Week 2 - Daring Greatly

I really appreciated both the Bucket List assignment this week and the Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. They really got me thinking about the things I want to accomplish in this life and what is the most important to me.
      Not surprising to me, was the fact that my family turned up over and over in my Bucket List as the most important thing I have and want to have. It was interesting just how many items pertained to them.

When thinking about Randy Pausch’s lecture and thinking of my childhood dreams, there was one that stuck out. I danced for my whole childhood and teenage years and it was very important to me. It was a creative release as well as about the only kind of exercise I’ve ever enjoyed. As a child, I could see myself dancing for my whole life. I remember vividly being at a Utah State University basketball halftime and watching a group of Senior women dancing. There was one lady who was over 90 who could do the splits! I wanted to be them so badly.

      But as an adult, opportunities to dance are few and far between. And I have let that dream slip away a little more each year. I still take and teach Zumba classes to keep some semblance of dancing in my life, but it’s not the same.
      Last year I read the book “Daring Greatly” by Brene Brown; the inspiration for the title of Brown’s book was taken from the “Man in the Arena” speech by Teddy Roosevelt. Ironically I read that same speech this week in the book Hero’s Journey and it reminded me of what my “Daring Greatly” was. My one childhood dream that I still want to accomplish.
      I want to teach an adult dance class in my area. I want to give women an opportunity to move and dance past age 18 and to be healthy and have fun. It might seem like a small dream, but for someone with three young kids, a part time job, and school, it seems a huge feat! But it is still something I want to try. There is a lot I’ll need to do before I can make this a reality, the first would be getting myself into shape and finding a studio to do it at. But it is possible.
     And like the speech says, if I fail, at least I fail, daring greatly!

Week 1 - Networking

     Over the summer I took B 100 and set up my LinkedIn account. I had barely heard of LinkedIn before that class and I didn’t realize how valuable of an asset it could be. It’s so interesting to me every time I hear it mentioned as this hugely important tool, because I didn’t have one until recently. It was mentioned a few times in our reading/videos this week.

     I’m not currently a business professional. I consider myself a stay-at-home mom first and foremost. However, I do work from home a little now. I sew for two wonderful ladies who run Etsy-shop style companies. And I got both of those jobs just by networking on Facebook. So networking is very important even for someone who isn’t striving to be a professional.
     In the Read Hoffman video on Personal Branding I was struck by his questions at the end about how people would remember you. The jobs that I have, I got because those women knew me and trusted me from past interactions that were years and years before. I’m so grateful I left a good impression on them and they remembered I was a hard worker and trustworthy.
     Over the summer a fellow student said they were told once that every conversation you have could potentially be a job interview. That is a seriously powerful thought and something that has proven true for me.

     I am also very intrigued by the list of the books that were mentioned in the Launching Leaders video. In other classes, I have really enjoyed some similar books I’ve read and so I look forward to completing that whole list in the future. I really want to better myself both professionally and individually.

     And lastly, I was so touched by the video from President Gordon B. Hinkley. I love that man and I miss him greatly. He was my prophet for most of my formative years and he left a lasting impression on me. I love how he speaks about how we need to stand firm in what we believe and never compromise ourselves. I believe that is something you can do personally and professionally and I appreciate the reminder from such an inspirational man.