Passion is Contagious

Lately I have been thinking a lot about passion. What are you passionate about? What is passion? How do you create passion? Is passion all consuming, where there is one passion that allows others to fit into it, or is it made up of a bunch of different passions that don't really connect but lead to an overall goal? How do you determine if you are really passionate or if you are borrowing someone else's passion? When you lose your passion for something, is it just lost? Or can you get it back? Passion is an interesting thing. And interesting concepts come with it.

Recently I completed a 6 week leadership development program. It was really enlightening for me to see and I enjoyed all the material I learned a lot. One of things that was taught ties nicely into passion. It's the Hedgehog vs Fox concept.

Here's an excerpt from an email from Brice Colby; my adviser who was teaching the program:

        "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. The fox is a cunning creature, able to devise a myriad of complex strategies for sneak attacks upon the hedgehog. Day in and day out, the fox circles around the hedgehog's den, waiting for the prefect moment to pounce. Fast, sleek, beautiful, fleet of foot, and crafty - the fox looks like the sure winner. The hedgehog, on the other hand, is a dowdier creature, looking like a genetic mix-up between a porcupine and a small armadillo. He waddles along, going about his simple day, searching for lunch and taking care of his home.

The fox waits in cunning silence at the juncture in the trail. The hedgehog, minding his own business, wanders right into the path of the fox. 'Aha, I've got you now!' thinks the fox. He leaps out, bounding across the ground, lightning fast. The littlehedgehog, sensing danger, looks up and thinks, 'Here we go again. Will he ever learn?' Rolling up into a perfect little ball, the hedgehog becomes a sphere of sharp spikes, pointing outward in all directions. The fox, bounding toward his prey, sees the hedgehog defense and calls off the attack. Each day, some version of this battle between the hedgehog and the fox takes place, and despite the greater cunning of the fox, the hedgehog always wins."

    If you remember the Squid part of the Squid and Trees theory, it's much similar to this battle between the fox      and the hedgehog. This defines how people operate in the world. Are you a fox that pursues many ends at the same time and see the world in all its complexity, never integrating your thinking into one overall concept or unifying vision? Or are you a hedgehog who simplifies a complex world into a single organizing idea, a basic principle or concept that unifies and guides everything? 

This ties in with passion because that concept you come up with, or the complexities you see all tie into your passion. In fact, one of the questions used to discover what your overall hedgehog or fox concept is is "What are you most passionate about?" 

Passion is what drives us. It's what gives us a competitive edge and the motivation to keep on going. It's the reason we are what we are and do what we do. Often times we have passions that are kept secret. In fact, until recently, I used to keep my dream in life, my greatest passion, hidden. I didn't like to tell people because I was afraid. I was afraid they wouldn't see what I really wanted to do. I was afraid they would discredit the idea and I was afraid they would laugh if I ended up failing. 

I was afraid until I watched this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft9ZnQkb8zw&list=PL95ED4A7B454DF7E9&index=6&feature=plpp_video

In this video Blake says "We all have a dream between our ears. And most of those dreams stay there because we are paralyzed by fear. The cure for fear is passion. And passion is contagious. So own it!" 

That's what I have to say about passion. Passion IS contagious. After I watched this video I sat and made a list. I listed all of my passions. I listed things I want to do in life and the goals that accompany them. I wrote out my passions. Then I talked about them. Not all at once and not with tons of confidence, but I did share. I still share. In fact, on Tuesday I was talking to people about my passions and I realized I had been talking for far longer than anyone else. Sharing passions is a great thing. Find a friend that you trust and let them know your passions and then, ask them what theirs are! Passion is contagious. It is something that other people will pick up on. 

So here's the take home from this blog. Tell people about your dreams. Figure out your hedgehog and move forward! Continue finding passions and motivating others! Don't ever, ever let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. If you have the passion, if you have the desire, go for it! Passion is contagious. Share yours! 

And do it with a smile, because after all, no one likes a frowny face! 

Hakuna Matata... What a wonderful phrase!

So, we all know the words to the song from the Lion King, but have you ever really sat and thought about the real meaning of Hakuna Matata? It means no worries. Now, I know it is impossible not to never worry. Worry is a natural part of life. The issue is when worry becomes excessive. When worry  overcomes us. When worry takes over. That is where we run into issues. That happened to me today. I have a HUGE test tomorrow. I was worrying like crazy crazy crazy! I was crying it was that intense. I let the worry overcome me. I let it take over. Then I remembered this book. My dad teaches a "class" per say for teenagers that involves public speaking and confidence as well as life skills. He gives the kids this book titled "Stop Worrying and Start Living" I am not gonna lie, I only got to chapter 5 but last night I picked it up again for some reason and I am really glad that I did. The part I read gave instructions on how to fix a solution instead of just worrying about it. Tonight I totally used these steps and I can tell you my complete attitude got changed! :)
They are 1. Write down what you are worrying about 2. Write down possible solutions to the problem         3. Decide which solution will be best 4. Take the solution and DO IT.
Seriously this totally helped me! I will illustrate with my example of my test. Obviously, 1. I am worrying about my test and failing it 2. I can study all night, get no sleep and stress like crazy, Or I can study as much as I can tonight, go to sleep and wake up and study, Or I can put the studying away for right now (since it's stressing me so bad) do something enjoyable then sleep and wake up tomorrow and finish studying like crazy! 3. I decided to do the last one, put the studying away, enjoy the night, sleep and study as much as I can tomorrow. 4. I left my room and I came out to talk about music, socialize, watch some Hulu and enjoy my night. After this blog, I am going to go to sleep. Then tomorrow I will wake up!
Now, you don't have to do this process on paper, you can think through it. Just give it a try next time you are worried. It will help I promise! :)
No one likes a frowny face, change it to a smile! :)

