Throughout middle school, you will continually face times of "who am I" and "is this who I want to be." A lot of girls consider changing their personality and style and looks to 'fit in' or 'be cool.' The problems in the aforementioned statement is, 'changing' and 'to be cool.' Firstly, never 'change' because you want to be cool. You should only 'change' yourself for you - not anyone else. Secondly, NEVER CHANGE yourself. You were born with a spectacularly unique personality that has both flaws and excellence. Instead, IMPROVE it. Improving yourself allows you to mature and grow as a person. Changing is both fake and impossible. In other terms, don't try to change yourself - try to improve.
If you are currently going through a stage of feeling of not liking who you are, contemplate why you are feeling that way. Firstly, try to identify who you think you are right now. I recommend thinking of four characteristics (good and bad) that you feel describes you. Then, think of four characteristics that your close friends would use to describe your personality. It is important to do this because our peers's perspectives on us are purely defined on our actions and reactions in situations which is unlike our opinions on ourselves. Lastly, think about who you want to be in the future. It is important, at this step, to not compare yourself to your peers or celebrities. Instead, think about characteristics you would like to have or grow - if you have a short temper, you may want to become a calmer person.
Once you have found characteristics that you would like to have in the future, put the thoughts to action! Come up with a plan to become that future you. If you want to become friendly, try to hold the door open and say 'hi' to everyone you meet. Improving isn't impossible.
Bye for now,
Cara
March 26, 2015
March 11, 2015
Twenty-One Designs ~ Testimonial
Recently, my blog got a makeover by Twenty-One Designs! I was so excited when Morning and Emily emailed me, saying that they were going to start creating a new template for me. I didn't know a lot about html or designing blogs but I did give some input on the design and they were happy to comply. Morning and I mainly discussed the design over email, which was great because I saw each step that went in to creating the blog template. Morning was happy to incorporate some other designers's ideas into the template. This allowed diverse opinions to look at the blog at new angles, making the design even better!
When the final result was produced, I was amazed. The colours were beautiful and the header was incredible! I recommend their service to any new or old blogger. Emily and Morning - the girls who worked with me - replied to my emails ASAP, made excellent decisions regarding the template, and were friendly and kind! Twenty-One Designs created a template that reflected who I am and what my posts were about, making for a spectacular result.
To describe Twenty-One Designs in 5 adjectives: Kind, Flexible, Collaborative, Creative, Interesting, Diverse...oops, that was six!
Overall Experience: Excellent!
Check out Twenty-One Designs website!
Bye for now,
Cara
When the final result was produced, I was amazed. The colours were beautiful and the header was incredible! I recommend their service to any new or old blogger. Emily and Morning - the girls who worked with me - replied to my emails ASAP, made excellent decisions regarding the template, and were friendly and kind! Twenty-One Designs created a template that reflected who I am and what my posts were about, making for a spectacular result.
To describe Twenty-One Designs in 5 adjectives: Kind, Flexible, Collaborative, Creative, Interesting, Diverse...oops, that was six!
Overall Experience: Excellent!
Check out Twenty-One Designs website!
Bye for now,
Cara
March 01, 2015
Social Intelligence and The Art of Conversation
I just got back from my three day excursion. I made many memories, had plenty fun, and now have a load of things to write about. The three days were full of ups and downs that I cannot not wait to share with you all! Next week, I'll post more detail about my trip, but today I am going to talk about the art of conversation.
Conversing is an art. Like painting, conversation is a way to express yourself. It is also hard to master. Creating a conversation that both individuals are invested in requires strategy, logic, and understanding.
Things to remember when and before making a conversation:
- What kind of relationship do the two of you have: acquaintance, friend, new person.
- Make eye contact.
- Use hand gestures when speaking.
- Do not fidget or move your body in unnecessary ways. Eg. Spinning around on a chair while the other person is talking.
- Make sure your body movement matches your opinion or topic in the conversation. Eg. Nod when you agree or smile/laugh when the person makes a joke.
- The topic should not offend others. (Don't gossip.)
- Start by asking general questions that will not make the other person uncomfortable.
- Try to have a balance between the person asking questions and the person answering them.
- Social Intelligence: Understand whether your friend, acquaintance or new person is shy, outgoing, likes to ask questions or likes to answer questions.
- Keep the conversation optimistic.
- Enjoy spending time with your friend or getting to know someone new!
Acquaintances and Unfamiliar People:
When starting a conversation with an acquaintance, there are many "conversation formats." Like a survey, conversational questions can be open or closed. An open question can have a long answer that states a person's opinion and gives great detail or insight on a topic. While a closed question should only be answered with one-two words, usually "Yes" or "No" (aka Yes or No questions.) Closed questions are great ways to start a conversation but open questions let both individuals talk and get a more deep and interesting discussion happening. For a lunch-time conversation with an acquaintance, it is best to start with a closed question then ask an open question relating to their response to your first question. After listening to their "open response," give your thoughts/ideas/opinion on the same question. You don't have to agree with them but make sure you are not offending them with your response. Also, allow them time to ask you questions too, that way they can also get to know you!
Bye for now,
Cara
Conversing is an art. Like painting, conversation is a way to express yourself. It is also hard to master. Creating a conversation that both individuals are invested in requires strategy, logic, and understanding.
Things to remember when and before making a conversation:
- What kind of relationship do the two of you have: acquaintance, friend, new person.
- Make eye contact.
- Use hand gestures when speaking.
- Do not fidget or move your body in unnecessary ways. Eg. Spinning around on a chair while the other person is talking.
- Make sure your body movement matches your opinion or topic in the conversation. Eg. Nod when you agree or smile/laugh when the person makes a joke.
- The topic should not offend others. (Don't gossip.)
- Start by asking general questions that will not make the other person uncomfortable.
- Try to have a balance between the person asking questions and the person answering them.
- Social Intelligence: Understand whether your friend, acquaintance or new person is shy, outgoing, likes to ask questions or likes to answer questions.
- Keep the conversation optimistic.
- Enjoy spending time with your friend or getting to know someone new!
Acquaintances and Unfamiliar People:
When starting a conversation with an acquaintance, there are many "conversation formats." Like a survey, conversational questions can be open or closed. An open question can have a long answer that states a person's opinion and gives great detail or insight on a topic. While a closed question should only be answered with one-two words, usually "Yes" or "No" (aka Yes or No questions.) Closed questions are great ways to start a conversation but open questions let both individuals talk and get a more deep and interesting discussion happening. For a lunch-time conversation with an acquaintance, it is best to start with a closed question then ask an open question relating to their response to your first question. After listening to their "open response," give your thoughts/ideas/opinion on the same question. You don't have to agree with them but make sure you are not offending them with your response. Also, allow them time to ask you questions too, that way they can also get to know you!
Bye for now,
Cara
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