It's All About the Ethos Baby

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are a way to persuade people in an argument. Aristotle coined these terms and I wish to speak about ethos. Ethos has to deal with your credibility and how people perceive you. So the question is, how do people perceive you? Where does your credibility come from? It can be broken down into three categories: how you spend your time, how you treat others, and how you treat yourself.

How you spend your time: 24 hours in a day, 8 of which should be taken up by sleeping. That leaves you 16 hours to make a difference. What do you do with your time? There is always that struggle between personal development and service to others. For college students, it seems like most of the time is taken up by studying, working, and trying to have some type of social life. Very little time goes to serving others. And why? Shouldn't that be a higher priority? So the next time you go to watch Netflix for hours or want to play video games, think of all the productive things you could be doing. Read a book, watch a TED talk, go play a sport.

How you treat others: Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great." People notice how you treat others. Be kind, refrain from judging quickly, and always have a smile on, even to those that wrong you. It is something I am trying to work on and need to do better. 

How you treat yourself: You are your biggest fan. Sound narcissistic? Probably. But really, think about it, the way you view yourself and the confidence you have to achieve and to change the world, however small it may be will greatly affect how others view you, how credible they think you are.

Ethos. Develop it through these three things and you will be viewed as a more credible source of information. Cheers! 

Be You. But Better.

This week was a fulfilling and energizing one. We had a final group presentation and individual presentations, which, were awesome. There is nothing like working together as a group and feeling like you crushed your project. 

It was my personal presentation about business dress that got me thinking about how we see ourselves and how people see us. That tied with the thoughts from conference about not living a double life inspired the following thoughts. 

Of course, there is much more to a person than the way they dress, but that is the first thing people see. And I strongly believe that people dress the way that they are. Their clothes express their personality. So if you feel tempted to wear a pair of sweats to school everyday, look yourself in the mirror and say, "I am not in a Tae-bo workout video, put on some pants, and go have a killer day." That right there will change your mood and your lookout on life. Have confidence. Say hi to people, compliment random people, give someone a hug because hugs are the perfect remedy for any school day blues. 

As I have thought about this, employers will be attracted to those that are charismatic. I have been obsessed about traits of charismatic people lately. Being a ray of sunshine in someone's day sounds like a good gig, why not try it. Doing this will spread to other areas of your life. That is something I have realized this week and it is making me want to be better in my studies, relationships with friends and family, the whole kit and caboodle.

So try it, be that contagious happiness that you're looking for. 

There is no "I" in Team

This past week when we were preparing for our group project I learned about some things that I can improve on. I was grateful to my team members that expressed to me things that I could do better and how we could better work as a team. Communication is key in any team setting.

Here are some things I learned this week:

- Don't take others reactions personally. There is always a reason behind what is said, take the time to figure it out and come to a conclusion about what moves to make next. 

- If you don't have the answers, it is okay to say "I don't know." Then go and find the answers and tell the team what you have come up with for the findings, or better yet come out to a solution together. 

- People want to feel heard more than they care about you agreeing with them. Don't just nod in affirmation. Ask questions such as:

       - tell me more about your concern

       - I see where you are coming from, what led you to that belief? 

I am not a master communicator, I clearly have a lot more to work on. Baby steps. 

 

The Google Hangout

Technology is a two edge sword. The fact that I can video conference people from all over the world is a phenomenal thing to think about. But all of my joy and saying "hey this is neat" stops when I have problems with whatever software I am using. We encountered this in our Google Hangout just a few days ago. A few members of our team were not able to access the video for lack of network connection. Nathan and I had good reception from home. It just goes to show that you cannot rely solely on PowerPoints and Google Docs and Excel sheets to get things done for you. 

During the entire project we have been using a Google Doc that has been very helpful in helping receive real time feedback with regards to the material that we researched and our material that we wrote for the report. 

I love being able to interact with people and find a balance in a group setting. There will always be a need to set aside differences for the good of the team and it is fulfilling to see the final product when all is said and done. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYu_bGbZiiQ

Group Presentation Part I

So I may be biased but I think our group killed it at our presentation! Now of course there was room for improvement. There always is. When you stop learning, you stop progressing. Here is my takeaway from the presentation.

