Week 11: Why So Serious?

Question: What do you call a pile of cats?

To put it simply, life would be boring without humor. I LOVE laughing and smiling and just joking around. Class is always interesting, but this lecture has definitely been my favorite thus far. I was laughing from almost the very beginning. One thing that had me cracking up (probably more than those around me) was the Tequila ad. Taking something and turning it into something to make it humorous adds depth and appeal. At least to me. If an add, movie, TV show, basically anything, is funny, you have my attention!

Actually I've had a lot of people tell me before that if I'm not smiling, I look mad. I'm just that type of person. I value humor at the top of my list. I'm always cracking jokes or poking fun at people. I've always heard that laughter is contagious and that is definitely something I want to catch! Another thing I've always heard is laughter is the best workout, medication, and remedy to any of life's twists and turns. Why not laugh? Why not make people laugh? What could be better?!

Answer: A MEOWntain!

Week 10: Communicate...Creatively...Really?

"Anyone that hates on you is always below you, because they're just jealous of what you have." 

                                     -Miley Cyrus 

Being a Communication major, this lecture touched pretty close to home. Dr. V has communicated in previously lectures that he wants us to actually take something from his class rather than just have to sit through it, and today I definitely took something away. An exercise he began the class with was getting us to think of a hero or role model to us. Well the first thing that came to mind was my parents. They are so inspiring with how much they work and how much they truly care about my family. This might sound kind of odd, but the second person that came to my mind was Miley Cyrus. People are always criticizing her for the "new" form she's taken. Even so, she never wavers in her true identity. She doesn't care that people may not like who she is now--she always stays true to herself.

Then Dr. V asked us to imagine that we were in an elevator and all of the sudden they walked in. What would we say? Well...thinking about it, I would probably tell Miley I truly admire her and what she stands for--self expression. But ACTUALLY thinking about what I'd do in that situation, I'd probably freeze up and freak out. I want to change that and vow to myself that if I see Miley in an elevator, I would actually talk and tell her how amazing she is. So here's to hoping I see her in an elevator haha! 

The next exercise that hit me hard was when he asked us to think of something that stuck with you. The first things that came to mind were 2 quotes. The first was one my grandma always used to say: "Kill them with kindness." This is something I always try to do with my life. Even if people don't treat me with respect or love, I always want to personify kindness. The next quote is one near and dear to my heart: "Let your whole life be a song." This quote is trying to convey to people to always strive to make more out of your life and let it be beautiful. How inspiring?!

(My grandma, me, and my niece Kylie Jo)

I want to embody kindness and beauty in everything that I do. I always want to appear strong and confident, and allow myself to do things I couldn't ever imagine myself doing (speaking to Miley).

Week 9: Spring Break!

Well this week, we didn't have class or an online education module because it was SPRING BREAK!! Unfortunately, I didn't do a whole lot during the break. I went home and worked, so it wasn't too much of a break for me. I did, however, start a new job. I began working with my boyfriend and his boss. What kind of work did we do you may ask? Well his boss owns a gun shop and they travel around Texas to sell at gun shows. So that's what my first weekend of spring break consisted of--traveling and guns.

Growing up in Texas, everyone expects everyone to know about guns (and they assume we ride horses to school). Well reality check, I'm a GIRL! I may live in Texas, but I know nothing about guns. Therefore selling them and writing paperwork on them was pretty difficult. Before we could officially give the customer the gun, we had to get the paperwork checked by the boss to make sure everything was correct. It seemed like every time I went up to him, something was wrong. I just couldn't get it right, and it was definitely frustrating. Finally I reached a point on the second day of filling out paperwork that I actually did it RIGHT! Everything. Was. RIGHT.

So on this trip, I learned that I am a perfectionist. I don't like producing work that's less than the best. Even doing the simplest things, you can ALWAYS learn something about yourself.

(Me and my boyfriend, Steven, at my first gun show in Robstown, Texas)

Week 8: IdeaMACHE according to Jaycie

Well...this week was VERY interesting! Learning about this new innovative creation was inspiring and intriguing. And to think Aggies created it...can I get a WHOOP!?

