A Sonnet for Sunday

We have been talking a lot in my Shakespeare class about digital learning and bridging the gap between what most people's perceptions are about Shakespeare and our world today. This can include sharing our work through social media, and getting feedback from those around us. When you ask someone what their first thought is when you say "Shakespeare" many people will respond with answers like "Romeo and Juliet" or "It's hard to understand" or "It's boring." As I prepare to pursue a field in English Education, I am looking for ways to make Shakespeare more accessible to students today and hopefully help them realize the relevance to their lives.

Our first assignment at the beginning of the semester was to write a sonnet. Contrary to popular belief, sonnets can be about more than love. :) We discussed using well-known scriptural verses as the basic for a sonnet, so I decided to base mine off of one of my favorite verses from the Book of Mormon: Helaman 5:12. What follows is my very first sonnet. Enjoy!

And now my sons remember what was said,

remember Christ is Lord and Rock of all.

You must with faith obey the Living Bread.

Without His help we all on earth will fall

unless you stand with strength and purpose firm

and build upon the rock of our dear Lord.

His grace and love to you He will affirm

and with His help receive your great reward.

But there is one who wants for you to fail.

The devil will send storms and try to win

and beat you down with sin and with his hail,

for all he seeks is men to bow to sin.

            By building on a rock that cannot fall,

            we rise victorious and inherit all.

Vice President Scharman

1. I think that the lessons I learned can be applied in a variety of ways. One thing that she discussed that stuck out to me was to put your family first and then line up your priorities after that. I have heard many stories of people who have not put their family first and then they end their lives with a great career but family relationships that are lacking. I don't want that to happen. I think that it really is important to make time for family, because in the end it is relationships that we will take with us. I also really loved that she talked about the Family Proclamation. When Vice President Scharman reminded us that each word was worked on, it really was a witness to how important the family is to the leaders of the Church, and by extension, the Savior.

2. Obviously working in BYUSA is not comparable to a marriage, but I think I have learned lessons that will transfer to that phase of my life. We are all very different people, but we have made it work. One thing that has been key is that we have always just been ourselves. You can't pretend to be someone you aren't. I have also learned that if you have a problem, you just need to say it. You have to be tactful, but it is silly to ignore the problem. Leading out in my home means that I need to take an active role in communication. I also think being unified with my husband will be extremely important. The Lord has taught, "if ye are not one ye are not mine." No one can be successful without being unified. Unity doesn't come immediately though, and I think that one thing that really contributes is trust. If everyone in a group (or in this case, my future family) can trust one another, they can be much more effective and successful.

Dean Heperi

1. One way I have tried to show my love to those I work with is by listening. Sometimes I have found that stewardship time is best spent talking about the things that are going on in their lives instead of BYUSA things. Another way I have tried to show my love is by spending time with my program directors outside of the office. Relationships are built through spending time together. A third way I try to show my love is by expressing appreciation. When we express appreciation as it is due, we can work together better.

2. I had a program director at the end of summer term who had too much on his plate. He was a SAC rep, pre-med, starting his own business, and taking 17 credits. I was struggling to tell him that it wasn't really working out, but it needed to happen. I prayed a lot before the conversation happened, and it went really well. I made sure to emphasize the good points of what he was doing and then move the conversation to what needed to change. He was receptive to what I told him and we were able to fix what needed to be fixed.

Mythbusters: Career Edition

1. When I first came to BYU I was convinced that I wanted to major in Political Science. Then I was convinced that I wanted to do biology, and then special ed, and the list goes on and on. It got to the point that Brandon would ask me, "So what's your major this week?" He was joking, but it was quite true! I was so excited when I got to college that I just couldn't settle on one particular major. Some of the classes I have taken persuaded me one way or another. When I thought that I wanted to do biology I took PDBIO 120, and that class was way too hard for me! That major exposed me to a career path that I learned I did not want to follow. My first semester I took a Career Exploration class, and that was really useful to me. Through taking the different personality tests my eyes were opened to different possibilities. Another favorite class was Intro to International Relations. I was convinced that I wanted to be a diplomat. In the end though, I went with English, which is one of my first loves. :)

2. I giggled a little bit when I heard the myth, "When I find my calling, work will be bliss." That is just not true. Life is hard, even if you are doing something that you love. You can control your surroundings (for the most part) but you cannot control those around you. I think that when you find something you love you will be happy, but life will not be perfect. I think that we can find joy in the hard troubles though. I know that when I accomplish something really difficult, I feel a sense of joy that I can't get from anything else. We can find happiness in hard work.

