The End

Well, this has been a fantastic semester! I have loved it! Also, I strongly feel as though my leadership skills have grown a great amount. Last week in class, we had the chance to hear from our student body president. She was great! She focused her thoughts on seeking and creating service opportunities. I learned a lot, and enjoyed this presentation so much! In class, I really learned about the importance of serving others. This is by far the best quality of a leader! Serving does not necessarily have to be a big and major event, but it can be a small and simple act. I feel that the small things are what really matter. There are so many opportunities to serve those around us, whether we are in a leadership position or not.

leadership for change/servant leadership

Overall, I was really glad that this week we are able to just do something fun before finals. With finals coming up, I have found myself becoming more and more stressed out. So, I decided to take some time for myself this week. I got with some of my good friends and was able to play some basketball. I LOVE BASKETBALL!!! It just relaxes me. So, I was extremely thankful to be able to take some time this week to play.
The other week, we were able to learn about servant leadership. Throughout the entire lecture, I kept thinking about the good old scripture mastery of Mosiah 2:17. To sum this scripture up, when you are serving others, you are serving God. How true is this? I have always found it amazing to serve others. When I serve others around me, I always find that I leave the situation a better individual. I love service with all my heart and am thankful that Heavenly Father is constantly wiling to bless and serve me. In leadership, service is crucial to success. It doesnt matter what position you hold-you still must find ways to serve. By doing this, others will be more wililng to work with and follow you. Also, I strongly believe that while serving each other, both will gain a greater love and appreciation for eachother.

leadership in the home

Growing up, I have always been fortunate enough to have been surrounded by truly amazing individuals. The individual that most frequently comes to my mind is my mother. She in all honesty is one of my heroes. I love her with all my heart. I realized how strong of a leader she was by how she handled situations. When I was twelve, my father passed away. This was obviously a very trying time for my family. However, my mother was the glue that held us together. She showed so much strength, love, and optimism. I never once heard her complain. She only tried to keep our family close to each other and our Heavenly Father. From this, I learned that its always important to be optimistic about whatever comes in life. By doing this, we grow spiritually and emotionally. Without my mothers example, I know without a doubt that I would not be the strong person I am today. She is an incredible leader who I hope to continue to emulate.

Ethics and Morals

This week, we were given the chance to learn about ethics and morals. I have found out that this is a very complicated and general issue. There is so much that is not defined! However, discussing this has made me think about issues that both my peers and I have to deal with in life. This week, I went to lunch with my mother who mentioned she heard that kids would take their friends i-Clickers to class for them. This has constantly been on my mind. This sounds so appealing to most college students. However, it is wrong. I believe that in order to get credit for a class, you need to be there. These are the types of issues that I see my peers and I struggle with. Most of the ethical and moral issues I face are with more personal issues. Overall, I am very glad I was able to analyze what both ethics and morals are. It all comes down to context.

conflict resolution

In class this week, we discussed conflict. I felt that this was a very important issue to discuss due to the fact that it is something that we all have in our lives. I really enjoyed lab this week. We discussed the importance of being able to calm down. How important is this? VERY!!! I strongly feel that this is a key element to successful conflict resolution. We also watched a clip from the office where Micheal Scott says something very profound. He tells Angela and Oscar to "own the situation". Well, something to that effect. I feel that he was hinting toward action. There needs to be some sort of action in order to resolve an issue. From lab, we discussed the three main possible solutions. There is win win win, win lose, and compromise. I feel that we all should strive to obtain the first of the three- win win win. If we do this, I feel that regardless of the situation, we can and will become more successful in our ability to solve conflict.

Lift where you stand

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said in one of his conference talks "Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand." What an incredible phrase and challenge. Do we have the courage to stand close together and lift? Some would say no-however, I say yes! I feel that each of us has the ability to rise to our best selves and meet this challenge which President Uchtdorf has issued to all of us. For as long as I can remember, I have always set a very high standard for myself. So high, that often I cannot reach it. In a way, I try to lift the piano, or in other words, every challenge and trial myself. This is no way to do things! I have learned that life is much easier once you allow others to get close and lift along with you. The simple yet profound statement "stand close together and lift where you stand", is a concept which can be applied to almost every aspect of life. I love the example of the 2,000 stripling warriors used by President Uchtdorf. He explains that we cannot name any of them as individuals, however as a group, they are remembered for honesty, courage, and their willingness to serve. These three traits that are vital to leadership. From the phrase, I realize that we cannot do everything alone- nor should we. We have been given the incredible blessings of friendship, communication, and leadership-let us all use them to the best of our ability. At times we may be down trodden and even beaten by the hardships of life, but why must that have such reign and influence on our day to day conduct? I say it doesn't have to. We have a loving Heavenly Father that is willing to stand close to us and lift- Its up to us to let him (and others around us) help us lift our burdens, trials, and challenges. We all have gifts and a purpose in this life. I strongly feel that the only way to discover them is to do as President Uchtdorf challenged- "stand close together and lift where you stand."

time management

In class this week we had the chance to learn about time management! Brittany Beattie was kind enough to come speak to us. She gave us 5 steps to having better time management. They were as follows: seed ye first the kingdom of God, keep water in your well, follow the 10 second rule, choose best over good and better, and focus on people not a process or things. Overall, I really enjoyed the lecture. In class, we were challenged to pull a if/then principle from Mosiah 4:27. I came up with 'If I find balance in my life, then all parts in my life shall fall in place and i will find out who I am'. I also watched the Olympics this week. I watched snowboarding, ice skating, skiing. Balance was key to all of these. I found that everyone kept falling-especially in the womens half pipe.