Leadership

Alright.  So today I went to a leadership conference at Mount Aloysius College, which isn't too far from Saint Francis.  You never know how those types of things can be, but I was looking forward to the opportunity to meet students from other schools and see what kind of fresh ideas they have.  I especially was hoping to hear about what they do to get their group members motivated and help with various projects and events throughout the year, since this is something the group I lead, Hugs United, has historically struggled with.  Well, much to my surprise, there was a common story of frustration being told by all of the leaders about how it's difficult to get full participation, and it's often the club/organization officers who do the majority of the work.  Wow.  I couldn't believe it.  This type of situation wasn't unique to just Saint Francis, but is rather a common woe held by all the groups who were represented today.  I honestly was very shocked to hear this, but honestly a little relieved to know that we are not alone in this battle.

So now the question becomes... what do we do about this?  How is it that we get people motivated to pull their full load and become leaders as well?  We need to develop leaders starting from a younger age.  Show people that they are appreciated and that what they're doing really is making a difference.  As leaders ourselves, we cannot be afraid to delegate tasks and pass our duties onto others and have a fear of failure in doing so.  Yes, we may hit some speed bumps and trip a little bit, but if we can develop strong leaders from the time that they enter the campus community, our organizations and campus as a whole will be a lot better because of it. 

I know that I'm personally becoming kind of exciting of passing my duties onto someone else, and letting them take over the necessary work that is needed to organize an international missions trip.  I have been really nervous about having to do this, but now I realize that being able to EMPOWER someone else, and trust them with this duty, I'll be allowing another individual the opportunity to develop into a stronger leader who can continue to empower others through our group's mission.  There is not a cookie cutter handout for what makes a good leader, and it will be interesting to see in which direction our organization will go in the future.  We made a lot of progress this year, and as we continue to embrace new and diverse ideas and people, we'll continue to grow, and be better through it. 

While today helped generate a lot of new ideas of what to do on our campus, it actually helped to calm some of my fears for the future as well.  And I think that that, my friends, is a successful day.

Why so worried?

Okeydokey, So I haven't blogged at all since my first post, and I don't know why.  I was feeling inspired at the time that I started my blog, but lately, I just feel like I've been kind of dead and lifeless in terms of the thoughts that go through my head.  I just wasn't really feeling too moved to write anything.  But now, I think it's time to write.

Why is it that so many of us continue to make the mistake of chasing false hopes and dreams? -- The perfect someone to be your other half, the life you dream of, the perfect job, spouse, and family, when we really don't know at all what the Lord has in store for us.  Yes, it's great to look forward, in prospects of what has yet to come, but why do we become so depressed and worried about the now?  Now is the time to live, the time to love, the time to learn, feel, and experience.  The time to grow and become that person that we are meant to be.  I fully believe that God loves when we have strong aspirations, but to let our aspirations and false hopes get in the way of our eternal life with Him is ridiculous.  Now is the time to let go, let live, and be one with God.  He'll take us where we're supposed to be.  It's time to stop worrying and trust that He will take care of us, and never give up on us, despite our imperfections and sin.  So today is the first day of forever with Him, and I trust that he'll bring me the perfect man (if that's what he wants for me), the right job, and every other purpose and opportunity that He has meant for me to fulfill so that I can best serve Him and His word.  I hope that I never lose sight of this.

Blessed

Here it is, Thanksgiving day, and one can't help but think of how lucky/blessed they are to have everything in their life.  Sure, life isn't always perfect, and there's definitely people who seem to be better off than others.  However, when it comes down to it, the most important things in life are your faith, family, and friends.  All the other petty, material items we have really don't matter in the long run.  Well, I'm happy to say that I'm blessed to have all three: my faith, family, and friends.  These blessings are made increasingly apparent to me as I grow older and more mature.  I've grown into my faith so much over the past year and a half or so, which I'm so thankful for.  Coming home from college for vacation is always amazing, and having the love of my brother, sisters, and parents right there at my side is awesome.  Heck, it's always there, even when I'm a few hours away at school.  Then there's my friends, both old and new, from NY, PA, MD, Mexico, and God only knows where else.  I just can't help but acknowledge my blessings.  And to be completely honest, it's really all those special people I have in my life, those who I've formed relationships with, that are the things I'm most thankful for.  I've thought about this a lot lately - I've shared a lot of great moments lately with my friends at school; I have come home and reunited with friends from High School, and that's always so sweet; I just received a personalized video message from a boy I met and grew close to while working at Pronino orphanage in Honduras during Spring Break of '08; now tonight I talked to three different Mexican friends who I met while I was there this past summer.  Yep, there's no denying it.  I'm extremely blessed.  Blessed to have the loving family I do, blessed to be grounded in my faith, blessed to have such amazing and sincere friends (in what seems to be) all over the world.  What an incredible feeling to acknowledge all these blessings.