in a new direction. At the pinnacle of despair, we are often at such a low that our only choice is to try something new or continue down the path of failure. At this point, imagination can be our greatest asset.

Rowling mentions one definition of imagination as “the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not.” Every day we are presented with opportunities to see more than just the world around us. We often try to see beyond our limited experiences and imagine an alternate reality, usually far better than the one we are experiencing. However, as Rowling points out, we cannot end on that definition. The key to letting imagination transform our world is to act. If we are able to imagine a better life or a better world, yet we take no steps in that direction, we are no better off than we were before.

Rowling is a wonderful example of this in the way that she rose from what she considered her darkest moment. According to her, “imagination is indispensable when we have failed.” Through her experiences we learn that sometimes through the most difficult times, we learn about human goodness in unexpected ways. Imagination thus serves to do more than give us a positive outlet, it gives us the power to learn and understand without having experienced. It gives us the opportunity to change our reality based on our ability to learn. As Plutarch stated, “What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”

Putting aside an already great admiration for J.K. Rowling, her words in this speech make me like her even more. Despite the great fame she has achieved, she is still incredibly real. I love that about her, and I think it can be attributed to the experiences she has had with failure. In her life, she was not afraid to fail, and that meant she went through hard times, but it also meant that she would become the passionate, strong woman that she is today. I hope that I can pursue my dreams as bravely as she has. 

9.14.11

"How to Start a Movement" Derek Sivers

"How Great Leaders Inspire Action" Simon Sinek

I think the most important thing that we as HCSC members can take from Derek Sivers' talk is that we can't be leaders if we don't have any followers. We are vulnerably reliant on someone, anyone, to be brave enough to be a follower and join in what we're doing. If one person follows, others will as well. In all of the events and projects we plan this year, we will have to rely on people to participate. We can call ourselves leaders all we want, but until someone follows, it won't mean anything. The problem is: How do we get people to follow? I think first we have to be followers and participators ourselves. If we don't remain active and involved in the activities other groups put on, how can we expect them to support us? As we show our willingness to jump into things and bravely participate, others will see us and follow our lead. I think it's important that we don't expect people to care about what we're doing unless we care about what they're doing as well. I believe that one of the ways we can do so is through Twitter. There are dozens of clubs and organizations and departments on campus that need help getting the word out about what they are doing. As we help them and share information, others will help us as well, and slowly I think that this method of communication will become very effective.

I appreciated Simon Sinek's words about leadership and the keys to success. I'd never thought about it that way, but his reasoning actually makes some sense. Why would anyone ever care about what we could produce if they didn't know how much we cared about it? I think before we do or plan anything, we have to ask ourselves why we're doing what we're doing. What is our purpose? If we don't know why we do what we do, why would anyone listen to us? According to Sinek, "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." Within the Humanities College we have a slight advantage because we are doing business with people who believe what we believe. Humanities majors believe that their studies are worthwhile despite what others might say, and they want to be reassured that that is so. They've spent the last few years trying to convince their parents and friends that an English degree or a Humanities minor isn't useless. For the most part, they believe in what they're doing, and they need to know that we do too. When we plan activities or service projects, we can't just be in pursuit of the result. Our measurement of success can't come from numbers alone. While working at the Involapalooza booth, I didn't base our success off of how many people stopped by for candy or a shirt. I saw success after we shared our love of the Humanities College with a two freshman girls who were interested, but didn't now where it could take them. They could see our passion for what we do, and I think some of our excitement transferred over to them. When one of the girls walked away saying "I think that was definitely my favorite booth" it wasn't because we had really awesome Snickers bars, it was because we believed in what we were saying, and we showed it. Long story short, all we have to do is stick to what we believe and we will succeed. People are going to come to Humanities events because of what they believe, not because they really care how much effort we put into planning it. They'll come to reassure and benefit themselves, and we just have to hope that they leave knowing what we believe.