You are Beautiful.

Body image.  What does this mean to you? Is it how you view yourself? Is it how you view your life? Is it how other view you? What does this mean? To me, body image is a combination of all of these, but it really all comes down to mostly one thing and that is how you feel about yourself.
Now, I know how hard it is to live in a society that portrays perfectly shaped, beautifully sculpted people and not feel like you fail because you aren't as pretty as them. There have been very long periods of time in my life where I have felt that failure. Where I haven't believed in myself as a beautiful person, but over time, that changed. I can now look in the mirror and call myself beautiful despite the fact that I do not wear size 0 pants. I can smile at myself and know that I am a good looking girl despite my less than pearly white teeth. What is portrayed to be beautiful in society is not what really is beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so allow yourself to see your beauty. There are some things I have learned in life that have helped me to be confident in who I am and be able to see myself as beautiful. The first is to stop calling yourself names. How many times have you woken up looked in the mirror and said "ew." Stop that right now. Don't focus on what you don't like about yourself, focus on what you do like. Give yourself compliments. When your hair looks good, tell yourself that. It is okay to admit to yourself that you have great features!
The second thing to do is accept compliments from others. Now, I have a terrible time accepting recognition, but I have learned that accepting compliments when others give them to you is a good thing. You then begin to remember them and are happier. This also helps you build stronger relationships with people.
Next, you need to stop talking and start doing. This may be the hardest step, but you can do it. If you don't like how much you weigh, then exercise and eat right more. Don't sit around complaining and hoping the pounds will magically melt away, get off your couch and do something about it. Take the initiative to change what you feel needs to change to make yourself feel better.
Then, you must never never never compare. You cannot be the same person as your roommate, or Jennifer Lopez, or anyone. You are you. Learn to accept that fact and then go with it. When you stop wishing you looked like someone else and start recognizing the amazing things about the way that you look, life will improve.
Lastly, remember that you are special. I know this gets made fun of a lot, but seriously you are special. You are special because you are you. There is only one Tasha Mae Killian in the entire world, the entire universe. There is only one of me, so I am going to try to make that Tasha the best she can be. There is only one of you in the world, so accept yourself for who you are, what you look like and move forward because the role you play in this world is you, not someone else.

And for my favorite tip, no matter what you look like, a smile can make your look a thousand times better because no one likes a frowny face! :)

Faith in Every Footstep

Faith. It is what holds me together. It is what makes me believe I can do everything. It is was makes me happy. My faith is the reason I do what I do. It is the reason I am who I am. Today in Relief Society, we had a lesson about faith. I was struck with the thought that faith is an everyday thing, and with the realization of how faith has altered the course of my life. At the beginning of my Freshman year of college, I thought I had it all figured out. Boy was I wrong. Not only was I not going the direction Heavenly Father wanted me to go, I was not even noticing I was doing things that led me from his plan. It wasn't until I began questioning my major choice that I began to see the savior's influence in my life and began to realize that maybe the path I had for me wasn't the path he had for me. You know how they say faith and fear can't reside in the same being well I began to realize that. It took a lot to get over my fear. A fear I still have occasionally. A fear that is still so real. The fear of the unknown. I was not letting the Savior guide my life because I was afraid what he wanted for me wasn't what I wanted for myself... and boy was I right. At the end of February I got a spiritual "slap in the face" not only was I not on the path my Savior needed me to be on, he had bigger and better things I could only dream of. This is when I decided to go on a mission. This decision kind of changed my life. I don't think the same anymore. I always heard my guy friends talk about going on a mission and how it would just fit into their plans but I never really thought about how it would fit into mine. Now I know. I know that it will fit into my plans, but more importantly it will fit into the Lord's plan for me.
Whether you are religious or not, life is what you make it. Think about the end result. If what you are doing and where you are going isn't where you want to be headed, then change directions and go another way. Don't fear the unknown. Have faith in your decisions and know that you can do what is right for you. When you are doing what you feel you should be doing, that is when you will be at your happiest. Take it from someone who changed her entire life around because of one little feeling. Life is meant to be enjoyed so enjoy it and always remember, NO ONE LIKES A FROWNY FACE, CHANGE IT TO A SMILE!!! :)