Graduation is Near!

 I'm finally near the end of my military course. It has been a quick but very busy month. I've felt like I'm falling behind in my classes and making it more difficult for myself to catch up. Once graduation happens I will have a huge relief from all of this stress. Not only will I be able to catch up with all my classes but I can begin to study for another certification exam (CCNA), and I will be getting promoted next week. I'm ecstatic and joyful of the opportunities this will provide me in my career going forward.  I understand that this is only the beginning but I'm excited nonetheless. It can seem so gratifying when you have been working extremely hard towards a goal and it's within your grasp. I'm going to take some time to myself this weekend before I get back on track with school. Have a great weekend everyone!

Working with others

 Working with others would seem like a self explanatory task, or even a simple task. In reality, it can be very difficult when working in a professional environment. I learned as a leader of my peers that leadership has a lot to do with understanding one's views and managing personalities. Every person you interact with will have different personalities, political views, cultural views, and work ethics. Trying to force someone to be a certain way will never work; the only way to manage this is through patience and perseverance. As a great leader or supervisor, you have to find effective ways to inspire your team and subordinates. This could be as simple as leadership through action; which means conduct yourself the way you wish your team to act. 

The most difficult task is managing personalities and keeping the peace. Humans all have unique personalities that require a specific skillset to keep them focused on the task at hand. It can be very difficult to lead a personality that you categorically disagree with, but as a leader you must put your feelings aside and focus on the task at hand. Managing people takes lots of patience and you must learn new ways to approach different people so that your message gets through to them. I understand now why leaders take such a long time to develop and the importance of leadership. The phrase " Heavy lies the head that wears the crown" has never been more relevant to me now. As you all grow in your professional careers, learn to be patient with your leaders and understand their perspective. Even if it may not be want you want to do, don't overstress your leader and finish the task. In the end, you'll learn more from that situation and gain more character from that moment of struggle.

Power Napping

 These last two weeks have been extremely hectic. My workload has increased while College has begun to speed up as well. Let me give you a run down of typical day for me.

0600- Physical training (group training)

0730-Change, shower, eat, and drive over to work

0845-Begin work

1130-Break for lunch, which include either additional physical training, catching up on school work, napping, or running basic errands because everything is closed when I'm finished with work.

1300-Begin afternoon work

1700-Close out the day with a After Action Review (it's a report that reviews the things we did that day and how to improve them or what to keep) and clean up.

1730-Leave Work

1800-Arrive home, shower, make and eat dinner and prepare uniforms for the next.

1900-Leave to attend a study session to help out fellow classmates

1930-Arrive at study session

2200-Arive back home from study session and close out College homework for that day

0000(Midnight)-Go to sleep

0445-Wake up to get ready and drive to physical training.

So throughout my lunch break and in the evening, I've learned to incorporate power naps. These are about 20 minutes each and I try to take at least two per day. Power naps refresh my mind and help me focus on the task at hand, such as school homework or work homework. If you feel like your in need of more time, power napping might be for you.

Working with Peers

 Currently my job is requiring me to work with direct peers, not any supervisors or subordinates. I've always found it most enjoyable to work on a project or assignment with my peers. If your open minded, you can learn a lot more from your peers then from your supervisors. This experience has shown me that working and collaborating with peers opens new perspectives in your work life and daily life. Insights into another perspective from an equal seems to have the largest impact. 

The same concept is present in post secondary education. Collaborating with peers even on a simple project not only helps you learn and teaches you more about that subject, but it's fun and enjoyable. Working with a supervisor on a project together can have unwanted emotions, such as anxiety or stress. This derives from our roles in that environment; unlike with peers, your free to open up new ideas and ways of thinking. Leaders or supervisors don't necessarily take the same input you have to offer and connecting with subordinates on the same level can seem impossible. Again, this is due to the roles you have established and what is acceptable in that role. I can see how in a professional research environment, this can create a welcoming environment and spark new concepts that could have major impacts on future generations. 

Vacation Hangover

A "vacation hangover" is when you finish a vacation and home feels unusual, while also taking a few days to readjust to your regular lifestyles and habits. So this is something that I've always been curious about since I love going on vacations. It seems easy to adjust when I'm headed to my vacation destination, but very difficult to return to normalcy. What's the most puzzling is that it could be due to many different reasons but I see this happening more often with close friends who also return from vacation. Right now I'm trying to poll data and ideas as to why this happens. I go on vacation at least 3-4 times per year and I run into this issue every time I return home. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Have a good rest of the week and good luck on your MOS Word Certification exams.