Thoughts In Writing By Connor Kempf

Introduction:

Project 1 is/was about expressing our thoughts in a coherent way. What I did for project 1 is I recorded one whole day of my thoughts. These thoughts were summarized into a coherent paragraph, pictures were taken to illustrate my thoughts. This formed the basis for elaboration which is the thinking in writing section, breaking my thoughts down into manageable chunks and elaborating on the scenarios of these thoughts and why I feel these are important; Further allowing me to refine my thoughts into a better future for myself.

Thinking in Writing:

For the last 24 hours I’ve been recording my thoughts. This recording of thoughts is easier said than done. The Thoughts are marked with a time as seen below; This is the transcript of my thoughts. Until today, I never realized the complexity of my thoughts and actions. I thoughts about my thoughts for a few days, and I come to the realization that my thoughts are in need of channeling Into something productive. Then I realize my mind is normally doing something, thoughts are like shadows or echoes. My thought directly relate to the actions I take. Who would have thought that thoughts would be so important not just to my life but to the people around me.I come to realize that my thoughts tend to revolve around school, entertainment, myself, and the people around me. I then come to realize the mediocrity of it all. I visualize myself, my standing in human existence, I think, I’m insignificant, now, how do I change that? I also realize a 5 day a week school schedule is for me, the most effective way to study. My obsessive playing of video games could lead to some off color thoughts, I should ration my time just a bit better. As for tv, I give thought to how little of it I actually watch. As for school, it’s basically the same old grind that I have gotten used to all my life, wake up, eat breakfast, get ready, got to school, few hours of work, lunch, next few hours, go home, do homework, dinner, watch tv/ video games, unwind, rinse and repeat. Life tends to be a never ending cycle of day and night. My thoughts include the past to predict and possibly change the future. Now I remember, I really need to find a way  to channel my thoughts into something constructive. That is this project. How can I change these thoughts? How can I improve the effects of these thoughts on my life? Who would be a good person to ask about my thoughts? Why do these patterns of thought appear? That is what I have been asking myself all my life, now what if I share the same thoughts as someone else? Now I question whether things in life are necessary, education, things of the like, more on this in a few years.

Thinking Visually:

http://instagram.com/p/zQRJcKO6i6/

This is the visual representation of my thoughts. My thoughts are clouded;These clouds are pollution, fallacies,dreams,emotions, and sometimes other thoughts. Maybe I should take more time to think about my thoughts

http://instagram.com/p/zQRVKEO6jT/

Imagine I am standing on the ground looking at the tip of that building. The tree as I came to realize is the barrier or hurdle between me and success. That building is where I should be thinking, right now, I would be lucky to be beyond the tree in terms of my path to success

http://instagram.com/p/zQRgF1u6jq/

I am looking towards Manhattan. I see my future in technology. That is where I think I should be.

http://instagram.com/p/zQUCA1u6oh/

I tend to think about people a lot; I am a person thinking about my fellows. Other people are like sources for information whether it be true or gossip. This is where many of my thoughts lie, the people around me.

http://instagram.com/p/zQUfGyO6pg/

This is a picture of a clear sky with three power line. These lines are clear thoughts and to me represent prowess. This is why I should think about “clearing my head” more often, it enhances my thoughts.

http://instagram.com/p/0QhaE_u6r2/

This picture is representative of my life, twists and turns; many possibilities. There are many things in life I could have done differently. I can say now that I am happy about where I am in life, I feel as if I belong.

Thinking Reflectively:

      The first thing I want to think about is my future, my successes. I am Connor Kempf, Computer Engineering Technology student at New York City College of Technology between 2014 and 2019. I know was a person I have some imagination/ thoughts(Insert Pic). I know I am interested in computers and technology in general, I have been for quite a while. As for hobbies, these relate to my interests, illicit sometimes but still my hobbies; Gaming, Hacking and things of the like. I like to test boundaries whether it be online or in person. My future (after 2019) is likely a job in the engineering field, my first real job. Switching to my future self, five years from when I wrote this, a few questions come to mind. What could I have done differently? I asked myself three questions during the writing of this essay, why am I me?, Who am I really?, What is next for me? I am Me, Myself and I, take it or leave it this is who I am. I’ve always attempted to pursue my dreams, to do what is possible. A message to my 2015 self; be who you are, keep it up, succeed, future, be yourself, and how bad will this all hurt? In 2015, I am me, in 2020 you are me five years in my future. Looking Forward, I wonder what that year holds for me. As a person both you and me are part of history, by part I mean small snippet. Take what is given or allowed and run with it.

