College Comp I Class Blog

Welcome to our class blog. Here is where I will post assignments and where we will discuss and share ideas.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Block 4: Ignite Your Passion

After having read this blog post, leave commentary explaining which way to ignite your passion works best for you.  Explain it in a solid paragraph.

26 comments:

  1. One item on the list that is vital for me is #1, surround yourself with passionate people. I would call them my 'tribe.'

    Whenever I feel stuck or that I'm not working hard enough, I will go visit coach Mumm or Mr. Zutz. They are equally passionate about teaching as I am. They are also wiling to push me, which is why I am constantly bugging them and running ideas across them.

    A few years ago, I wanted to have an exit interview for my College Comp 2 class instead of a final. I wanted them to still be accountable for all of the content of a final, I just wanted to do something different other than give a large final exam.

    I thought about having students do exit interviews (based off of the mock interviews done in social studies). I asked Mr. Zutz if he could give me a list of 10-15 community members who would be willing to come in to the school one day for interviews.

    Then Mr. Zutz said, "Why don't you just see if you can't take them out to Digi Key and have the Human Resource department do the interviews?"

    I had never thought of that. Now it's one of the best things that we do in College Comp 2. Not only do students get the experience of a final exit interview, but they also get to be grilled by two to three professional interviewers (talk about some real world experience there).

    I know whenever I'm struggling with something, I can go talk to Coach Mumm or Mr. Zutz and get help immediately. And if I don't get help, I at least get some inspiration.

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    1. I would have to say that #6 and #7 are the most important ones to me. #6 says to scare yourself-- live outside of your comfort zone. #7 talks about finding the right reasons.

      I think #6 is important because you're never going to know what you're capable of until you get out of your comfort zone. You might look at something and say, "I would hate that", but than try it later and love it. It is like "judging a book by it's cover." Except you are judging an experience from the outside. Yes, it can be pretty scary getting out of your comfort zone, but most of the time it will allow you to be more open to new things and it can show you other activities that you can enjoy! If you don't get out of your comfort zone, you will get stuck in the rut of having a daily routine. Every day you will do the same things, and that can get boring. Trying new things puts adventure, new experiences, and excitement into your life.

      I think #7 is also very important. It is about finding the right reasons. I think it is saying you should be doing something because you enjoy it, not because every else is doing it. An example would be joining a sports team. If you were not good at the sport and didn't get a lot of playing time, but loved it anyways, that would be for the right reasons. You would be in it because you love the sport, not because you just wanted to be the best. Many people don't join something because they think they are "too bad". Having a negative attitude about something you actually like to do because others are better than you will only cause you to not enjoy it anymore. Another thing I think a lot of people do is follow the crowd for popularity. Often people think "people will like me more" if I do what everyone else is doing. That is not always the case. You should always make sure and ask yourself if you are doing it for the right reasons. Do it because you enjoy it.

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  2. I think number 8 which states that you should learn something new is the most important.

    What good are you doing if you just go through the routine of going home, doing homework, and finishing the night off with something you do all the time. You will never experience anything else. Some people may have a passion for drawing; if you never learn how to do that, whether that be through classes or self teaching, you may never reach your element. I know we have heard that it is very likely that people will find their element in more than one field, but what if you don't. You may never find that one thing that just excites you. Regardless of that though, what if you find your element in some things while you would feel a stronger pull towards something you have never introduced yourself to. It isn't necessary to become a professional in something, but at least try it. If you start playing piano for example and it frustrates you to the point of utter hatred, there is no reason for you to continue.

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  3. I think #1 which is, surround yourself with passionate people is most important.

    If you are surrounding yourself with passionate people, it only makes for a positive environment. Those around you have everything to do with your success and what you think is possible. I think it would create a good environment for motivation. If you surround yourself with people that dislike their job and dread coming in, or whatever the case may be, it's going to make your outlook on things not as positive. It also creates a great support system. Not only will they give you ideas, but they will support you on what your ideas are as well. I personally do not like to be around someone who aren't thinking positively. Why waste your time on someone who constantly is negative about their job. I don't have time for people that don't like what they do. If they don't like it, they should change what they are doing to do what excites them. Try and make something positive out of every situation.

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  4. I think that #1 is definitely the most important to being passionate (perhaps why it is listed as #1). Maybe the biggest obstacle to becoming who you are meant to be is being surrounded by people who drag you down. Even if no one is necessarily trying to discourage you, you will not reach your full potential unless you find others who can help you to reach your goals. This is exactly what Robinson described as finding your "tribe". An example of this would be having friends that do not have the same interests as you. If you don't really have anything you can relate to with them, it is really hard to have a worthwhile friendship.

