No Matter How Far You Go, Don't Forget Where You Came From

Throughout your college and academic life, there will be times in which you will achieve success. This could come in the form of an award, promotion or another job and it will be a triumph in your life.

Having successes in life is great to have, however, there is a good chance there are people who helped you reach that goal. There may have been someone who helped you create a project, helped write a proposal, or gave you the guidance needed to achieve that success. No matter how far you go in your life, always take time to thank, keep in touch and appreciate those who took the time to help you along the way.

If you are a college student, chances are, there were probably numerous people who helped you get into the college you desired and lead you the right direction towards finding a career path in high school. This could have been a teacher who took time to help you with writing papers, a coach who may have taught you how to balance sports and schoolwork or someone else who took the time to help find a passion you want to pursue in life.

For example, before I came to college, a couple of people who really helped me find my path included my boss at the school's TV station and my track coaches. My boss at the school TV station took time to let me learn the editing software, announce the sporting events, and helped me hone my camera and editing skills. With his dedication and hard work, I was able to find a major I wanted to pursue in college and it helped prepare me for that next phase in my life. As for my track coaches, I was not a superb athlete but the encouragement and drive they instilled in me to get better helped me learn how hard work and dedication will pay off in the end. These people were a positive influence on my life and I still keep in touch with them to this day as a result of the help they provided.

If you are a working professional, take time to help those who have helped you achieve success on the job and beyond. Chances are, you may have had a supervisor who helped hone your skills in the office, had a network contact who provided some insight on how to improve your performance, or put in that phone call into the hiring manager that helped you get the interview for the job you wanted.

No matter how far you go in your college or professional career, take the time to thank those who have helped you along the way and helped hone your skills. Keep in touch with e-mails, visits when you have an opportunity, greeting cards (birthdays and other landmark events can be key), etc. Take the opportunity to thank these people who helped you achieve your success because their help and assistance could have been what you needed to achieve the goals you wanted.

Building Friendships Starts With Getting To Know Others

During your college years and even beyond, developing friendships inside and outside of the business world is key. Having a network of professional and personal contacts can help you become more rounded, be beneficial at key times and having others to enjoy your successes with. One of the biggest keys to building friendships is taking the time to getting to know others, their interests and their passions.

When you first meet someone new, it is easy to start discussing your goals, your hobbies and your passions. This will help the other person understand what you are about, however, it could also be a turn off at times. You might appear to be self-absorbed and not willing to learn about someone else by spending too much time talking about yourself.

During your first couple interactions with someone new, take time to learn about the person standing or sitting across from you. Take time to learn about his or her passions, interests and hobbies in life. You will end up having a better conversation, will develop trust with that person and it will mean a lot that you are showing an interest in someone else.

Once you have developed trust in a relationship, find a way to keep in touch with that person via e-mail, phone numbers, Facebook, etc. You don't need to call, e-mail or send a text message every day to develop the relationship; just a casual e-mail, phone call on the way home from work or quick text message will do the trick.

In addition to keeping in touch, find time to socialize with one another. If you two enjoy meeting for coffee, find a local coffee shop to hang out at once a month. If you two enjoy sporting events, make a point to go to a game when you two have the chance. By socializing with that person, you will develop the relationship and get to know the person even better.

Throughout life, having a vast network of friends is beneficial and the first step to building these relationships is taking the time to know others. Take time to learn about someone else, his or her passions and keep in touch. It will build trust and a lasting relationship.

College Seniors: Get That Resume Ready and Start Networking!

As you are nearing the end of your college career, thoughts and decisions about your future will have to be made. As a college senior, taking time to decide what career route to pursue, where to go and how to get to your goal are all important to consider.

Even before you go on spring break, take some time to decide the following:

1) What type of jobs do I want to go after?
2) Where do I want to live?
3) What do I want to accomplish after college?

Taking the time to consider these items will help you plan your route and how you want to get there.

In addition to deciding where you want to go, take time to get your resume read and edited by several different people. Having multiple perspectives on what to include, what not to include and how to format it can help shape your resume and how to go after the position you want. It's okay to have more then one resume (tailor it to the specific job you want to go after) and if your campus has a career center, take a few moments to have someone read it there.

Once your resume is complete and ready to go, take the time to network with professionals in your desired field. The goal will be to get advice and insight on how to find an entry level position within your field and networking can open up those possibilities. Keep your eyes out for networking lunches on campus, opportunities to hear guest speakers and don't be afraid to ask your professors for alumni in the area that may be willing to assist you.

