Perks to Being Quiet

          This past week I have been thinking a lot about how there are different types of people.  I think in today’s society the people who are extroverts are highlighted.  Some people are really loud, while others are more reserved.  People who tend to be louder seem to sometimes think that not being as loud is problem, but actually there a lot of good things that come out of being reserved.  As my mom says if everyone was loud who would be there to listen.  I’m not saying that being loud is a bad thing because it’s not.

A lot of people seem to believe that quiet people cannot be leaders, but this not true.  Quiet people are leaders through action. Leaders who have been described as quiet include Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rosa Parks.  The people who inspire me the most take action. These three people took  a lot of action and made big changes.  Quiet people tend to know the most about what is going on.  Some of the most involved people on my campus are the quietest.  They always know what events are going on and they are happy to share their organization with you.   Quiet people tend to have a good sense of people and people’s personalities.

      Quiet people are the best listeners.  By being a good listener they are able to gain knowledge and insight from others.  I also think that people who are quieter tend to understand different people’s perspectives.  I always think it is funny when people are talking about their opinions and they assume that I have the same opinion because I was just listening to their opinion.  They know how to listen to you when you have a problem and can be the friend that is there when you just need to vent and do not want to hear anyone’s opinion.   They can also read situations really well they can tell if you are having a bad day or a great day just by looking at you.  People who are quiet tend to think through their actions before they react to something.  They are often the most thoughtful in a situation.  This can be very helpful when put in a leadership role.  Leaders need to be able to respond to situations appropriately.  People who are quieter tend to get people’s attention when they voice their opinion.  They typically do not voice their opinion often, so people listen when they say it.    

Questionnaire

So I found this questionnaire and I thought I would answer some of the questions:

1. List 3 random facts about yourself:

·         My favorite color is pink

·         I usually wake up early

·         I love to write letters

2. List 3 fears you have and why?

·         Snakes – there slimy

·         Heights – they make me nervous

·         Failure – disappointing myself

3. List 2 things you wish you could've told your 16 year old self:

·         Trying to make everyone happy is a waste of time.

·         Everyone you meet will teach you a lesson

4. What are the 3 things that make you the happiest now days?

·         My family and close friends

·         Dancing

·         Reading

5. What is the hardest thing you have had to experience?

·         Being bullied

6. What is your dream job and why?

·         To be a special education kindergarten teacher

o    Why?

§  To make a difference in children’s lives everyday

7. What are 3 passions you have?

·         Giving back to my community

·         Dancing

·         Teaching

8. List 3 people who have inspired you and why?

·         Helen Keller – she overcame many obstacles that were thrown her way and she never gave up

·         My grandmother – she is probably the happiest person I have ever met, but her life has not been easy, but somehow each day she find happiness

·         My 12^th grade English teacher – she had a way of teaching to each of her students in the best way they could learn (she could teach in different learning styles)

·         I would be a bunny because there my favorite animal

9. What are your 2 greatest accomplishments?

·         Teaching my first lesson to high school class (as a teacher)

·         Graduating high school

10. What is the 1 thing you were great at?

·         Making people smile

11. What are the 4 greatest memories from your childhood?

·         Christmas morning

·         Taking pictures on the first day of school

·         Trips to Cape Cod

·         Dance recitals

12. What are your two most favorite hobbies and why?

·         Doing community service because I think it is important to give back to your community

·         Writing letters because it is way I keep in touch with people all over the country

13. What do you think people misunderstand most about you?

·         People often think I’m quiet, but if you get to know me I actually loud.  Some of my best friends have to tell me lower my voice when I get excited.

14. What 3 things do you hope to be remembered for?

·         Making a difference in children’s lives

·          Being kind

·         A hard worker 

Things that make me happy

1.       My dog – my dog has been in my life since I was nine years old, so basically I can’t remember life before her.  Last weekend I was able to go home for the first time this school year and nothing beats the feeling when my dog greets me at the door.   She wags her tail and makes me feel like royalty.   She has her own special way of saying thank you.  Every time I take her for a walk she wags her tail in appreciation smiles at me.   She always lets me know that she is grateful that I took her on that walk and it always makes me want to do it again.

2.       Dancing – I have been dancing since I was four years old.  My favorite type of dance is ballet, but any kind of dancing is fun to me.  At my school twice a week I take a zumba class and I’m pretty sure I do not stop smiling until the class is over.  I am not a person that likes to be on stage, but the only exception to that is when I dance.

