Forming Impressions

This semester I am taking an Interpersonal Communication course. Based off of my first day of class, I am confident when I say it will more than likely be my favorite course of the semester. My professor for the course began the first day of class in much different way compared to the usual: "Hi, my name is..., let's take attendance, here's the syllabus, ok...see ya next class! routine."

Nope, this first day was unlike any other. My professor did something that I consider to be very out of the ordinary for the first day of class. She did politely introduced herself; however, after that she immediately instructed us to get into groups of four and come up with a list of words and ways that we would use to describe her. She specifically wanted us to put down personality traits, teaching style, hobbies, and anything else we saw fit in describing her.

After my group members introduced ourselves to each other, we began creating a list. I couldn't help but wonder that this particular exercise was about how quickly a person forms opinions about another person. We had about 5 minutes to create a list, then my professor made a massive list on the board before erasing all of the things that did not fit her. We were left with an idea of who she is as a person, what she likes to do, and how she chooses to teach.

She concluded by telling us that the moment we meet a person, we begin forming impressions about them without even realizing it. What was funny about that comment was that I was thinking the same exact thing as she sad it. I was surprised that it was not something I had ever thought about on my own. I'll admit, I am a judgemental person; however, I give every person more than one chance to make a positive impression on me so they have an opportunity to remove themselves from the category I automatically placed them in.

I found this whole concept to be rather interesting. I'm anxious to see how the semester unfolds and to see what type of an impression this particular professor makes on me the second, third, and fourth class periods because I have a feeling it will change. If she teaches in an interactive manner like she did on the very first day, I know this will be a truly enjoyable class for me.

Take a moment to think about this. What type of impression do you leave on those you meet? How quickly do you form impressions about others? Are the impressions you form positive, negative, or both? What can you do to ensure that you are consistently making a positive first impression?

Top 10 Moments of my First Day: Fall 2011

Today was my first day back on campus at UW-L. It was a bittersweet feeling returning to classes because I've had an incredible summer and am not quite ready for it to officially end. Luckily for me, my day was filled with moments that made me embrace my day. I think that this has been my best first day of any semester thus far. Below I have recapped my "top 10" moments of my day:

1. Finding a good parking spot. I commute to school and have to deal with parking every day, but today it was super easy.

2. Seeing a familiar face the second I walked on campus. It may not seem like that big of deal, but as I was making my way towards campus this morning I couldn't help but think back to that same moment last fall. That fall I was lonely and didn't have many friends because I was a transfer student and new to UW-L. Today, I literally reached the first block of campus and saw a familiar face. That continued all day which means UW-L feels like home to me even more than it did last semester.

3. Having my first class in the new building. For the last year, I watched as construction workers put in countless hours of work into a new classroom building. All I can say is that they did a fantastic job!

4. Beautiful weather. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to enjoy as I walked from class to class.

5. No statistics class! A year ago today I got to begin each of my days with a statistics class. Math is my least favorite topic so it was wonderful to not have to return to that same classroom this fall.

6. Lunch hour. I got into a little bit of trouble on my lunch hour. I met my friend, Ben, for lunch at my favorite bar. This of course was not the smartest idea, but now I can say that I did two shots in between my classes, and it was fun!

7. Riverside Park. After lunch, I was able to spend an hour walking around beautiful Riverside Park. I developed an even deeper appreciation for where I live and how gorgeous it is.

8. Mary Kay makeover with Kailin. My good friend, Kailin, and I went and got Mary Kay makeovers before my last class of the day. It was fun to be pampered and enjoy time with an amazing person.

9. Getting out of my 3 hour night class 2 hours early. This one is self-explanatory.

10. Feeling ready to take on the semester. This semester is going to more than likely be my most challenging semester yet. Not only are my classes going to be hard, but they are also going to be time consuming. I'm confident that I can find the balance I need to find between school, studying, work, my horses, sleep, and friends.

Who is your Susie?

The following is a heart-warming and inspiring story I received in an email.

Come with me to a third grade classroom...

There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of the sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. 'You've done enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

Quotes I Love #1

I've always been a big quote fanatic. There's just something about words that I find powerful. When they are combined to create a quote they become inspirational to me or relevant to my life. The quote could be on friendship, disappointment, love, life, relationships, or happiness. No matter what type of quote I read, I just love them. My obsession with quotes has grown since I created my own Twitter account 2 years ago because I am able to be positively influenced all day by various Twitter accounts that I follow. I keep a quote book in my room of every quote that has had an impact on me--my collection of quotes has greatly expanded as of lately. My quotes do not just come from Twitter; they also come from plays, movies, and music lyrics. The following quotes are not by any means my most favorite, but they are ones that have really impacted my perspective that I have on various topics as well as my life.