      I can only imagine what kind of person I will be in five years.I can see that in five short years, I will be a employee of a big electronics consulting firm. I have not decided where I will work but I know the industry I will be in. An obvious necessity is a job, it does not have to be a great job at first. I have only been out of college for a year in 2020. I knew when I started college in August of 2014 that I was committed for at least four years, but I soon discovered that if I wanted to work at my own pace, I would need an extra year, pushing my graduation to this year 2020 instead of 2019. With a job comes money, with money comes a place to live, with a place to live comes the future. I give thought to 2020, I am going to be my own person by then. If I was talking to my previous self, I would tell myself to stay on the correct path, you know what it is, only accept perfection, and be yourself. I know now looking into the future that I must succeed, if I do not there is the possibility of me being destitute which I will not accept. I am Connor Kempf, a Computer Engineering Student at New York City College Of Technology. I am currently in my first year of college. As of today, I do not have a job,I am looking for one. The complication is that college must come first. A few years from now, I move on with my life. I become a productive member of society with future employment in , I envision myself being in the technology field.

      One question I asked myself during the writing of this essay is why am I me? That is an interesting question as I have advanced myself a bit intellectually, psychologically, maybe some other ways that I still have not figured out yet. I enjoy working on technology; testing the boundaries and experimenting with it. This is probably why I have chosen a technology career. When choosing my career, I thought about the education that would be required if I want to get hired by a company in the field. I knew I would be committed to going to college for a bachelors degree. I knew in middle school but I wanted to go into technology. Then came high school, I went to Information Technology High School, which specializes in career training in the technology field. In the four years that I was in high school, learning about technology and other stuff, I realized how much I enjoyed my choice of career. This is probably why I continued my education past high school, what people don’t realize is I actually enjoy learning, it improves me as a person. I could draw reference to the pictures of clouded and clear thought. My life is full of thoughts. I feel as if school has helped me harness my thoughts and imagination; channeling it into something I can use in my life. My thoughts can be clouded or clear, it depend on the thoughts and on what is prompting that thoughts. I never realized before beginning work on this project how complex my thoughts actually were. I believe before I came to college I was a bit too passive. I never really gave a second thought to my thoughts. What if I had invented something? I doubt I would be here if that was the case. Honestly, I am me, and I am content with where I am, who I associate with on a daily basis. Learning about things in general is something I enjoy, I have never really taken the initiative to learn about myself, let alone my thoughts.

Recently, I recorded a day of thoughts. There were three main thoughts, one thought was me here now, and how it pertains to me. As a college student, I’m obliged to take courses, increase my knowledge, and established my “profile”. My profile is simply what people might see, not just my resĂşmĂ©, but what I know, who I know, my drive to succeed. Another way of describing a profile is what the world thinks of you. I am still learning about technology, even though I have learned through high school and even in middle school. My learning is not complete; I aspire to know as much as I possibly can about technology and in general every day life. My reasoning for this, it is complicated. I want to see how good I can do in society. I don’t have any estimation but I know that I must at least advance beyond where I am today. This thought could be described by two photos, the one of me looking up towards the building and the one looking towards Manhattan. These photos to me represent my future and higher education is the building block upon which I will succeed. This success to me is being the CEO of some multi-billion dollar technology firm. I aspire one day to achieve this goal. As for 2020, I know I need to find work, hopefully in the technology field

The final thought that came to me on my day if thoughts was my thoughts themselves. This may sound odd but I have taken time to think about my thoughts. Switching to my 2020 self, I can describe my thoughts as snippets, little bits of information coursing through my mind. My thoughts can be contaminated by my emotions which is why I have taken time to think about my thoughts and how to better understand both why I think of these things and how to improve the usage of whatever mental capacity I have. My emotions and/or life events can challenge my thoughts. It is abnormal for me to describe my thoughts, I find it a little bit uncomfortable. I did not realize before writing this paper that my thoughts could be so complex. Why is it that I have not thought about  my thoughts with this much detail during prior times. Something I neglected was my thoughts about the past. These thoughts are questions. I am questioning my past decisions to see what I could have done differently and how to improve said thoughts. Something I could have done differently were my grades in high school, employment, and finishing the technology certifications I started back in high school. I know as a human that I have made mistakes but I wish to improve what I have done so far and be the best person i can  be. I ask myself each day what could I have changed or done differently to improve my day to day life? This could be represented by the photo of me on the road looking around a bend. This bend is a turning point in my life. It is illustrative of the twisting path of my life. I don’t know where the path will end or where but I know that I am on my path. I hope this path takes me to success, at least I will be happy with myself knowing my life has went somewhere. A message to my 2015 self: Succeed, Imagine, Explore, Innovate, and for crying out loud, be yourself, no matter what anyone may tell you.

      What have I learned about my thoughts and how may this affect my decision making? I have learned exactly how astronomically complex my thoughts are. The thoughts themselves could be significant such as my future or rather insignificant, what should I have for lunch? These thoughts I feel are reflective of me both over time and day to day. I believe my life has a lot left to be done within it. I cannot predict my future or anyone’s future for that matter, but I can infer that my life has time left and I have things that I want to or have to do. I wonder what the future holds for me, hopefully technology. My life is just beginning, I must live it.

