Happy Thanksgiving!

Next week you have the entire week off! Use that time to be productive, relax and recharge so that  you can come back on Monday, December 1st ready to finish the semester strong. :)

7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Sharpen the Saw

This is the habit of renewal. Sharpening the saw means taking regular time-outs to rejuvenate and strengthen the four key dimensions of life -body, mind, heart and soul. To perform at the highest level, all four areas need to be in balance.

Caring for your body involves paying attention. Our bodies are marvelous machines that adapt, transform and give clues to us throughout our entire lives. It means eating well (thinking about moderation and avoiding extremes), exercising and being physically healthy. Caring for the body also means staying away from the things that will destroy it, such as alcohol, addictive and prescription drugs, and tobacco.

What is done with the mass of gray matter between the ears is the most determining factor to your future. Caring for your brain means making a plan and commitment to developing brain power through schooling, extra curricular activities, hobbies, jobs and other mind-exploring experiences. Creating an educated mind is not just about getting a diploma. It is about having the ability to reason, synthesize, write, read, communicate, analyze, explore, argue and much, much more.

The heart is a temperamental thing. It needs constant nourishment and care, otherwise it will send you on an emotional roller coaster. Caring for the heart is tied to our relationships. Finding a friend, family member, advisor or significant other to positively interact with will create large deposits into the heart. And when those bad moments or negative feelings just can’t quite seem to be shaken off, seeking help or meeting with counselor is important.

Your soul houses your deepest convictions, values and passions. It is the source of your deepest happiness and inner peace. Caring for the soul looks very different for everyone. Whether it is worshipping, meditating, creating, interacting or reflecting, these self-nourishing acts create purpose and meaning to our live.

Renewal is not something that is always practical. There are times to be balances and there are times for imbalance. Some times are more demanding and will require more focus, such as finals or throughout an internship. The goal is to be mindful about your four dimensions and make a commitment to taking some time, when you can, to rejuvenate and sharpen the saw.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Synergize

Synergy is the process by which two or more people, working together, are able to achieve more than if they were to work alone. It is a mutually beneficial and symbiotic relationship. The foundation for synergy is the ability to celebrate differences. Not just gender and racial diversity, but differences in religion, personality, education, language, family, interests, values and so on. Going beyond tolerance and actually celebrating these differences offers the purest form of synergy as consistent acceptance creates a vast network. Celebrating differences becomes easier when we recognize that we are all a minority of one. From the way we learn, our worldly paradigms, our personalities and on, we are all unique and special. 

Synergy is not compromise. Compromise is a situation when one or each person concedes something to find a solution. While compromise is better than conflict, it is not ideal. Synergy is creative cooperation. It’s not about reaching the goal together that you could have done alone; it’s about exceeding your goals and the goals of others by working together. To get to synergy, each party must define the problem or issue, determine the two sides or set of goals, brainstorm creative yet logical solutions, and then choose the best solution.

Synergy doesn’t always happen naturally or even with great effort. Some cooperative solutions are difficult to come by. But the more effort put into the synergy plan, the easier it will become and the more often the valuable fruits of these relationships will be reaped.

You should recognize that there are many  people on campus that are ready and willing to be part of your synergistic team. Never again in your life will you be part of a community that is as dedicated to and motivated by your success. And when you observe and utilize the services, resources and people on this campus, your path will become smoother and clearer.

{Major Mondays: Textiles & Apparel}

Do you enjoy design? Textiles & Apparel may be the major for you! This program has the choice of doing a major or a minor. As a student in this major, you would take your courses in Latham Hall and have a multitude of opportunities such as internships, professional development, undergraduate research projects and much more. You even have the chance to have your work appear in the annual Design Show!

What do you do with a major in Textiles & Apparel? Recent graduates in the program have found employment in computer-aided design, consumer research, merchandise planning and buying and fashion journalism.

What classes would you take? Some of the courses include Introduction to the Textile and Apparel Industry, History of Costume, Textile Structures, Dress and Human Behavior and many others.