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
-Winston Churchill

"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher."
-Oprah Winfrey

"When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion."
-Abe Lincoln

"True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be."
-Unknown

"Character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose."
-Evan Esar

"If you let things change, they often change for the worse. If you make things change, they often change for the better."
-Unknown

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."
-Oprah Winfrey

"You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him."
-Leo Aikman

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
-Robert Frost

"It's our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
-Albus Dumbledore

"Love is the intense desire to be intensely desired."
-Robert Frost

"Your dreams live in a land far, far away from your comfort zone."
-Josh Shipp

"It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop."
-Confucius

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."
-Carl Jung

"As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to love it more and more."
-Jules Renard

"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?"
-John Greene

"When things go wrong, don't go with them."
-Elvis Presley

"Real loss only occurs when you lose something you love more than yourself."
-Unknown

"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."
-Stephen Covey

"Life is not a having and getting, but a being and a becoming."
-Myrna Loy

This blog is the first of many blogs in which I will display quotes I love for others to enjoy and find meaning in. If you have a powerful quote, please share it with me.

Personality Traits I Admire Version 2

Nearly a year and a half ago, I wrote a blog post about personality traits I admire. You can read that blog post here: http://elezpona.blogspot.com/2010/02/personality-traits-i-admire.html. I've been meaning to write a similar blog post for many months now, but have been unable to come up with the perfect list of personality traits. Plus, my top 6 were already chosen, which made choosing an additional 6 somewhat challenging. I have been able to narrow it down to 6 traits; I feel they really are appropriate for this stage of my life that I am at. These 6 qualities are ones that draw me to new people and have helped me form new and amazing friendships.

Hardworking - adj. characterized by hard work and perseverance

I've always admired those who have a work ethic. I've also always admired those who go above and beyond in their jobs. It appears to me that with every passing generation, a hardworking person is hard to find. When I meet people who are hardworking, I am automatically drawn to them. Who is a hardworking person that you know? Why do you classify them as hardworking?

Positivity - n. the state or character of being positive: a positivity that accepts the world as it is

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a naturally positive person. For this reason, I am fascinated by people who are positive all the time. Sometimes I find it to be flat out exhausting to be around people who are this way, but ultimately, it is inspiring to me. For example, one of my best friends, McKenzie, is ALWAYS positive. She has a natural ability to always see the glass as half full. During conversations we have together, I flat out tell her I cannot believe how positive she is. Even with things she should be upset about, she still has a way to see things in a positive light. It is so inspiring to me, and it is something I personally aspire for. I don't think I will ever naturally be this way, but day by day, I am finding ways to look at different aspects of my life positively. Positive people are fun to be around, which is why I admire this personality trait.

Faith - n. belief in God

This trait is self-explanatory. People who have a strong faith in God are the most happiest people I have ever met. I lean on these people to push me with my faith so my faith continues to grow. This is one area of my life that has grown tremendously over the past year a half. People who are open about their relationship with God inspire me to continue on my journey with God. I wish this quality was not becoming rare in today's world.

Spontaneity - n. the state, quality, or fact of being spontaneous

Being spontaneous. I feel so many people want to be spontaneous, but few are. I try my hardest to live in the moment and not get caught up in how much things are going to cost or what I have to do the next day and simply just live! I've become surprisingly much more spontaneous in the last 6 months in my life and since then, life has become more of an adventure and I absolutely love that. Do something you wouldn't normally do, and live life with no regrets. My only advice on this one is to be sure and think about potential consequences of your choices. What are some of the most spontaneous things you've done lately in your life?

Carefree - adj. without anxiety or worry

I love people who are carefree, it's a breath of fresh air to me. Try not to worry. If you're worried about the world coming to an end, remember it is already tomorrow in Australia.

Open-Minded - adj. having or showing a mind receptive to new ideas or arguments

The opposite of this is being opinionated. I honestly cannot stand opinionated people because they come off as uneducated. I respect people who have their opinions and are not afraid to share them, but be a little more sensitive to the fact that everyone is not just like you or does not think just like you. Being open-minded provides an opportunity to learn and have a less heated conversation. The world is forever changing in lifestyles. Have respect for those you are different than you by being open-minded. If there is one thing I do have an opinion about, it is being open-minded.