My Puzzling Thoughts by Jo M. Jumalon

Introduction:

The first project “Writing the brain” has showed me many things, that i have not thought about regularly. It has brought me great insight on what I should do to reach my goals, and I realized things that needs to be changed. It was a self evaluation period for me and I never imagined it would become a big impact on my current life.

Thinking In Writing:

It was February fifth when I took down notes of what I was currently doing at that time, and my thoughts that I was thinking during or around that time in increments of 30 – 1 hour periods. I found interesting patterns in my thoughts that I don’t really notice, due to how frequently busy I am during a week period. Putting it in a log has helped me analyze it and find that I tend to think a lot about things that are particularly not about the current activity, or situation. I usually think about things that are related in the future, and I analyze it in a way that helps me prevent problems, if said situation comes along. I also found out things that I pay very little attention to the current situation and think of the outcome more. For example, at around 1:02PM, I was meeting a friend of mine for lunch and right before that I just got out of the train station and I thought, “The amount of people holding the train doors could saved me so much time” I ended up being late for that day in our little meeting, and instead of thinking the severity of my lateness which I usually do, I thought about the time I could saved if commuters did not hold the doors every station that we stopped on. 6:32PM my friend and I from earlier split off and I met another group of my friends that were planning to go bowling. I decided to tag along. At this point we were already done bowling and were off to a place in south street seaport to eat. We found a seafood place and decided to eat there. While we were all enjoying our orders, I thought to myself “Usually I don’t go to seafood places cause most of my friends do not like it, I wondered why is it people can enjoy certain food and not others, how people developed their taste buds.” I brought this conversation up to my friends I was with and they did not really know an answer for it, maybe I’ll never know. Instead of thinking of how great the food is and the restaurant name so I can go back to the place in the future, I thought about other people’s taste buds and how it was developed. I’m not exactly sure if my thought process is out of curiosity or just pure randomness, which thinking random is not always the best thing to do. My thoughts now I see it is more random than it needs to be and there are more important things I should be thinking about during that time than thinking of how people developed their taste bud or how if commuters did not hold doors, it can actually save me time. Some of the things I really should be thinking about was finishing my website, which has been unfinished for quite some time now or scheduling my time much better to fit the needs of my friends and family while balancing work, and school.

Thinking Visually:

1. Cold Day

http://imgur.com/MczLAuy

Photo Captured , Tuesday 2/7/15

This reminded me of one of the days in the week which was really cold. I felt that instead of wearing a sweater I should have worn a bigger jacket with and extra layer. I felt underdressed that day, and complained about being cold to my friends which was completely my fault

2. Seafood

http://imgur.com/PMAmP4J

Photo Capture 2/17/15

I personally don’t like tuna, but this picture reminded me of the time I ate with my friends and we chose a seafood restaurant. I was thinking why a lot of people hate seafood. If well made it can be really good, but then I thought it could be that they haven’t tried, well made seafood dishes.

3. Alcohol

http://imgur.com/HCivNJs

Photo Capture 2/17/15

The day I had dinner with my friends I was tempted on drinking that day, because I haven’t drank in a long time and it was almost one of my friend’s birthday, so why not celebrate. Although the next day I have work , I don’t think it’ll be a good idea

4. Gym

http://imgur.com/0iyjfh2

Photo Taken 2/17/15 During the day I went out with my friends, one of the things that went thru my mind is the fact that I haven’t been in the gym for quite sometime. I check my membership and I’m actually still paying for it. I plan to go back in the future but juggling work, school, and a bit of social life, finding time for it is a bit hard.

5. Website

http://imgur.com/9bIT0zT

Photo Taken 2/16/15

I was able to finish the website I was doing for a friend of mine. Although during the train ride to the city, I remembered that I had to finish it before the deadline which I had 2 days left to do. I was astonished how I was careless with the deadline and I don’t usually do that.

6. Trains

http://imgur.com/fvhIXgU

Photo Taken 2/17/15

I hated the fact that whenever I go to the city and the train gets packed, I have to take in account how much time extra I have to leave due to the people holding train doors. If the train is packed, wait for the next train because you’re wasting time for the other 100 or so people in that train. The subway system has its flaws but its still the best mode of transportation around the city.

