Learning: Gratitude

This one is half learning, half teaching.

Now that almost three weeks have passed since my graduation, I am (finally) about to mail out my thank you cards.

Now, after reading that, you are probably thinking one of two things:

a) Oh, thank you cards! That is so nice, no one ever does that anymore.

or, b) UGH! I hate thank you cards. So annoying.

If you are thinking a), you are probably either old fashioned or well, older. If you are thinking b), you're probably younger and a member of this technological age we're wrapped up in today. Now, I won't debate you on the fact that writing out thank you cards takes time, and that's something that I know I am always running short on. But it's not just an old fashioned gesture.

Over the past couple of years, I have had several occasions that have called for thank you cards -- my high school graduation, donations from friends and family for my trip overseas, and dinners and parties in the time between those. Now of course, my college graduation is a huge occasion, and I received probably 50 cards congratulating me on the achievement.

First of all, how nice?! It's been such a blessing to see how much the people in my life care for and are there to encourage me. Without my friends and family I am quite sure that I wouldn't have made it this far. That's where thank you cards come in. When you come to realize how much you have to be thankful for, writing out thank you cards is the perfect response.

So do it. Thank the people in your life, and not just when they send you a check in the mail. All the time, for all the little and big things they do for you or anyone else. You'll be better for it.

Learning: Teachability I

As my time as a college student draws to a close, I'm in the process of taking that next step -- getting a job. Part of the process to get the job I'm hoping and praying for (which is in ministry), is an interview in which some tough questions were asked about my spiritual life and my relationships. 

One thing that came up (and has been mentioned to me in different capacities in the past) was "teachability". 

 -- Is it telling that it's been brought up several times?

Maybe it's cultural, maybe it's because I'm the oldest child, maybe it's because my parents raised me to be independent -- who knows. In any case, I'm pretty stubborn. Which means that too often, I don't take advice and instruction and actually listen to it. 

I'll admit that this is sort of an exploratory post, so lets dive in, shall we?

Why wouldn't I listen to (and act on) perfectly good advice or instruction from people that I trust and have considered my situation prayerfully and lovingly? Maybe you've guessed it: there is no good reason. 

I'll be honest, it makes me feel pretty awful when I think about it this way. Really, it shouldn't be a shock to me, because like I said, it's been mentioned to me before. But really considering the idea that I'm doing a series of not-so-good things: disrespecting my friends and mentors, disobeying God, making avoidable mistakes, indulging my stubbornness, learning things the hard way, limiting my ministry; that list makes me feel like an idiot.

So I'm here to figure it out and get with the program. I'll end it here for this post, now that we're at ground-zero-of-stupid. 

Until next time, do you struggle with teachability? Do you know what teachability is?

Conviction: Defined

To be honest, I titled this series "Conviction" without even really looking up what the word meant. That's a little embarrassing!

But while writing up some other posts, I realized that I needed to look it up. If I am asking you to be convicted, shouldn't I really understand what conviction is myself? I think so.

The 'connotation' or popular definitition of "conviction" for me boiled down to having a personal sense of commitment to an idea or issue. A feeling of being compelled to do something about an issue or idea. In this case, a sense that I need to love and help the people in this world. It's not a bad connotation, but I don't know what word that 'definition' belongs to.

The definition ('D' is for dictionary!) of the word "conviction" is as follows, borrowed from Dictionary.com:

con·vic·tion  /kənˈvɪkʃən/ [kuhn-vik-shuhn]
–noun
1. a fixed or firm belief.
2. the act of convicting.
3. the state of being convicted.

Not so far off, eh? But what I really like is when you get down to that third definition, where it notes the "state of being convicted" which you can then boil down to "convict" (we like losing the endings in the dictionary, right?) Check out the definition for that one:

con·vict   /v., adj. kənˈvɪkt/ [v., adj. kuhn-vikt]
–verb (used with object)
2. to impress with a sense of guilt.

To impress with a sense of guilt. Is that how you feel about what needs to be done in the world? Because for me -- man, oh man. I have the ability to do some much, to create so much change. And so do you.

Will you be convicted?

Teaching: Writing Your Bio

(or, How Not to Sound Like You Totally Think You're Awesome-sauce.)

In the very near future, I'll be a guest blogger on one of my favorite blogs. During my correspondence with the blogger, everything was simple and straightforward (and so nice!).

However, one little tidbit stopped me in my tracks: "... and include a short bio..." -- WHAT?!

Though I can write about things I've experienced and created without any issue, actually writing something about myself to give other people a taste of what I'm like is downright scary! If you are like me, even telling a classroom or meeting full of people about your favorite flavor of ice cream can be a little scary. And not only was I scared, but I was unsure: How do I write a bio that is short, succinct and maybe a little funny?

I procrastinated, wrote a little and then did some googling. Now, you can do that, or just read on! Here's 3 easy tips for writing a blip about yourself.

Be Honest: If your blog is a series of funny videos or webcomics, say that. Don't say that you "dally in intellectual ambiguities" or "debate the coherence of organic and gourmet foods". People will find out what you're really about, so sugar coating your blog (or yourself!) won't really trick anyone into reading for the long haul.

Write in 3rd-Person: It makes talking about how awesome you are seem less obnoxious. Most bios are written in 3rd person anyway, so you'll be catering to readers' notions of what a bio should be like.

