Success

While growing up, we believe that being successful is by finishing something like graduating from college or being rich. We also define success by all the achievements we’ve made and all the materialistic things we consume. Sometimes success is defined by the community and that becomes the standard. Success becomes limited, one-sided, and sometimes becomes impossible to reach. The pressure is real and isn’t going to go anywhere. However, success should be defined by how an individual sees and loves their life.

Once my siblings and I started primary school, my parents definitely pushed the idea of having good grades in school is what defined success. As long as we continued to get these good grades throughout junior high, high school, and college, we were going to be okay… but the major we decide to choose also mattered. That only meant that if one of us decided to pursue a degree in something not related in the medical field or a field that made big bucks, we weren’t going to be “successful.” The definition of success usually is rooted from the parents, but it isn’t always negative. Parents normally want what is “best” for their children, but sometimes they don’t know what exactly is best for them. The pressure from family to be successful can be tough, especially when it’s something you don’t want to do. Parents’ ultimate goal for their children is for them to be successful, but parents have a different meaning to success. Everyone has their own way of seeing and feeling success. The children are pressured, but are they happy about what they’re doing?

The happiness level of a person can determine how successful they are. I can’t imagine someone being successful without being happy or satisfied with life. It just seems contradictory for someone to not be happy and successful simultaneously. Because I mentioned that success is defined by the individual, success is what a person naturally wants and most individuals strive to be happy. People crave for happiness, but that isn’t achieved until they are successful in something. It can be as simple as beating a level in candy crush, getting an A in an exam, or winning the lotto.

Reaching that success level isn't an easy one. It's going to have mostly downs during the journey, but that's what makes it so much more worth it - the struggle. The struggle may be the worst part, but that's what going to make it feel more victorious. I think that being successful requires a lot of motivation, determination, and support. A person can only have so much will power mentally and physically, but a person can be emotionally stable with another person's support. A person's relationships can go a long way when being successful. With the help of others, a person can take five leaps rather than a couple steps. Relationships with others can only further and speed up someone's journey to success.

Jeff not-so Bliss

Jeff Bliss, a former high school drop out returns to school with a heart to learn stirs some tension across the country's educational system. He was just sitting in the back of his world history class until he got fed up with the way his teacher taught his class. He stood up and spoke his heart and mind. It is obvious that he was holding those thoughts in for too long. He wanted to change his life after dropping out because he realized that "without that education, [he's] not going to make any step forward into [his] future." Education in the U.S. is highly valued and without one, a person is usually looked down upon or less respected. It is more difficult to land a well paying job without a college degree, but even worse without a high school diploma.

When you think of a high school drop out, you think that person isn't going to get very far in life. However, sometimes these "bad" experiences is what makes someone's life so much better. For example, entrepreneur, Johnny Earle, also known as the CEO of Johnny Cupcakes dropped out of music school and sold t-shirts from his '89 Camry trunk and it was so popular that "The Boston Globe has named him one of the most innovative business leaders in Massachusetts." Johnny could have pursued his education in music, but because he didn't people around the world are willing to buy his products.


Jeff didn't drop out in the first place, he probably would have just say in class and worked on the packets. Education to him wasn't a priority before, but now that he wants to actually learn, he isn't getting the most out of the hours he's spending in school. His mother, a music teacher believes "education should be the process of getting better and getting smarter about how you do things, why you do things,  the way you do things."Jeff doesn't feel like he's getting any better or any smarter. His purpose in returning to school is to be able to make the next step in his future. Because he spoke, he is making a difference in the educational system.

To be continued...

Into the Wild

Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer is a story about this young man named Chris McCandless, who calls himself Alex. He graduated college with honors, but completely drops everything including giving up $25,000 in his bank account to a charity for hunger, OXFAM. Ironically, he is found dead weighing around sixty pounds, most likely due to starvation. He comes from a family that is well off because of his dad’s engineering job. Although he is privileged and obtains a college degree, he still chose to live life as if he had nothing except himself. He always had an independent mindset and once he graduated, his lifestyle reflected it. 

It was obvious that Chris had a passion for nature and not materialism. He knew in his mind that this was his plan after college. His parents offered him a new car as a graduation gift, but he was content with his old yellow Datsun because it had not given up on him yet. Chris being in a well-off family probably didn’t have large amount of loans to pay after college. He had $25,000 and he could have done anything with it. He enjoyed traveling, but he didn’t use that money for a plane ticket across the country. He backpacked throughout most of his journey. During his adventure, his Datsun got stuck in the mud, but that didn’t stop him from continuing. Because of his passion, he knew what he wanted, so nothing or nobody could stop him.