President Samuelson

1. I think that it was very appropriate that he told us not to wait to serve until we are less busy, I'm not so sure that will happen any time soon! I was talking to my mom and she told me that while my life right now is very busy and full, it will only become more so when I get married and start my family. Over the weekend I watched with amazement while she filled many responsibilities and roles. I think that in order to serve we need to pray for those opportunities. Being able to work on Redefine Service this year (even though it has been off to four slow starts :) ) has taught me that we all have time to serve, even if it is in small ways. I think that one of the best ways to prepare is to serve right now. If we are in the habit now, then we will be more likely to do so in the long run.

2. I liked the story he shared referring to the lawn mowing. I have felt the same way that he described and have been guilty of doing something myself that I probably should have delegated. Lately I have been trying harder to delegate and my life has become a lot easier since I did that. :) Whenever I think about delegating in leadership I think of when Joseph Smith said, "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves."Once I was sure that my PDs had all the knowledge they needed they were good to go and I became more of a resource. I think that this will carry to future responsibilities. As long as I give them all the training they need, it will all work out.

Career Fair

On January 25th I had the opportunity to go to the Career Fair. It seemed that most of the job possibilities there were focused on business-oriented majors, so I walked in expecting that I wouldn't really be able to do much. Thankfully, I was wrong. I talked to HELP International and a few other programs that focus on teaching. Since I am going into education, these were interesting prospects to me.

Although I'm not looking for a job at this moment because graduation is still a few years away, this was still a great experience. I am so glad that we were required to update our resumes, because I think that creating a solid resume is a huge selling point. Often that can be the first thing that a potential employer will see, and it needs to be a good first impression. Making a good first impression is another skill that I got to practice at the career fair. I watched the way that different people approached the booth, the way that they addressed the presenter, and also how they presented themselves.

I realized that there are a few aspects of the career fair that I wasn't 100% prepared for. One thing that I think is crucial is your "elevator pitch." This is an important principle whether you are giving your pitch about yourselves or not. I have developed my own pitch when I present each of my programs and also BYUSA as a whole. People don't want to listen to a long speech, and so it is important to be able to present the key points quickly.

Dr. Ben Wilson (2/6)

1. Recently I have been reflecting on my experience and I am amazed at how far we all have come since interviewing last March. When I came in I had no idea what this year would hold, but I am so glad that I have had this opportunity. My involvement has helped me develop in several ways. One of the biggest is learning how to delegate. In the past I would try and do too much by myself. This position has given me the opportunity to learn to identify the strengths of each individual and use those strengths to the advantage of the group. There is too much to be done for just one person to do it, and I have also realized that by trying to do it all myself I am robbing those around me of opportunities to grow. By delegating and having my role be more of a mentor than the "do-er" everyone involved has benefitted. Another way in which my involvement has helped my development as a leader was by participating in the 360 survey. This gave me the change to identify my strengths as well as those things that I could improve upon. I would not have been able to attain that information without this course and the survey.

2. I think that it takes courage to make improvements sometimes. It is not always easy to make changes in long-existing programs. One of my struggles last semester was helping one of my program directors to see the need to make changes in a program. I think that sometimes we get so stuck in tradition that we don't realize that things need to change. We need to have the courage to make those hard decisions about keeping programs and we also need the courage to be honest with ourselves. It will not be easy, but those decisions need to be made. I have always been struck by the idea of "sacred funds" and I think that it is our responsibility to make sure these funds are being spent in the best way possible.

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.

Class (1/23)

1. Since we are surrounded by so many leadership-driven and goal-oriented people, it is easy for me to think that everyone is the same way. This year I have learned to appreciated more types of people and I have learned that everyone has something that they bring to the table. I can learn something from each person that I come in contact with. Sometimes, these people fall into the category of "the least of these." We all need to try and help those people, while also being receptive to what they can teach us. Service Squad definitely attracts a different crowd than most volunteer opportunities, and that has been great for me. If I go to Service Squad and I am receptive to the Spirit I am better able to help those around me. In my future service, I think one way to apply this counsel is to look for the good in each person and to be nonjudgmental. 

