Blog 10: Cali Ruth Hays

My freshman year of college I came to school with an open mind and open options. I told myself I could do anything I wanted as long as I put my mind to it. I had people (teachers, coaches, family, and friends) all giving me different ideas of what I should do for my career. Some examples of those ideas were: coach, teacher, physical therapist, nutritionist, etc. I had so many options of what I could do and never really focused on what I wanted to do until my sophomore year. Freshman year I bounced around majors trying to decide which one was best for me and I spent a lot of time listening to people tell me what I should do. I definitely learned I have to do what I am passionate about and what will make me happy. It is good to have many options to choose from, but it does become too much at some point. One idea Designing Your Life discusses is called the Pizza-Chinese Effect. You have a list of possible career choices and you cross off all the ones you know you don't want to do. This can be difficult because you might be afraid you will cross off the one you should be keeping on the list. The Pizza-Chinese Effect is a way of proving that you definitely won't cross off the wrong one because you will know it as soon as you cross it off. An article by Celia Moore and Kawon Kim talks about how being yourself and not conforming to society is the best way to land a job. Usually being yourself and unique will make you stand out in the job market. This is one way to decide on a job. If a place does not hire you because you aren't exactly like the rest of their employees then you probably don't need to be working there.
It is impossible to never fail but it is possible to be immune from failing. Of course, we all fail in life and that is perfectly fine because it is bound to happen. Failing does not mean that your life is over and you can never recover. It honestly means the complete opposite to me. The definition of failing in my eyes is making a mistake or disappointing yourself/others. When we fail, it is crucial to take that as a learning experience. Chapter 10 talks about how we should log our failures and categorize them based on screws, weaknesses, and growth opportunities. I believe failing is one of the best ways to learn new things about yourself and make sure you never make that mistake again. Going through these type of experiences are important to mold you into a better person than you were before that failure. Jon C. Dalton writes about how he believes college is the period where ethnic failures are most likely to occur because of all the moral conflicts we face. It is also a time where we learn and grow the most. He states that ethnic failure can "be a friend" because it helps us become more perceptive/prepared and reveal truths about ourselves.

Burnett, Bill & Evans, Dave. (2016). Designing Your Life. New York: Penguin Random House.

Dalton, C. Jon. (2015, June 1). Making Moral Mistakes:What Ethical Failure Can Teach Students About Life and Leadership. Retrieved from http://proxygsu-geo1.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=102855948&site=eds-live&scope=site

Kawon, Kim & Celia Moore. (2017, November 1). The Advantage of Being Oneself: The Role of Applicant Self-Verification in Organizational Hiring Decisions. Retrieved from http://proxygsu-geo1.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=2017-27170-001&site=eds-live&scope=site