Individually I thought I provided a good hook and got people involved. I believe the key to any presentation is change. Change the way you present information, the examples you use, the way you get people involved. Always keep people on their toes wanting more while still delivering a concise informational message. Now some things I can work on is my eye contact when I am not speaking. I should be looking at who is speaking and my other team members. I also could have interacted with them more, made it more fun. 

As a team I think that we had good transitions and some comical things to lighten the mood. I think that we could have spent more time designing our slides and more class participation. 

Part II will be better. Mark my words ol sports. 

Design: make or break

This week we had to do a briefing article on a topic of our choice. Professor Middleton asked that we do it in a magazine layout. As I searched the web for magazine template layouts, I was amazed at the creativity and design of some of the magazine I saw on blogs and design websites. Steve Jobs said that "creativity is just connecting things." Seeing things in a new light, a simpler light. As I sat trying to design my magazine article I thought of how I am seriously  lacking in "right brain" thinking or creative thinking. Howard Gardener, a psychologist proposed a theory of multiple intelligences. He thought that humans engage in both right brain and left brain activity, and the more intelligences we use out of the seven he proposed, the better we are able to learn and grow. The seven intelligences are:
- lingusitic
-logical-mathematical
- musical
- bodily-kinesthetic
- spatial 
- interpersonal
- intrapersonal

So what? My goal once the semester is over is to engage in more right brain activities. At the top of my list are learn the piano, learn Adobe Suite, and learn how to edit videos. 

Let's get creative and get out of the mold of the classic university academic standards of how things should be done. 

The Process of Learning

Doris Lessing said, "That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all of your life, but in a new way." This past weekend I was reflecting on my college experience. I have been surrounded by wonderful intellect and professors that have a passion for what they teach. Some of the best teachers of my life have been here at BYU. But someone asked me a question a few days ago about finance. Something about discount rates and the rate of return. I sort of remembered what they were but could not make heads or tails of the problem. Then I thought about my other classes, everything from psychology to art history, and I could not recall hardly anything from class. The process of learning for most is to cram and put the information in short term memory. Where is the benefit in that?

So what? As of this week I have made a plan to start to review and study smarter so that I can have this information readily available. After all I'm here for an education not a diploma.

Online Interview

Interviews are always an opportunity to reflect and see how much you have really achieved in your life and how prepared you are to present who you are as a person. I interviewed with Sarah and she asked some good questions. The question that was most interesting to me was, "What are three qualities you have that make you qualified for this job?" I thought about what was said in class about putting qualities and action verbs from the job description in the resume. I tripped up a little bit and had to think about it. It is wise for future interviews to have thought about qualities that would be a good fit for the jobs I am applying for. 

Sarah did a great job at using hand movements and being animated about the interview. Even though it was a online interview I could have been more animated. This was a great experience and I learned a great deal and what I need to improve on. 

4.72/5 

See the world with different eyes

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to a stake conference. One of the speakers was a girl named Jalene from Texas. As she got up she said something very interesting, "As I stand before you today I ask that you look at me through Heavenly Father's eyes and not your own." That made me step back and think of how many times I judge people without even knowing them. They saying goes you judge a book by its cover but I beg to differ. There are more than 7 billion people in the world and each has a formula. A formula made up of mannerisms, personality, and experiences that makes their life a unique story. Why not put in a little effort to figure out what those stories are about and learn something from it? 

As our team presented on Thursday, I thought about how we were being critiqued and given feedback. Everything that our classmates and my professor were seeing was the material we were presenting and how we presented it. There was no way they could know about our lives or things we are going through in our lives at this time. My take away is to be who you are and get to know people. Don't simply take what people say once or a certain action as a definition of that person. Spend time to figure out their story. 

Here is an article about Charismatic People. Check it out and see what can help you get to know people better. 

