One of my students wrote a post on our class blog that reminded me why paying attention can change everything.

She said that the 5 minutes of class for which she was fully conscious (thanks) led her to reconnect with two friends she otherwise would have given up on. That’s one friendship rebuilt per 2.5 minutes of paying attention. She writes: “What would have happened if I
hadn’t attended class at all? I shudder to that thought.“

This line of thinking makes my head explode with infinite configurations of could’ves-would’ves. What if I hadn’t overhead that there was an advertising club in my high school? Then I would not have connected with a video company I went on to work for (on and off) for six years. I almost certainly wouldn’t be teaching video research to middle school kids now. I probably wouldn’t have met my boyfriend (since we met because of my camera), and we wouldn’t have two fuzzy little cats and an apartment together.

What if I didn’t look at the flyer someone handed me about a student leadership retreat at Hunter? Then I would not be teaching first year seminar (because the idea came up in one of our conversations), and I wouldn’t be writing this post right now.

So much of life stems from just a handful of occurances.

Obviously, we can’t pay attention to everything all the time, but imagine if we all paid just a little more attention. Maybe a few extra minutes would lead you to that one new idea, new relationship, or new opportunity that will determine where you’ll be 10 years from now.

I hope you’ve been paying attention to this blog post

I’m teaching a class on happiness tomorrow and the thought of it is telling my brain that it’s 3PM instead of the 3AM that it really is. I’m awake. I’m very much awake, and I’m trembling all over. My couch is covered in books, my notepad is full of scribbles, and up until I sat down to write this post, I couldn’t stop pacing around the apartment. My cats got tired of watching me and fell asleep.

I don’t know if happiness is something one can teach and, even if it is, whether I can teach it. I don’t know whether this class will have any impact on anyone or anything aside from my sleep cycle, but it seems that there’s a possibility that it may, and so long as that possibility exists I need to take it very seriously.

Why? What’s the point of this class? What’s the point of happiness?

The simplest answer is that it feels good. In the book A Primer in Positive Psychology (the best textbook ever written), Chris Peterson points out that happiness has also been shown to predict things like long lasting relationships, financial success, and physical health. But what makes it so God damn important in my eyes is the realization that you can either live a life bursting with joy and radiance or you can live your life as though it’s a homework assignment. An entire life cherished, or an entire life simply, spent. You only have one teeny life, and how you live it depends entirely on your perspective.

When I think of the point of happiness, I also think of the point at which my own perspective shifted forever. It was in high school, and I had been depressed for over a year, maybe a lot longer. Then in one instant, I suddenly snapped out of it. I don’t know exactly what did it (though I’m sure the antidepressants helped), but suddenly I was exuberant, and I’ll never forget the contrast between those two mental states: like lying under a pile of bricks one moment and then floating up on a cloud of balloons in the next. Being mentally present for that transition taught me how to recreate that feeling voluntarily, but more importantly, it taught me that life can feel terrible, it can feel like nothing much, or it can feel wonderful. And if it can be wonderful, why not work to make it wonderful?

Feeling wonderful makes us want to do wonderful things – to create, to build, to nurture, to solve, to take risks, and to make others feel wonderful. And that’s the point; isn’t it?

What’s the best way to represent your student club/organization on Facebook?

Due to the number of questions received about this topic, I was about to write up my own analysis, but figured I should check with my blogging pals first. Sure enough Leigh Householder of Advergirl put together a nice post for businesses that is easily translated to Student Groups. Here is a full repost:

There are a lot of choices – groups, pages, causes, fans, friends. And, none of the which and the why seems terribly clear.

To make it simple: There is one main choice. And, then a few other important options.

First pick: Page or group or both

Page
Who can create it: An official representative of the real public figure, artist, brand or organization that the page is for

Why page?

•     First up, pages are indexed on Google. A nice little add to your integrated social SEO strategy
•     Allows you to connect with an unlimited number of fans (personal profiles & groups support up to 5000 friends)
•     You can send messages to all your fans
•     You can use rich media and leverage Facebook apps (super customizable)

Why not page?

•     Little of the new content or activity you post is actually fed to your profile new feeds (the most visible? New fans. New photos or video uploaded by fans)
•     Messages to fans don’t go into their inbox; rather, they’re delivered as an “update,” which fewer people see.
•     Unlike being an administrator of some non-FB communities (like blogs or wikis),there’s no automated way to moderate activity. You have to manually check for new links, videos, etc.