After you get a few names of these people to network with, try and reach out to them and ask for their advice. Try to meet in person but if you can't do that, a phone conversation works as well. Before you are done with that conversation, always ask if there is anyone else he or she knows in the area that may be able to provide similar insight or ideas on getting that entry level job.

With graduation approaching soon, take time to decide where you want to go, develop a good resume and network!

Community Service: Take Time To Help Others!

As a college student and even as a professional, giving back to the community is an important aspect to have in your life. Taking time to help others, volunteer and be with other people provides you with something to look forward to, an opportunity to help others and meet other people. Taking time to help may be time consuming but can have benefits in the end.

During my college years, I'll admit I didn't take as much time to help out the community but was grateful when I did during my senior year. For a class, I had to interact with a service project and I had the opportunity to teach elementary school kids how to play sports. I hadn't done anything like this for a while but was glad I did.

Each week, the kids started to warm up to everyone else in the group and it was easy to tell they looked forward to us coming on a weekly basis. It meant a lot to these children that these "big college kids" were coming each week to spend time with them and playing games with them too. Even when I was done with what I needed to do for my class, I still volunteered because I enjoyed interacting with a different group of people and felt like I was giving back. It reminded me of what how I felt whenever someone older would pay attention and spend time to me and it felt good to remember where I came from.

Even after my college years were over, I found a way to give back to the community through my photography work. After taking pictures at a Solon High School football game one afternoon, I received a lot of positive feedback on the photos after I posted them up on Facebook and was asked if I could attend more games. I took the offer and was glad I did.

It had been many years since I really followed Solon High football, however, taking pictures at the games helps me interact and meet with a different group of people. During this time, I have received lots of positive feedback on the photos from the players, band members, parents and other people involved and looked forward to each coming week. I could tell the photos were appreciated and volunteering my time to do this has been worthwhile. It's provided me with another way for me to enjoy a hobby, have something to look forward to and interact with another group of people.

No matter where you are at in your life, take time to give back to the community; you never know what you might end up looking forward to and who you will meet.

Traveling Abroad: Awesome Experience That Lasts a Lifetime!

During your college years, there may be an opportunity for you to travel or study abroad. Colleges and Universities typically offer programs in which students can study for a semester (or quarter) overseas during their college careers. If you have an opportunity to take advantage of any of these programs, take great consideration; the experience you will get from interacting with another culture, city and life overseas will last a lifetime.

While it might be hard to be away from your home for a semester, taking time to travel overseas when you can as a college student is worthwhile. When you enter the working world, it may not be as easy to go overseas right away due to work schedules, paying off student loans and other factors that may prohibit you from taking extended time off. Taking time to travel as a college student before you enter the working world will give you that experience before you graduate and provide you with an opportunity to experience another culture and group of people. If the opportunity is there, greatly consider taking advantage of the chance presented.

As a senior in college, I had the opportunity to travel to Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary and experiencing the culture and history both cities had to offer was one of the best moments of my college career. Being able to take time to enjoy the art museums, the historical places, the unique cafes and restaurants and different cultural events (St. Nicholas Day occurred while I was over there as was the anniversary of Mozart's death) are experiences I will always remember and was grateful to experience. Walking the Ringstrasse in Vienna, visiting the cafes, seeing Stephansdom, experiencing the Vienna Opera and seeing the Danube River in Budapest at night are all experiences and several others that were breathtaking and some of the most memorable memories I have during my college years. By taking advantage of the opportunity presented, I had a chance to experience the culture and history of two great European cities and will carry that with me for a long time.

In addition to experiencing the culture and history of both Vienna and Budapest, making friendships over was a worthwhile and memorable experience as well. I managed to become friends with two Hungarian students and one Viennese student over there and continue those friendships to this day. With the use of e-mail, I have managed to keep in touch with all three of these people and it's great having these friendships.

One of the most unique experiences I've had with these friendships is a phone call I received from one of the Hungarian students on New Year's Eve. I was driving home from work and saw the phone number was really long and as it turns out, it was my friend I had met in Budapest a year earlier calling me to wish me a Happy New Year's! We chatted for what seemed like an eternity and I never would have had that awesome surprise if I did not go over there in the first place or continue to develop that friendship.

If you are presented to travel overseas as a college student, take great consideration in taking advantage of the opportunity. Experiencing another culture, group of people and cultural events is an experience that lasts a lifetime and will add more substance and great memories to your college career.

College Students: Creating Fun Can Lead To Awesome Memories!

