AU Blogspot

Dr. Tom Guarrielo is a member of the Ashworth University contributing bloggers network.  In his real life, Tom is the Chief Idea Officer and Co-Founder of True Talk, Inc., a leading management development consulting company based out of New York. Through his popular and respected The True Talk Blog, Tom provides some of the best business innovation and organizational planning strategies on the web. We would like to thank Tom for openly allowing us share his perspectives with our Ashworth student community. He’s been nothing but helpful since we first contacted him. Visit the True Talk website to learn about the life and work of Dr. Tom Guarriello. Thanks Tom!

 
                    Thanks to Torley for permission to use this Photo.

Hi everyone, my name is Camilla.  I am the proud parent of one little angel named Destiny.  She is the love of my life and I love her so much.  Having a daughter has opened my eyes to the realities of this world.

I have always been a very mature and responsible person, but had somehow managed to procrastinate taking my education to the next level.  I have been employed in the travel industry since I left college, which is a very challenging and exciting profession!

I have always put off pursuing my bachelor’s degree for a later date, but after having my daughter, I decided that I needed to do it now for many reasons.

Firstly, earning my degree in management is totally vital to me in terms of self satisfaction and knowing that I did all to achieve my ultimate educational goals. Having taken the necessary steps towards my goal, I totally intend to use this as an example of hard work and dedication to my daughter. 

Some people believe that when one has kids—it’s the end of the world; but it doesn’t have to be. Raising a child is just as much an opportunity to get to know yourself better as it is a life long process of discovery.

In addition, this degree gives me a better chance of earning a better salary, which will in turn help me care for my daughter much better financially.

Although it is very challenging to study and make plans when you are a parent, it is very important to find it in your inner self to make the time. Dedicate yourself to doing this and rely on your support system no matter how small it is.  Just keep staying focused on your ultimate goal.

However; I have also learned that no matter how urgent the deadline for an assignment might be—it is always best to take care of my daughter first, instead of ignoring her, and then get back to the assignment.

So to all fellow students who are parents (male, female, single, married, or divorced)—I say congratulations for making this step to advancing your education and wish you all the best with your endeavours!

Camilla
Bachelor’s In Management Program Student
Ashworth University

When I received my first textbook in the mail, the first thing I did was go out and buy a planning book. I then scanned though my textbook and lessons to see about how much work was required of me and I just divided it up into smaller sections so that it wouldn’t be very overwhelming.

I just take my time and get things done when I have enough energy in me to do so. That’s the great thing about this place; you pretty much have all the time you need to complete assignments. You just have to find your pace and stick to it. It’s hard at the beginning, but once you get the momentum going it gets easier.

Shirley
Computer Information Management Student
Ashworth University

              Thanks to Toho Scope for permission to use this Photo. 

Today, make the choice to focus on your strengths. It is easy to look at oneself and see areas where you may need improvement. While it’s true that taking time for honest reflection on the areas where we’d like to see improvement is important — it’s equally  important to give yourself your due credit for all the wonderful talents you’ve already acquired — all the bits and pieces that go into making you the incredible person you are. 

Please understand that I’m not suggesting we live in “la la land”, acting as though there’s no area for improvement. Of course there are areas we can all improve in — that’s what personal growth is all about.Instead, what I am suggesting is that you and I spend at least as much time accepting and being thankful for all the positive traits we have acquired already — not just those areas we believe we need to improve. It’s all about balance. Seek ongoing to improve where you can, but be sure to celebrate all that makes up the amazing you as well!

Think about it like this — if you want to help someone improve, and in the process not have them take it as a personal attack — one way to approach the task would be to compliment them on something they are doing particularly well — acknowledging and pointing out one of their strengths (making sure it’s a genuine and sincere compliment of course) — and then bringing up ideas which might be helpful in improving in a given area. Along the same lines, give yourself the same positive boost by acknowledging the “good” things you’re doing, right along side areas that you’ve identified where improvement is needed. (more…)

Photo courtesy of yasser.tv

One of my favorite poems of all-time is “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes.  Never read it?  You must!

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore–
and then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load

Or does it just explode?

I like to re-read this poem when I’m feeling like I’m in a slump.  I know from reading some of the posts in the Ashworth University Forum that sometimes it’s difficult for students to self-motivate in a self-paced program such as Ashworth’s online high school.  Something that helps me to move forward, whether personally or professionally, is to look at the larger picture.  I ask myself “where do I want to be in one year, in one week, or even tomorrow?” and along with that, “what can I do today to take one step forward to get to that place.”  The imagery of a dream deferred, dried up like a raisin in the sun, is enough to give me that push. (more…)

                    Thanks to Xikita for permission to use this Photo. 

At first, I did not really know how to organize myself efficiently.  Before I knew it, a year had passed and I had not finished one semester. My sister-in-law has homeschooled her 5 kids for 15 years, so she knows how to break up lessons and get things on schedule.  Last summer, she gave me some tools to help me be more organized.  

