Reflection

In the beginning of Human Communications, my professor told the class to individually give themselves a number representing their confidence in public speaking.  Initially I gave myself a 65.  I felt like it was a pretty solid number, because I didn't particularly enjoy giving speeches, but I could usually manage to give a good one.


This semester, I've learned little tips and tricks to make the anxiety lessen when publicly speaking.  I no longer have fear when I get on stage.  I now give myself an 85.  


A twenty point jump isn't bad at all within only a few weeks.

#Eight: Letter of Gratitude

I sent my letter of gratitude to two very important people in my life; my grandma, and a good family friend.  They have helped me out tremendously this year, and let me tell you, I've had nothing less than a rough one.  Writing these letters gave me time to reflect on who really matters.  I'm glad this assignment gave me the opportunity to do so.

$1,000,000 Idea Outline

1)   Introduction

a)    If I were given one million dollars…

i)     Life changing

ii)    Set up plan

b)   Mission Statement/Goal

i)     My million-dollar idea is creating an ecommerce business called Sweet&Salty Delivery, whose mission is to distribute snack food through online order and donate 25% of the profits to bipolar disorder research.

2)   Bipolar Disorder – why?

a)    Hits home

i)     Grandpa Rudy

b)   Dad’s stories

i)     Having him normal growing up then watching him change

c)    Difficult in many ways

i)     Diagnosis/treatment

ii)    Stolen life

3)   Getting started/game plan

a)    Buy domain

i)     Hostmonster.com            $4.50/mo., $54.00/yr.

b)   Hire someone to develop site

i)     Webcreations.com           $1920

c)    Buy webhost

i)     Provides network connection

ii)    Fatcow.com                      $4.67/mo., $56.04/yr.

d)   Rent Warehouse/shop

i)     Indiana

(1) Taxes, investment costs, etc. 4^th best in nation

(2) Great business environment

ii)    Rent, not purchase

(1) $500/mo. for space alone

(2)  with all amenities  about $10,000/mo.

4)   Advertising

a)    Cable

b)   Radio

i)     Fort Wayne, IN; 28 stations @ $34/60 seconds

c)    Free areas on college campuses

d)   Internet

5)   Expense summary

a)    Separate

i)     Internet: $2,030.04/yr

ii)    Warehouse: $120,000.00/yr

iii)  Hiring: $205,120.00/yr

iv)  Stock/advertising/cushion money: $300,000.00/yr

6)   Conclusion

a)    Money donated after business takes off

b)   Bumps along the way – but worth it in the end!

Sweet&Salty Delivery- the backstory.

                

                  Many corporations donate their proceeds to charities, cancer research, AIDS funding, etc.  I, on the other hand, would donate my proceeds to something that hits home more than those listed above.  My million-dollar idea is Sweet&Salty Delivery.  Sweet&Salty Delivery is an online retailer of surplus merchandise, specifically candy and snack food, whose goal is to donate a 25% portion of profit to bipolar disorder research.

         My dad tells me all the early memories he has with his dad, my grandpa Rudy.  They involve the typical father-son stories of fishing, hunting, exploring; everything a good father would do with his son.  However, when my grandpa hit his 30’s, things began to change.  His bipolar disorder led to a divorce from his wife, uneasy reputation in a small town, and separation from his whole family.   Bipolar disorder is difficult to treat because patients tend to be resistant to treatment based on their mindset at the moment.  For instance, my grandpa was very defiant when it came to getting treated because he claimed to not need it.  Due to his chemical imbalance, he could not wear watches because they would stop working.  That poor man was shipped from hospital to hospital, on all sorts of medication, went through extreme weight fluctuation, and basically got a part of his life stolen from him just because of his bipolar disorder.
         When contemplating what I would do with a million dollars, donating to bipolar disorder research was the first thing that came to mind.  I just didn’t know how to do so in a creative manner.  Therefore, I incorporated one of my favorite things – snack food.   Being a freshman at college, I don’t have a vehicle to get food with after my meal plan runs out (which I’ve found happens quicker than expected, every semester).  Instead I sit in my room and wish there was some way I could get to the store to buy the snacks I need.  Our era is an era of incredible technological advances, and ecommerce is becoming the new way to sell goods to consumers.  Then it hit me- what if with my million dollars, I created an online delivery site for snacks?  It’s only a matter of time before someone makes my idea reality, and if I had one million dollars, I would do it myself!  I would call this online delivery business Sweet&Salty Delivery.  Munchies from Hershey, Nestle, Frito-Lay, Keebler, and others would be sold through my site with fast delivery and an easy ordering process.  Another perk to the idea is reducing the amount of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  Snacks that would normally call for a trip to the store are now right at peoples’ fingertips.

         I feel as though my Sweet&Salty Delivery million-dollar idea would be incredibly successful because it’s simply the next step for snack food in the economy.  Sooner than we know, ecommerce will be the primary economy consumer’s way of purchasing goods.  Being able to incorporate bipolar disorder makes this idea much more personal and passionate for me.  It’s basically killing two birds with one stone.  If I had a million dollars, this is what I would do with it. 

#Seven: BIPOLAR DISORDER- A day in the life.