Thinking Reflectively:

Reminiscing the time I became a better person, I cannot believe it has been five years, the day I first stepped into City Tech is the day I told myself that I would finish something for once in my 22 years of living. Living with my partner completes my 5 year plan and recently landing a new job at a new tech driven company which I can utilize the skills, I learned from attending City Tech and completing my BA in Computer Engineering, just tops it all off. I have plans of continuing my graduate studies but that will be put on hold until I settle into my new position. My dreams are very broad, but my expectations are kept low. If I was able to meet my old self I would tell him the things I would do, to make things more effortless towards the goal I set forth, starting at City Tech. If I stayed in the position I was four years ago before I attended City Tech I would have be a train wreck. The things I think about the most is finishing my degree in computer engineering, and my current work. I think about my degree and my work the most because of the fact that it is my daily routine during the weekdays. The thing I think about the least is my family, even though I am still living with them, I barely see them due to how busy I am during the weekday and some weekends. The thought of completing work for my classes and having to meet deadlines for my work, keeps the majority of my brain preoccupied and prevents me to think about other things.

Regret is something I try not to have whenever I make my decisions. Having regrets bring you back in life and I learned that the hard way. Persuading my past self will be a steep challenge, I would have to change my horrendous sleep schedule, to think more of my short term goals instead of long term goals, and finding the balance between my work, school, social, and family life. It will be a challenge changing my past self, but if I tell him the benefits of these changes, he would realize and would be more willing to adapt these changes. My adamant nature is very hard to persuade in some cases, but with perseverance and dedication, I believe I can change my past self to better my achievements in my future work.

For my past self to achieve a better path to the accomplishments that I had achieved today, I would have to first change my sleep schedule. Even though I get up well during mornings, I tend to look for more sleep at around one to three o’ clock in the evening. This can be because I spend too much time thinking about my work. From my day of thoughts, I complained to myself that I was falling asleep at two in the evening. I can still do physical activities but my brain feels it is in a comatose state and it is difficult to stay awake. Thinking about my work, I always worry that there might be a chance that I do not meet a deadline for my paperwork. It is not because my boss would penalize me from doing such an action, but due to the fact that I try to strive to push my limits. I believe pushing my limits is good, if not the best way to improve, not only in your workplace, but generally your lifestyle. I have always been a “night owl”, I can never commit to a time for sleep so my brain can rest.

Many people say you sleep because you are physically incapable of doing tasks. I believe that is not always the case. In my understanding my physical body can function very well throughout the day, but only the physical part. “Mind over matter” a quote that tells one that it is only in your head. I stand by that quote when I started to adapt it to my lifestyle, and I feel that now I think way too much. I believe due to my overly analytically mind I try to find more sleep in those hours, according to a book authored by John Medina called, “Brain Rules”, Medina mentioned the meaning of “Nap Zone”. “Nap Zone” is a term used for a range of time, specifically in between two through five in the evening, where people generally feel sluggish and wanting to sleep more. The best thing for my past self is to set a strict sleep schedule. Although that is unlikely to happen, I learned that having a great sleep at night can improve your cognitive skills, in comparison with less sleep. By a chance, I could have been further in my career if I had more sleep, and should be thinking about less stressful things, other than work all the time.

Short term goals versus long term goals, a big predicament that my past self-had to endure during his time working towards his future career. I can never tell the difference between a short term and a long term goal. I always believed that short term goals are goals that are very small and can be done instantly, such as “I will go to class early tomorrow” or “I will do my homework before the due date.” I believe that it is more than that. I learned that short term goals should consist of goals you are aiming towards to reach your long term goal. I always had trouble figuring this out during my time at City Tech and trying to balance school, work, social, and family life. “Imbalanced” is a better word to describe my problem as I work towards my long term goal. The main problem is I never set short term goals because I had the mindset of aiming high, and aiming high all the time doesn’t work very well long term. I have to tell myself take short steps, doing it efficiently, and with ease to prevent discouragement reaching the goal.

My day of thoughts has showed me that I always had mixed thoughts about my goals. It was not very centralized into one idea, and is more discombobulated. My past self needs to be more thoughtful on what he should do and, to not worry about the long term effects it can happen if I do not do one particular element of my long term goal properly. To fix my confused state, I would have to first set short term goals that leads up to the long term goals I am trying to achieve. I would have to stick to a plan and tell myself to not sway away from it, because I will repeat what I did. My past self needs to set priorities that will enable him to work at each short term goal efficiently, and can increase his moral to do more.

Balancing my work, school, social, and family life can be a big feat to accomplish by my past self. My past self was not able to find the balance between family and school, he was thinking more about work and keeping my social integrity among my partner and friends. My work makes me happy cause of two reasons. One of the most obvious reason is that I enjoyed it, having to land a job in a field I was studying in, was a huge opportunity, I could not back down from. I graduated high school with the mindset that I knew it all. This mindset kept me from entering college straight after high school, I instead worked and made a considerable amount of income that in a few years’ time, I was able to pay for my tuition to City Tech. The second reason is that my work has made me greedy from independence, I had always relied on my parents to give me everything and it was very painful for me that I had to ask every time if I was going out of my with my friends or just buying an item from the convenience store. It’s a horrible trait that I had to live with, a terrible lifestyle that made me lose my connection with my parents and family. At one point I hated it but I learned to live with it, it is a consequence I had to live with and I have no regrets. Working has set my past self-three years of college to have a stable position at the job I am in today.