2. I think that the best way to learn from someone who may come from a different educational background is to have an open heart. This can only happen with a conscious effort. I try to pray and ask Heavenly Father to help me to learn from the speaker. The scriptures teach us that if we ask, seek, and knock the Lord will open our minds and help us. [Please note the lack of the Oxford comma in the preceding sentence.]  I have felt that occur when I served at the MTC last year. Some of the missionaries came in and it was evident by his speech that we had more education. My roommate who was volunteering with me and I had said a prayer that we would be receptive to the missionaries' message and that prayer came to be. It was one of the most powerful lessons that I heard during that semester and I was grateful to the Lord for the Spirit that was present in the room so we all could be uplifted together.

Leading Change

Question One

My mom used to be the Young Women's president in our ward. She was put in the calling when there was change in the ward. There was a huge number of girls in the ward due to the change, and each of them had their own needs. There was a huge learning curve for her as she found out what her calling included, but she learned everything quickly. There were few things that helped her lead the change successfully. One of these things was prayer. Heavenly Father knew the needs of her girls and through Him, she could find that out. She also learned that she couldn't do it alone. She received help from Heavenly Father and also from her counselors. Another big thing that contributed to her success was learning patience, especially with herself. It is important to realize that we aren't going to do everything perfectly, and to be patient with ourselves. I think both these things, along with others, were important for her success.

Question Two

Discovery Statement 1: Switching the hand I wrote with slowed me down, but I slowly started to adapt (kinda). It made me appreciative that I don't have to do it more often.

Discovery Statement 2: Over the weekend I went to the optometrist. On the wall was written a quote by Helen Keller that said, "The most pathetic thing in the world is a man who has sight, but no vision."

Discovery Statement 3: It was hard not to run into things and I was scared that I was going to fall down the stairs.

I think these activities taught important lessons. The first activity made me think about how we need to be adaptable in order to successfully lead change. Things are rarely going to go according to plan, and so we need to be able to adjust accordingly. The second activity taught me about how we need vision. We can't ever reach goals that we don't set! We need to have a vision in order to successfully do what we are responsible for. The third activity made me think about how we need to be willing to take risks sometime to get things done. I was really scared that I was going to fall down the stairs, and so I had to take a risk to accomplish the task.

Teamwork and Collaboration

1. One experience I had with successful teamwork was when my high school NHS Council worked to put on our first event. It was the Induction Ceremony for about two hundred new members, and to us as new officers, it was a daunting task. We had to plan the program, schedule a speaker, find entertainment, get food, send out invitations, and figure out all the details. On the scale of events that BYUSA does, this would have been very simple, but this was a huge task to me at the time. We had many meetings beforehand to plan, and then tasks were delegated. We all filled our responsibilities and the program was able to move forward successfully.

I think there were several keys that made us successful. The first application I can draw is that we made a plan. We have a established action plan template for our events and programs in BYUSA and if we can use it effectively we will be better off. Planning is essential to everything we do. Another thing that I think is important to mention is that we divided up the tasks. It is impossible for one person to do everything, and there is no reason that anyone should! Planning goes a lot more smoothly when there are many minds working on it. The last thing that I want to address is that in NHS, we capitalized on each others’ strengths. A few of the girls are very creative, so they were in charge of decorations. Another boy knew a good public speaker, so he was in charge of asking that man to speak at the program. A few other officers were very articulate, so they conducted the program. We were able to put on a better event because we were all doing what we were good at.

2. In Communications this year we have talked about how all of us girls are very competitive with each other. The analogy of “crabs in a bucket” has been used. This is a little bit easier said than done, but we just need to cut it out. My responsibilities and relationships with people are very different than Olivia’s or Karen’s or Sarah’s and so it is silly to compare. I think we can start to fix this program by being aware of each others’ strengths. This is so we aren’t comparing our weaknesses to someone else’s strengths. I think it is also important to celebrate each other’s victories. If we can rejoice in a job well done by another member of our team, we become closer as a team and can lift each other up. All of us have so much potential, and I think that potential is untapped for as long as we continue competing with each other. I also think it is important for all of us to be working on this, because together we can do much more than any of us can do alone. If not everyone is on board, nothing is going to change.