Chris attending and graduating college probably helped him throughout his travels. He probably used his knowledge from school and incorporated what he had learned in order to survive outdoors. Although school doesn’t really teach you how to live in the wild, he enjoyed reading and when he spoke, he spoke intelligently. These books fired him up. He’s not just a person walking around with no direction. He knew where he was going and always easily adapted to certain situations. He probably would not have survived as long if he wasn’t so smart. Photographs and his diary tells the world what kind of life he lived and you wouldn’t expect a college graduate with a lot of money to land in the forest. You would expect one to be working like most students do after graduating. Chris was different. He followed his heart.

Hall of Fame (Lyrics)

I decided to use this song by The Script ft. Will I Am for my blog because I thought the lyrics related to our class. Enjoy!

Yeah, You could be the greatest
You can be the best
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest

You could beat the world
You could beat the war
You could talk to God, go banging on his door

You can throw your hands up
You can be the clock
You can move a mountain
You can break rocks
You can be a master
Don't wait for luck
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself

Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

You could go the distance
You could run the mile
You could walk straight through hell with a smile

You could be the hero
You could get the gold
Breaking all the records that thought never could be broke

Do it for your people
Do it for your pride
Never gonna know if you never even try

Do it for your country
Do it for you name
Cause there's gonna be a day

When your, standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

Be a champion, Be a champion, Be a champion, Be a champion

On the walls of the hall of fame

Be students
Be teachers
Be politicians
Be preachers

Be believers
Be leaders
Be astronauts
Be champions
Be true seekers

Be students
Be teachers
Be politicians
Be preachers

Be believers
Be leaders
Be astronauts
Be champions

Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

(You can be a champion)
You could be the greatest
(You can be a champion)
You can be the best
(You can be a champion)
You can be the king kong banging on your chest

(You can be a champion)
You could beat the world
(You can be a champion)
You could beat the war
(You can be a champion)
You could talk to God, go banging on his door

(You can be a champion)
You can throw your hands up
(You can be a champion)
You can be the clock
(You can be a champion)
You can move a mountain
(You can be a champion)
You can break rocks

(You can be a champion)
You can be a master
(You can be a champion)
Don't wait for luck
(You can be a champion)
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself
(You can be a champion)

Standing in the hall of fame

Bad Things Could Happen

This is a video made by "thisiscollective" showing that bad things could happen. It's not just a random video where people make giant cardboard props and play interesting music because there's a definitely a deeper meaning.

I think it means that people need to be more careful when making decisions because they forget what the outcome could turn out like. There are always precautions when making decisions, whether it's choosing to not brush your teeth and getting cavities or spending your money on something useless and wasting your money. There are bad things that are simply avoidable like wearing shoes can prevent you from stepping on broken glass.

However, I also believe that people are afraid to make important decisions in their life because some are just risky. Of course we don't want to make a "wrong" decision and end up regretting it. Sometimes making a decision is the only way to move forward. You can't wait for something to happen if you're not doing anything about it. Even if the decision you make goes a different direction, it's up to you on how you want to handle the situation.

Andrade Video Response

Jeff Duncan Andrade started his speech about a time when he was young. His mom had a discussion with him about the analogy of the cup being half full and half empty. She said that however a person views the cup, whether half full or half empty, is a reflection of how a person thinks and lives their lives.

Having a cup half empty is the feeling where there's something missing in your life. It's like you can never feel fully satisfied. People who complain about not having certain things are not thankful because they live a life with a hole in their cup or like a weaved basket that leaks. They don't realize what they have and want more. People have the choice to be cup half full or half empty or a woven basket. For example, the glass on the right sees himself as "half-fool, half-genius" while the glass on the left is wondering if he's "half-full" or "half-empty." It shouldn't be how anybody views you because you know yourself best and you have to power to be what you want - half full, half empty, or something else!

The main differences are:
Half Empty- Something is always missing in their lives, never satisfied
Half Full- Appreciative of what they have
Hole in cup/Woven Basket- Everything goes to waste
Overflowing cup- Satisfied and willing to share with others

Instead of being half full, people need to seek becoming an overflowing cup. People who live a life with an overflowing cup only means they have more than enough to share their blessings with others. Why keep all the water, when it doesn't even fit in the cup? However, being just the opposite, a cup with a hole, is letting opportunities that come your way, go to waste. It may be an opportunity to buy a homeless family dinner, but you don't do it. Or a job opportunity, but you just let it pass by.

