Dean Cox (1/30)

One of the tips that I liked was "don't fear those in power." I don't necessarily fear people in power, but I do feel intimidated sometimes. The more I think about it, the more silly I realize it is. We are all just volunteers doing our best in our different capacities. In my current role I have learned that it is much more efficient to learn all I can from those in power rather than be intimidated.

Another thing I have learned is that often we don't give ourselves enough credit. I have had program directors thank me for things I have done that I didn't think twice about. And people have done that for me. We need to give ourselves more credit! It's easy to look at other people and get discouraged, but we need to get out of that cycle.

A second tip that I enjoyed was his advice to "sprout deep roots." If we pretend that we are going to be in our current position for a long time then we become more invested. We need to be careful that we aren't always looking to the future so far that we miss the great things that are happening now. Sometimes I struggle with thinking that "I'll be happy when..." and when that event comes I think forward to the next event and then the next one and soon a lot of time has gone by. I was talking to my grandpa and he asked when my school work and other responsibilities would slow down. I found myself thinking ahead all the way to the end of the  semester! I told him that I have accepted the fact that school and different responsibilities will be crazy, but that I am just going to embrace the craziness and enjoy. There is no other way to do it without going insane. In my life right now, I have found that there is great value in reflecting. I have been keeping a much more consistent journal lately and I am surprised how much of a difference it has made to write about blessings. It has made me more appreciative of the small things that are going on in my life.

I think that this lesson will carry throughout my life. If we always act like we are going to be where we are for a long time we are more likely to build relationships that will last.