Wut U Iz On Campus?

I'm starting to like this blog thing now. It's kinda nice to end the day thinking about my day and looking forward to my next set of adventures that will start at approximately 9 minutes after 7 am aka after I hit the snooze button once.

I remember coming on campus last semester and all the students were trying to figure out who/what/how they were going to live their lives for the next semester/year. Everyone was making last minute class changes, figuring out social allegiances, and the freshman were trying to not look lost while the upperclassmen were rolling their eyes at the freshmen's overly inflated ego. My friends and I were walking to Winslow--the local eatery of such mass-produced bliss--and were bombarded with several young "boys' (not men) who were definitely persuaded to follow the BET-social construct aka "plain ghetto". Being quite loud for no reason, one of the boys yells at one of my friends, "Ey! Wut you iz on campus?" My friend was taken aback by the question--exactly what does he mean by that question.

Now at this present moment, she could have answered this question in one of several ways: I am a:

Girl,

Short,

Black,

Relatively smart,

A sister,

Not your wife,

Cute,

Funny,

Broke...

He actually wanted to know what year she was in school, but that only came from more probing on her part to see the actual intent of the question.

Stephen Covey talks about Identifying Roles in his book "7 Habits" on page 162 (just in case you're interested) and tells us that the first thing we must do in order to be effective in our daily lives is to notate who we actually are--to answer the question "Wut u iz on campus?" Now of course, we probably won't be using that lingo, and some of us are probably not "on campus"... But who are you? Who am I?

I may not have all the answers or all of "who I am". On Facebook as my Intro to Me Section, I have the following: I am SINGLE, SAVED, SANCTIFIED, SEXY, SASSY, AND SMART.

What else am I? Well, here's a list of a few ideas off the top of my head:

Follower of Truth in Jesus,

TA in Org Comm Dept.

Grad Student

President of Voices of Praise

Alto

Natural Black Hair Wearer

Exerciser

Music Lover

Sister

Daughter

Friend/Compatriot

Future Wife/Bride

Roommate

Listener

Facebooker--sometimes stalker when convenient

Nosey

Future-driven

Real sleepy right about now...

Like driving in a Jaguar on the Autobahn going 45 mph is the same as living a life with knowing the potential/purpose. The Jaguar will get in the way of those who know who they are, and what they need to be doing. It will also reach the destination...eventually. And the Jaguar can't enjoy the journey because it's not being challenged or stretched to its maximum capacity/potential.

I want to be a speeder on the Autobahn, reaching my destination right on time, and not getting in the way of others Moving Forward--a theme song of mine from Israel Houghton. But amazingly enough, this all begins by asking myself-- "Wut u iz on campus?"

Not Even a Plastic Spoon

I’ve officially highlighted some important ideas from the book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. This is one of the required reading books of my Developing Human Potential Class. The 7 Habits are as followed: 1) Be proactive, 2) Begin with the End in Mind, 3) Put First Things First, 4) Think Win/Win, 5) Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, 6) Synergize, and 7) Sharpen the Saw.

I realized early, mostly due to my mother, that if I want something, it’s not going to be handed to me on a silver spoon—not even a plastic spoon. You have to figure out a way to get it. This always starts with a vision. Then comes devising a plan. After that comes implementation of that plan. If you don’t have a map, you’ll never get to your vacation spot. But you also can’t take just any map and assume it will get you where you need/want to go. You have to have the right map—this can come via a person, personal research, or just careful logic.

I chose to do the research. I have spent hours—days—poring over resumes trying to figure out where I want/am called to be. According to this book, this is a good thing as long as planning out the future doesn’t distract you from current tasks. The latter is something I struggle with. It’s so much more fun looking for jobs and new cities to visit than to do homework!!!

I’ve tried to be very strategic in my life-building. I try to find a connection between where I’m headed and all my activities so that they don’t become useless resume-stuffers. Now, I can say I am very proud of all the things I have experienced, done, and have been a part of. It’s mind-boggling sometimes. Not to say that I’ve solved cancer, but I have tried stewed cactus in Mexico, swam with Nemo in Belize, played a Rachmaninoff Prelude, and have made relationships with people from LOTS of different countries. All of that would be pointless if I didn’t have a purpose. All the things I’ve just mentioned are near and dear memories and have crafted me into the person I am today.

More later.

Not Just a Travel Blog Anymore...

It’s been 10 years since my last jerry-curl, 4 years since high school graduation, 1 year since my last purchase of sexy-butt jeans, 3 months since my most recent hairstyle (DREADS!!!), 6 weeks since my first cruise, 1 week since my last ½ solo in the choir, 3 days since I last shouted in church, 1 day since I drank my favorite orange juice, 15 minutes since I ate my last bite of 2-day old, mass-produced, cheesy, yellowy, mashed potato leftovers from Winslow, and 5 minutes since I started my new topic in my blog.

Unfortunately, my “travel-only” blog is going to be presupposed by a class assignment. I’m currently taking a very Dr. Phil-esque class called Developing Human Potential. I had to find an elective at the VERY last minute this semester when registering for classes. I was at a loss, and after much soul-searching and friend-asking, I decided to take the plunge into the wave pool of Human Potential. After a week in the class, I was UPSET because I wanted to develop OTHER people’s potential, NOT mine!!! The nerve of the professor to make us become better, more effective people so that we will be able to bring others through that process in our futures. Imagine that!