The End

It always surprises me when I make it through another semester.  This semester has been great! First semester in my program, first semester in the business school.  It has been hard and time consuming but worth it in every way.

This semester I have learned that relying on other people in your group can be one of the scariest but most rewarding acts of school.  There are some people you end up working with that you really don't know if they know what they are supposed to do.  But having that trust in them and relying on them to complete their part creates that trust in one another.

I was sitting in on a panel discussion and they said that the people in your classes are not your competition.  They are your allies.  We are here to help each other succeed.  That is what I have learned this semester.   Work with your peers, help them and they will help you.

Remote Meeting (Team Projects)

This was a new experience for me.  I don't know if I have ever done a remote meeting, probably because I don't really like them.  I feel that things get done quicker and more efficiently when everyone is all together in the same room. There is less confusion.

However, this remote meeting was a positive experience. We were all able to be together and work at the same time.  With the document open in front of all of us, we were all able to stay up on top of it, and not get confused or fall behind.  We were able to cooperate well, letting everyone have their turn to say something and add their voice into the project.

Professional Networking Event

I attended the Experience Industry Management Conference for the Recreation Management program on March 26 and 27.  This is a conference where professionals from all over the recreation industry come together and discuss new topics, network with each other, and get to know students preparing to enter the industry.

The different professionals there ranged from hotel management to city parks and rec.  This event was a great way to get a little inside on every different aspect in the recreation experience industry.

I thought this conference was one of the most useful events because of its wide range of professions.  There is never a bad networking opportunity.  Event just talking to someone for a small amount of time can open doors to your future. Because of this event, I was able to apply for a job and have connections to the general manager of the resort. I am still waiting to hear about the job, but I know that I have that much more advantage because of my interactions with other people.

Too Much to Do

This is the time of the semester when everything seems to be crashing down on you.  Not really but it always feels like that.
This also is a very important time of the semester when everything that is due has a great impact on your grade.
This is the time when you have to keep pushing on and keep going. I have decided to keep that motivation going.  It is hard to tell yourself that, especially when there are so many other things going on. But if you can tell yourself to keep going and remind yourself that the end is near,  you can accomplish everything!

You Have to Start at the Bottom...

Sometimes you have to start at the bottom. A lot of the time you have to start at the bottom. This week we had a guest speaker in one of my classes come talk to us about hospitality and hotel management.  He has moved up the chain rather quickly for most people in that profession.  But he stressed to us that it doesn't always work like that. It rarely ever works like that.

He told us that most of the time you will have to start at the bottom. You will have to do that grungy work that nobody wants to do.  But that grungy work can give you the best experience.  Employers see that you have the patience and ability to work through that not so exciting work and it can and will help you.

Motivation

I am currently reading a book called Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink. This book talks about the difference between intrinsic motivation (personally rewarding) and extrinsic motivation (physical reward).  Most people would think that receiving a physical reward like money or candy would make them more willing to accomplish. Through reading this book I have learned that being personally motivated can move me so much further in life than other things.

The author explains and shows multiple experiments that prove this common thought wrong.  When people receive a physical reward for something they do, they begin to think of it as a  job, a task that just needs to be checked off.  While when they are personally motivated to accomplish the task they have that personal desire and want to do it the best they can.

Continually having that intrinsic motivation can be challenging. Especially when we need those physical rewards to pay rent and buy food.  But if you can have that personal motivation in as many things as you can, your life can become so much more rewarding for you.

I Lived

Sometimes music is just the best thing.  It gives me a way to just relax and take a breather.  Some music just makes you feel good.  My feel good song for this week has been "I Lived" by One Republic.

One part of this song really has just pushed me through this crazy week. "I owned every second that this world could give."  This line of the song has given me a lot of motivation for some reason.  It has just made me want to use my time so carefully and really realize what I am doing every day.  Life has so much to give, and sometimes we get caught up in it that we don't really see what we are doing.  So to you, make sure you own every second.