Interpersonal Skills (Communication)

1. I think that there are several ways to build trust with my team. One way that I have found effective is just spending time with one another. We all have a lot going on, and so spending time is difficult, but the sacrifice makes the time more meaningful. Spending time with each other allows me to find out different things about the team that I wouldn't be able to find out during office hours.

Another way to build trust is to follow through. If I don't follow through and do what I said I would on the small things, why would anyone trust me on the big things? I try hard to complete assignments on time and go above and beyond when I am able. I have also been trying lately to be innovative  and help where I can. I think that this innovation builds trust. I know that when I was struggling with Service Squad and the team stayed after to help me brainstorm my respect for and trust in them grew.

2. I think that communicating is the best way to make sure the team is in agreement. None of us can read each other's minds. There is no way that the team will know what I'm thinking unless I speak up. I think one place that this can happen is in area meeting, especially now that we have decided to move to two hour meetings. :) I think that area meeting has a lot of potential to be a place where we can bounce ideas off each other and also get approval and thoughts on projects that we are working on.

3. I think that the presentation is the most effective way to communicate new ideas. I have really come to enjoy the time that our team has together because I know that I will get five (or six if McKinnley is there) good, well thought-out opinions when I propose an idea. I think that a creative idea lends itself well to creative presentation. With this particular team, I guess one creative way would be to tweet it. :) I can also see the benefit of making up a song/dance to present an idea. Maybe we can get the creative advertising team working on it...

Drive for Results Reflection (11/7)

I was so excited when I saw the title of this lesson! This was my leadership plan in a nutshell. I think there are many different behaviors that could work well to increase results, but there are three that I have chosen to work on. One of them is "establishing stretch goals." For me, this is making the jump from good to great on my programs. Establishing stretch goals can also include things like volunteering for a difficult task so you can improve and grow. Another behavior is "inspiring and motivating others to high performance." Part of being a good leader is helping other people grow. When I can inspire someone who I work with to do better, we both are happy. The last behavior is "collaboration and teamwork." No one can do this alone! I strongly believe in the power of groups. When the team works together, then we can do things that no one person could have dreamed of alone.

I have had a few opportunities to practice this so far. The first example of "stretch goals" that came to my mind was the BBQ. I feel like I have maybe beat this topic to death, but it just keeps coming up. :) I am more and more grateful all the time that I was given that responsibility. When I first was asked to do the BBQ I was very overwhelmed, but after working through it my confidence in my abilities grew extremely stronger.

A few weeks ago at Service Squad I had the opportunity to "motivate [someone] to high performance." I asked Ashley to give the spiritual thought. She was very nervous, because there were a lot of people there, but I talked her through it and she did it. Her voice was shaking at the beginning and I could tell that she was nervous, but her voice grew stronger and she did a great job. I helped motivate her to a level of higher performance than she thought she could reach.

Right before Service Squad when the whole office came I was struggling to think of how to make it a great night. Olivia, Sarah, and Karen stayed after office hours and we brainstormed for a while on how to make it better. We came up with a lot of good ideas, none of which I could have done on my own. We were working well as a team that night.

Some of my personal strengths include: taking initiative, building relationships, and helping others succeed. I think that these strengths can come in handy as I strive to "drive for results." Taking initiative is important because someone needs to! As a leader, especially since there is constant turnover in our organization there needs to be someone who takes the lead. I also think that building relationships is important because you are better able to work with people when you know and love them. I think that when you build relationships it is also easier for you to help others succeed. When you really love and respect people, you can share their successes and be happy for them. I feel like there is a lessened element of competition and the group is able to focus and work together more effectively.

Reflection from 10/31

1. During summer term my practicum was to plan the campus-wide Welcome Back Week Barbecue. As part of the planning I learned how to fill out an Action Plan and I established connections with campus scheduling and grounds. I learned how to deal with Food-to-Go and I learned improvisation skills when we didn't have enough volunteers the day of the event. That experience helped me navigate the steep learning curve of BYUSA and prepared me well for all the programs I am over currently. The fact that I knew how to place orders and make reservations helped me better help my PDs as they do the same thing. Because of my prior experience I had the technical expertise to give tips such as "Food-to-Go says they have the account code, but they often don't have the whole thing. Have them read it back to you after you place the order" or "Grounds will charge you a lot more than they originally tell you, so budget accordingly." I was able to help Emily fill out her first EAF, and tell Ben that if all the cubicles in the office were reserved he could go to Campus Scheduling and get a conference room in a different part of the Wilk. Because I had technical knowledge that they don't yet have, I am better able to help them succeed.