So the first thing they started off doing was talking about curation. In doing so, they spoke about how Pinterest is a form of curation; I am OBSESSED with Pinterest!! Next they began talking about divergent and convergent thinking, and they referenced spring break. These guys really knew how to connect with us by referring to things we thought about and did. I liked that, and it truly allowed me to invest myself into what they were talking about.

This might just be the Communication major in me coming out, but the greatest thing I took away from this lecture was the way in which they connected with their audience. They connected in a way that was relatable to their audience, which then allowed them to stay engaged in the lecture. Doing this is key, especially when you are explaining something as complex as IdeaMACHE. After hearing everything they presented about this program, I look forward to working with it and learning about it. Who knows, after working with it and hearing these guys' awesome stories, I might be able to create something this innovative as well one day. ;)

Week 7: Unfortunately...

 I was not able to make it to class this day due to a cold. :(
Don't worry, I'm better now!

However after reading through the slides from lecture, this lecture seemed to be one that could definitely be applied to real world scenarios. For example, the three phases seem to me like they could easily be adapted into the business setting.

As for the online education module, there isn't one! So this week I'll just post some pictures, just because I love pictures. :)

Week 6: Don't Kill Creativity!

Nothing is impossible; the word itself says "I'm possible!" -Audrey Hepburn 

Today's lecture was all about innovation and how to let it shine. Doesn't sound so hard, does it? Well, when you really think about, and I mean REALLY think about it, how many times have you had what you thought to be a brilliant idea? How many times was it shot down or did you quit trying to make it succeed just because of another's opinion? I know I have been victim to this "tragedy" of sorts, and it sometimes can be hard to recover from. Dr. V said in order for an idea to succeed, you must set up the proper environment in which it might be hard for it to be shot down. We need to turn our negative ideas into positives. When someone asks you "Why not?" Say, "WHY NOT!"

I believe the key to success within anything in your life is believing in yourself. For example, in the picture above I was night fishing. I was SO excited when I hooked something on my line, so I began reeling it in with vigor. When I got it to the surface, I realized it was a rock, haha. Rock or not, I believed in myself enough to reel it in, and I was HAPPY about it! That's how I think people should treat ideas. Even if they're "rocks", bring them up because you never know how they can impact the world!

Week 5: There is no ME in TEAM

Today we talked about how to feel most comfortable within the team setting. This is something all of us have surely struggled with at least once in our lives. Sometimes it truly is hard to find your exact place within the team setting, especially if you haven't met or communicated with these people much before you are expected to perform with them. Not just that, but the stress of performing well can also stress us out even more when trying to fit into the group!

While watching Dr. V and his thumb wrestling exercise, I noticed how this simple game put a spotlight on why some people feel uncomfortable in the group/team atmosphere. When the first team began "wrestling", the young lady did not hesitate to use her other hand, in an effort to overtake her opponent. This is because, as Dr. V put it, we are usually concerned with what we as individuals can get out of something. However when the next young man came up to thumb wrestle with Dr. V himself, a different scenario was laid out for him. Dr. V instructed the young man to do exactly as he says, which required the man to trust Dr. He indicated that he indeed did trust Dr. V, and they began wrestling. At the end of the game, Dr. V said the man truly didn't trust him because he was trying to win. This shows that the young man was trying to beat Dr. V to try to get something out of it for himself--a victory. However in the team setting, we can't look at our tasks and say, "What will I get out of this? How will this benefit me?" If we do that, we might lose sight of what's best for the group. In doing that, we will probably and ultimately fail as a group. In order to succeed, we must focus on the TEAM'S goals, what will benefit the TEAM, and always keep the TEAM rather than ourselves at the forefront.
So far, my experiences within the team I was assigned to have been a breath of fresh air. The individuals in my group are completely different from me, but that is a blessing in disguise. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and we play on them to achieve greatness. For example, Ryan (very left), is talented in graphic design, so he created this group picture of all of us. Great, right?!