My social life has always been lucrative in many ways, but the main reason I think about it very often is because I love social interaction between my long time and newly acquainted friends. For the longest I relied on my friends for happiness and at one point I realized that it never worked out, it seemed temporary happiness and that I never thought about it until now. I tried finding a replacement for my family, having friends is not enough for me, when I realized it, it was too late. My day of thoughts has showed me that I should be thinking more about my family, trying to spend more time with them and making an effort to do so. I should not rely on friends for my happiness and find my own happiness. My partner has helped me through this process and I cannot thank her enough for helping my past self through a time where I needed someone to guide me into a clear direction.

With the thoughts that I have gathered, my past self is a complete mess, and I want to change that. Changing the way he thinks will be hard but is doable. Changing my sleep schedule is the first and foremost way I can change the way he thinks. Sleep can make the brain more responsive to suggestions and can lead to better persuasion. With sleep he would be able to determine his good and bad actions. I can become more self-aware of my actions and will realize that what I was doing before is bad for my overall health.

Changing the mindset of setting and pursuing long term goals before making short term goals is also as important as sleep. My past self, always had trouble achieving his goals because of the stress it has put him, and made it hard for himself to continue due to the low motivation. Not getting anything done made my past self-wonder why he is doing it, that led to the surrender of the goal and another element of my future would be gone. Finding the balance of work, school, social, and family life always brought my past self to the brink of quitting an affluent future. My past self always had trouble on prioritizing and balancing the time I have throughout my life.

My day of thoughts are filed with never-ending thoughts of my friends and my partner. Looking back to my log, I never thought about my family at all and even wondered what they are doing at that time. I thought about getting to work faster, and meeting my friends on time. I worry about the activities my friends and I would do during the day we are out together. All these thoughts were worthless and my past self needs to be more productive with his thoughts, and reduce the time with his friends, work, and instead think about more of his family.

“Writing The Brain” Project 1

Our first project, “Writing My Brain”, seems very beneficial for me in so many ways. I actually know more of how what I am going to reach my goal, how I’m going to do it and why do I really want to achieve this goal. The purpose of this project is basically to help us plan out our what steps we need to take in order to reach our goal. This project is very useful for me because it makes me really think more about my future and what I need to do or continue on to do now in order to get there.

 

Thinking In Writing:

While recording my thoughts on February 9th, my thoughts to me seemed all over the place. When I woke up at 5:13 early in the morning I decided to record from there, although I couldn’t barely open my eyes. There we’re so many thoughts running through my head. As I took a look at my television I saw Elmo was on for some reason and I was thinking “damn I haven’t saw him on t.v. in years”. Then I just turned off the t.v. and just lay there and starting thinking about my future and whether or not my plans is going to work to get me where I want to be. Then I thought lastly “oh yeah I am going to see my mom today” I got to rest more and I went back to sleep. As I’m on the train I constantly keep thinking about my future and how life will be when I become an entertainer. But at the same time I just keep having doubts on the side on whether what I’m going after is really worth it or not. I don’t know but I just got to think positive and have no doubts at all. I think thats whats holding me back a little.

 

Thinking Visually:

 

  1. https://instagram.com/p/zNpjeePrxs/?modal=true

In my thoughts there were a lot of doubts, but now I’m starting to see clearly little by little. The only way to truly get to the road of Success is to keep fighting the obstacles that come in your way.

2) https://instagram.com/p/zNqJi7vryj/?modal=true

Thinking of my Future. Thinking about my Family. Thinking Will I Make It? Only the efforts I put in will show the results of the outcome. But I know I will make it?

3) https://instagram.com/p/zOX9YYPr08/?modal=true

My dream of becoming an entertainer will soon come true. I hope to some day be as successful as Michael Jackson. I can’t wait to reach my goal.

4) https://instagram.com/p/zOYmvbPr2F/?modal=true

I never understood why I woke up 5 in the morning and saw this on tv. I was thinking of how many years I haven’t saw Elmo on tv. But yeah I was confused to see elmo dressed as a cowboy though.

5) https://instagram.com/p/zOZ5DRvr3q/?modal=true

I forgot to add this in my summary of thoughts, but I also always think about Paris. I would love to visit Paris, live in Paris, and get married in Paris. I Love the beauty of Paris and I know that one day my dreams will come true.

6) https://instagram.com/p/zOaznnvr5R/?modal=true

In my thoughts overall I decided to think nothing but positive. Happiness is the key, if you really want to get to where you want to be you need to have a positive mind. I will continue to keep moving forward and I refuse to let little obstacles get in my way.

