Impact
Being a teenager is all about doing something meaningful. I've come to realize that my biggest problem with college is the fact that so much of the lifestyle on my campus centers around pointlessness. I'm like, why are we doing this? Why are things this way? Why do I even go here? I want my life to mean something, to be a small part of something larger than myself, and do make a splash. I want to be the crater that changes everything, the force to be reckoned with, and the light that shines in the darkness. I want to make an impact.
You never really know the impact you have on a person or a situation. You can get little hints from facial expressions, body language, and just trying to read what's going on, but you never know the full story. Everything you say, everything you do, and all the actions in between not only have an impact on yourself but everyone else around you. You have the power to seriously brighten someone's day, or put a major damper on it. You've got to be conscious of not only yourself but others around you. There's intent, and then there's impact. All you can do is be your best, and brace for impact. Friday was another one of those extra hectic days. I started off in HCOL where the awkwardness of that class escalates on a tri-weekly basis. The amount of stereotyping and blanket statements made in there are too much to handle - all I'm thinking is Rick James choking somebody (Dave Chappelle reference). I moved quickly throw chem lecture, and even had the guts to participate in the conversation for my "Intro to the Bible" religion class. We discussed the first 3 chapters of Genesis, and y'all know that's my ish - Adam and Eve, ribs, garden of Eden and all of that good stuff. I grabbed food, took a break from life and eventually it was time for biology lecture. Even more ridiculousness, those iClicker questions will be the end of of me. Everyone is a constant mess, doing the least, and just giving up on life in there. After I was done with classes I went to the Grundle (aka Harris-Millis Residential Dining) for a dining experience that you can't get anywhere else. I went with my good buddy, Nic (aka Nicky-Nic) and we sampled all the fried foods. You know me, being super pops - it's like everyone I've ever said "hey" to ever comes up to you and wants to strike up a conversation in that place. I get all the social-ness out of my system and stuff my freaking face. Back to my room to blog up a storm with "Gobsmacked" and hang out. My roommate, Patrick (alias Krabby Patty or Krabs) comes back from skateboarding with a twisted ankle. My suitemate, Jimmy, and I work our medicinal magic (as doctors' kids) and bandage him up. The night comes and I'm due to play some tennis with Nicholas. I suit up and we hit the court. Let's just say that I double faulted like it was my damn job, woof. Sweaty and battered, it was shower time. I did all that, and after a skype session with my friends Sam, Emily, and Dzenan it was time to the hit the Marché for a late night snack. Jimmy, Sam and I took to the place where everyone was a straight up drunken mess. Rowdy, unruly, and a bunch of car-parked (add ed to any verb and it means schwasted) hooligans. I was overwhelmed and done, back to my room where Patrick and I had some of those interesting late night talks - ones I'll never forget. Impact made.
This guy *points to self, I like to think I make a major impact on everyone I come into contact with. I'm pretty sure I'm one of those memorable people that make a strong first impression. In every way possibly I strive to do the most when it comes to socializing and forming those initial bonds. Saturday started with me packing and ditching campus with Sam and the rest of our cohort for our annual Hall Council Retreat. Just after 2:30pm we're all on the bus, about 60 or so of us on the way to Bishop Booth Conference Center. We make it there, and we do a Real World style assigning of rooms. The excitement dies down and it's time to get the show on the road. We start off with cheer camp lead by none other than me, myself and I. Time to turn on the pep, bring the spirit, and raise my voice. Literally time to bring it on. I lead a group full of complete strangers with help from my awesome IRA executive board in 7 different cheers. For me to put myself out there like that, it's a struggle, but somehow I always seem to do it. From there we moved on to teambuilders and ice breakers. We played Captain, 1776, and Move Your Butt If ... which got people fired up, moving around the room and competing hard. You know I was a mess up in, running, scooting, and doing whatever it took to not lose. It was soon time to make identity jars which we all decorated in ways that best represented us (mine said LWWY or live while we're young). I sat with Maddie, Nathaniel, and Eli as we did our best to be super creative. I passed around the spirit crown when people showed their cheering pride and the crowd judged the best jars. Soon it was time for a hearty dinner of some epic Chinese food that left me ko-ed for the night. After that it was time for the IRA e-board to explain exactly why all the people were there. It was kind of a daunting task, and the whole speaking to tons of random people thing - it's kind of like really nerve racking. I took a deep breath and went to work. Each one of the seven of the us, Sam, Felicia, Anna, Terra, Bret, Eric, and I took turns explains the haps with our organization, our affiliations and how everyone could participate. We took a break for some cheering to keep the group on its toes and from there we moved on to our co-advisor Drake's lively presentation on leadership styles. Homeboy is always doing the most - all of us definitely did a great job with what we were tasked with and in no time it was 10pm and free time. That meant playing card games, board games and even some video games. I played some intense games of Jenga with my fraternity brothers Jake, and Derrick along with Nathaniel. Khalil was the Hall Council president from Harris-Millis who was just demolishing people in Just Dance. Let's be honest, y'all know I had to step up there and start a war. He won in a best two out of three competition but there will be a rematch, I've got this on lock. The night rolled on and somehow a table of us were left around midnight talking about the most random of things. Maddie, Mike, Shawn, Connor and Alex joined the rest of us in discussing vegeterianism (is that a thing), crazy childhood stories, homeless/poverty, and a whole gamut of straight random stuff. Bro-bonding hard, and I was more than pleased with the entire night, everyone was hella legit. Connor and his steak obsession, Alex and his sassy comebacks, and then there was Maddie doing her, like we all should. I was supposed to go to bed then, but nope I went to cause a ruckus with baby-Sam and Morgan to discuss the hardships (aka #firstworldproblems) of being in the honors college. Bed time in the super suite with my exec board and lights out. Impact - oh I made one alright, narcissistic, humor-filled, and big smiles all around.