We went and got a cheap calendar/planner/address notebook at the dollar store.  At the beginning of each month, it has a full month calander on two pages and then has each day with its’ separate space on the following pages.  At the beginning of each week, I look over the lesson for that week, which is usually 2 chapters of reading, count the pages and divide it up by however many days I want to study. I usually take 2 days to finish a chapter so I would write on the calendar:

Monday: Read chapter__ pages__to___

Friday: Review of the chapters and take the test.

The daily reading is about 10-14 pages, if I want to finish a lesson a week.  You can simply print up a calendar page from the computer if you want. 

It is a very simple idea that has helped me be better organized.  I don’t feel guilty for having to spend a whole day reading because I had put it off. Breaking it up into manageable parts has helped me feel proud that I am balancing my time.  It has resulted in less stress and provided me with the motivation to keep going!

Trina
Ashworth University Psychology Student

                        Image courtesy of deadgirlbelchesstars. 

Of all the forms of reluctance, shyness around other people tends to be very resistant to change. I suspect that everyone is shy from time to time and that oftentimes shyness gets in the way of taking advantage or new opportunities or new relationships.

While it is true that there is an inherent interest by many in overcoming shyness, as a counter-weight to that appal, there is a case to be made on the other side. The following quote is from Isaac Bashevis Singer:

“I don’t think that people should get over being shy. It is a blessing in disguise. The shy person is the opposite of the aggressive person. Shy people are seldom the great sinners. They allow society to remain at peace.”

Indulging those who seek relief, let me pass on some tips for overcoming shyness that I collected from an article by Roger Elliott.

1. Practice becoming fascinated by other people. Ask them about themselves, and concentrate when they answer you. Remember what they tell you about themselves so you can talk about it later, or on another occasion.

2. Great socializers make other people feel comfortable and interesting. How do they do that? By being really, genuinely interested in other people. If you are talking to someone and you feel boring or inferior, ask why that is. Is it really all your fault? (more…)

                          Image courtesy of Boards of Canada. 

The tendency to defeat our own best laid plans has puzzled writers for centuries. The challenge of understanding self-defeating behaviors, what Aristotle called akrasia, has not been met. One distinction that appears in the literature is between decisions based on desires vs. decisions based on judgment. Models based on wanting satisfaction say that “people weigh the feeling of satisfaction that follows alternatives and selectively repeat those behaviors that lead to the most satisfaction.”(George Ainsle, Breakdown of Will, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 13.)

The “weighers” would say that people will most consistently follow those plans that offer maximum satisfaction, either subjectively in terms of psychic rewards like self pride, feelings of accomplishment, or sense of virtue; or objectively in terms of money, power or some material indices of prestige. Models based on judging (the so called “cognitive approach”) focus on how a person uses reason to relate to a hierarchy of needs or wants. If a person can find justifications and legitimations for their choices, this becomes the guiding light for conduct. (more…)

                 Thanks to Dan Lin for permission to use this Photo.

I think Nikki’s response to the following post is worthy of its’ own post. Thanks for contributing Nikki!  Here it is:    

That’s all very true, but I think at one point or another everyone has a fear of rejection or failure. I don’t think anyone is delusional in the usual sense of the word. There is always a chance of rejection or failure or anything of that sort, but it’s how you handle your fears and if you’re determined enough to do certain things. Even if someone assured you everything would turn out okay, anyone with a brain would know that nobody can gurantee success. But on the other hand you have no way for sure to know your going to fail. So people should accept that and take their chances if you ask me. I really don’t think it’s about whether it’s a real fear or a delusion because as I said there is an actual chance of that. It’s not as if someone is afraid let’s say the dark. If that was the case, I believe you could take a step back and see if as you put “fears are real or just a delusion.” Maybe people like you’re talking about do take a step back and actually see their fears as real because it’s not delusional to fear rejection or things of that sort.

              Thanks to Jim C. Chou for permission to use this Photo.

You finally enrolled in Ashworth University’s master’s degree program or you’ve been enrolled for a while and aren’t sure if you’re progressing through the program fast enough.  You know you have five (5) years from your date of enrollment to complete the program and, if you didn’t realize it before, you’ve probably figured out that five (5) adult years goes by a lot faster than five child years.  Remember your own plaintive question to your parents – “Are we there yet?  This is taking so long!”  You wish! 

I got the idea to write about procrastination and momentum as my first blog piece about 3 weeks ago.   It was a revelation to me to find that 3 weeks later I still had not gotten something down on paper.  I thought I had laid all my procrastinating tendencies to rest but apparently not.    

So I had to focus.  I first realized that I needed to overcome my resistance to opining through blogging.  As I’m sure we all know, or at least suspect, there is nothing like a little mental block to stop all the action.  (Seriously, part of me thinks we all talk too much about too little too much of the time, and part of me understands we learn and grow when we share what we know with others and let other share with us.)  So, I had to settle that inner debate so I could move on. (more…)