Lessons Learned

This last week was an interesting one for me. A number of things came to my attention that I need to improve on as a person. I had been thinking them for a while and a series of events led me to seriously contemplate and make a plan of action. The idea started with a list I came across about becoming a gentleman. The following things are on the list:

- stand when a girl enters the room

-say please and thank you

- work hard

- mind your manners

- offer a lady your seat

- don't curse

- extend a firm handshake

- keep your word

- respect your elders

- always make eye contact

- open doors for others

- stand up straight

- stay well groomed

- act chivalrous

- read books often

- have a romantic sensibility

- shy away from gossip

- be punctual

- love well

- stay humble

As I looked at this list I could see some things that I wanted to improve on. And it wasn't until we did the mock interviews this last week, when I had to talk myself up and talk about PAR stories that I realized that I want to have more credibility and present myself better. So here is to change and applying these things more in my life. The ones I am focusing on this week is acting chivalrous and shying away from gossip. 

Relationships

This week was a week of reflecting on relationships. All different kinds of relationships, with friends, with professors and everywhere in between. It came to me that there are things that are important when interacting with people and building relationships with them. It made me reflect on how I carry myself and how I can be more poised in manner and speech to show respect and professionalism. Taylor told me this week that the less you talk the more you are respected. 

And so it comes to the question, what are the guidelines for a relationship? As I listened to Kathleen's lecture to us on Thursday, I thought about what she said about always having a question at the end of an interview to show interest in the company and the person conducting the interview. She also said that it is important to do your homework and research everything about the company. So the key to relationships is to not just see what is in it for you. We should not engage in relationships to be happy and feel good about ourselves and where we are in our lives. Happiness is simply a byproduct of relationships.

So starting this week I am trying to speak less and be more interested in people and what they have to say simply for the sake of building relationships with no interior motives. 

This is a video that I came across this week that talks about relationships, more specifically about marriage relationships from John Mark Comer. Check it out.

Attention to Detail

This was a golden week! Class went really well and I learned a lot. We talked about verbal and visual presentation. I noticed that the smallest details can make a great difference. John Wooden, the famous UCLA basketball coach said, "it's the details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." The same meticulous attention to detail we have with the things we love, such as soccer, help us to become proficient. For example, in soccer, I pay attention to keeping my knee over the ball when I shoot to keep the ball down and have a good shot on goal. Or the positioning of your feet is everything on defense so you don't get left in the dust or beat off the dribble. As we continue in our professional careers and even in our personal lives, attention to detail is crucial! It could be the difference between success and failure; whether it be visually designing your presentations to present your findings and ideas in a more aesthetically pleasing and clear way, or keeping eye contact with those you interact with. Now what? I need to improve my attention to detail. Such as telling a girl, "Hey you look tired." Yea...that is not the right thing to say gentlemen. This week I am going to focus on the details of my interactions with people, the way I use my hands, eye contact, etc. because Professor Middleton made it very clear that I use my hands too much. I will also make goals and clearly outline them to make sure I am not rushing so that I can take more time and be more detail oriented. 

Next time you go out on a date ask him/her what they noticed about you during the date. It will be sure to lead to a riveting discussion about detail.

Fathers Know Best

So in my previous post I wrote about a marketing event I attended earlier this week. A guy there named Jake Larsen is a video marketer and makes ads for companies on YouTube. My buddy got in touch with me and said that Jake wanted to talk to me. This was it, all of this grammar practice and sleepless nights over dangled modifiers came down to writing an email to my potential employer. One shot, one opportunity. (Eminem? Anyone? No? Cool.) I made a draft that I thought was pretty good. I called my dad and asked if he could go over it for me. As were on the phone, he picked my email apart. With over 20 years in business, he gave me some good pointers on how to write informative, to-the-point emails that convey a lot of information. I learned a lot from him, and I feel that they are all things that we will go over in class. It was just a cool experience to be able to apply the things that I am learning in this class. Now what? I'm going to get an internship and just start learning. Learning things that textbooks can't teach me. 

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions."   - Oliver Wendell Holmes- 

Also let's all call our dads this week and tell them how much we appreciate all that they teach us. 