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  5. I believe #6 is the most important. If your not willing to put yourself our there you`ll just live in your mothers basement the rest of your life wondering why the world won`t accept you. If you leave your comfort zone you can discover things about new things, others, or even yourself. I live for the moments that are spontaneous and off the cuff, because without them life would be dull and repetitive. If your not willing to enture out of your comfort zone at least once a week, you`re already dying. As you stay in your comfort zone you deny yourself oppertunities to learn, to succed and most importantly to fail. Failure is the sweetest painful feeling in life. Failure allows us to learn what not to do in situations and challenges us to be creative and find solutions to use in situations like that in the future. I believe that if you are able to leave your comfort zone, you allow yourself to become more comfortable in doing so in the future. If noone ever left their comfort zone nothing great would have ever been done, no broadwood plays, Mona Lisas, Oreos, Legos, or Ipads would exist. Without spontanuity to inspire creativity, life as we know it would have never been formed.

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  6. I think #5, challenge the norm.

    People think that because it is the 'right way' it has to be the only way to do things. We need to all embrace our individuality and know that being different and doing different things are ok! Also listen to your gut. Just because an expert said its the only way to succeed, question that. How can there only be one way to succeed? Believe in yourself and never lose sight in what YOU want.

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  7. I think #4 and #8 are the most important in your passion. I think that a journal is a great thing. I keep one myself. I'll never show it to anyone or share it, but its my way of knowing what I want to do. I think that once you share it or let it out it some how becomes real. Putting it down in writing is like making it happen. Also, learning something new is important. You have to always make everything new and fresh. Keeping book with you everywhere is a great way. Anytime I can just pull my book out is great.People will be exposed to so much more when they learn and keep that spark for knowledge alive. Learning everyday is how you evolve into the best version of yourself in finding your passion.

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  8. I think that number three is one of the best ways that I ignite my passion. I greatly enjoy helping others and making an impact on peoples lives. In my job I get to show my passion by teaching kids how to swim. Now when ever they see me in town or at the fair they come running up to me and say hi or even give me a hug. Its the most rewarding feeling when this happens and it happens because I made an impact on that kids life.

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  9. I think that #1 is the most important which is to surround yourself with positive people.

    When you surround yourself with positive people it will make your work for a better environment. If you are working with people who bring you down and don't like the job it wont be as much fun for you. When you are surrounded by people who are also in their environment you will be more in love with your job and will be so much more motivated. You will always be in a good mood because those people help bring out the best in you. I usually don't like to put my self around negative attitudes because they are just no fun to be around. Even if something isn't going well for them they should try to make it better in anyway they can. Someone doesn't always need to be negative. If they really don't like their job or environment they should change it for the better. Surround yourself with positive people and have a better outlook on life.

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  10. For me, the best way to ignite my passion is #5.. challenge the norm.

    When I start thinking what could be possible instead of what is presented to me as the right way, I develope a passion for things more easily. I come up with ideas that may work that are outside of the box. They are my original ideas and they get me pumped up. Everything these days is just handed to you, you aren't encouraged to be curious and to wonder. This is important for igniting my passion because I have a natural curiousity to want to learn on my own things I have an interest in.

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  11. I think number three is the best for me because of helping others and seeing their faces when you have made their lives a little bit easier. Seeing their faces from enjoyment of me helping is a great satisfaction that I get. Even when I help I sometimes get a reward in return like lunch or some money. Usually I just do it just to help out the community and have the happy feeling that I get from doing those kinds of deeds.

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  12. The best way to ignite my passion is #1 Surround Yourself With Passionate People

    I believe that the attitude of people you surround yourself with is the attitude you create for yourself. If your always around negative people, you are likely to think negatively yourself, and vice versa. It is important to have people that will impact you and change your life in a positive way.You want people who will give you new ideas, push you to think outside of the box, and fuel your passion. It is impossible to find and keep your passion alive if you only have people who constantly put it down. Find a place that accepts you and has the same belief as you.

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  13. Challenging the norm is the best way to "ignite" my passion. I dislike how set in stone the world is currently. There are undeniable truths that exist, but we need to question why they're undeniable truths. We take for granted these cornerstones of existence. I work best in a environment in which I am allowed to ask questions and get to the root of why something works the way it does. Its the reason why I enjoy science and math, they help us understand the complex world.