 

Thinking Reflectively:

 

I cannot believe I am in the year 2020 already. I am in my dressing room right now preparing for my performance and man life is going great now. I got the dream house and cars I have always wanted, I have graduated from City Tech with my Associates in Marketing Management and Sales and my Bachelors in Video Production. My mother and younger siblings are all happy and have a stable home. Everything is just great. The argument that I have towards the way I use to think in the past is that I should have thought more about what’s planned out for me, to always keep nothing but positive thoughts in mind. The only way for my past self to actually reach where I am now is to continue with what she is doing now. Continue to go to school, study hard, and not let anyone or anything get in her way and by the year of 2020, all what I have mentioned earlier will become her reality. In the first paragraph, I’m going to discuss how hard life was for me and how there were a lot of doubts constantly filling my mind. I didn’t really have a clear view towards my goal because I have let certain obstacles get in my way. In my second paragraph, I am going to talk about how I had got rid of all the negative thoughts and started to think nothing but positive. In my third paragraph, I will talk about basically me having my full main focus on my goal and work hard to become as successful as any other great entertainer such as Michael Jackson, Beyonce, and many more. The only way to reach to where I want to be is to never give up.

Lack of confidence was my main issue a few years ago. I have always had a bad habit of questioning myself and as I look back on my day of thoughts when I was on the train I constantly kept thinking about my future and how life would be when I become an entertainer. At the same time while thinking this thought, I just keep having doubts on the side on whether what I am trying to achieve really worth it or not. There were so many obstacles that my past self has faced that kept me thinking this way which started to hold me back from actually going for it. There were a lot of issues but the main issue was my family’s financial stability.  This really made me want to push myself even harder to achieve my goal to have the best for my family. I could not just keep sitting around debating on whether I should keep trying or not, I should just stick with the goal I’m aiming for and keep fighting. The photo of the Lamborghini Aventador in Paris, France driving towards the Eiffel Tower, is where I would love to have my dream vacation. I would also love to have that car as well. After seeing this photo on instagram that was posted by another person, I started to notice that I had less and less doubts then I usually did and I started to gain more confidence that maybe some day I will own that car and take a trip to Paris. It’s best to not doubt or question yourself and to just go for what you really want in life because you never know the outcome until you actually try and succeed.

In order to reach my goal I had to do one important thing and that was to eliminate most of my negative thoughts. It was a hard task to do but it’s best when you dont doubt yourself and see what’s actually planned out for you. Especially if you’re on the right track on achieving your goal. The reason I think that I have mostly thought so negative is because many people believed that the goal that I have in mind to achieve is a waste of time. I never understood why most people thought it was a waste of time I mean my mom did not think it was. She has simply told me to go for it and said if this is something you really enjoy doing this for the rest of my life why not. I then started to careless of what they have said and kept going for it because at the end of the day only I will find out the outcome, no them. In the photograph of me with my little panda bear it shows that I have started to become more happy and think more positive of what I’m doing now. The reason I have taken a photo with this particular bear is because panda bears are black and white like the yin and yang symbol, in which I love. The yin and yang symbol in my own definition means that there is always a little bit of positive energy in the bad and there is always a little bit of negative energy in the good. Not everything in life comes easy at hand, there is always a twist up here and there. I then started to open my eyes more and look at all of the accomplishments I have made so far, I started to believe in myself more. Even if its going to be a long journey, I am not going to give up on it because hard work does pay off.

There are a lot of successful entertainers in the industry so far. As I started to think visually, there are many great entertainers that came to mind but mainly one person appeared the most and that was Michael Jackson. My goal is to be as successful as he was or at least close to it. The way he sang, his dance moves, his hard work in general was just amazing. But its going to take a lot of effort and dedication in order for me to be successful. My full main focus is nothing else but to finish school and to have my goal achieved. I would want nothing less because I have always dreamed of having a career as an entertainer and have better for my family. I just need to stop questioning myself on whether I should go for it or not and just keep moving forward.

In life there are a lot of challenges that each individual face almost everyday. It is not going to be an easy ride for anyone to reach their goals and of course its going to be a long way to get there. Many people just think all it takes is little effort, then boom I am successful. No, it does not work like that. You have to go after what you really want and be dedicated to give your all to be successful and be tough enough to face the things that come in your way. Especially in the entertainment where there is a lot of gossip and competition. The only way to maintain your stance to reach your goal is to keep fighting no matter what and that is what I did. My past self just need to remember to kept fighting through the pain and the struggle and stop doubting her self. All she need is to follow her heart and have true dedication for what she loves to achieve and that basically becoming an entertainer. Overall, I would not be where I am today, in the year of 2020. I feel free and happy and it is all from not giving up on my goal.

“I see the future”, by Mohammad A.Diakite

  1. Introduction :

In this project, I took a full day to record my thoughts. In all those thoughts, I chose six different thoughts to write about and I use personal pictures to support each one of them.  Step by step, I wrote a 1250 words essay talking about how those thoughts will help me achieve my goal five years from now.