During your four years of college, there may be a weekend or two in which there is not a lot going on in terms of activities to do or people to see. There may be a weekend in which lots of people go home leaving you and a few other people looking for something to do. Finding something to do may be a stretch but with some creativity, a simple idea can turn into a fun evening.

Weeks before I graduated from Otterbein, one of the most fun evenings I had was when not as many people were around on campus and a couple of friends of mine decided to take out a Nintendo Wii. I hadn't been much to play video games since I was younger but with not a lot of people around, my friends and I figured trying something a little different could be fun. My one friend was an Assistant Hall Director and had access to the big screen TV in the main lounge.

Even though we had friends with Nintendo Wiis, none of us had ever really played the sports games that had been the talk of the video game industry from the past year. The three of us had known that the sports games the Wii had were popular but we never had the opportunity to play them.

After hooking up the Wii, we started playing the sports games and we were hooked! All three of us had so much fun playing the Wii boxing, baseball, bowling and tennis we probably spent at least 2.5 - 3 hours playing! None of us we were really competitive and we spent most of the night laughing our way through each game! I had played video games with other people growing up but that was probably one of the most fun moments I had playing video games with other people The simplest idea of playing the Nintendo Wii became an awesome night that my friends and I will remember for a long time.

In addition to having a simple idea, sometimes taking that idea and thinking outside the box can create a fun night as well. For example, sometimes my friends and I would have movie nights where we would relax and stick in a movie. It was fairly easy to find whatever we wanted to watch but sometimes we would pick something a lot of us hadn't seen in a long time. It was easy to find a new release but sometimes watching a classic from our childhood or when we were younger made the night more fun. There were times it was fun sticking in a movie that none of us hadn't seen in a while because there were jokes and scenes we forgot about and it made watching the movie a more enjoyable experience.

During your college years, there may be times in which you have to think outside the box with a simple idea to find something fun to do. Taking a simple idea for something to do could end up in a fun night for not only yourself but your friends as well. Think outside the box, keep it simple and you may end up having a great night of memories.

One of the First Steps To Succeeding is Having a Postive Attitude!

During your college career and beyond, the attitude you show towards your work and projects is noticeable to those around you. It might not be as easy for you to see but how you treat your work, treat others or different situations can be noticed by those around you. Having the right attitude and a positive approach is also noticeable and those who practice it often can stand out for positive reasons.

When you are in certain places, how often do you notice someone with a bad attitude versus a positive attitude? For example, how many times have you gone to a restaurant where your server didn't say much to you, didn't want to talk to you or didn't care that he or she made a mistake? When that happens, you are left with the impression that the person had a bad attitude, didn't care and didn't want to be there.

When turning it around, how many times have you been at a restaurant where the server took time to talk to you, carefully took time to get your order correct and cared whether or not the food was prepared well and was served on time? Chances are, you were left with the impression that this person had a positive attitude, cared about his or her guests and wanted to do a good job. By being positive and showing care and concern, you were probably left that this person has a positive attitude.

Not all situations are positive but going in with the right attitude can help you get through them. For example, if you are a college student with a 25 page paper to write, the task is not an easy one but how you approach it can make a difference. If you keep saying to yourself that writing it is impossible, you won't get a good grade no matter what and it's too much time, chances are, that will show up in your work and hinder your grade. If you look at it the other way and think that you will learn the material better by writing the paper, you will create a strategy to outline your paper so it is organized and believe you can get a good grade, it will help you believe in yourself and get through the process. How you look at the situation can help determine the path you will go towards reaching your goal.

Even though we still will have bad days from time to time (or bad weeks), how you look at the situation surrounding you can determine the outcome later on. Making mistakes can be frustrating but taking a positive approach can help you learn in the future. For example, let's say you work for your campus radio station and you are in charge of making sure the playlists for each hour are in order and you forgot to organize them one evening. The mistake may have caused a headache for people trying to do their airshifts, however, you can look at the mistake two ways.

One way would be to look at yourself as a total failure who doesn't deserve the job and should quit.

Another way to look at it would be to realize you made an error, that mistakes do happen and find a positive way to make sure it happens again like creating checklists, writing a reminder to organize the playlists or setting a designated time each week to put it all together.

If you look at the glass being half full, you can take a mistake and learn from it.

By taking a positive approach to your daily tasks and big projects, you can find different ways to look at the positive outcome of a situation versus a negative one. It's noticeable when someone has a positive attitude and how you approach a project, mistake or situation can help determine the course of action you can take and the outcome. If you have a positive attitude, it will be contagious.