I think I've committed a grave crime...the one of neediness. Last week I mentioned that I met a couple of fantastic girls, one of whom I've had the opportunity to hang out with. She really is amazing - college athlete, into sports and technology, fun, and definitely cute. We hang out and things went pretty well. The next day, however, as she was on her way to spend the night with her friends I indicated that she could always come over to my 'empty' house. I later sent another message trying to negate this, but the damage may have already been done.
Hopefully I'll be hearing back from her soon. She's a really cool girl and someone I'd like to spend more time with. I gotta get my head straight.
Showing posts with label Confidence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confidence. Show all posts
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Cheerleading
Where I grew up, cheerleading was pretty much a joke. It always consisted of a bunch of overweight girls yelling; there was no tumbling or exciting ESPN type of routines. As a result, I've always thought it was kind of silly...even at the college level, where teams do compete in physically demanding events. But today I found a pretty good outcome of cheerleading.
Public Speaking
Okay, so maybe it's not a universal trait, but in the same course where I was complimented by my teacher for having a good speaking style, I overheard him giving a similar comment to a girl in my class, to which she responded "I'm just used to being in front of people". And she should be, considering that she's a senior cheerleader for a D-1 school. I also thought she presented her material very well...very composed. More than anything else, being out there in front of thousands of people in arenas and stadiums likely desensitized her to giving a mere presentation to 30 classmates.
Anyways, I just thought it was pretty cool that cheerleading actually transfered over skills to business and communication, as it's something I've never considered before.
Public Speaking
Okay, so maybe it's not a universal trait, but in the same course where I was complimented by my teacher for having a good speaking style, I overheard him giving a similar comment to a girl in my class, to which she responded "I'm just used to being in front of people". And she should be, considering that she's a senior cheerleader for a D-1 school. I also thought she presented her material very well...very composed. More than anything else, being out there in front of thousands of people in arenas and stadiums likely desensitized her to giving a mere presentation to 30 classmates.
Anyways, I just thought it was pretty cool that cheerleading actually transfered over skills to business and communication, as it's something I've never considered before.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Speaking Compliments
I've had quite the day and even week so far, with too many assignments and projects to list. Regardless, I had a nice end to the day. I've been working on a presentation for a class concerning the subprime lending crisis; before beginning my research I didn't know much about it, though now I find it quite fascinating (it has many parallels to the Enron scandal). In any case, I didn't feel ready for the presentation.
As it turns out, I was the one in my group that was truly prepared. I was working with two other individuals; one did was nervous as hell but did a good job with his part, while the other was an older student who I feel didn't really practice his presentation nor even present the right material. In fact, we were pretty much out of time before I had the opportunity to speak.
Regardless, based on my introduction slides of the project and my section near the rear, I must have done a pretty good job. When I turned in my evaluations of other class groups, my teacher said, "You have a really nice informal speaking style".
It really made my day to hear that. He's one of professors that I like and respect the most out of my five years in college; he brings real-world credibility and experience to the classroom. Furthermore, the feedback was unprompted; he made a point of letting me know that he enjoyed my presentation style and that I was obviously comfortable in front of a crowd (though compared to my teammates, the contrast was pretty strong).
I'm not sure how my grade will turn out, as it is reflective of the other members of my group, and we have yet to finish our related paper, but needless to say this compliment about public speaking really makes me happy. I might very well be teaching high school next fall, in which case I'll get lots more experience. My current schedule, full of presentations and speeches this term, probably has helped in the matter.
For anyone else that cares, I was so elated that I took this attitude out with me into the "field". Walking down the street, I noticed a girl holding an umbrella up even though the rain had stopped. I turned around to tell her that she didn't need her umbrella, and then we struck up a conversation. I didn't really want to get her number (see was kinda cute I guess) but she insisted before we ended up heading separate directions.
I need more afternoons like this one :-)
As it turns out, I was the one in my group that was truly prepared. I was working with two other individuals; one did was nervous as hell but did a good job with his part, while the other was an older student who I feel didn't really practice his presentation nor even present the right material. In fact, we were pretty much out of time before I had the opportunity to speak.
Regardless, based on my introduction slides of the project and my section near the rear, I must have done a pretty good job. When I turned in my evaluations of other class groups, my teacher said, "You have a really nice informal speaking style".