2. Sometimes my PDs and I have different opinions on how to best manage issues. :) There was one True Blue Tuesdays event when the men's basketball team was supposed to come. We had hurried to get a basketball signed so we could give it away as a prize that day, and then the team cancelled on us an hour before TBT. My PDs told me that they were still going to raffle it off even though the team was not there, and I put my foot down and said that we were going to wait. This was a problem, because it made me the bad guy of the day and they were frustrated with me. I waited until things were a little calmer and then talked to them. In this situation I had to analyze the issues (including: the team didn't come, the replacement team left early, we had a basketball ready to give away, my PDs had their minds made up, etc.) and solve those problems. It was difficult for me to tell them that I was in charge and we were going to do this thing my way, but I think that was an important call to make. The issues were solved by me making a decision and then talking to my PDs to let them know why I did what I did. 

3. I have a unique opportunity to use innovation in my programs. Most of the things I am doing have been done before and so in most cases I don't struggle with building a program up from the ground. My challenge arises in taking the programs from "good" to "great." Right now everything is going well, but there is always room to improve and make it bigger and better than it was before. This doesn't come easily though, because everyone has their own idea of what is best for the program.

I try and support innovation in others by accepting their ideas. When one of my PDs proposes an idea that isn't quite full developed I try to help them work through the kinks instead of just shooting it down. Doing that is a lot more effective than just pushing my ideas onto them. 

Character

1. I think that character is the center pole for several reasons. The first is a result of the quote that was shared at the very beginning of class which reads,  “Our research shows that a person who receives low marks on character has absolutely no chance of being perceived as a good leader.” If a leader has no character, then their other strengths are difficult to see and it ends up being very detrimental to the leader and those they lead.

A leader in my life who demonstrated character is the former mayor of Rexburg. I was on the Mayor's Youth Advisory Board all through high school and so I had a unique opportunity to work closely with him and some of the other city officials. I was on the board during election season one year, and there was a group of people in the city who started to slander him and make some heavy accusations. I can't imagine it was easy for him to have to continue serving as mayor through all the harsh words, but he continued to do his job to the best of his ability. Eventually he and his family made the decision to move because of the current situation. What impressed me about him was that he continued to serve diligently and to the best of his ability for several months after he knew he would be leaving Rexburg. Obviously he had no choice but to keep working, but the level at which he executed his duties was beyond what was required. This experience taught me to always do my best and to persevere through rough times. Those you lead won't always like what you're doing, but sometimes you just have to keep going.

2. I loved the Mormon Message video that we watched. It's always good to get a reminder about our "true identity" every now and then. I've been struggling a little bit with my PDs lately, but after getting that reminder from the lesson I felt more able to handle everything. I loved the quote at the end too. It's so true! Who are we not to be fabulous and wonderful? We are all children of God. When we think about our divine heritage it makes it easier to go through "growing pains" as we grow and develop here on earth, and especially right now while serving in BYUSA. I want to share that video and quote with my PDs now.

As funny as it sounds, I also thought it was good advice when we were told to "focus on [ourselves]." We need to focus on our divine self and understand our identity before we are able to help others. My mom gives me this same advice sometimes. She tells me, "There's a reason that the airplane safety videos tell you to put on your own mask before helping others." You aren't able to help others until you understand your role first. Sometimes we need to be a little selfish. :) 

Servant Leadership

  1. Servant leadership goes very closely with divine centered leadership in my opinion. I really liked the quote by President Monson that said, "Remember that the mantle of leadership is not the cloak of comfort but rather the robe of responsibility." Servant leadership is not easy, and like President Monson said, it's not always comfortable. Servant leadership is not asking those who work under you to do things that you won't do, and leading with humility and respect.

