My Writings
This section has a collection of essays that I wrote from various articles. At the bottom of each essay is my work cited/ link to the article.
Creators Mindset
A Victim is full of excuses. Nothing is ever their fault, they claim there is always something that gets in the way of becoming successful. Victims just never seem to get anything accomplished. A Creator makes things happen. Creators are not ones to use excuses. If there is something keeping them from achieving their goals, they will find a way around that obstacle and make it happen. “A Victim will be quick to blame a source for the problem they find themselves in. A Creator will hold themselves responsible for their predicament as well as taking full responsibility for finding a way out of that predicament.” (Downing) Only you can determine if you want to walk through life playing a Victim or standing as a Creator. I, myself, have plenty experience in playing the Victim. It wasn’t until this year that I realized the Victim mindset is not causing me to succeed. I will never go far in life if I keep playing the Victim. I have chosen to be a Creator.
In his article “Do You think Like a Victim or a Creator” Professor David Mirman tells about two students who are in the same class together approaching the same problem in different ways. They notify their instructor that the college bookstore had run out of copies of the textbook that is required for that class. The instructor told both students they must have the textbook by the second week of class. On the second week of class, the instructor asks both students if they brought their textbooks to class. The first student says that she was unable to buy the book, as the bookstore was out of stock; therefore, she should not be blamed as the situation was out of her control. However, the second student was able to purchase the textbook. When the instructor asked her where she got the book, she said that she first went to the college bookstore and they were out of stock. Next, she called the other colleges in the area to ask if they had the book in stock. She finally had success in finding the book online for a much cheaper price and used the money she saved ordering online to add rush delivery (Mirman,).
My own experience as a Victim has played throughout my struggle with weight loss. I have always been considered over-weight, even at a young age. But by the end of middle school, I began hiking with my mom every day. In less than a year, I lost well over one hindered pounds. However, by the eleventh grade I found myself in a dark time. I was very depressed, became lazy, and all together unmotivated. I began eating unhealthy things, I stopped working out and generally just gave up and did not care. The cause of my decline in motivation and happiness was due to the situations and people I was surrounding myself with. My excuses were never ending. “I’m too tired, I’m too depressed, I can’t do that, and I keep trying but nothing works.” I had given up and did not hold myself responsible for the situation I was currently in. The fact is, I wasn’t trying at all. All the things causing me to feel this way could have been eliminated at the time had I merely opened my eyes and taken action to put myself on track. It took me four years to regain control and eliminate the direct sources that were causing me to fail. The outcome is I realized that only am in charge of my life, no one can achieve my goals for me. I also can’t point the finger at anyone else but myself if I fail at that goal.
Over time, I learned to adopt Creator traits from people all around. For example, a previous co-worker. She had big dreams of becoming Veterinarian. She was already on the right track. At the time, working as a lead dog trainer at the pet store we worked in, by that summer, she took on a second job as an animal keeper for Busch Gardens. In the fall she had begun volunteering at the Virginia Living Museum in the animal care department as well as animal care at the Norfolk Zoo. Realizing that she basically had a total of four jobs occurring, I jokingly asked her one day “When the heck do you sleep.” She tiredly replied ‘Not very much and not that often.’ But her reason for working so intensively is because it was a fact that the veterinary school that she wanted to go to took crucial note of animal related experience. Even though she had already been employed as a dog trainer at a pet store for nearly three years, she wanted to get the maximum amount of exposure to the field to improve her chances of being accepted into the school of her choice. What I learned from her, and often refer back to even today, is in order to achieve a goal I must put in 100% effort. I may be tired, you may not be able to do fun social things, and your life may “all work and no play.” Sacrifices sometimes have to be made in order to achieve a goal.
I have learned the ways to develop a Creator mindset. Taking responsibility for your life and the situations you end up in can be a difficult challenge but it is also rewarding once you do so. I have already shown proof of being a Creator so far this year in school. I continue to wake up every day and go to class on time even when I am so tired I can barely open my eyes. My routine since the semester started has been going to school, coming home and working on studying and assignments, waking up to continue working on assignments and studying, going to work from five to nine hours a day, and then coming home to work on studying and homework some more. There are plenty of days I would much prefer to just lay in bed and not look at a single book or review another chapter for a math quiz. Keeping myself motivated can be challenging sometimes. I, myself, have had a small handful of times where I did veer of course. Fortunately, I have shaken myself out of the mind frame of excuses by reminding myself that “No one is going to do this for you.”, or “With struggle comes success, if you are not ready to struggle then you are not ready for success.” If I don’t work hard regardless of how sleep deprived I am, then I will fail and won’t know what success really is. This will only add a life full of regret. My goal is to become a licensed Veterinary Technician. While I have quite a ways to go in achieving that dream, the lack of sleep, comfort and the ever present stress will all be worth the battle in the end. Work hard and do what is expected; no one has gone anything but up from that mindset. The Creator Mindset.
Work Cited
Downing, Skip. "P 42-44." On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. N. pag. Print.
