Public speaking, yikes! That is what comes to mind when I hear a project coming up requires an oral presentation. It’s funny though because the anxiety I get, typically at least, goes away not long after I begin. And I think to my self, this was not as bad after all. Now why I can not remember those moments leading up to my next public speaking requirement I’ll never know.
But what about those moments when it’s not required? For example, what do you do when it comes to speaking in large lectures or presenting in a club. Sometimes I find myself not minding and other times I just keep quiet.
I am almost positive that for 90% of people who hate public speaking it is because of a fear of judgement. With the spotlight on you, it’s as if you think the whole room is judging, negatively. While the fact is, yes some will judge but its never really as bad as you imagined it. I know this is the case for what I think at least.
For this week I thought why not force myself to do something I would probably never normally choose to do? Why not push my self to speak in a large lecture?
My Stat 200 class is in 101 Thomas and I decided I will submit a question to a forum on ANGEL. Where then the professor will read it aloud in class and I will have to read the answer afterwords.
Now I only I cheated a little because technically I did not do an action this week, but the questions are only read on Fridays so I will be reading it aloud next week.
I’m sure it will feel good to push myself to do something new, that how we grow right?
Signed: From: Comfort To: Courage
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Spontaneity.!
While home for spring break I had a lot of time on my hands. Most of the days I spent catching up with friends and sleeping, of course. (Who didn’t?) But one day I found myself going through my memory box in the back of my closest. In it I came across my senior yearbook and started flipping through the pages. Though it was less than a year ago I was in high school, it felt as if ten years had passed. Reminiscing on the memories from high school and reading the many signatures I came across one that I had not paid much attention to before.
It read:
Alexis enjoy Penn State. Never lose your strong willed and hard working nature. But remember to have fun to! And after two years you've finally learned how to catch a football.
- Coach Henderson
Reading that made me sit back and smile. I thought, my (powder puff) football coach knew me better than I thought! The part about “remember to have fun to” was something I needed to hear.
I was reminded that not everything needs to be serious and more than that, that college is about more than just maintaining a certain GPA. Yes, I know first hand it is good to live life thinking about your actions before you do them, but it also very safe. It is something that I have done 95% of the time in my life.
So for this week I figured I’d step outside my comfort zone and be spontaneous. I decided I would do something for me, something that makes me happy. Afterwords I would than worry about if there would be consequences or if it wasn’t the right decision. At the end of the day the wrong decisions made are the ones that cause us to learn and grow stronger.
I’m sure you’re wondering by now what I did. I went and got a rook piercing. (It is a place on the ear, for those who have not heard of the rook.) I didn’t think about it first. I just got up one day and said I’m going to go get a piercing. And guess what? It felt good.
You should try it once and awhile. Just do, not think.
Signed: From: Comfort To: Courage
It read:
Alexis enjoy Penn State. Never lose your strong willed and hard working nature. But remember to have fun to! And after two years you've finally learned how to catch a football.
- Coach Henderson
Reading that made me sit back and smile. I thought, my (powder puff) football coach knew me better than I thought! The part about “remember to have fun to” was something I needed to hear.
I was reminded that not everything needs to be serious and more than that, that college is about more than just maintaining a certain GPA. Yes, I know first hand it is good to live life thinking about your actions before you do them, but it also very safe. It is something that I have done 95% of the time in my life.
So for this week I figured I’d step outside my comfort zone and be spontaneous. I decided I would do something for me, something that makes me happy. Afterwords I would than worry about if there would be consequences or if it wasn’t the right decision. At the end of the day the wrong decisions made are the ones that cause us to learn and grow stronger.
I’m sure you’re wondering by now what I did. I went and got a rook piercing. (It is a place on the ear, for those who have not heard of the rook.) I didn’t think about it first. I just got up one day and said I’m going to go get a piercing. And guess what? It felt good.
You should try it once and awhile. Just do, not think.
Signed: From: Comfort To: Courage
Friday, March 16, 2012
Pain.!
Pain, we all want to avoid it and I know for me that is at all possible costs. Thinking about it now the fear of pain is what shapes our actions that affect many aspects of life. In some cases, maybe even most cases that’s necessary, avoiding situations that are potentially harmful to ourselves.
But what happens when this very apprehension of fear that typically acts as a protective mechanism, holds us back? What happens when we hold ourselves back from opportunities and things we know are in the best interest?
See the fact is there will be things in life that hurt & still are the right decision in the long run. Understanding this, I wanted to step beyond the familiar.
