Let's Be Real for a Second

After a couple nice conversations with a couple of people I'm close to yesterday, I got to thinking. Often, we judge someone based on their actions. The infamous phrase "Actions speak louder than words" comes to mind when thinking about this. However, after thinking about this, I don't necessarily believe this is true. Yes, I think a person's actions are more of an indicator of character than their words, because it is really easy to lie, however I don't think that is the most important thing. I think it is very easy for someone to have the best intentions going into a decision, and have that decision blow up in their face. So yes, maybe actions speak louder than words, but when those actions are driven by good intentions, even if they have unintended consequences, how can I, or anyone else, judge that person as being "good" or not? It all comes back to an idea that no one is perfect. I sure as hell am not perfect. Sometimes I've gone into a situation with the best intentions, but have had my actions turn out to be the absolutely worst choice I could have made. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, so I realize those mistakes now, and all I can do is hope to learn from those mistakes so that my true intentions can be seen through my actions in the future. So, as I step off from my soapbox, I'll leave you with one idea to take with you for the rest of the day: perhaps peoples' actions seem to be stupid, or have negative outcomes, but are their intentions noble or just? If you don't know, think twice before judging them or becoming angry at them. The worst feeling in the world can be when your good intentions end up with bad consequences, and people hate you for it.


~The Prez~

Summer Begins

Summer 2012 has finally arrived. In my last post, I talked a lot about how much I will miss this year, which is true. It was truly a great year at UNI. However, this summer will be legendary. Though I will miss several people, the first lady especially, this summer has the potential to be the best summer yet! With some of the biggest blockbuster superhero movies coming out, a great job waiting for me, and great friends to spend time with, Summer 2012 will surely be epic.

Let's start by talking about some movies. If you don't know what movies I'm referring to, you obviously have been living under a rock for the last 12-36 months. The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man are all going to be huge hits this summer. For anyone who knows me, I will be attending as many midnight premieres as humanly possible, and I'll be dragging the first lady to all of them, if I get my way.

I'm also very excited to do some real work this summer. I will not only be returning to Kirkwood's Interactive Camps for Kids again this summer as a counselor, I will also spend a week teaching a class. Kirkwood Idol Singing Camp is my first real teaching experience, and I'm both excited and scared to death. Hopefully I won't screw it up. I also get to continue the most relaxing job I've ever had, which is mowing my grandmother's lawn. There's just nothing quite as mind-clearing as mowing a nice lawn. 

When I say great friends will be waiting for me to come  home, I mean Jason, Josh and Chris will be waiting to give me "the goat" as I walk into Chris' apartment. This said, however, I really am excited to spend time with some great people that I've missed a lot over the year. I'm also excited to integrate the first lady into this friend group, and hope they don't scare her too much. As long as I get to see my favorite people, no matter what I'm doing, this summer will be great.

Last summer I spent the entire time being excited for the fall. All I could think about was getting back to Cedar Falls to start a new chapter in my college career. Now, I'm not saying I won't be excited to get back to CF, but what I'm not going to waste away my summer in anticipation of something that, once I'm back, I'll be ready for break again. I'm going to use the next three-and-a-half months to recharge, re-energize, and re-assess. It will be a great summer, I'll make sure of that.

~The Prez~

As One Adventure Ends, Another Begins

As I sit here on the last Saturday of Spring Semester 2012, I am very reminiscent. For those of you who know me, you probably realize that all I'm doing right now is procrastinating on my finals. However, mostly I'm reminiscent. This is because, not only is this the last Saturday of my sophomore year of college, but it is also my last Saturday as President of Rider Hall.

Rider has given me some great memories. I moved in here the fall of freshman year thinking "Wow, this place is kind of a dump." Well... the conditions haven't changed, but my opinion of the place has. This is the place where I met my first UNI friends. The place where I not only came to sleep, but I came to hang out, have meaningful conversations, and just plain have fun. If it wasn't for Rider, there is a good chance I would have transferred schools a long time ago.

My love of this building did not go unrequited. The building gave me back some opportunities for myself to grow. Opportunities to help improve the loves of the other people living here. Getting elected President for this school year has been a blessing in so many ways. Not only have I had to privilege to represent (in my opinion) the best residence hall on campus, but I also got to meet a lot of great people. I will forever be thankful for the personal and professional growth that this position has given me.

Now, while I may be writing this to have it just sit on the internet, unread until the day the machines finally rise against us and it is just used against me, I am writing with a purpose. Though this will probably be mainly used as an outlet for rants and raves, I really want to express my appreciation for everyone who has made the last two years of college such an amazing experience. I would just email the whole hall, but I feel like that'd be way too mushy, and kind of awkward.

So, as I move forward, to become the President of Shull Hall, to continue my slow progress towards the rest of my life, and as I take advantages of other opportunities that come my way, I implore those of you who do end up coming across this little gem to do one thing : take a chance. All of the greatest experiences of my life, in particular my college life, have all started from me taking a chance and stepping outside of my bubble. Yes, occasionally taking a chance can end up not turning out the best, but all the great moments make up for the occasional flop.

So ladies and gentlemen, if you're out there, enjoy your lives. I'll be back, I'm sure, to drop a bit of knowledge to hopefully be picked up later. Until then, I leave you with a quote from a fellow President, Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt-

"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort." - FDR