2. To me, my grandma is an excellent example of servant leadership. There many aspects of her life that exemplify servant leadership, but I can't discuss all of them here. One that really sticks out to me is sacrifice. My grandma is very considerate of those around her and often sacrifices her comfort to help others. She also is not afraid to admit her weaknesses. I think this is important, because none of us are absolutely incredible at everything we do. In a book I was reading recently, the chapter discussed how sometimes the really good leaders aren't the ones that know everything, but they surround themselves with people who specialize in those areas and together they are stronger than anyone was alone. With these two characteristics comes another one that I think fits hand in hand. Although my grandma doesn't pretend to know everything and she sacrifices for those around her, she takes the time to build herself as a person. You can't help others until you have helped yourself, and I think that personal development is essential to being a good servant leader as well as the specific leadership attributes.

3. I love the quote by Stephen R. Covey that is at the front of the office, “You’ll find that as you care less about what others think of you, you will care more about what others think of themselves and their worlds, including their relationship with you.” I was talking to Karen about this last night. We were talking about how to get volunteers to be accountable and to take action proactively. She told me that maybe I need to think more about the development of my volunteers than the success of the programs. In Sarah's lesson for our retreat she used a quote by Barbara Johnson that teaches us that "a problem to be solved is never more important than a person to be loved." If we love those we work with, we will be more willing to help them, and they will be more willing to do what we ask of them. Good businesses and work relationships (and relationships in general) are based on trust and respect.

Divine Centered Leadership/Motive

1. There are many things that motivate me to volunteer as a leader in BYUSA. My motives have definitely changed since June though. At first I was in it for somewhat selfish reasons. I liked the way that volunteering made me feel and I felt like I was growing as a leader. Since fall has started and we have really got things going though, my motive has shifted away from myself a little bit and shifted onto how I can help my PDs and committee members. I absolutely love seeing them grow and learn. A few days ago I was talking to one of my PDs (Emily) and she told me that she was going to head up to the office for a little bit to fill out EAFs. I asked her if she needed any help, and she said that she was good to go. I was so excited! Not necessarily because I was the one that taught her how to do all that, but because she had started to grow as a leader and fit in to her role.

 2. I don't feel like I have any glaring problems of unrighteousness in my leadership, but there are definitely ways that I can improve. This is maybe a strange way to look at it, but I think that one of my struggles has been with self-confidence here at BYUSA. When I first came into the office I was very intimidated by those around me and I sometimes "hid my light under a bushel" as the Savior told us not to do. Sometimes I have struggled "letting my light so shine" because I don't want to be perceived as cocky or arrogant. But I think that there is a careful balance between being overbearing and being under confident. I have learned a lot so far this year and semester, and there is nothing wrong with letting that light shine through as long as it is done tactfully.

3. This might contradict what I said above, but in high school I loved the spotlight. I ran for student body president my senior year and made it pretty far. I lost the election, but everyone told me that I should run for senior class president. Usually the person who lost the student body president position won senior class, and I was excited to try it out. Through a series of events, I felt like I shouldn't run for president because of another position that had been offered to me as a member of the seminary council. I was torn, because I knew that I should accept the calling to be on the seminary council, but I had planned on doing student council for years. It was a big sacrifice to give up popularity for a calling, but I knew it was the best choice. 

This made a huge impact on my life that year. Through seminary council I learned things that I would not have been able to learn as senior class president, and I still improved as a leader. One of the most important things this experience taught me was to rely on Heavenly Father and to be guided by the Spirit in my decisions.

Empowerment

Self-efficacy: I will become knowledgeable about my job here in BYUSA. I will know the details of my programs and the basic advertising process that those programs will go through.

How I'll do it: I will read the histories of the programs (if those histories exist) and talk to those individuals who know more about it than I do. This list of people could include VPs, coordinators, past program directors, etc. I can follow up on this with my team because once I am prepared with the information I can share it with others.

Self-determination: According to the source of all knowledge (google) self-determination is "the process by which a person controls their own life." The talk I read for the conflict blog post has been on my mind lately and I have been thinking about how to make my life more balanced. I tend to work really hard and not leave a lot of time for relaxing, and so I want my life to be more balanced.

How I'll do it: I am better able to deal with things if I know what is coming and can plan ahead. I will be more consistent at writing down and prioritizing my assignments and responsibilities and make specific time in my schedule to unwind and relax. :) I don't really feel like I need to inform the Comms team on how I'm doing with this, but I will know if I am or am not following the schedule I have made.

