Being Motivated When You're Not

Finals. Probably the last thing anyone wants to think about, but it is a necessary evil. However, this week I have been thinking a lot on our attitudes towards these trials and challenges, and it makes me think that too many times we don't want to do hard things. The millennials have been known for a "I want it now, with no work" type of attitude, and I believe that to an extant we all have this mentality. 

The Key to Success

The key to success is hard work. Hard work really is what gets us from one step of life to another. Life is not easy, and getting a good paying job is not easy. Working hard is the only way to make it in this life. Though that sounds dismal, it really isn't. 

When one works hard, he or she feels a sense of accomplishment when they finish. It is an amazing feeling. Plus, when something is put off and procrastinate it, that adds a lot of stress. You know the feeling, when you have a project due, and because of the nature of the project you don't want to do it; but you know that if you took time to get it done you could go have fun and enjoy the rest of your day. 

That is my goal, to just take my time and use it wisely. I have about 2 weeks left of school and then I am home free. I just need to plow through and do my best. 

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Google Hangouts

So my group and I did a Google hangout to figure things out for our group project, and it was great! Since it is so hard to just get together to talk about the group project meeting virtually is an amazing way to meet without having to physically get together. We got our agenda together and figured out what we had to get done that day so that we could be up-to-date with the project. It was pretty fast and very effective.

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The Art of the Presentation

     Whether you want to be a good date, teacher, accountant, or CEO of a company, you need to know how to present. Too many people do not know the in's and out's of presenting, and they are too disconnected from their audience. It does not matter how good or crappy your information is, if you can present well your audience will listen.

Presentation

Why?

Why do you need to know how to present? What if you never give a presentation in your entire professional career? 

Presenting is a lot like selling--if it sounds good you will buy it; it if doesn't you won't. Pretty simple. But, even if you are not a salesperson, selling is what you do. I will explain. Imagine you are in a job interview for your dream career, and the interviewer asks you, "Why are you the best fit for this job?" This is where you start to sell yourself. See, we are all in the sales business, and we all need this skill. So where does the presentation come in?

How?

The presentation is "how" information is transferred. To answer the question above, I could say, "Just look at my resume, no one beats me!" However, that sounds a little cocky, and actually uninformed because the interviewee does not know who else has applied. Let's take another shot at answering the question, "As can be seen in my resume, I meet all of your required qualifications." That is a lot better. Many other answers better than this should be used, but this represents my purpose. The second answer shows a refined interviewee, who is confident in his or her skills. 

Disconnected Audience

Who?

The first step to being a great presenter is knowing "who" you are presenting to. This is knowing your audience. If you do not know who you are presenting to, it is unlikely that you will be a successful presenter. The reason for this is that connecting to your audience is how you create credibility and trust. If the audience trusts you, and believes you to be a credible source of information, they will listen. Tailor everything you say, and how you give your presentation, to the expectations of your audience.

What?

The "what" of a presentation is the content and how it is presented. You could ramble on forever about how great your information is, but no one will listen if it is boring and hard to follow. There are some important steps to follow for this:

     1. Use a Hook

     2. Use Acronyms

     3. Briefly Review

Using a hook brings your audience out of their haze and into your presentation. Without an effective hook, it will be hard to connect to your audience. It will be as if you were speaking directly to a wall. Using the "shock" factor may help with this, but know your audience before you try that. Next, acronyms help the audience remember your presentation. If your presentation is forgotten as they leave, you did not succeed. They must remember it! Create an acronym, or something of the sorts that is memorable. Lastly, briefly review your presentation as a refresher for your audience. Most likely, there was a lot of new information, and the human mind has to hear things more than once to remember it.

Success!

Though there are more things to cover, I will keep this short. Remember the Why, How, Who, and What of the presentation. And remember, be yourself. Be comfortable in your own skin. Becoming comfortable with yourself among strangers is the best way to present. Whether you are going on a date, teaching six graders, or giving a presentation to your firm, these things can be used to successfully present yourself in a credible manner. 