You can gather more information on their website here!

7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Seek First to Understand

The deepest need of the human heart is to be understood; for someone to care. The best way to show you care is simply taking the time to listen without judging, preparing a response, spacing out or giving advice. Good listening skills are imperative to understanding others, but with an abundance of poor listening styles it is no surprise that our skills in this area tend to be underdeveloped.

Genuine listening is what will lead to real, authentic communication. This means not only listening with our ears, but also interpreting the body language, tone, word choice, inflection and nonverbal cues of others. The tale is often told not in what we say, but in how we say it. Understanding what another person is saying involves perspective; spending some time in their shoes. We all have different experiences, understandings and paradigms; good listeners take this into account. 

Genuine listening makes deposits into the relationship bank account by showing care and compassion for others. Simultaneously, seeking first to understand will help you grow and mature as you are exposed to others' perceptions. Whether you are in class, working on a project or with friends in the union, make the genuine effort to listen and consider what the other person may be explaining and take note of how this act will change your reaction. People who seek to understand, then be understood find more peace in this ever-changing world. 

Walk-Ins

As registration gets closer for freshmen and sophomores, the Office of Academic Advising will be having walk-in hours. This is a chance for students that have advisors through our office (which includes Deciding majors) to come in and get quick questions answered or holds removed if you haven't done so already.

November 10-14 and November 17-19

8:15-11:30 and 1:15-4:30

Gilchrist 102

If you have any questions, stop on by!

{Major Mondays: Health Promotion}

Health promotion is a currently growing field in the health field. You would take a variety of health courses depending on the emphasis you decided to choose. You could choose to have an emphasis in women’s health, health and fitness promotion, global health and health disparities and if you like science, you could choose environmental health for a total of four emphasis options.

What do you do with a major in Health Promotion? People that major in Health Promotion have a variety of career options in a growing field. You work to encourage healthy lifestyles and wellness. You do this by educating individuals and communities. You may work for hospitals, non-profit organizations like the Red Cross, in a corporate or university wellness center, women’s health center and much more. There are a wide array of opportunities!

What classes would you take? Some of the required courses for the major include Human Diseases, Environmental Health Science, Human Structure and Function and Public Health Theory and Application. Depending on the emphasis you choose you may take Introduction to Public Health, Nutrition for Health Promotion, Introduction to Women’s Health, Parenting, International Health and Global Health Mission. If you choose the Science Intensive: Environmental Health emphasis you would be taking some Biology and Chemistry courses as well.

You can learn more on their website here, view the course options here, or stop by the Academic Advising office to learn more!

7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Think Win-Win

Habit 4 is the process of thinking win-win. It is about believing that everyone can make gains, that we are all on the same team, and that we are all equal. It is the belief that there is plenty of success to go around. Thinking win-win can be difficult, but it always creates an abundance. To get into this mindset, it begins with being personally secure about who we are and what we have, and emotionally independent from others. It is nearly impossible for us to be happy for others’ success or humble in our own when we are insecure about ourselves.

There are two habits that make it virtually impossible to think win-win: competing and comparing. While competing can be healthy, pushing you to work hard and raise the bar, it can also be detrimental to your mindset. It can become negative when self-worth becomes tied to winning instead of being used as a benchmark to measure. Comparing, much like competition, is damaging because it skews your self-image. There is always someone skinnier, smarter, more self-assured, better dressed, with more money, etc. Self-esteem based on anything other than the quality of the heart, mind and soul is is built on a shaky foundation.  Breaking the habit of consistently comparing is hard, intentional work but will offer more moments of joy and strong self-esteem.

Thinking win-win is contagious. Becoming big hearted, committed to the success of others and ready to share recognition creates a magnet for friends and positivity. This force field changes how people think and act. It makes everyone who commit to win-win feel happy and serene thoughts and that good feeling has an overreaching affect on how everything else is done. It gives confidence, clarity and pleasure.