When you've made someone smile, giggle, laugh, or even feel appreciated you'll definitely know and it makes you feel just as warm and fuzzy inside. The impact you have truly has an effect on other people. Sunday started off with all of us lazily crawling out of bed and struggling to make it breakfast. All of us were broken up into groups and sent off to different sessions on to actually run a hall council. I joined group one (because they were awesome) and followed them around from budgeting, to diversity/social justice, programming and marketing. Let's just go ahead and say I'm like a spectacle with my entire life. Truly, I'm just being me - however people take all of this (points to self) is up to them. Helping out in whatever way possible, keeping the spirit up, and just smiling like nonstop (I've realized I smile a whole freaking lot) is what I was all about. Time wound down and I pow-wowwed (don't judge me, I can make whatever words up I want) with UHN HC with baby-Sam and Morgan to plan an epic variety showcase event. It was hardcore cleanup time and more than time to board the bus and head back to campus. Retreat over, and I'm so glad everyone came. I had an amazing time to getting to know so many people, learning about them, interacting with them, and challenging them to bring their best game to campus. Impact, oh I'll say we made a big one - both them on me, and vice versa.
Being a teenager is all about figuring out why you do the things you do. If you think about something and can't come up with a valid (as in well worth it) reason, then you should rethink it. It doesn't matter whether or not you believe is more than just our time on Earth, our crazy college years, or the moments we spend with all the people we care most about - you want you're life to mean something. It's up to you to make that meaning and leave the impact in a way that best reflects you.
My blog post question for the day is ... what kind of impact do you want to have on your community? I want to be that legendary kid, the one who changes everything. One of those people who no one will ever forget, and leaves an irreversible mark.
You never really know the impact you have on a person or a situation. You can get little hints from facial expressions, body language, and just trying to read what's going on, but you never know the full story. Everything you say, everything you do, and all the actions in between not only have an impact on yourself but everyone else around you. You have the power to seriously brighten someone's day, or put a major damper on it. You've got to be conscious of not only yourself but others around you. There's intent, and then there's impact. All you can do is be your best, and brace for impact. Friday was another one of those extra hectic days. I started off in HCOL where the awkwardness of that class escalates on a tri-weekly basis. The amount of stereotyping and blanket statements made in there are too much to handle - all I'm thinking is Rick James choking somebody (Dave Chappelle reference). I moved quickly throw chem lecture, and even had the guts to participate in the conversation for my "Intro to the Bible" religion class. We discussed the first 3 chapters of Genesis, and y'all know that's my ish - Adam and Eve, ribs, garden of Eden and all of that good stuff. I grabbed food, took a break from life and eventually it was time for biology lecture. Even more ridiculousness, those iClicker questions will be the end of of me. Everyone is a constant mess, doing the least, and just giving up on life in there. After I was done with classes I went to the Grundle (aka Harris-Millis Residential Dining) for a dining experience that you can't get anywhere else. I went with my good buddy, Nic (aka Nicky-Nic) and we sampled all the fried foods. You know me, being super pops - it's like everyone I've ever said "hey" to ever comes up to you and wants to strike up a conversation in that place. I get all the social-ness out of my system and stuff my freaking face. Back to my room to blog up a storm with "Gobsmacked" and hang out. My roommate, Patrick (alias Krabby Patty or Krabs) comes back from skateboarding with a twisted ankle. My suitemate, Jimmy, and I work our medicinal magic (as doctors' kids) and bandage him up. The night comes and I'm due to play some tennis with Nicholas. I suit up and we hit the court. Let's just say that I double faulted like it was my damn job, woof. Sweaty and battered, it was shower time. I did all that, and after a skype session with my friends Sam, Emily, and Dzenan it was time to the hit the Marché for a late night snack. Jimmy, Sam and I took to the place where everyone was a straight up drunken mess. Rowdy, unruly, and a bunch of car-parked (add ed to any verb and it means schwasted) hooligans. I was overwhelmed and done, back to my room where Patrick and I had some of those interesting late night talks - ones I'll never forget. Impact made.
