A Little Somethin' Somethin'

So I had the opportunity to read this really great book that my supervisor let me borrow. It's called "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... And It's All Small Stuff" by Richard Carlson. I would describe it as an inspirational book that will help you gain a better understanding of how to live a happier life. Why wouldn't you read this?!

It was a short and great read, and I recommend everyone pick up the book. I'm going to highlight some of the chapters and focuses that were really inspirational and can be helpful to anyone's daily life. Especially in our field, it can be difficult to let the small things go, as it seems there is so much to do. Often times, we are helping so many other people that we forget about ourselves. Here are some ways to be that better person:

"Change the things that can be changed, accept those that cannot, and have the wisdom to know the difference."

Make Peace with Imperfection: The need for perfection and the desire for inner tranquility conflict with each other. Rather than being content and grateful for what we have, we are focused on what's wrong with something and our need to fix it. The way someone/something looks, behaves, or lives their life, the very act of focusing on imperfection pulls us away from our goal of being kind and gentle.

Develop Your Compassion: Mother Teresa reminds us, "We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do small things with great love." Compassion develops your sense of gratitude by taking your attention off all the little things that most of us have learned to take too seriously.

Imagine That Everyone is Enlightened Except You: Perhaps the obnoxious driver or disrespectful teenager are here to teach you about patience. Your job is to try to determine what the people in your life are trying to teach you. Everyone in your life is there for a reason, and even if they do not stay in your life, they could have been an influential teacher.

Let Others Be "Right" Most of the Time: Being right and defending our positions takes an enormous amount of energy and often alienates us from the people in our lives. Needing to be right (or needing someone else to be wrong) encourages others to become defensive.

Be the First One to Act Loving or Reach Out: So many of us hold on to little resentments that may have stemmed from an argument, a misunderstanding, the way we were raised, or some other painful event. Stubbornly, we wait for someone else to reach out to us, believing this is the only way we can forgive or rekindle a friendship or family relationship.

Surrender to the Fact That Life is Not Fair: One of the mistakes we make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others, thinking that life should be fair or someday it will be. It's not and it won't. When we make this mistake, we tend to spend a lot of time wallowing or complaining about what's wrong with life, not taking time to fully live.

Once a Week, Write a Heartfelt Letter: Take a few minutes each week to write a heartfelt letter. Pick up a pen or begin typing helps you slow down long enough to remember the great people in your life. This helps to fill your life with gratitude.

Spend a Moment Every Day Thinking of Someone to Thank: Start your day thinking of someone to thank. The more genuinely grateful you feel for the gift of life, the more peaceful you will feel and be. Thank anyone, from friends and family to your clerk at the local grocery store.

Seek First to Understand: This implies that you become more interested in understanding others and less in having other people understand you. It means mastering the idea that if you want quality, fulfilling communication, others must come first.

Choose Your Battles Wisely: Life is filled with opportunities to choose between making a big deal out of something or simply letting it go, realizing that it doesn't really matter. If you choose your battles wisely, you'll be far more effective in winning those that are truly important.

Praise and Blame are All the Same: We often get angry, hurt, or frustrated when people reject our ideas, tell us no, or give us some other form of disapproval. The sooner we accept the fact that we will not be able to win the approval of everyone we meet, the easier our lives will become.

This is the first post. Be sure to check out later posts with some other great advice and info from this book!

SRB

So... I'm Totally Copying Jill on this One...

It's kind of weird to think about. Even though I'm having the time of my life out on the east coast, I guess you never realize what you have until it's gone. Yeah, yeah... I know that sounds completely cliche. I'm talking about friends; you know the people who keep you sane when everything is insane around you? I've met some really great people out here this summer, and I plan to visit some of my old friends from the area in the next few months, but I miss the people from Oklahoma. I don't want to say that I took them for granted when I was in the area, but I think I have a better understanding of how important they have been in my life now that I'm away for a few months.

Here are just a few things that I miss:
* Random lunches at Chili's with Jill and Bryan
* Going to Mexico Joe's and ordering some margaritas with Jill and company
* Hanging out with Bryan in his office when I should have been working
* Playing Settlers or Cosmic Encounters with Ray, Joel, Bryan, Rob, Sarah, and Michael

* Hanging out in the Bennett office with Eric and Kendra
* MY STUDENTS! There are too many of you to name
* Just Dance 2 competitions, where I was a champion!
* Sardines with the staff when all of the students had left
* Birthday trip to Tulsa with Carter, Becca, and Jon
* Bubble Tubes and Baltimore with Bryan, Jen, Heather, Lena, Kell, Alex, Tom, Michael, Lesley, and Brian
* Sexy Poncho time at football games!

I'm sure there have been plenty of other things that I didn't think about. I just picked a few pictures, so sorry if I didn't include anyone in any of them. You are still missed!

And if you haven't, you should definitely add me to Skype and have a good, ole fashioned convo with me sometime soon. Add scott.busiel, and you will be set to go! I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer so far.

There will be more to come.
SRB

Finally in the South... Again...

Last week I finally reached Columbia, SC after 16 hours in the car. I definitely would not have been able to do it if it weren't for the music and my friends who kept me on the phone for the duration of the drive. Let me tell you, Columbia is not an easy city to navigate when you have been living in a small town like Stillwater, OK for the past two years. I got lost at least twice, and the coordinator who was supposed to check me in must have thought I was incompetent after having to call him a few times for directions. BUT I made it, and that is the important thing.

This has been such an amazing experience, and I am really loving my supervisors and colleagues. Everyone here has welcomed me into the department, and I can see myself working at a place like this after I graduate next year. I've been able to get students interested in our Common Courses Program (linked course program) and register them for a few of their classes. The department also has me working on a brand new concept: the Associate Learning Community Proposal. Starting this fall, students are able to create their own living-learning community. It needs to be academically-based and have the support from professionals and other interested students. I am working on creating the theme and webpage for this new concept. I am also looking at ways to promote this new program to students and staff members at the university. So far, I have gotten some really great experiences, and the people who work at the university have been great. I don't know if I could say the people in the city are as great, though.

I cannot tell you how many times I have almost been hit by another car. These people cannot drive to save their lives! When I lived in Wilmington, I always thought, "These people are terrible drivers." When I got to Stillwater, I thought, "These people are worse drivers than the people in Wilmington." The drivers in Columbia take the cake for CrAzY! Some of them drive 10 mph under the speed limit, some cut you off while making left-hand turns, and others decide it is alright to blow through red lights. Needless to say, I have not been driving too much since I made it out here.

In other news, Columbia has some amazing farmers markets! They also have a Target and some pretty amazing local and chain restaurants. I am in heaven right now... I'll have to make sure that I get my fix in before I have to travel back out west for another year. Well... it is 12:30 AM, and I have to be at work early. Signing off for the night!

SRB