What makes you angry....

Blog challenge....what makes you angry....

Hard, I'm not a very angry person.  But I recognize that it really bothers me how much importance we attach to religion.

I understand that religion helps people grapple with the meaning of life, but when you use that as a reason to condemn others, I think it can be the most destructive force in our universe.  I don't feel people need to believe the same way I do;  but, under the guise of religion, we persecute others and try and force our beliefs on others.  That really bothers me.  We justify killing, condemning and persecuting others all in the name of what we believe.

Happy December (almost)

Started writing the November challenge in late November.  Gonna write through December.  Started running a mile every day too.  That will help me finish of my 30 day challenge I did with my students to exercise every day.  I only missed one day and I liked the challenge to put the challenge on your calendar the next day so you would not miss it two days in a row. That made it easy not to miss two days in a row.

The story is goofy but I really look forward to sitting down and writing everyday.  Even woke up this moring and wrote some before my day started.  Gonna really work on better habits.

My Story

Where to begin?  The journey, the journey is where you should always begin.  Growing up was not the most fun aspect you could think of.  Dysfunctional is an all encompassing word....but what my family history taught me was how to NOT live my life.  That is where the roots of 'joy.live in laughter. be for others.' comes from....I had a family that did not see the joy in life....now I have the complete opposite, a family that is full of joy, full of laughter.

I guess I have been in the helping profession all my life, in some form or another.  I have taught K-12, worked in non-profits, tutored, carpenter, and now in higher education.  I do get joy out of helping others and most times I help my self through these interactions.....It truly is amazing how living your life in service to others helps you more than it helps others.  I am working on myself everyday.  Trying to develop better habits so I can help others see their potential and to grow and discover purpose.

Writing every day is going to help me tremendously!!!

What the World Needs

Howard Therman said  "Don't ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."  

We need people to be alive!!!  What a great quote....

Sometimes it is important to remind ourselves that you need to make sure you are doing what make you happy, what make you come alive before you can have impact on others.  If you haven't figured out your own mission, it is hard to help others.  I recently was reminded of this by Brian Johnson with the Philosopher's notes TV.....He talked about how we are reminded of this when we board a plane and go over the emergency procedures.  When the oxygen masks drops down from the compartment, you need to get oxygen first then help someone else out.  You need to find what you need first before you can give the world what it needs.

To come alive you need to fulfill your mission.  Do you know your mission?  Everyone's purpose is the same....every single human being has the SAME PURPOSE....yes, and that is to be happy.  What is different is your mission, that is unique to you....what is your mission?  I really believe it has to be rooted in serving others ."Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others."  Wonderful quote by Danny Thomas.

So work on finding your mission....what you do is a strategy to help fulfill your mission.....

Another Year at NAU

Another year has passed at Northern Arizona University, this year is coming to a end and it is very bittersweet.  The very first group of student mentors I helped trained 3 years ago will be graduating this year.  What an outstanding group of students.....I have watched them grow, laugh, lead, cry and learn so much about themselves.  Peer Jacks has become such a family and I have definitely learned as much from my mentors as they have learned from me.

To all the graduates, I will miss you, but I also know that you will confidently go onto bigger and better things.  Serena Sauceda, Michael Ebersold, Jessica Uithoven, Jazmine Mincey, Kylie Suter, Kaitlin Fitzgerald, Kimberly Munson, Sydney Wilson, Dylan Mills, Jessica Hardi, Josh Meyers, Shauna Walker, Kelsey Lytle, Megan Saba, Paige Zagar, Christina Tymchak, ......you will be missed....safe travels and much love!!!!

So the summer awaits, to recruit freshman students to the program, prepare for the training in the fall and also preparing for my new class in the 2nd 8 weeks of the semester!!!!  I cannot wait and will be focusing this year on helping my staff feel appreciated and safe at Peer Jacks....safe to be who they are, be heard and grow in a supportive environment.!!!

Make it Matter

Just went to a great conference through On Course....so good to see one of my favorite mentors, Bill Johnson from UNC-Greensboro.....what a great facilitator and leader.  I also got to sit in on some really good workshops on using the journey of the Hero with our students....modeling successful behaviors to develop leadership....and a really great session on utilizing interactive technology....thank you Kelly Falcone from Palomar College.  So nice to have a tangible result of a workshop with this blog and some really good tools to use in the classroom setting with students.  

Getting ready to finish up a really great year with the Peer Jacks mentoring program at Northern Arizona University.  I continue to be amazed by the quality of our mentors and how I continue to learn from them everyday.  I've never had a job that I love so much....what a joy to go to work everyday and to watch these students grow.  As I mentioned earlier, Bill Johnson is my mentor.  He put me on this path three years ago when I attended my 1st ever On Course Conference.  I had just watched Simon Sinek's Ted Talk and read his book "Start with Why".  The serendipitous convergence of these two leaders in my life at that time was the best thing that happened to me.  I had just been at my job a year and felt that I was just seeing the potential of the program and how it important it was to focus on the mentors themselves.  What I learned from both these leaders was the importance of finding your why....your purpose.  At the workshop I developed my mission statement and came up with my tag line.  I am a helper, I have always been a helper, always in the helping profession.  I've worked in camps, taught school, worked for and led non-profits....heck, I even was a carpenter for 3 years, building houses.  But, I had never articulated a mission statement.....here it is:  Clear a path of others so they can confidently go on to bigger and better things.  My tagline?  Joy.Live in Laughter.Be for Others.  

One of my goals from that 1st workshop with Bill was to teach a class at the college level (beyond what I already do while training my mentors),  My 1st class, Making College Matter, will begin fall 2015!  I am very excited about this class and helping students make the most of their college experience....

Let the Blog Begin!!!!

At On Course in Anaheim, CA. 1st presentation at a National Conference on our mentoring program.  Now creating 1st blog.....thank you Bill Johnson and Simon Sinek.  Who are your mentors?