Exercise 1: Finding two professors whose research interests me.
(This will help me select a graduate program and a professor to work under).
1.
2.
3.
4. University of
5.
6.
It’s moving along….or that is how it feels anyway. This class has been good for me in several ways, but one of the ways I notice the most is the constant action which will take you further than you realize before you know it. These ‘next steps’ make me move toward my dream sometimes without me know just how quickly. It takes down that imaginary curtain between me and that dream that seems so far off and abstract. Sometimes I think that can be a resistance for me, where I will picture this dream that seems to far away or difficult to achieve, but in actuality is not. Taking these little steps makes the dream more real with every little step…until one day hopefully it will happen.
Exercise 2: Buddy System
I have chosen my two closest friends as my buddy system. The weekly business meeting went better than I could expect. It is amazing when you have another person who acts as a back-up and helps reinforce progress towards your goals and dreams. I have noticed that when someone (my buddies) expects to hear back about my actions during the week it helps me to work even harder on making the next step happen. Having a good friend as a buddy also makes the ‘next steps’ more of an adventure and exciting rather than during hard times a chore. The emotional support with my best friends is an added bonus because although I cannot always complain to my teachers, I can complain and vent with my friends who then support me. The buddy system is also a very practical, for example you can use that person as a network that can help you get in contact with someone, help with resources, etc. I have taken Sher’s suggestion about being on time seriously because it is important to show that I take this seriously and show that this meeting is important to me (both my own goals and their goals). We were able to do the 5 minute report in and the problem and solving time easily. This was nice to summarize the week and hear from yourself how the steps are doing, also to see how fast the other person is going. After we reported in, discussed problems and solutions we quickly did the 5 minute scheduling. I need to work on making/keeping a schedule and time limit with a timer because with a good friend it is hard to stay on task and not talk about other topics. I have noticed that after the meetings we have short booster phone calls that do help assist us during the week. This has been one of the best things I have done for the progression of my goals.
Optional: Interview with a professor/activist.
I called a professor that Prof. Rock had suggested I speak to because this professor’s interests are similar to mine. Although it took awhile to get us both together for an interview, it finally happened! She is great! I learned so much more than I realized! Looking back at the interview that happened just a few hours ago I learned not just about being an activist and a professor, but about being a living and thriving human being.
The top 5 tips she gave me about looking back at her life:
1. Let yourself go and get involved with what you are interested in, rather than what is a direct path and will just provide a job.
2. Find out if you are good at that thing you are passionate about.
3. Investigate on what it takes to succeed, or rather have a plan. (Sher would say ‘amen’).
4. Work hard!
5. Lastly, recognize that the path is ups and downs, not a straight easy line to success. There will be ups and downs, but don’t focus on that. Focus on whether there is a positive trend towards success or your goal, rather than an occasional down.
This was a great interview and I took away so much great advice!
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