"Do You Think like a Victim or a Creator?" You Are The Prime Mover
Np., 2 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. http://youaretheprimemover.com/2012/do-you-think-like-a-victim-or-a-creator
Reading Literacy
As a child my mother read a book to me every night before bed time. I often enjoyed the typical children’s books such as “Charlotte’s Web”, “Corduroy”, and the Disney classics like “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book” I enjoyed being read to so much my mother bought me books that were pre-recorded on a cassette tape so I could listen to the books that she always read to me while flipping through the hardcopy to look at the pictures along with the story.
I have always enjoyed reading if it involved a subject that I had interest in. In school we sometimes would take tests in which you would have to read a passage in order to get the correct answers. I would always try to read the entire passage but if it did not hold my interest in the slightest bit I would end up skimming the text for the answers. I suspect my interest level on the subject that I would read about played a big part in my reading comprehension issues. Eventually I was taught to read just one paragraph at a time and paraphrase what I just read and put the story together in my own way. I also had a difficult time comprehending words. Luckily, I was later taught to read the sentence before and after the word I did not understand and use the surrounding text of the word to analyze what it could mean.
Needless to say, my experience as a reader has been somewhat challenging. I struggled with word and reading comprehension until high school. I began focusing on reading books that I had interest in in order to practice on my comprehension. I first started reading teen themed drama stories, then astrology books as well as some Stephen King and Dean Koontz stories, and then moving up to authors such as Chuck Palahniuk and Hunter S. Thompson (“Choke”; “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”) I still enjoy reading books when I can find one that pertains to my interest. When in between books I frequently read veterinary books being that it pertains to my job and what I am in school for; of course, it’s an extreme interest as well.
I have tried listening to audio books several times and have realized I do better at comprehending when I physically read a text rather than listen to it. Listening to audio books I often find myself not paying attention to the full extent, and my brain begins to trail off and start thinking about things that are completely irrelevant. I believe reading the text has more of a learning effect than the audio book option. I believe actually reading the text is what made me successful through middle school and high school because I did have the text in front of me, I was taught different methods of dissecting a paragraph in order to comprehend the meaning or story behind what was being read. Preferring to read text in person instead of listening to an audio book is more beneficial when it comes to being successful in middle school and high school along with college. When you are reading the words in front of you, you have the ability to expand your vocabulary, broaden speech skills, and obtain more of an imagination; which will be a key skill not only in everyday life as an adult but also as a student who will be required to write essays and put together creative projects throughout their education.
Having the ability to read well is a crucial needed skill in college. College is very different than grade school, because everything is at “college level”. The books are more advanced, and the homework is more intense. The stronger your reading skills, the easier time you will have when it comes time for writing a thesis paper, taking a test that involves problem solving, and being able to retain information when it comes to studying. Becoming a strong reader is what will help a person be successful in and throughout their college career.
I still to this day am by no means have the perfect reading level. Reading comprehension is still a struggle but a minor struggle at that. If I happen to read something and don’t understand it to the fullest, I will re-read it until I do. It is an everyday practice, and with practice comes perfection.
Communicaing as a Professional
When you spend years upon years expanding your education for the career you’ve had your heart set on for a long time, it is assumed you will acquire a great deal of communication skills. A potential employer views your resume and is impressed with your credentials, years of experience, and even your references. But, there is a list of problems; the grammar, the spelling, the punctuation, is all incorrect. Suddenly, the boss of that dream job you were hoping for loses interest and tosses your resume in the trash. “How could someone with all of this education be oblivious on how to construct complete sentences?” they say to their self. All forms of communication are important in the workplace. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The importance of these skills pertain to not only being hired on at a job you’ve studied and prepared for, but also your success in your career. Gaining respect, promotions, and even a bigger salary are just a few things that can come your way by obtaining such skills.
Susan Adams, writer for Forbes magazine writes in her article “Why Grammar Counts at Work” about the importance of using proper grammar in the work place. With the troubles of today’s fixation on the internet and several social media sites, many employees of the younger generation are bringing improper grammar and their internet slang ways with them to work.(Adams) Thankfully, many employers are taking action to correct this trend by organizing extra training on the job to correct unprofessional communication ways. Not all employers are forgiving on the subject of improper grammar skills. Kyle Weins, owner of iFixit and Dozuki, confidently admits in his article “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why” he is a stickler on the subject of grammar. Clearly stating that part of his hiring process is to take a grammar test, and enforcing a zero tolerance policy for lacking grammar skills which will result in denial of being hired or even fired if already employed for making such mistakes. Some will regularly argue that proper grammar has nothing to do with intelligence, job performance or creativity. In reality, it has everything to do with it. (Weins)
Every career field has importance of great communication skills. Even the career I have chosen for myself, veterinary technician. Yes, even someone who works with animals must have outstanding communication skills by every means. Veterinary Technicians attend a 2-4 year program of study. Upon receiving your technician license, they will begin working under the supervision of a licensed Veterinary Doctor and perform a wide range of duties such as taking x-rays, recording medical history, assisting in surgeries and performing lab tests (O.O.H). Working as a Veterinary Technician, it is safe to assume the need for great communication skills such as: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Between seeing patients and helping to care for them, Vet Techs are responsible for recording medical notes and history told to them by the client. Listening thoroughly and asking series of questions will allow for a better understanding of symptoms or the cause for concern. That information is then relayed verbally to the Doctor in order to better help in diagnosing. Vet techs also read lab reports and record those results in the patient’s electronic file on the computer. These files can be viewed by the Doctor seeing the patient, the patients’ owner or client, and possibly other doctors from all around. This is why proper grammar is important. The information recorded by the vet tech can be seen by many people at any time.
