Week Three

This week has been stressful and wonderful and just really crazy. For one, I have been preparing to take this terrible, awful, scary, hellish delightful grammar exam and find myself just as nervous for it as I was a few weeks ago when I first found out about it. As it turns out, English is rather difficult and full of many, many exceptions.

I'm also finding it hard to concentrate on the material like I need to be because as of Saturday night, I am a betrothed woman! I got engaged to my wonderful handsome at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City and am now not only trying to pass my classes but also plan a wedding! Gotta love what life throws at us, huh?

Tonight I went to a review session for the grammar exam in the TNRB. I found it to be very helpful and comforting, as I realized that many students have the same struggles and concerns that I do (especially with case and agreement and sentence structure). At one point during the review, the instructor reminded us that in our writing, "that" is used for things that are essential and "which" is used for nonessential items. This was the biggest thing I took away from the review for two reasons:

1. This exam is going to kick my butt and I need to find ways to remember all of the grammar rules that will be covered. This is a great way for me to remember under what circumstance to use each word.
2. It reminded me to relax, regardless my feelings of stress and inadequacy. Several things are essential in these next few months: notifying family and friends of the wedding, setting a temple date, preparing to enter the temple worthily. However, there are also several other things like flowers, tablecloths, wedding shoes, etc. that are nonessential and do not need to be dwelt upon .

I'm grateful for this reminder to sort the "thats" from the "whichs" in my own busy life. So what now? I must constantly be reminding myself of the things that matter and directing my attentions and efforts into whatever that may be.

Week Two

I have thought a ton this week about the next ten years or so and what my future holds. More specifically, I've been thinking a lot about where I see myself professionally. I want to have a family so bad but I also would like to spend a couple of years in the workforce before dedicating 100% of myself to my kids. A lot of this consideration has been triggered by our most recent discussion on networking.

I love people so much and I love the idea of networking; having a support group of colleagues and classmates that act as connections in the workforce and even in personal life. I feel strongly that every person has something to learn from the people around them and that it is so important to keep a strong network. It is easy to sometimes receive help or advice from someone just once and not follow-up with them or keep the relationship going. Although that may be beneficial in the short-term, it will be most beneficial to keep tabs on that contact and follow-up with them in the time that follows. That is how a strong network is maintained.

After Skyping with our guest speaker on Wednesday, I started thinking of people I have met here at BYU who would be good contacts for a future in PR. Two people especially stood out to me: a Communications professor I took a class from previously and a PR professional who's lecture I attended last week. I introduced myself to him and we talked some, but I did little to make sure we stayed in contact.

About an hour ago I decided to take my own advice and apply it to my life right now. I found the speaker on LinkedIn and connected with him there, as well as sent him an email thanking him for his lecture. It really was such an incredible presentation and I would love to stay in contact with him if I have questions later down the road about job positions or just general career advice.

So here's to networking! And not just to get stuff from other people...but to help others and build strong relationships with all different kids of people. Remember: networking is about exchange. You give to others what you have to offer and they may have something to offer in return. 

Week One

My first blog post as part of MCOM 320 Section 006! In the syllabus this is referred to as an “Application blog,” a place to apply what was taught in class that week and answer these questions for ourselves: “So what? Now what?”

All we have covered in class so far is introductions and basic sentence structure. As I sit down to write this post, what stands out to me most is Monday’s class, when we each went around the room introducing each other. It was so fascinating to me to sit back and watch my fellow classmates introduce each other. I love this beautiful world God has given us and I LOVE the diversity he’s thrown into life just to keep it interesting. No two presentations were alike---and I’m referring to more than just the information that was presented. The WAY it was presented varied tremendously from student to student. I could tell that some of my classmates were really confident with the activity. They sat up straight when called on and were excited to share what they had learned about their neighbor. Their voice was a little louder, it carried farther across the room and they didn't bother to look at their partner for affirmation when sharing a tidbit of information—they knew what they were talking about. On the flip side, some students dreaded this introductory “fluff.” They spoke quietly and kept looking at the white board to remember which item they were on or looked at their partner after each fact to get confirmation via eye contact. Or perhaps they’re just more introverted and being in the spotlight made them feel uncomfortable. Regardless, it was a great exercise and a good reminder to me just how different we all are. Our spirits are all so unique and we each bring something different to the table. That’s what makes this mortal experience so challenging sometimes…but also so very wonderful.

So what? Why did I focus on this for my first entry?

As we are put into teams for the semester there are inevitably going to be people that we do not “mesh” with. People that we would always choose last for our sports team or rather claw our eyes out than spend an evening with. Our task is to not only look past our differences but embrace them—realize that other people’s brains work different than our own and because of that, we should consider ourselves lucky to hear their opinions and get a little insight into how they see the world.