3.       Reading – I love to read.  To me reading is like taking a vacation in your mind.  You get to go somewhere new and meet new people.  My favorite kinds of books are suspenseful the ones that make you keep wanting to turn the page.

4.       Feeling tall – ok this might sound silly.  I am short.  You know when people line up to take a picture and they say all the short people in front, I’m always in the first row.   When I am with someone who is shorter than me it makes me feel less short.

5.       My family – my family is my rock.  Every time a break is coming up at school I can’t wait to go home and see my family.  My mom always makes my favorite meals when I go home.  This always makes me super happy.  I miss my mom’s cooking terribly when I’m at school.  Almost every weekend my family takes a hike and I love this it is a time when we are all together.  My brother and dad were both boy scouts, so they love the woods. 

6.       My Friends - My friends make me laugh and keep me grounded.  Sometimes they know me better than I know myself.   I live far away from home when I am at school so some of my friends I consider a second family. 

Being Busy and Appreciating the Little things in Life

       My life lately has been insanely busy.  I am never board, but sometimes being busy can get pretty stressful.  A trick I have learned in my life is to appreciate the little things that happen each day that make you smile.  This keeps you going when you are stressed out. 

I am going to share some things that make me smile.

·         Every day one of the girls in my dorm writes a positive quote on her white board on her door.  I look forward to it every day.  Her quotes always get me thinking. 

·         When I get mail form the mail room I feel like a million bucks.  I love to write letters and when someone took time out of their day to write a letter to me it makes me feel really special.

·          Another thing that makes me smile is when the dining hall has my favorite meal, which is mac and cheese.

·         One of my friends sends me a text every morning telling me to have a good day.  This always brightens my day in the morning. 

·         Right now it is fall which is my favorite season.  I love to watch the leaves change, it’s so beautiful.

·         Watching my favorite TV show

·         When I hear my favorite song on the radio

·         When someone tells me a story that makes me giggle

·         When people use smiley faces in text messages

·         When people tell you how much you mean to them

·         When friends give me hugs

·         Making collages that describe people’s personalities

·         Coloring

·         When someone saves a seat for you

·         When the weather is just right

·         When you have a really sunny day after a really cloudy day

·         When my whole family is all together

·         Going into something expecting to hate it, but end up loving it

·         Running and the feeling you get after it

·         When little kids say funny things and they don’t even mean to

·         When you wear cute clothes

·         My dog

·         When someone gives me a complement

·         The face you make when you see one of your best friends

 

I asked some of my friends what where the things that make them happy in life.  This is what they said:

·         Being around family

·         Hiking

·         Going for a drive

·         Working at their job

·         Hanging out with friends

·         Stargazing

·         Their cat

·         Success

·         Health

·         Chocolate

·         Music  

I guess we all have things that make us happy in life.  They may be big or small, but they keep us grounded.

 

 

Music in My Life

     I am obsessed with music.  I love looking through my music because it reminds me of certain parts of life.  To me listening to certain songs is like looking through a scrapbook of memories.  When I was a preteen I was obsessed with Hillary Duff.   The song that reminds me of the period in my life is “Why Not” I think when your that age you believe you can do anything.  When I was pre-teen I was in dance class almost every day, so with my spare time on the weekends I would make up dances to Hillary Duff songs some of them I remember to this day. 

            In high school I started to watch the show “Glee”.   One of my favorite songs they sang is “I’ll Stand By You”.  I made some friends in high school who I know will always stand by me and this song reminds me of how they always had my back.   Another song that reminds me of high school is “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus.   The song talks about how life is not always easy, but these are the moments that make up the person you are.  I have always been told that I have strong work ethic and to me in order to reach the top of my mountain is working hard in school.  Another song that reminds me of high school is “Mean” by Taylor Swift.  If you know anything about high school is that some girls can be really mean.  I love this song because it talks about how the person who was being picked on was not going to continue the cycle and be mean to others.  Sometimes I felt like bullying in high school was a cycle and this song gave me the strength not to continue the cycle.  The last song I joked with my best friend that it was our song, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars.  I always felt like I could be the true me with this friend.

            In college my freshman year I heard, “What Makes You Beautiful,” by Boyce Avenue and fell in love with this song.  I think this song captures most college girls and how they feel about themselves, but in reality they are really beautiful.  My current favorite song is “This Little Light of Mine,” by Addison Road.  This song talks about how everyone brings something to the world and they should share it with the world.