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Choosing Liberty in Freedom

Braveheart

"FREEEDOOM!" Screamed William Wallace (Mel Gibson) from Braveheart as he fought for the freedom of Scotland. Now, this week was St. Patrick's day, which according to the celebration it has to do with St. Patrick casting out the snakes of Ireland (which according to some sources is not entirely accurate in accordance to Ireland's personal belief on the matter).

However, unlike William Wallace and St. Patrick, we in the United States are all free from tyrants (but not taxes), and we are free to express ourselves according to our beliefs. But liberty is somewhat different, it comes from within. It is an internal freedom to choose your actions and go out to make a difference.

Choosing Liberty
How is this liberty obtained? First, it is being able to overcome the inner turmoils of your soul. One must ask what causes him or her to be restricted (and not by law). Something that stops me every once in a while is fear of what others may think of me. This is an inhibiting way of thinking that causes me to rethink what I want to do, and sometimes to change it completely.

It's About Perspective
Liberty is choosing a perspective that will allow this internal freedom. It's true that many inherently gravitate towards particular types of personalities, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. We ultimately can choose to be bigger and better than we are. Now, there may be some limitations; i.e., I can't dunk a 10ft rim and I probably will never be able to. But, these are physical limitations, and we are not specifically talking about that.

Choosing a perspective that says, "I am outgoing and I will take all the opportunities that I can" is not easy for those to whom it does not naturally come. However, the constant, daily choice to do something that says that, and working at it, can change the nature of  said person and allow them more internal freedom of expression. This perspective is seeing the world in different eyes, and becoming a new person.

It's Not Easy
Taking the steps toward a perspective that will allow you to do hard things, and to follow your heart, is not easy. But, finding the ability to do so is called drive. Drive is the having the determination and will power to do something, most likely something difficult. This is not an easy task, but I have found that as I look myself in the mirror every morning I say to myself, "Today will be awesome! You are going to take it on like a boss." Though it sounds weird, it works! The trick is to find what works for you.

Finding liberty in one's life will allow him or her to take on things that they otherwise would never want to do (but most of the time they dream of it). Have you ever dreamed of doing something, but when the opportunity came to actually do it you chickened out? I've done that. Follow your dreams, follow your heart, your desires. You have them for a reason. Take on the world. The only reason you could not do any of them is because you told yourself you couldn't.

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Nu Skin Networking Event... What Worked and What Didn't

Yesterday I had the chance to visit Nu Skin's Provo campus and meet professionals from around the area. Needless to say, I was intimidated. I was the only undergrad there, and by far. All the other attendees were 30 years or older. However, I was able to learn some valuable lessons while interacting with all of the attendees.

Bring Business Cards

Nu Skin

First things first, when you have decided to go to a networking event, business cards are a must. It allows you to distinguish yourself from the others in the group, and also gives a reminder to those with whom you spoke who you are.

However, do not give out your cards right away. Give it some time. Something that I noticed is that most people were talking to each other for a good while, and after about 10 minutes did the cards start popping out. Honestly, they all started giving away their cards at almost the same time.

Talk to Others from the Get-Go
It is good to talk to one person for a good while, but be willing to spread yourself around. This is something that I wish I had done better. Once I got comfortable I did not want to talk to anyone else, and it most likely made me look awkward.

Talking to almost all of those that are there will give you better chances of meeting someone that can launch you into a new job or career. According to Russ Harington of the LDS Employment Resource Center, "you can either network, or not work."

Be Yourself
The last lesson that I learned was to be myself. I was having a hard time doing this because I felt so intimidated by the older folk. I didn't know how I should act; I didn't know what I could even bring to the table.

Being yourself includes being confident. Be confident in who you are and that who you are will be a great asset to any company. Know your reasons, have PAR stories to demonstrate that, and act natural. Networking is like an informal interview, you are being interviewed by all the attendees and you are interviewing them. Don't be afraid to ask questions and look for benefits.

Following these three ideas will help most to do well in a networking environment. Networking is a huge part of life, and whether you want it to do well in business, or to just be friendly and get to know others, it is an invaluable skill.

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