It really made my day to hear that. He's one of professors that I like and respect the most out of my five years in college; he brings real-world credibility and experience to the classroom. Furthermore, the feedback was unprompted; he made a point of letting me know that he enjoyed my presentation style and that I was obviously comfortable in front of a crowd (though compared to my teammates, the contrast was pretty strong).
I'm not sure how my grade will turn out, as it is reflective of the other members of my group, and we have yet to finish our related paper, but needless to say this compliment about public speaking really makes me happy. I might very well be teaching high school next fall, in which case I'll get lots more experience. My current schedule, full of presentations and speeches this term, probably has helped in the matter.
For anyone else that cares, I was so elated that I took this attitude out with me into the "field". Walking down the street, I noticed a girl holding an umbrella up even though the rain had stopped. I turned around to tell her that she didn't need her umbrella, and then we struck up a conversation. I didn't really want to get her number (see was kinda cute I guess) but she insisted before we ended up heading separate directions.
I need more afternoons like this one :-)
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Posture
So my mother stopped by my house today, and she made the comment about how bad my posture was. I'll admit that I struggle with my posture. I slouch, lean, and really do not have that great, standing straight-up posture that I know I should have. I mean heck, it's something that I work on and think about on a daily basis.
Growing up I had pretty bad scoliosis, or a curvature of the spine, to about 13 degrees. When I was in 7th grade I was given an ultimatum of physical therapy or surgery and installation of a metal rod in my back; you guys can guess which option I chose.
The problem is that my lifestyle has me being really inconsistent with my workouts. Over the years, this spinal imbalance has caused the muscles in my back to develop differently, such that one side is stronger than the other. This is clearly noticeable; when I take pictures for identification cards, you can see that one shoulder is raised higher than the other, despite me having no knowledge of the subject. Sitting here right now, I have no idea on whether or not my posture is good or even decent.
Posture really is an important thing. Good strong posture indicates confidence and dominance, and is something important in both the bar and the board room. Furthermore, it is something that can help keep back problems out of your life. I'm not sure what I'm going to do to fix my problem long term, but clearly something has to be done. Whenever I am in a solid weightlifting routine, I have less back problems because my muscles are getting stronger. This is definitely something I'll be looking forward to doing more in the future.
Right now I could "crack my back" at any given moment. I can adjust the vertebrae in my neck by myself. I go to the chiropractor to give me a short term fix until my body settles back into the normal positioning, and have been there so much I feel like I can nearly adjust myself at this point.
In any case, posture, being a huge part of body language and conveying a powerful message, is something that you need to be self-aware about. I'm certainly not perfect and it's something I know I need to address. Whenever I walk by a glass store-front where I can see my reflection, I glance to see if my posture is okay or if I am walking horribly.
How do you all deal with posture? Is it something you think about at all? Have you had problems in the past and have worked to fix them? Please share your comments down below.
Growing up I had pretty bad scoliosis, or a curvature of the spine, to about 13 degrees. When I was in 7th grade I was given an ultimatum of physical therapy or surgery and installation of a metal rod in my back; you guys can guess which option I chose.
The problem is that my lifestyle has me being really inconsistent with my workouts. Over the years, this spinal imbalance has caused the muscles in my back to develop differently, such that one side is stronger than the other. This is clearly noticeable; when I take pictures for identification cards, you can see that one shoulder is raised higher than the other, despite me having no knowledge of the subject. Sitting here right now, I have no idea on whether or not my posture is good or even decent.
Posture really is an important thing. Good strong posture indicates confidence and dominance, and is something important in both the bar and the board room. Furthermore, it is something that can help keep back problems out of your life. I'm not sure what I'm going to do to fix my problem long term, but clearly something has to be done. Whenever I am in a solid weightlifting routine, I have less back problems because my muscles are getting stronger. This is definitely something I'll be looking forward to doing more in the future.
Right now I could "crack my back" at any given moment. I can adjust the vertebrae in my neck by myself. I go to the chiropractor to give me a short term fix until my body settles back into the normal positioning, and have been there so much I feel like I can nearly adjust myself at this point.
In any case, posture, being a huge part of body language and conveying a powerful message, is something that you need to be self-aware about. I'm certainly not perfect and it's something I know I need to address. Whenever I walk by a glass store-front where I can see my reflection, I glance to see if my posture is okay or if I am walking horribly.
How do you all deal with posture? Is it something you think about at all? Have you had problems in the past and have worked to fix them? Please share your comments down below.
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