 

  1. Thinking in writing:

I am really confused about my current job. I hate it most of time, but there was something special about Saturday, February 07, 2015. I was at the pool around 9-10:30 am and I was telling myself that teaching people how to swim is great. I was excited because I was about to teach one of my classes like I always do. I usually tell people that I hate my job, I hate teaching, I hate kids and I hate being in the water, but I actually love those things. I guess on this day, I revealed my true personality on paper. That day I was honest with myself and my opinion came straight from the heart.

On that same day I realized that I like those kids. When I saw a kid almost drown, it dawned on me the importance of teaching them how to survive in the water. Without those kids, I wouldn’t have a job; I wouldn’t do what I really love to do and wouldn’t be who I am today. This job does not only help me to get money, but it also prepares me for the future. Although I am not currently a parent, it prepares to be one. Not just a regular parent, but a parent who can handle kids with disabilities. It also puts me on the right path for who I want to be in the future. It would seem that this job prepares me for my future more than college does.

Is going to college really necessary? I have known and heard of numerous successful people who didn’t go to college. Being successful isn’t just being rich, it is being who you wanted to be. For me personally the thought runs through my mind to not attend college and hope that I am lucky enough to still be successful. However, in today’s society, I know that with a college education, I have better chances to succeed in life.

 

  1. Thinking visually:

http://instagram.com/p/zL9l_aSN1h/?modal=true

My dream job. Working as a United States Coast Guard.

http://instagram.com/p/zL5eZtyN_G/?modal=true

Do I need to go to college to be successful? Am I wasting my time? Is it worth it?

 

http://instagram.com/p/zL30FPyN8Q/?modal=true

With one of my most amazing swimmer. Today was her last day of class with me. Her parents wanted a picture with me.

 

http://instagram.com/p/zL2bf9SN5t/?modal=true

I love my job. They made me feel special on the day of my birthday.

 

 

http://instagram.com/p/zL2DUNSN5M/?modal=true

My favorite role, teaching kids how to swim. I love changing lives.

 

http://instagram.com/p/zMA2wpSN6m/?modal=true

Swimming is my favorite hobby. It is the root of my success and the source of my joy.

4.      Thinking reflectively:                       

Growing up I always wanted to protect and help people. When offered the option to volunteer to help people, I never refused and I was always willing to teach someone else the skills that I am good at. I spent most of my life in the Ivory Coast, which is located in West Africa. Most people over there speak French, so I didn’t have any other choice then to get adapted to the language and culture. When I came back to the United States in 2011, I have to adjust to the language and the culture all over again. I thought that I will never be able to achieve my goals because of the language barrier. My first major goal was to become a lifeguard and swimming instructor. My life changed once that goal was achieved. I am dedicated and always happy that people are learning from me because I have been learning from others all my life. Now that I’ve reached my first major goal, I am in the process of reaching my second major goal. Five years from now, I see myself as a United States Coast Guard Officer. It was important that I achieve this goal during that time since to become a United States Coast Guard, you must be a U.S citizen or resident alien who is between 18 and 27 years old. To become who I want to be, I will have to work hard in school, exercise regularly and stay out of trouble. I cannot be involved in anything illegal or any criminal activity which is why I will continue attending college, to work towards getting my bachelors degree. I will also exercise, work as a lifeguard, swimming instructor and stay out of trouble. In this essay, I will highlight the pros and cons of becoming a United States Coast Guard Officer.

Attending college will not only be beneficial to me but will open up the doors to many opportunities. College is my main challenge at the moment and it will be my main challenge for the next three years. However, attending college plays an important role in my preparation to be a Coast Guard and it gives me a better chance of success in the future. To become a United States Coast Guard Officer, I need to have a high school diploma or a general education development (GED), and attend college for at least four years with a good Grade Point Average (GPA). Attending college and maintaining a good GPA is better than the high school diploma and GED since it proves that I am well educated, dedicated and I am willing and capable to serve my country. The reason why the recruiters are interested in people who attended college for at least four years is because college is a tough life-changing process. If someone was able to complete college with a good GPA, the Coast Guard thinks that they will be the right candidate. Since it proves that the person is ambitious, strong, a fighter and someone who does not quit during hard time. While attending college reduces my time for personal activities and I am overwhelmed with homework. I ensure that I study frequently in order to get good grades. Before college began, I was able to exercise (especially swim) daily, hang out with friends and sleep. Unfortunately, it is the other way around now. I do not exercise and spend time with friends as much. While I miss all those exiting activities with my friends, I always remember to keep my eyes on the prize. I spend most of my time studying, doing homework and preparing for classes.