Just do it! This seems kind of obvious, but waiting didn't make it any better. I just needed to get it down. So don't fuss over it -- write it, proofread, proofread again and then be done!

If you want some more resources for writing a great bio, I thought that the info from Chris Brogan was great, as well as Urban Muse's post on the subject.

Oh, you wanted to see mine? Here it is:
Stephanie is a third year college student, splitting her time between her laptop and sewing machine (and of course school and work!). When she’s not planning another do-it-yourself project, she catches up on what's new in the blog-world and regales readers with her latest creations and revelations via Real Fine Place. If you like clever projects, innovation and authenticity, she would love to meet you.

Teaching: Bible Study

(As with all of the posts in the RFP Teaching series, it's important to remember that while I'm trying to share my knowledge with you, I by no means consider myself the be-all end-all of anything I know how to do. Just hoping some ideas and tips that I use can help you, too!)

First, let's be honest.

Who thinks that everything in the bible is simple and easy to understand at first glance? You don't? Good, me neither.

Studying your bible doesn't have to be a laborious affair with multiple translations or years of theological knowledge under your belt. But sometimes, verses just don't make sense the first time around. In light of that, I thought I would share a few things that I do to try and understand what God has to say to me a little easier.

Let's start at the very beginning:

Translation: Though you will obviously need a bible to study it, the important thing here is to buy a translation that you can read and understand well enough. I loved my NIV for as long I can remember, but then I recieved a copy of the God's Word translation, and for just plain reading, it's phenomenal. If you aren't sure, ask for recommendations from friends, or just pick one and go with it!

Then, 3 steps:

Reading: Before you get down to the nuts and bolts of the verse or section you are reading, read the entire section from beginning to end once. Sometimes, when you start by breaking a section or verse down, you miss the bigger meaning, and it can leave you confused. Don't worry if you don't get anything big from this: it also serves to give some context, background, to your study.

Rewrite: When there is a sentence or phrase that I get stuck on, I rewrite it in my own handwriting. Just copy it down. This is especially helpful for things like Psalms or Proverbs where there is a lot of content written in verse. A lot of the time, just rewriting it makes the sentence structure suddenly clear to me, and what seemed backwards just clicks.

Define: As much as context and rereading can tell you, sometimes, you have to get down and dirty with the dictionary. Often, the way I define a word will change, because I had one meaning in my head and that differed with the word that I found in the bible (and then double-checked in the dictionary). If that still has you stuck on a word, ask, uh... your local bible scholar?

For the first time, I've prayed for God to lead me through a study, and honestly, I've been getting so much out of each and every verse its unbelievable. That's my last recommendation: pray about it.

So here's a challenge: take your own study methods, take mine or take someone elses and study something. Did you like it, do you understand the verse better? Tell me about it!

Teaching: Life as a Student Worker

Hello! I believe this will be my first installment in the Teaching Series. I think that teaching as well as learning is important, so by teaching you something I know you are learning! (Now I just need to have you teach me something!)

Having been an employee of my University for nigh on two years now, in different capacities, I feel like I have a pretty good handle of some of the things that every University position requires. I think these tips will apply to people at other schools in other states as well, so don't click away just yet!

These tips are most applicable to campus jobs, but excluding food service - that's a whole different ball game! So perhaps a Ticket Office worker, a job in the Geology Department office, or a part of the Office Staff at the Campus Health Center.

All these jobs will certainly have their own specific tasks, for example, the Health Center employee won't sell tickets to the Orchestra, nor will the Geology Department fax a patient's records to a Doctor's office, and the Box Office help won't be photocopying the GEO 112 midterm either. But they all share some responsibilities, merely because they share a location, the college campus. So without further ado, I present:

Simple Tasks for the University Employee!

1. Be a Campus Resource. As a student and an employee, you should have a good working knowledge of the campus. Where is Admissions? How about the Student Union? Or maybe just the nearest bathroom! Being able to direct fellow students and even potential students and their families around the campus is a useful and courteous trick. This can take some time, since many students only venture into the buildings in which they have classes, but spend some time walking around with a map, and you'll do fine.

2. Be a City Resource. This applies to the city, too. For many students, they live in and go to college in their home town. But for others, such as myself, college isn't just a new experience, its a new place altogether. Though it may be hard at first to situate yourself with a new city, try and get acquainted with nearby neighborhoods and commercial areas. It's great to be able to recommend a good restaurant and give clear directions to it!

3. Be a positive representative. Now this is more of an attitude than an action or task, but I think this is also important. When you are an employee, you have a responsibility to highlight the best aspects of the campus (in my opinion). Use your position to give visitors or community members a positive memory of the campus. Because maybe they don't really like the way that the dorms are managed, but if you tell them how awesome your first year in the dorms were, maybe they will reconsider!

4. Accommodate! Sometimes it might seem easy to take it out on the hapless freshman who just asked where they can find the Bursar's Office. Instead of giving them the stink eye while throwing a map over your counter, remain courteous and polite and say "No problem! Let me get the map and I can show you right where that is." and when they are satisfied, tell them "Have a great day!" Especially in situations where the person is upset or angry, you can defuse the situation by staying calm and doing your best to resolve the issue. Give them the benefit of the doubt, because they could have had a bad day, too.

I think that sums it up, but these are definitely some ideas that I have used and abused in order to have happy customers! And in case you are wondering, I'm the office staff at the health center. It's a wonderful job!

Any other tips or tricks to being a great employee? This is like free job security!