Marketing Internships

I had an awesome opportunity to go to a networking and internship event at Chief MO in American Fork last night. They are an outsourcing marketing company that have been in business for a little over three years. A number of my friends were at the event and there were a number of businesses that were represented. There was a company called Coding Campus which is looking for interns with getting the voice out about their company that helps stay at home moms and other amateurs learn to code and enhance their work experience. Another man has started several businesses and is currently working with a company called Snap which is a device that allows you to snap things to your backpacks, work bags, phones, etc. All of these companies and even the people within the Chief MO office are looking for additional help. The most interesting thing is that the work space is so dynamic and fun. They have a shared work space with different members of these companies, every position from cinematographer, to public relations writer and promoter, to a sales representative. What was most enticing was that the head of marketing, Camille, said that working in the office will give the interns a chance to rub shoulders with everyone and get experience in many different fields of business. I am so excited for this opportunity because it will be a good step to launch my career! 

Also another thought, talking to people or potential employers without your own agenda is golden! Take interest in their lives and don't be looking for anything in return. Let your personality and genuine interest do the talking! 

A Different Lens

This week was top notch! I learned a lot in class and I finally got off crutches. And surprisingly I was a new man when I started to walk again. I had more energy and was just excited about life. It got me thinking about all of the things that happen to us during the day and how we look at them. On Tuesday, all of the teams presented their team charters. It was interesting to see the view points or the different lenses we are looking through with respect to this class and what we want to take away from it. There was a Team Salamander and the M Comrades to name a few. So as I continue to go through out the class this semester and in other parts of my life as well, I am going to focus on seeing life through the lenses of other people. Of course that will require me getting to know them and being personable and expressing interest in what they do. Honestly, it is the small things in life that make the biggest impact.

The cover of the book

This week in class we talked about presentation. First impressions are important life and can make or break opportunities that come our way. We spoke about nonverbal cues, table manners, and showing respect when speaking to others. Honestly, the word that came to mind when we were discussing all of this was decency. In this age of technological explosion and superficial relationships it is easy to, as Macklemore said, "hide behind the keys of a message board." So what? It's time to stand out, be yourself, and be GENUINE. I read a Inc. article on their website this week that is called, "6 Habits of Remarkably Likable People." Remarkably likable people; lose the power pose, embrace the power of touch, whip out the social jiu-jitsu, whip out something genuine, ask for nothing, and close genuinely. I was very impressed with the article and its focus on others, and not self, in life. Likable people genuinely want to know about others and want to help them. Now what? I think many times in life I fail to learn and grow because I simply do not apply the information that comes to me. So as for my presentation, I am going to practice being more genuine and interested in others and not expect things in return. I am excited to try these things out and just learn more from people. 

Check out the link below for that article. It's the kitten's pajamas.

6 Habits of Remarkably Likable People

"Words are but the signs of ideas"

The above quote is by Samuel Johnson. The first day of my M Com class was a interesting experience. I walked into the room and there was music playing loudly. I can't remember the song but it was something I could definitely get rowdy to at a concert. Professor Middleton started out the class with energy and I knew that I was going to learn a lot from this class. 

As I began to do my homework on grammar, I quickly realized that learning grammar principles in Spanish is a lot different than in english. I read about parrallelism in sentences and complements of sentences and dangling modifiers. I didn't know anything could dangle in a sentence. In creating this blog I have to ask myself, so what? I want to be successful in my ideas and actions both in my professional life and personal life. And as Samuel Johnson depicted, your ideas cannot be seen and discovered unless you articulate them. Now what? I enjoy that we are starting with grammar right from the get go because it is the foundation for everything else. I admit, in the book when it gives examples of wrong sentences, I am guilty of using similarly structured sentences in my everyday walk and talk. Vernacular, if you will, for the scholarly inclined. The key to learning is bridging the gap between that and application. As I review these principles I have to do it periodically so I do not forget what I have learned. I am ecstatic for what I will learn this semester! 

As for the title of my blog, the "Quintessence of Life," it is from my now new favorite movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Dictionary.com defines quintessence as "the pure and concentrated essence of a substance." So throughout the history of my blog I will be making connections with what I learn in class to my take on life and what it is most full and rich to me in my little escapade of life.