Today I am restless, moody, bored. I would like to get in the car and head out across the country. I would like to smash something. I would like to crawl out of my skin and into a new life. This is one phase of my bipolar disorder-the restless one. It’s the mood that has made me move more than twenty-five times in my life, and has taken me to jobs as disparate as selling vacuum cleaners to teaching creative writing at a university. Give me a new challenge and I can rise to the occasion with unlimited energy, optimism, and creativity. At Cooper Union art school at nineteen, I took Benzedrine and drank coffee, skinny as a rail, roller-skating on the streets of New York or walking barefoot on hot days to do the gallery scene. I stayed up all night to build sound and light machines, talked endlessly out loud to friends, or to myself--my head filled with infinite solutions to problems from the minute to the monumental. Then the crash would come, the fall into a gray sticky gum of immobility. Mind shut down, limbs refusing to move, the ennui of nothingness would settle over me. Flat, meaningless existence, hardly bearable. Days, weeks, or months hiding in my room, living out of my bed. No reason in the universe to get out of it.. ..I was finally diagnosed as bipolar in my late forties when I was going through a hellish menopause. Wow, I thought, this explains so many things, like the two personal bankruptcies I had gone through because of business failures. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to run those businesses. I was capable enough, but running a business stimulated my hypomania, and that stimulated my unreasonable optimism and belief that I could do anything. I was capable of seeing only the upside, never the down, and so I was always expanding and adding new products and projects and never put any money away for that rainy day I knew would never come.

#Six: When I grow up..

My ideal job is one that I will always enjoy.  No one wants to be stuck doing something they dread getting up in the morning for.  As of now, I am going to school for Health Information Management. 

I feel like Health Information Management is my ideal job because I've always wanted to be part of the health field, but I have a blood phobia so being right in on the action isn't for me.  Defined, HIM is the organization and maintenance of information from any health field occupation by traditional or electronic means. Currently, many workplaces are making the shift from traditional filing to computer filing.  That's where people like me would come in. My interest in computers and the health field make Health Information Management my ideal job. 

Well said Bob, well said.

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life." 

#Five: Quote me.

NUMERO UNO:
When nothing is right, go left.


NUMERO DOS:
Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.


NUMERO TRES:
Yum!
I lifted. Sprinted.
I powered. Devoured.
Jingled. Jangled.
Warmed up. Pulled up. Pushed up.
Lost my breath. Caught it again.
Then did it again.
Round after round.
Pound after pound.
My training is vicious, ambitious,
and a little bit malicious. 
It earns me this feeling,
The feeling is delicious!

#Four: Gi'mme that $5,000 in 24 hours.

If I got the opportunity to spend five thousand dollars in only twenty four hours, I'd imagine I would have to be somewhat careful.. kind of.

From what I've gathered, giving your money to charity and doing other good deeds isn't what the goal of this blog is.  I need to get creative.

Firstly, I would buy a couple airplane tickets for spring break for myself and a few friends.  Because this spring break, I will be home building snowmen.  Not happy about that.

The trip itself couldn't take too long due to the lack of time.  So I'd imagine I would head to Florida, somewhere warm and beautiful.  We would get a hotel, and then go on a kick of shopping/site seeing/rendezvousing for the day.  Dinner would be nice and expensive, just the way I like it but never get to have it.  After I treat everyone to their plate, my money would be running low.

I must make it clear that during this once in a lifetime opportunity- I would not sleep.  With only twenty four hours I'd need to accomplish as much as possible.

During the night we would put on our bathing suits and swim in the ocean for a few hours.  We'd then finish up the last few hours by ordering a late night snack and watching movies on the big screen TV back at the expensive hotel.

The End. :)

#Three- 20 Words to describe myself.

I am SHY...

... and I am OUTGOING.

I am FRAGILE, and STRONG.

I am COMPASSIONATE,

and I am LOYAL. 

I am AIRHEADED and UNORGANIZED. I am WITTY, and I am

DETERMINED.

I am a DAUGHTER, a SISTER, and a FRIEND.

I am FEROCIOUS, and TIMID. I am

CONSIDERATE, and I am a LISTENER.

I am an ATHLETE.

I am FORGETFUL and

UNFORGETTABLE.

#Two: My perfect match.. A girl can dream, right?

When describing my ideal mate, I will first talk about my celebrity crush.. who is unfortunately a tad out of my league.. and then will finish with my boyfriend I have now, and what traits he has that I dig.

Ryan Gosling.


Mr. Gosling here won over millions of girls' hearts with his role on The Notebook.  I was one of those girls.  He wasn't the big muscular hunk that made us drool; he was simply the good ol' fashioned honest sweetheart, and was adorable beyond words!  Ryan has gentle eyes, a soft smile, and a good nature about him, and those are admirable traits to me when it comes to finding the perfect mate.


----------------------"Snap back to reality.." - Eminem.---------------------




Codi.

I've been in the dating field consistently since middle school, and he's the result of my trial and error.  Funny enough, people have told him that he looks like Ryan Gosling.  Strange how that works.  Anywho, Codi is probably one of the most unique people I've developed any type of relationship with.  He's genuine, wonderful, goofy, and obsessed with mustaches.  Its Mustache March and he wont let me forget it.  He plays guitar and can sing a tune or two, which is also something I particularly like in a partner.  Height isn't a huge deal to me, however, I do appreciate his 6'4" frame.  Also, he has a lazy eye, like me.  We're basically two peas in a pod. :)

#One: A/V Speech

I believe the little things people do in their lives can make the biggest impact on others'.  Operation Beautiful is a perfect example on how I want to live my life: meaningful, spontaneous, and thoughtful.  By posting little tidbits of encouragement around society, moods will be uplifted and self-esteem will rise.   How many times did a little touch of kindness brighten your day?  I know one thing- if I found what others in this video have found every once in awhile, I would be inspired to do the same for others.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqOEP40Pmdg


As you can see, reactions to the "operation" are nothing but positive.   Operation Beautiful is empowering to women everywhere and exactly the kind of positivity our society needs today.