Hang in there!

Ok, how did it get to be December so quickly? This semester has flown by. I'm convinced that at least half of the semester's work is due in the last 2 weeks of class. This usually means spending a lot of money on coffee and  sleeping more on Saturday than you did all week. We're all so close to finishing so let's all HANG IN THERE! Each finals week of each semester is getting progressively harder for me. I know what is coming and it's harder to make myself go through all that fun (sarcasm!). However, I stepped back from the computer screen today for a few seconds and remembered how blessed I am. I'm close to finishing a college degree, I've been given an awesome family and I am healthy. The grades will come and will be forgotten within a few weeks after school is over. I want to encourage you to still work hard and do good work that you can be proud of. But don't forget to keep things in perspective.

Hang in there everyone!

Out for a run...

It had been almost a month since I had gone for a run so earlier this week I decided to pull out the trusty running shoes. It had been a long day of classes and I was in need of something to relieve some stress. So out the door I went.

I’ve always enjoyed running and outdoor activities. (I can’t stand treadmill running. Running outdoors is so much more exciting and eventful.) But last January I got a bit more serious as a runner. At the beginning of 2011 I started training to run my first half marathon. Looking back, the idea wasn’t crazy but the timing certainly was. I began training during an extremely tough semester that left me with time to only run 2 days a week. But it was an absolutely incredible experience. I completed my first 10 mile run last February and continued to increase my distance each weekend. Then, the big day finally came: RACE DAY! I don’t know why but I decided that the best time to schedule my first half marathon ever was right in the MIDDLE of finals week! But when I crossed that finish line in Nashville, I couldn’t have care less about exams.

 I have learned so much from running: discipline, patience, and faith. That run last week was a bit painful but I’m excited to start training again. 

Selfless Service

Take a quick glance around the CNN.com homepage and you will find an incredible amount of world issues. There is much turmoil and suffering in the world today. We are often quick to judge America for all of its problems and to complain about every decision that the politicians have made. However, if we are honest, we have a very high standard of living in America compared to many other places in this world. We, as a country, have been blessed, among other things, with food and plenty of space in which to live. Now, I'm not trying to sugar-coat life or simply ignore the issues in America. There are problems that should be addressed. However, we are often quick to complain about these issues and attack with negativity. Complaining just for the sake of complaining rarely succeeds in making changes. What if we chose to focus more on the ways that we have been blessed in America and then attack the problems with an attitude of service? What if we focused less on OUR problems and stopped for a moment to see the problems of others and then how we might assist them? How would this affect the overall attitude in America and how would it affect the efficiency of problem solving in America?
Give it some thought....and let me know what you think...

For Ages 6 and Up

I was sitting in my living room one night playing Jenga with my roommates and blaring some Muse and Coldplay (when I probably should have been doing homework). The side of the game box caught my eye and it read “For Ages 6 to Adult”. The game manufacturers more than likely were referring to the physical age of a person but this made me start thinking about all the “childish” things that I still enjoy. Any night of studying around my apartment will be always be punctuated by the latest Chuck Norris joke, a quick but epic Nerf gun battle. All these things are what have made college one of the most fun times in my life. However, not all things are “childish” and fun in life. Often, decisions must be made all on your own and you must be disciplined in decision making. In these situations, you must approach decisions as an adult would approach them and seek the advice of other adults. I’m still learning how to ride this line between child and adult. But it has been an exciting ride so far and I expect there will be many adventures to come in the future….Ok, I have to run….Muppet Treasure Island is starting!

Just a thought...

So the Memphis Tigers football team is having rough beginning to their season. If this season is at all similar to last season, the team has a long road to travel. I’m not a football expert (baseball and ultimate frisbee are my sports) and I don’t really keep up with the leadership of the team so I’m not going to try to diagnose the football team’s problems. It could be a combination of factors: the head coach’s ability to energize his team, the leadership of the team captains, and the drive for the game in the individual players.