Having a career in the veterinary field is my dream job. In order for anyone to successfully snag and achieve their dream job, they must master the basic skills needed to become great. I, myself, have a long way to come and much room for improvement. Thankfully, resources to do so are nearly unlimited. The English class I am currently in has given me a better understanding for grammar and punctuation and paraphrasing rules. With the Norton Field Guide to Writing, I am able to practice with a series of test prompts. Although I currently work for an animal hospital and get good practice using the skills I will need once I have my degree, public speaking and listening need the most work. I plan on taking a public speaking course while in college to better understand key points when speaking or listening to clients. After each class I will take the information I have been taught and apply it to myself while at work. Reading various books and journals related to my wanted career field can only strengthen my skills more. I regularly read journals such as NAVTA and VetLearn; Doing so teaches me new questions I should be asking a client, information I should be collecting for the doctors, and also broadening my vocabulary that is typically used in the veterinary setting Routinely watching news reports on television has already helped me to have ideas on how to approach speaking with a confident flow.
There is and always will be a high demand and purpose for skills for communication in the work place. At some point within every career field, there will be a need for listening, writing, reading, and speaking. The sooner these skills are gained and mastered, the better. Some businesses will even offer on the job training to implement those needed skills. With great communication and grammar skills comes promotions, respect, credibility and even maybe an increased salary. Without knowledge of proper ways to communicate, there is no obtaining “the dream job” or job stability.
Works Cited
Adams, Susan. "Why Grammar Counts At Work." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 July 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/07/20/why-grammar-counts-at-work/>.
Wiens, Kyle. "I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why." Harvard Business Review. N.p., 20 July 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2015. <https://hbr.org/2012/07/i-wont-hire-people-who-use-poo>.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2015. Adams, Susan. "Why Grammar Counts At Work." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 July 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/07/20/why-grammar-counts-at-work/>.
Myth of Multitasking
In Sarah D. Sparks’ article Studies on Multitasking Highlight Value of Self-Control she writes about the cause and affects in the world of multitasking. People ranging from the ages of 13 to 18 are engaged in at least six types of social media; facebook, Instagram, myspace, and tumblr are just a few examples. “Those under the age of 18 multitask more often and more extensively than previous generations.” (Rosen) However, multitasking is a myth. Research shows that the brain cannot be in two places at once. The effects of multitasking are more of a “con” instead of the mistaken “pro”. Studies of multitasking show that when multitasking, subjects show difficulty in concentrating, delayed reaction in making choices and a decrease in memory function. Overall, multitasking takes away time. Studies also show that multitasking takes longer than concentrating on one task at a time. When reading a chapter and receiving a text message comes in to play, the attention has to be redirected from the article to the text message and then back to the article. Even though it feels like two things are happening at once, the brain decides to take its attention away from the chapter reading, answer the text message and then refocus on to the chapter that was being read.
The truth is, multitasking is a myth and it is more beneficial to focus on one thing at a time. Doing so will increase concentration, memory, and completing the task in a timely manner.
I always considered myself a well operating multitasker until reading the article by Sparks. The fact that the human brain cannot focus entirely on more than one thing at a time now makes sense looking back on previous situations where I found myself producing errors. The most recent one happening at work. I work for an animal hospital and I am responsible for multiple things. This day in particular, I was performing an in house urine analysis for a patient. While in the middle of working on the lab tests, a co-worker came to me about a client that was currently on the phone inquiring information about some prescription food she had ordered for her pet. Thinking that I can handle two things at once, I took the call while still working in the lab. While on the phone with the client, I decided to put the sample in a test tube and spin it in the machine since that was my next step and it would open up about a fifteen minute window for me to speak to the client and then go back to what I was doing. By the time I finished up the phone call with the client, I had already moved on to my next task, forgetting that I had a sample that still needed analyzing. Luckily I did not forget about it for too long, this time. Had I not been lucky to remember as soon as I did, the sample would have been ruined, and I would have had an angry client on my hands since collecting such a sample from a pet is not the easiest thing to accomplish. Since that day, I have realized and learned that it's best to take care of things one at a time. No matter how in control I think I am and no matter how small of an amount of time my attention is taken away, it does not take long for the brain to re direct its focus from one thing to the next.
Bottom line is, it is more productive to do one thing at a time instead of trying to do multiple things at one time. The outcome to doing so is the task will be completed more thoroughly, time will be saved, and retaining information is greater. Afterall, multitasking is just a myth; no matter how in tune a person may feel their brain is with several things at once, the brain is not a computer and can only focus on one thing at a time.
Work Cited
Sparks, Sarah D. "Studies on Multitasking Highlight Value of Self-Control." <i>Education Week</i>. N.p., 15 May 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.