This week I decided to take action on things I know were good for me despite the initial pain or uncomfortableness. How did I do this?
First I made myself start wearing a retainer again. You must be thinking that’s no big deal, right? Well for those of you who have had braces and retainers, I don’t have to explain the painful feeling of putting a retainer in after a year of having it out. Over the past few months I noticed my teeth shifting, if I had listened to my orthodontist and had worn the retainer every day after my braces were removed I would not have had that problem. Since I didn’t listen, I knew how my teeth ache. But I could not let the initial pain hold back what was good for me.
On a more emotional level and without getting too personal, this week I also brought myself to say certain things to my boyfriend that were necessary. It was an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling to initiate that conversation. Though it led into an argument it was things that needed to be said. See looking at the big picture, it helped our relationship though it didn’t feel like it at the time.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I don’t want to ever look back on my life and think of all the instances where my own fear of a little pain held me back from what was good for. So I took another step this week.
Signed: From: Comfort To: Courage
But what happens when this very apprehension of fear that typically acts as a protective mechanism, holds us back? What happens when we hold ourselves back from opportunities and things we know are in the best interest?
See the fact is there will be things in life that hurt & still are the right decision in the long run. Understanding this, I wanted to step beyond the familiar.
This week I decided to take action on things I know were good for me despite the initial pain or uncomfortableness. How did I do this?
First I made myself start wearing a retainer again. You must be thinking that’s no big deal, right? Well for those of you who have had braces and retainers, I don’t have to explain the painful feeling of putting a retainer in after a year of having it out. Over the past few months I noticed my teeth shifting, if I had listened to my orthodontist and had worn the retainer every day after my braces were removed I would not have had that problem. Since I didn’t listen, I knew how my teeth ache. But I could not let the initial pain hold back what was good for me.
On a more emotional level and without getting too personal, this week I also brought myself to say certain things to my boyfriend that were necessary. It was an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling to initiate that conversation. Though it led into an argument it was things that needed to be said. See looking at the big picture, it helped our relationship though it didn’t feel like it at the time.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I don’t want to ever look back on my life and think of all the instances where my own fear of a little pain held me back from what was good for. So I took another step this week.
Signed: From: Comfort To: Courage
Friday, March 2, 2012
The Little Things.!
It’s the little things in life that matter. How many times can you say you’ve heard that? 100? Its true, today’s society is so concentrated on money and success that we have drifted from appreciating what matters.
I started to think about all of this during a cab ride. If you have ever taken a taxi before (which I’m sure you have), some drivers like to make small talk. I guess it helps make their job a little more interesting. So anyway, I was asked what I was studying in school and what I wanted to do. When I answered I wanted to become a child psychologist, I was told no you should go where the money is like opening a school. (I’m not even sure if that is where “money is” with the present economy, we’ll pretend it is. ) Can you imagine its become more important to make money than to follow your dreams or help others!
And although I’m mentioning this story, we all know this is not uncommon.
So for this week, I didn’t necessarily do something new or take a new attitude that would push me beyond my comfort zone immediately. Instead I made a promise to myself. I made a commitment that I would follow my dreams, follow my heart, and stick to my convictions. Now I know these are not as simple as they are to type. It means I have to believe and trust in myself. There will be times where I will have to stand alone and situations where not every one will agree with me. But if that is how it has to happen, I think I’m ready. Eventually I’ll put in this scenario and though it won’t be easy I will go beyond my comfort zone.
Signed: From: Comfort To: Courage
I started to think about all of this during a cab ride. If you have ever taken a taxi before (which I’m sure you have), some drivers like to make small talk. I guess it helps make their job a little more interesting. So anyway, I was asked what I was studying in school and what I wanted to do. When I answered I wanted to become a child psychologist, I was told no you should go where the money is like opening a school. (I’m not even sure if that is where “money is” with the present economy, we’ll pretend it is. ) Can you imagine its become more important to make money than to follow your dreams or help others!
And although I’m mentioning this story, we all know this is not uncommon.
So for this week, I didn’t necessarily do something new or take a new attitude that would push me beyond my comfort zone immediately. Instead I made a promise to myself. I made a commitment that I would follow my dreams, follow my heart, and stick to my convictions. Now I know these are not as simple as they are to type. It means I have to believe and trust in myself. There will be times where I will have to stand alone and situations where not every one will agree with me. But if that is how it has to happen, I think I’m ready. Eventually I’ll put in this scenario and though it won’t be easy I will go beyond my comfort zone.
Signed: From: Comfort To: Courage
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