Saturday, September 29, 2012

Blog Entry Week 3


Chapter 3 Blog
p. 111 Stress Relief Reminders

To reduce the stress caused by moving, I will begin to get things organized to pack now. I will also do research on the area where we will be moving to better orient myself with the area.

To reduce the stress caused by being a mother, I will ensure that I take time to take care of myself. During my daughter's nap I will workout or go to coffee with friends. I can also unwind by watching my favorite television show at night while she sleeps.

To reduce the stress caused by being a student, I will ensure to practice better time management. I can work ahead in certain classes and set aside time to work on my homework a little each day.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Blog Entry Week 2


Chapter 2 Blog
p.45 Personal Journal 2.1 How Well Do You Know Yourself?
The person who knows me best is my husband.
One of my dreams in life is to go to Africa and live/work with an indigenous tribe.
Three adjectives that describe me well are kind, polite, loving.
What I like most about myself is my ability to make others feel comfortable.
What I like least about myself is my ability to become angry easily.
I am good at English.
I am not very good at Math.
I enjoy reading, traveling, and being outside.
I don’t enjoy working in an office and ignorant people.
Three careers that interest me are a counselor, nurse, and drill sergeant.
My purpose in life is to help others.
Did you have trouble completing any of these statements, especially the last one? If so you will benefit from taking a closer look at yourself and what you want out of life.
            I had trouble completing the first question. While my husband knows me best, there are still many things that he does not know about me. I do not feel that anyone in this world knows all sides of me because I only share certain parts of myself with people. The last question was easy for me to answer because I am lucky enough to have known my entire life that I was meant to help others. I was meant to make this world a better place. 
p. 53 Personal Journal 2.2 What are your dreams?
Complete the following sentences. Write down your first thoughts without judging yourself.
I’ve always wanted to travel.
If I were to receive an award, I would want it to be for my intelligence.
The things that make life worth living are my husband and daughter.
The best thing that could possibly happen to me is to graduate.
If I were nearing the end of my life, I would regret not having been there to watch my daughter grow up.
Look at what you wrote. Do you see any common words, images, or subjects? Write down four or five dreams you have right now. These dreams may be any size, take any amount of time, and belong to any area of your life, such as education, career, relationships, lifestyle, appearance, health, travel, or spirituality.
            My common subjects are my family and my education. These are two things that I value most in life. My dreams right now are to graduate, rejoin the military, travel to Africa and teach, and to retire in either Italy or England. I also dream about what kind of person my daughter will become. I look so forward to watching her grow up!
p. 74 Personal Journal 2.3 Exploring Your Interests
What activities make you feel energized and alive? Traveling makes me feel most alive.
If you were at a library, bookstore, or newsstand, which subject area(s) would you enjoy browsing? I love classic, mostly British, literature.
What course(s) or subject(s) have you enjoyed the most in school? Literature, Western Civilization, Sociology, Psychology, and Biology have been my favorite so far. However, Biology ranks highest.
What subject(s) could you talk about endlessly? I love to talk in general, regardless of the subject. If I had to choose, it would be talking to help others solve their problems. Problems such as finances, education, family, etc.
What were you enthusiastic about as a child? As a child, I loved to be outdoors and I loved animals.
Now examine your answers. Does any subject, theme, or key word appear more than once? These are probably your strongest interests.
             Literature and a love of nature seem to appear most in my answers. 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Blog Entry Week 1

Chapter 1  Blog

Activity 1: What Success Means to You

A.     When I think of success, the words that come to mind are career, money, happiness, education, perseverance, determination, hard work, achievement, and failure.

B.     I believe that you must work hard to be successful and that education is key to success.

C.     To me, success mean achieving what you set your mind to.

D.     The definition of success means the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. My definition is similarly stated.

E.     I believe that I have already had many successes in my life. I also believe that I continue to succeed as I continue to grow as a person through things such as education, work, family, and travel.

F.     My father and stepmother, as well as a woman I know named Lindy Young, have achieved many of my idea of success.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

First Term Blog Entry

     For this topic, I have chosen to read Anger: Handling a Powerful Emotion in a Healthy Way, by Gary Chapman. I have chosen to read about anger because I struggle with anger issues. I have always had a very quick temper. I have never let it get the best of me and have always been able to maintain my composure. However, I have a tendency to become extremely angry over things big and small. While I may seemed composed on the outside, I am raging on the inside and it takes me quite a while to calm down. I am hoping that by reading this book, I will learn to not allow things to anger me so easily or how to calm myself in a more effective manner.  I considered reading Everybody Wins: The Chapman Guide to Solving Conflicts without Arguing, by Gary Chapman. I deal with quite a bit of ignorant and irrational people and I thought this book would enable me to communicate on a better level with such individuals. Though it seems like an interesting book, I chose to work on myself before worrying with others.