Personal Consequences: I want to be a effective leader of leaders and make an impact on my program directors and their committee. However, at the end of the year I don't want them to say, "Mallory was a good ED because she did..." I want them to say, "Mallory trusted me enough to let me make my own decisions and lead the program in the direction of my vision. She was helpful, but allowed personal responsibility."

How I'll do it: I had a great conversation with Tamara about stretching our volunteers to become their better selves. I think that the points we talked about in the lesson (vision and values, provide support, provide information and resources, etc.) are a great start. If I can practice those principles then I can teach those principles to my PDs and it can go down the chain.

Meaningfulness: As part of the Communications Vision that we established, we talked about making every person who comes into the office feel valued. This idea really hit home to me. If we can make all the volunteers feel welcome then our organization will be more successful.

How I'll do it: I will get back to all the volunteers that call or e-mail me, as well as greeting everyone that I talk to or give a tour to a warm welcome and a smile (as cliche as that sounds).

Trust: I want all my PDs and their committees to feel like they can trust me with the struggles they are having with the programs. I want them to know that I will listen and help them however I can.

How I'll do it: Trust is something that is built up over a long period of time. I will build that trust by replying to their e-mails and phone calls promptly, and by listening to them whenever they come to me with questions. 

Conflict

The conflict resolution skill that I chose to work on this week was managing emotions. I tend to get really emotionally involved in what I'm doing and sometimes that becomes a problem. So for the past little while I have been trying to work on maintaining balance and not let my stress take over. And since this is the end of the term, we all have lots going on, so this was a perfect time to practice this skill. :)

I read a really great talk on lds.org that was given by Robert K. Wagstaff titled "Preparing Emotionally for Missionary Service." I'm not serving a mission anytime in the very soon future, but I hope to someday and so this talk seemed to fit well with that goal and also my goal of maintaining balance. The talk gave eight suggestions on how to be emotionally prepared for a mission, but I think it can also be applied to life in general, and it definitely helped me.

Seeing as I can't post the whole wonderful talk here, I'll just go through a few highlights. The first point I want to address is to "practice living a balanced life." College can make this easier, and also harder. It's easier to be balanced because for the most part, the only person you have to worry about taking care of is yourself. College is a great time to do new things, and learn a lot about yourself. However, it is also hard to be balanced because we are all being pulled in a million directions. One thing that I liked about the article is that it said, "Using a day-planning system and taking part in extracurricular activities can help young people learn to manage time and meet deadlines. Examples include holding a job or participating in activities such as sports, drama, clubs, student government, or community service." Participate in student government and service? Hmm... :) I think that this has some merit to it. When I am involved and spending my time becoming better, I feel better about what is going on in my life.

Another part that I really liked was the part that said, "They may feel distressed when the demands of being a missionary show them weaknesses they had never encountered before. But, as the prophet Ether taught, recognizing our weaknesses can teach us humility and reliance on the Lord and success in overcoming our weaknesses (see Ether 12:27)." Although this is talking about missionaries, I think it can apply to me. I have learned a lot about myself during this short term, but I also can relate to the idea that I have been shown weaknesses that I didn't know I had. And what a great opportunity I have to make those weaknesses strengths.

I had a great conversation with Sarah today about this article and what I have learned this week. We talked about how we've been commanded to be perfect, but we don't have to be perfect right now. Perfection right now for us is a journey. I still have a long way to go, but I feel like this week was a good learning experience for me.

The Honor Code

I think that the Lord has required an honor code at BYU because He has required standards for us. It wouldn't make sense to have a Church based university and not expect the same standards at that university that are expected of members other places. I also think that a reason we have the Honor Code is that it creates a much better learning environment. I think most people automatically think of the Dress and Grooming Standards first, and that does contribute to a better learning environment definitely. Another aspect of the honor code that I think contributes to a better educational experience is the fact that we have visiting hours. As a result of the visiting hours, my roommates can only have boys until a certain time, and that means that we can all get sleep and be able to stay awake and focus in class. This is a simple rule, but it makes a huge difference.

I have noticed several blessings that have come into my life because of the honor code. The benefits to my education have already been addressed, but I have seen other blessings as well. As a result of my obedience to the honor code I have been able to have the Spirit with me more in my life and I find that I am better able to handle the pressures that life brings. And that is a great thing. :) Along with having the Spirit with me, I have just felt better overall. There are aspects of the honor code that keep us in good physical health, and we are better able to handle life when we feel good.