How you see your life and how you live it is by choice.


3 Questions:
1. What do the people in Piedmont think about their little city and how do they feel about the others living outside?
2. What will it take for the the education system in poverty to change?
3. Who/what will motivate these students to be educated?

Deal Breakers

Honestly, my first years in college I thought there were so many issues that were making thriving in college difficult, but now I think my main concern is money. During my first years, I was lost. So lost that I was taking classes that I didn't need because I had no clue what I wanted to study. There was just so much pressure from family and the society. I was happy when I saw my friends move on in their lives, but I felt like I was stuck. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up because I feel like I want to be something else every single day. From the Passion Project video, Samira said, " I can change what I believe from moment to moment from day to day from year to year... you're just rapidly changing."

A strategy to find out what you want to do in life is by trying new things and talking to people. When you explore, you get to learn, grow and find out if you like what it is your doing. That's why your mind will change often. A person will never know they enjoy something until they try it first hand. Observing is the first step, but actually doing it is the most important step. I really didn't want to be a nurse, but I knew I wanted to work in the medical field. If I didn't talk to my friend's older sister about it, I wouldn't have explored and researched about Occupational Therapy for children. I knew I wanted to work with children from the get-go, but if I didn't have this connection with my friend, I wouldn't have thought about going into OT. After figuring that out, I was motivated and did my own research on how to get to the next step because counselors can only do so much.

My main hindrance from thriving in college is money. Even if I'm studying hard and getting good grades, I am still worrying about paying for my tuition in the back of my head. I know there are scholarships and grants, but I won't qualify for all of those. It'll only get worse once I transfer into a university. It's unfortunate that money is a major road block for many. This country I live in values money more than education. I think everyone deserves to be educated and shouldn't cost as much. I know it's a problem because teachers should also be getting paid well to teach students. If money was never an issue in the beginning, teachers wouldn't be worried about getting paid little or not at all, and students would be able to learn because they can.

Passion Vs. Poverty

I don’t think there’s a direct connection between passion and poverty because passion is something that anyone can have and poverty is what society describes as being in the condition of not having much money. However, having money in this country lets one have more experiences because some things must be bought. Any person can have passion, but it’s unfortunate that in order to make dreams come true, money gets involved. If a rich person has the passion for traveling, it’ll be so much easier for him to achieve. If a poor person has the same passion, this person has to work harder for it and might delay these dreams. 

People have a choice with what to do with their passion, but what’s more important that pursuing that passion is surviving in this world that we made. The world we made includes corporations and workers. In order to survive, you need to work because work is what generates money and money is what will buy your essentials of living: food, water, shelter, clothes, etc. The problem is some people do have jobs, but it’s still not enough to pay the bills. There are bills or school, health, modes for transportation, house, electric, water, and other little bills that add up. These bills that keep piling up are paralyzing people or delaying them from pursuing their passion. 

Some people don't let road blocks stop them from getting what they want. They have motivation that fires them up and never let the fire from dying. It almost seems so easy for those people. However, not everyone has that inner motivation. Some people don't know how to find that motivation or just don't know where to start. It's hard when nobody is there to guide us like when we were younger. I think people need an accountability partner for certain things like chasing after goals. Having one will keep them in check and encourage them to push through because the end result will be so sweet. That little push of encouragement can go a long way.

Passion Project Video

The Passion Project video made me reflect and question what I was passionate about and what it took for me to realize what it was. Sometimes you just don’t know what you’re truly passionate about, but some people like Karina knows she’s passionate about a lot of things. Like Samira, “the best advice could have been given is to know that my mind is undecided” because I wasted money going into community college not knowing what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I changed my majors multiple times and I know I’m not alone. So many people drop out of school because they’re so lost, but maybe there passion is to be found outside of school. I don’t think I would have discovered my passion for helping children if I just stayed in school. My experience with different children outside of school is what sparked that passion.

Passion is something that comes from within. It's this desire you have that nobody could take away from you. It's your passion not anyone else's.

A passion could be anything - good or bad. Some people have a passion for helping others, but some people may have a passion for stealing. I believe that having a passion is always going to be selfish regardless if it's good or bad because it's a personal and internal feeling. It's selfish because it's always going to give you the feeling you want. Some people want that warm fuzzy feeling of love  after helping abandoned animals. Maybe it's that rush someone gets when they steal hundred dollars worth of clothes at the store or just always being in the latest fashion so they'll do anything to have certain clothes. Having a passion should not be swayed by others because it comes from within. 

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