Group:
Who can create it: Anyone (on any topic)

Why groups?

•     Most importantly, you can message all members and the notice shows up right in their inbox for maximum attention
•     All activities are picked up in the feed – posts, discussion, photos, etc., which provides a lot more visibility
•     Tend to be more informal, which can, in itself, feel more social
•     Lots of control over who to involve. There are three different types of groups: Open (anyone can join); Closed (the group owner/admins have to approve all members); Secret (only the members and invitees know the group even exists).

Why not groups:

•     There’s a 5000 fan limit for messaging. More people can choose to be fans of your group, but you won’t be able to directly contact them
•     You can’t add apps directly to a group
•     Customization is limited
•     Unlike being an administrator of some non-FB communities (like blogs or wikis),there’s no automated way to moderate activity. You have to manually check for new links, videos, etc.
•     Word is, these groups are also very tricky to delete (Editor Comment – Only way to delete a group is to ask everyone to leave the group, then it just closes. There is no delete button)

Then add:

•     Fan: both these pages allow administrators to turn on a fan function. Allowing fans lets your organization rack up contacts (just like a personal profile allows you to add friends)
•     Cause: Want to raise money, enable supporters to raise money, win volunteers, etc? Facebook’s new action-based app is Causes. It’s a good add for a group or page strategy. But, because it requires users to add an application, it’s definitely not a standalone.

Quick update in response to an offline discussion:

Q: What’s the difference between a profile and a page?
A: Short answer: a profile is for people; a page is for non-people (or super people, i.e. celebs). Profiles are the basic building blocks of FB. They represent its millions of members. In a longer answer, I’d also tell you that pages allow a lot more customization and flexibility … but, I think this whole person vs. nonperson thing gives you the talking point most people need.

When I got to college at the age of
25 I hadn’t been involved in my community much and wasn’t very interested in
joining the clubs around campus. Getting acclimated to the notes, homework and
test thing after a 5 year break was about all I could handle. A work study job at our info. desk finally got me
involved and gave me a genuine interest in my campus. Showing up and doing the best job I could impressed a few key people, who eventually offered me the opportunity to serve as the Club
Coordinator at Front Range Community College. I went from minimal involvement to a
leadership role in two semesters.

About three weeks after getting
this job – in a system I was fairly unfamiliar with mind you – my boss left…he was there on Wednesday and  was gone on Thursday…AHHHHH!
I was greener than baby poo and still wondering exactly what my job was about.
The director of student life, my former bosses boss, was put into survival mode (her words)
after losing another full-time faculty member, putting more responsibility on me and another student worker while interviews were
conducted and student life went on…for a full semester.

I’ve finally been able to slow down and do a
bit of retrospection and have realized the power of keeping a service-minded attitude.
It’s been the most effective tool I’ve used to stay focused, learn in a high
stress environment, and keep myself sane! My purpose as club coordinator is to help
students learn outside of the class room, help take some of the
stress off of my superiors, co-workers and fellow students, and have fun, an attitude which allows me
to take things less personally and consider issues with a clearer head. Remaining pointed in this direction has sometimes pulled me in different
directions. Armed with the intention of finding a level ground (not necessarily
that which I’d prefer to stand on), an “us versus them” mentality hasn’t existed
much, which could easily have been the case considering the stress and
confusion of last semester. It has been hard finding the balance between
wanting people to like me and doing what my superiors expect of me, and it
would be easy to pat myself on the back, but I feel I’d be taking ownership for the accomplishments of others. I have gotten a lot of help during the last 7 months,
and I’ve learned a ton. My superiors, co-workers and fellow students teach
me and enrich my life. Without their help, and having a higher purpose than just getting paid, I couldn’t be where I am today.

“How is school going?” 
How many times does a college student hear that question in the course
of their student career?  How is it typically answered?  Many times it
is answered pretty much the same way as the question, “How are you?” 
As a student, I have certainly answered it that way myself, “School is
fine.”  or “It’s interesting.” or some similar expression. 
Unfortunately, I just as often hear such responses as, “It’s a drag!”
or “School sucks!” and other negative comments.  These responses make
it seem that students are unhappy at school and find it a harsh
experience, at least on the surface.  In high school this was the case
perhaps and certainly the prevailing “cool” attitude.  After all, high
school was forced on the student.  College is different.  Yes, there is
pressure, sometimes immense pressure to go to college, but ultimately
college is still a choice.  And despite the negativity voiced, I
have also seen students
spending the time and effort to achieve success in college and so know
that they really do want to learn, even enjoy learning new things.  Why
then, do they answer the question negatively?  Is it fear of
rejection?  What if we, as students, stop making it “uncool” to enjoy
learning?  What if instead, we showed our appreciation and approval?  Acceptance is a powerful weapon.   The new semester is starting and I have returned to school looking forward to all the new experiences.  So I am resolved to find
ways to let every student I can know that I think the better of them
for continuing with their education and share with them my joy of
learning. 