This guy *points to self, I like to think I make a major impact on everyone I come into contact with. I'm pretty sure I'm one of those memorable people that make a strong first impression. In every way possibly I strive to do the most when it comes to socializing and forming those initial bonds. Saturday started with me packing and ditching campus with Sam and the rest of our cohort for our annual Hall Council Retreat. Just after 2:30pm we're all on the bus, about 60 or so of us on the way to Bishop Booth Conference Center. We make it there, and we do a Real World style assigning of rooms. The excitement dies down and it's time to get the show on the road. We start off with cheer camp lead by none other than me, myself and I. Time to turn on the pep, bring the spirit, and raise my voice. Literally time to bring it on. I lead a group full of complete strangers with help from my awesome IRA executive board in 7 different cheers. For me to put myself out there like that, it's a struggle, but somehow I always seem to do it. From there we moved on to teambuilders and ice breakers. We played Captain, 1776, and Move Your Butt If ... which got people fired up, moving around the room and competing hard. You know I was a mess up in, running, scooting, and doing whatever it took to not lose. It was soon time to make identity jars which we all decorated in ways that best represented us (mine said LWWY or live while we're young). I sat with Maddie, Nathaniel, and Eli as we did our best to be super creative. I passed around the spirit crown when people showed their cheering pride and the crowd judged the best jars. Soon it was time for a hearty dinner of some epic Chinese food that left me ko-ed for the night. After that it was time for the IRA e-board to explain exactly why all the people were there. It was kind of a daunting task, and the whole speaking to tons of random people thing - it's kind of like really nerve racking. I took a deep breath and went to work. Each one of the seven of the us, Sam, Felicia, Anna, Terra, Bret, Eric, and I took turns explains the haps with our organization, our affiliations and how everyone could participate. We took a break for some cheering to keep the group on its toes and from there we moved on to our co-advisor Drake's lively presentation on leadership styles. Homeboy is always doing the most - all of us definitely did a great job with what we were tasked with and in no time it was 10pm and free time. That meant playing card games, board games and even some video games. I played some intense games of Jenga with my fraternity brothers Jake, and Derrick along with Nathaniel. Khalil was the Hall Council president from Harris-Millis who was just demolishing people in Just Dance. Let's be honest, y'all know I had to step up there and start a war. He won in a best two out of three competition but there will be a rematch, I've got this on lock. The night rolled on and somehow a table of us were left around midnight talking about the most random of things. Maddie, Mike, Shawn, Connor and Alex joined the rest of us in discussing vegeterianism (is that a thing), crazy childhood stories, homeless/poverty, and a whole gamut of straight random stuff. Bro-bonding hard, and I was more than pleased with the entire night, everyone was hella legit. Connor and his steak obsession, Alex and his sassy comebacks, and then there was Maddie doing her, like we all should. I was supposed to go to bed then, but nope I went to cause a ruckus with baby-Sam and Morgan to discuss the hardships (aka #firstworldproblems) of being in the honors college. Bed time in the super suite with my exec board and lights out. Impact - oh I made one alright, narcissistic, humor-filled, and big smiles all around.
When you've made someone smile, giggle, laugh, or even feel appreciated you'll definitely know and it makes you feel just as warm and fuzzy inside. The impact you have truly has an effect on other people. Sunday started off with all of us lazily crawling out of bed and struggling to make it breakfast. All of us were broken up into groups and sent off to different sessions on to actually run a hall council. I joined group one (because they were awesome) and followed them around from budgeting, to diversity/social justice, programming and marketing. Let's just go ahead and say I'm like a spectacle with my entire life. Truly, I'm just being me - however people take all of this (points to self) is up to them. Helping out in whatever way possible, keeping the spirit up, and just smiling like nonstop (I've realized I smile a whole freaking lot) is what I was all about. Time wound down and I pow-wowwed (don't judge me, I can make whatever words up I want) with UHN HC with baby-Sam and Morgan to plan an epic variety showcase event. It was hardcore cleanup time and more than time to board the bus and head back to campus. Retreat over, and I'm so glad everyone came. I had an amazing time to getting to know so many people, learning about them, interacting with them, and challenging them to bring their best game to campus. Impact, oh I'll say we made a big one - both them on me, and vice versa.
Being a teenager is all about figuring out why you do the things you do. If you think about something and can't come up with a valid (as in well worth it) reason, then you should rethink it. It doesn't matter whether or not you believe is more than just our time on Earth, our crazy college years, or the moments we spend with all the people we care most about - you want you're life to mean something. It's up to you to make that meaning and leave the impact in a way that best reflects you.
My blog post question for the day is ... what kind of impact do you want to have on your community? I want to be that legendary kid, the one who changes everything. One of those people who no one will ever forget, and leaves an irreversible mark.
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