1018 Velocity News Weblog

How have you changed?

• I have grown mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, acdemically, and finacially. I am my own man and I am blazing a path to greatness, with the guidance of God.

What important life lessons have you learned ?

• Not EVERYONE has your best interest at heart.

How are you going to work harder next year so you do not make the same mistakes you did this year?

• I am going to actually plan out a better routined schedule to maximize my scholastic and social performance.

 What are you going to do this summer that will help you grow as a person?

• I will be traveling! I am so happy to, beacuse I have been selected as an intern to work for Bank of America through a program the company has called Bank of America Student Leaders. Through the program, I will intern at the downtown Bank of America and go on an all expense paid trip to Washington D.C. I also will be attending my family reunion in Atlanta, so it will be all good this summer. I especially will enjoy the time I get to spend with my family and friends!

Building Relationships -

•  
  • Become genuinely interested in other people.
    • People are most interested in themselves. If you share that interest, they will respond.
    • If you talk to people about themselves, they will keep listening and listening.
    • Remember birthdays and other important personal details.
  • Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
    • Find the interests of others and talk about those things.
    • Begin any conversation disscussing the other’s interests and you’ll find them to be much more open to suggestion.
    • If you know nothing of their interests, try to ask intelligent questions about their interests. Perhaps ask for the story of how they developed those interests.
  • Be a good listener.
    • Give other’s your exclusive attention.
      • Urge others to talk about themselves.
      • Ask pointed questions.
      • By simply listening and asking questions, others will think you are a great conversationalist.

Selling Your Ideas -

• • Avoid arguments: you can only lose.
    • Most arguments end with each contestant more certain of their opinions and less willing to change them.
    • Even if you win, you hurt the pride of the loser and the loser may resent you for it.
      “If you argue, rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes; but it will be an empty victory, because you will never get your opponent’s good will.” – Ben Franklin
    • A Guide to avoiding arguments:
      

      1. Welcome disagreements. .
      2. Stay calm.
      3. Listen first. Hear others out.
      4. Identify areas of agreement.
      5. Admit your errors to make it easier for others to admit theirs.
      6. If no there is resolution to be found, delay action and promise to explore the alternative perspective further.

  • Begin in a friendly way.
    • Opening conversations with sincere praise, appreciation and/or sympathy will disarm your conversation partner.
    • Beginning with a friendly tone will free the others to be more open minded.
    • Example: One fellow who couldn’t afford his rent increase invited his landlord over for the closing inspection. The tenant complimented the landlord on the building’s location, good management and gave the landlord a sympathetic ear for his problems with other tenants. After only casually mentioning he couldn’t afford the increased rent, the landlord reduced the rent without having been asked directly.

Leadership -

• Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
  • It is easier to take criticism after we’ve heard some praise.
  • Look for things done well before calling attention to failings.
  • Follow up sincere praise with an “and” rather than a “but” before delivering criticism. Otherwise, your praise may seem contrived and artificial.
    • Example: Instead of, “We’re proud of your grades son, but if you had tried better in algebra they would be a lot better” to “We’re proud of your grades son, and if you keep it up you’re algebra grades will be even better next semester.”

• Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
  • The pain of criticism is easier to bear when you share your own mistakes.
  • The others will be more motivated to correct themselves.

• Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly.
  • Direct, harsh criticism can destroy incentive to improve.
  • Possible Method: Asking the other party to consider alternative points of view, i.e. “Is this process the most efficient way to get the job done?” and “I wonder how user-friendly this feature will be.”
  • Possible Method: Rather than pointing out a sales clerk’s inattentiveness toward customers, a store manager might help out the customer in full view of the inattentive sales clerk.
  • Possible Method: Instead of “Your idea isn’t very good,” “This idea may not work in the present environment.”  It isn’t the work/idea that is flawed; it’s the environment’s fault. Don’t be too obvious.

Just these tools alone can help you succeed in the real world and business world. All three “trees” have “branches” that act as guides to help people along their way to achieve great accomplishments in life.

These three key fact are some of the ways our Earth is steadily dying.

• Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
• The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century’s last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.
• The Arctic is feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004.

We as a nation should take pride in where we live. If it’s just cleaning up your local community, do your part to help. Earth is the only place suitable enough for human lifeforms.

Nothing new…just me being me.

Ummmm………………………………..I’m having a deluxe sandwich today for lunch. I made it, so hopefully it’s good. LOL. But other than that, nothing really has been going on. I’m kind of ready for the weekend so I can chill. I think I’m going to the movies to see “Prom Night”.

The weekend was rather good. I took my ACT and think I did a lot better than my previous time taking it. After the test, I went and got my haircut and ate some food. Hopefully, this weekend I can got to the movies or something. The end.

My favorite thing would actually be life. Life has it’s up’s and down’s, but it’s factors like that that keep you not only motive, but to keep going to see what life has to offer. It’s like with me…I want to see the world! I want to be able to visit vast cultures and not just read about them or their civilations. And you can only experience these opportunities in…life! So every chance I get, I want to take advantage of the chance I get to see “life” and what it has to offer.

I really don’t know why I entitled my blog this, but anyway, the day has progressively been good. I have continued to study for my ACT, which is this Saturday! No stress though. I’m confident I will do good and trust in God to know everything will be alright.

Well…the weekend was rather boring. I went to work and then went home to “study” for my ACT. It’s this Saturday. I think I’m pretty well prepared, although I’m still trying to gather any relevant info on all four subjects. I have this thing where I try to relate “Real Life” situations to the problems on the test. My method does have its advantages and disadvantages.

But, in the end, it will ALL work out.