So I am a bit over weight, I’m not
gonna to say how much exactly, but I know I could be more active. I am having a
hard time getting done what I need to for work and school, which makes me feel
like there is no time to work out. What’s more, my energy level drops almost
invariably a half an hour before I get ready to go home. I want to find the
motivation to do anything I don’t necessarily have to do with projects,
assignments, test and work looming over my every waking moment. And even though
I am no narcissist, I know I’m more stressed when I’m not ok with my
appearance, it is just one more thing to worry about. So I’ve done some
research and some thinking, and come up with a few helpful suggestions to
reduce stress, get done what I need to and (eventually) loose some weight.

1) Take short breaks, avoid apathy!

Taking a 15 minute break every hour
helps me focus better and stay creative. Using this time to do some sort of
exercise helps a lot too. I don’t know about you faithful readers (and
authors), but I can’t really study at home, so I go to coffee shops, libraries,
huge book stores like Barnes & Noble, and other study conducive places,
which usually are a 15 to 20 minute bike ride away from each other!

2) Pay attention to portions and
types of foods.

 Eating well is a key to any attempt at weight
loss, and it can help you feel better too. Around dinner time, I get really
hungry, and then after chowing down I feel like taking a nap. But experts say
that eating “fist sized” portions four times a day and snacking on fruits and
vegetables to manage one’s apatite will lead to increased metabolism and more
energy. I can’t do this all the time, but I try to Monday through Friday, and
then stay a bit more active over the weekend, which is usually when I eat more
calories. I try and have a simple carb, a protein and a fruit/veggie for every
meal.

3) Drink more water!

 I love, soda, coffee and energy drinks, but I
can’t handle the crash any more. The wall I hit at 5pm every day is usually
produced by coffee, then a Mountain Dew followed by another cup of coffee and a
sprinkling of energy drinks throughout the day. Our bodies need more water than
what is retained from these synthetic forms of energy, so no wonder I need a
nap and have a headache in the afternoon, especially after that huge
calzone I just ate! So,  drink more water, and follow the above suggested eating
habits, this will afford you more energy and help avoid the infamous crash.

4) Prepare easy, portioned meals in
advance.

When working or studying, I tend to just want
something easy to eat, and don’t want to take the time to make myself something
nutritious, so I end up eating out. This allows me to indulge in things I
normally wouldn’t, because it’s easy. I have found that making a bunch of
burritos over the weekend with quality ingredients like chicken, bell peppers,
black beans, long grain rice, cooked green chilies and a bit of cheese will
taste great, cost way less than most sandwiches at sub shops, and will usually
be a lot more healthy. I also keep some nuts, dried fruit, or sliced veggies on
me too if I need something to tide me over until I can get home for dinner or
one of my mid-day meals.

5) Find a motivator other than “I
want to look better!”

I have found if I am focused on
getting in shape to look dead sexy, I never get the results I want, as soon as
I want, which leads to frustration, and once I allow my self to skip a meal,
resulting in an even bigger meal later on, or I eat out a few times rather than
going home to grab my premade food I lose dedication to my plan of action,
which eventually leads to dropping the whole thing all together. If I am able
to decide to do this to better my self, to be healthier, to reduce stress and
boost energy, I see the results a lot faster because I am not relying on other people
reacting favorably to my efforts and I am focusing on the positives rather than
the negatives. I begin to realize I’m setting myself up to have a longer, happier
life.

So…now I have to follow the advice I have heard from a lot
of my more in-shape friends and from many other articles scattered throughout
my memory. It is hard to keep up with a plan of action while there are a lot of
other things going on, but I think that the suggestions above, coupled with a
realistic workout routine, will allow me to reach my goal of 20lb’s lighter, I’ll
let you know how it goes, and if you have success, please let me know as well,
I just might need some good juju that day! 
  

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