After last Thursday’s game, I was surprised at the great amount of negative comment directed towards the team. Isn’t this OUR school’s team? Are we going to stick with them only when they are doing well and then bail when they have a tough season? I’m sure the players have heard plenty of comments on the lack of success of the team and I have to think that it can be a bit discouraging to them. The outcome of a team’s season isn’t going to have a lasting impact on me in any way but I’m definitely guilty of railing on the team a bit. I’m just curious as to what the outcome would be if we, as students, stuck behind the team a bit more diligently.

Just some food for thought.

Learning how to learn

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been keeping track on the U.S. Open tennis tournament. During my lunch breaks at work, I check the tournament brackets and watch highlights of the amazing shots from great tennis players such as Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova. These are people who have an intense passion for playing the game of tennis. However, they haven’t become some of the greatest tennis players in the world just because of a passion. They have put in thousands of hours of consistent practice and have played hundreds of matches to gain experience in the game.

Over this summer I have learned the significant role that experience plays in developing a set of skills. I spent the summer working as an engineering intern for a medical device company. It was obvious from the time I set foot in the door that I had a lot to learn. In the beginning, I was almost terrified of making a mistake because I thought it would mean that I wasn’t a good engineer. And I did make some mistakes and I didn’t know the answer to questions. But the key to learning is to accept those mistakes and be sure to LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES. Learning also takes humility. You have to be willing to swallow your pride and sometimes just say, “I don’t know.” I am aware that I will always make mistakes due to the fact that I’m human and imperfect. However, I can lower the chance of making mistakes by acknowledging that I don’t know everything and looking for answers from more experienced individuals. 

Working Hard

Several years ago I had the chance to spend almost 3 weeks in China as part of a tour as a member of a symphony orchestra. We spent time in Beijing, Shanghai and several smaller cities in the Eastern portion of China. I had the chance to visit places like the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City and Tien An Men Square. These were amazing experiences that will always stay in my mind but my interaction with the people of the nation is what impacted me even more than all the famous landmarks. Our purpose for travelling to China was to meet with a music high school in Shanghai. Our two orchestras combined to form one large ensemble and we performed several concerts in Shanghai. From the time we met the Chinese students, it became very evident that they were all focused, disciplined and were willing to work very hard at what they did. Their diligent work was quickly evident from the incredible skill that they had on their instruments. (It was definitely a humbling trip as well.) This made me to start to compare the work ethic that I saw in the Chinese students to the work ethic that I’ve seen in America. I think one of the defining differences between the two is that we, as Americans, have a tendency to take the opportunities that we have for granted whereas the students in China had to work to be the best in order to get a position, job, etc. I think that our American society has begun to tolerate laziness to a dangerous level and I think this is a problem. If we set a model of mediocre effort in our work now, how will the generations after us know what it means to work hard and excel in what they do? Now I understand that there are many people in this country work very hard and that is commendable. The main point that I want to convey is that I think we (myself included) should take care to be very responsible with the many opportunities and blessings that we have in this country. 

And thus it begins...

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging! I suppose the first action in my blogging career should be to introduce you to myself. I’ve just begun my senior year here at the University of Memphis where I’m working on a degree in mechanical engineering. I’m specifically interested in the use of engineering in the design of orthopedic devices. As far as hobbies are concerned, running and playing ultimate frisbee are two of my favorites but anything that involves being outdoors is fair game. I hope to share more in a later post about the impact that specifically running has had on my life. It’s not always pleasant but the end results are exciting. Ok, I have to move on or I’ll get stuck talking about this for a few more pages…more to come, though.

So it’s that time of year again: time to start a new school year. Leave behind the carefree summer days and bring on the all-nighters. Nevertheless, I’m excited about this school year. A few days  ago I was slapped in the face with the realization that, “I AM A SENIOR IN COLLEGE!!” “Do I really have to grow up?” It couldn’t have been more than a few weeks ago that I was talking to my dad about what to expect from freshman year. I think it is safe to say that I had no idea about all the things I would learn over the next years. I feel like I’ve gotten a grasp on the logistics of college but I still have  no way to know what to expect from a new year.

So, whether this is your first semester or you’re a seasoned veteran, WELCOME BACK! I hope it’s a fantastic semester for you!