Exercise, as many people out there refuse to do, is a very important factor of health and long life. Exercising is a key to my success. However, it is not an easy thing to do, but I am facing this challenge like any other challenge. Exercising plays an important role in my preparation to be a Coast Guard Officer. To become a United States Coast Guard Officer, I need to be physically fit, have endurance, a high energy level, and flexibility which can be obtained by doing regular exercise. During the initial Coast Guard training, they do daily fitness activities, swimming drills and other activities to make recruits physically and mentally prepared for life in the Coast Guard.This is why my main area of focus in exercising is swimming. The Coast Guard focuses on border patrol and waterway activities, like rescues, searches, law enforcement and environmental cleanup operations in the United States coasts,etc. The recruiters ensure that the candidates are able to save and not be saved by someone else. Since I started exercising, I have felt strong, energetic and healthy. I rarely get sick or have the need to visit the hospital. Exercising is what I do to relieve myself of the daily stresses such as school work, work and family issues. Although I am not exercising as much as I did before college began, I am still exercising regularly whenever I can, in order to stay fit. At this stage in my life I cannot blame a challenge over another one. When I have a busy school and work schedule, I still have to be able to exercise regularly.

Luckily my job requires me to both work to get paid and it is a form of exercise for me. My job is the best job a swimmer can ever ask for. Working as a lifeguard and swimming instructor makes me a fit and responsible young man. Since I began working, my interactions and communication skills with people from all over the world has improved. I am able to interact with people from different countries, with different languages and personalities and I am able to solve problems and handle difficult situations independently. I think of lifeguarding as a smaller version of the Coast Guard. Both jobs have the same objectives. They are both focused on water safety except that the Coast guard is more into Homeland Security. This job encourages me to become a Coast Guard Officer. It gives me the authority to tell people around the pool area what not to do or do, which brings out my leadership skills and makes me a more mature individual who is willing to help others even if it requires sacrifices.

In conclusion, I will do whatever it takes to accomplish my goal. While my goal requires great sacrifices and dedication from me, I know at the end that it will pay off. I will always give a hundred and ten percent on anything I do. For example, when I visit the gym, I have to set goals to meet by a certain date and create an effective workout plan for my gym. At this point in my life, time is a limited factor for me, thus I cannot waste any of it. To meet my goals, I will continue being on the right path. I will ensure I attend college, try my best to maintain above the grade point average, and I will take my current job seriously because it promotes positive behaviors and work ethics that will describe the kind of person I am around others. As a future coast guard officer, I need to be a person who knows how to interact with others in a professional way. As a coast guard officer I need to be a good leader, and now is the best time to learn how to be a great leader. As long that I keep up with the good job, I will accomplish my second goal and continue striving to do the best on anything I do.

Reading: Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal, “Hell is Story-Friendly”

During the first ten minutes of class, write a summary of your reading of Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal, “Hell is Story-Friendly” in your notebook. Has your understanding of Gottschall’s writing style changed as you have read more of his book? How does he relate now to Medina?

Before our next class, type up your summary, run spell/grammar check, save it, and copy-and-paste your work into a comment to this blog post.

Project 1, Part 3, Road Map Paragraph 1 (REVISED)

After receiving peer review feedback in class on Wednesday, revise your first road map paragraph as a separate file (remember to “Save As” and append “revised” to its file name), and copy-and-paste your revised paragraph into a comment to this blog post before our next class.

Over the weekend, your task is to continue writing your Project 1, Part 3 essay. A draft of your completed essay is due for peer review next Wednesday (giving you one additional class meeting than what is on the assignment sheet). Refer to the assignment sheet for further guidance and email me with your questions.

Reading: Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal, The Riddle of Fiction

During the first ten minutes of class, write a summary of your reading of Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal, “The Riddle of Fiction.” Some questions that you might consider answering in your response: What does Gottschall mean by the “riddle of fiction?” Play is the work of who? What does children’s play differentiation tell us about the speed of evolutionary change and the speed of cultural change? Remember to type up your handwritten summary and post it here as a comment to this blog post.

Project 1, Part 3, Road Map Paragraph 1 (DRAFT)

Before our meeting on Wednesday, post a copy of your Road Map Paragraph 1 (the second paragraph of your essay) as a comment to this blog post and print THREE copies to bring to class.

As you are writing this paragraph and the other paragraphs corresponding to your essay’s road map, you should include at least one quote from Project 1, Part 1 or a quote/description of a photo from Project 1, Part 2. Each of these road map paragraphs should quote something from Part 1, Part 2, or both.

Reading: John Medina’s Brain Rules, Sleep

During the first ten minutes of class, write a summary of your reading of the Sleep chapter in John Medina’s Brain Rules in your notebook. Then, transcribe your summary and post it as a comment to this blog post before our next class. Even though your in-class writing can be less formal, you should aim for for correctness and formal tone as you revise your handwritten summary into its final, typewritten form: complete sentences, subject-verb agreement, no contractions, etc.