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  14. I think number 5 is the most important quality for finding your passion. If we don't challenge what is considered normal, then we will never find our whole potential. Just because a parent or friend chose one thing doesn't mean we have to follow in their shadow, it' our own passion we need to find. Think of kids for example, they question everything and are more creative than a person of higher age.

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  15. The way that I ignite my passion is to learn something new. I absolutely love to learn new things. Take instruments for example, I love to learn the basics of how and instrument works. In the field of music, I like to learn all that I can so I can really feed my passion. If I learn something I feel empowered. I work best if I am learning something in the process and can add that knowledge to my mental library.

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  16. I think the best way to ignite your passion is to surround yourself with positive people. With people around you who are excited about what they do will excite you. They can encourage you and support you. It's a bonus if the passionate people around you love the same thing you do. You can learn together and keep each other motivated. They can also give you new ideas and keep your creative juices flowing.

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  17. Scare yourself- Live outside your comfort zone and Surround yourself with Passionate People are the ones that stand out to me the most.
    Scare yourself stands out to me because I'm planning on becoming either a nurse or a vet. Both take a lot of hard work studying, keeping up with your homework, focusing on what you want in the end, and just pretty much being smart. It scares me because I really am having my doubts on me being able to keep up a 4.0 at UND. Because thats what I need to get into the nursing program and that scares me. But I know if I really am passionate about being a nurse or a vet I will be determined to do what it takes to become one.
    I can relate to surrounding myself with passionate people because my friends and I are all going to college and pretty much know what we want to know with our lives. That strives me to figure my life out for myself and we push each other to figure out what we want to do by the time we graduate this year.

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  18. The 1st point, the solid foundation, is the most important thing when it comes to trying to understand myself better and to finding my passion. Without people who support you, even when your ideas seem silly, it is impossible to even begin to find your passion. I fully believe passion is contagious. If you are surrounded by people who are in the 'zone' and working towards the same goals as you, you are much more likely to become passionate about something.

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  19. One way that I ignite my passion is to not do everything by the norm. Many people get caught up in wanting to be like other people and they don't want to be individuals. I like to go outside the norm just so that I have a little more creativity and fun so that my passion just happens to be there as well. I also like to get outside of my comfort level. By doing this I am able to challenge myself and am able to be more adventurous and figure what I want to do and then accomplish it.

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  20. I really liked number 6 because It's so important to stretch your perspective and take risks because sometimes obstacles can be viewed as opportunities, If you dare to challenge yourself. Living In your comfort zone makes It hard for you to open up to the world leaving you with not as many opportunities you could have If only you learned to not always be In a shell. A good example might be daring yourself to take on medical school which I know for me Is going to be really hard but I'm willing to take that risk because I love science and I dream of being a doctor and saving lives so sometimes Im going to have to take risks and just hold my breath, jump, and hope for the best!

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  21. I think number 1 is the best way to ignite your passion. If you are not surrounded by people that are passionate about what they do, then you will never find anything to be passionate about. When you are around people who are passionate about their job they can be very inspirational to you. Finding your passion can be difficult but talking to people that have found their passion is a big help.

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  22. I believe that #8, learn something new, is the best way to ignite my passion. I love learning new things or learning how to do things. So if I try a bunch of new things in my life I will probably not like some of those, but if there is one thing that I like or that "ignites" my passion. Then I will keep practicing or learning that activity, and I will become good at this and I will love to do it more often.

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  23. I have a problem with going outside my comfort zone. When I do, however, I end up learning new things about the things that I am passionate about. I think I get too scared to learn new stuff about my passions, so I just don't do it. I forced myself to join the robotics team because I wanted to learn programming, but I couldn't push myself to do anything about it. Now, I have learned so much from it.

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  24. I can't find anyone in my immediate circle, who shares similar interests with me, and thus it makes it harder to focus on music, simply because I have few people to discuss it with. Even my musician friends are almost all instrumentalists, which sounds relatively insignificant at first, but it's an important difference because our repertories are totally different, and the things that inspire a singer like me, are different than the things that inspire a pianist, or a cellist.
    However, on the rare opportunity's I get to spend around some college level singers, I am always very motivated to work. The thought of spending hours a day on music, and on developing ones artistry and technique, sounds like heaven to me.

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  25. I believe that #1, which is surround yourself with passionate people, is the most important. If I surround myself with passionate people then I can have a more positive and happy life. If I have people around me that are passionate, then I can become more passionate too. The people around me can inspire me to do more exciting things, they can make me better at what I do, they can make me a better person in general. If they are passionate and believe in me, then I can find it easier to believe in myself.

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