Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork

This semester, I am in a class called “organizational management.” We have spent the semester learning about the process of managing an organization in the most effective way. There are many different aspects and ways of going about managing an organization, but most recently we have talked about managing and working in teams. Through out the process, I have learned that there are good and bad times to implement a team strategy. I am a team person, however, and I truly believe a team atmosphere cultivates knowledge and pushes people to think outside of their own thoughts in order to see the different sides of a problem.

Over the summer, I worked for a company where I was placed in a team of five students in charge of brainstorming marketing campaigns. For our first project, we decided to brainstorm on an individual basis. I immediately had an idea that I thought was perfect. I thought through all of the logistics, and I was passionate about the material. I presented it to my team—immediately I received both positive and negative feedback. The negative feedback made me defensive, so at first I rejected the opposing ideas. I figured my idea was good enough, and another person’s opinion would not change the outcome of my proposal. I was wrong.

             I listened to my teammate, and I heard an idea that made sense to me. I implemented it into my plan and outsprung an even better idea. We were able to collaborate our ideas in order to make a better end result. This is the type of lesson that I am now taking to the classroom. When a professor mentions a group project, moans and groans erupt from the audience. This should not be the reaction. While group projects may seem tiresome, it is in these moments as a team that we gain the training to be an effective team member when we enter the workforce.

Teams are crucial to personal development. One who is able to take criticism and mold the ideas into something better will strive in his or her career. It takes teamwork. This is one reason why I enjoy Lit and Civ II. Every day, we interact with our tables on a team basis in order to tackle a problem. I can guarantee that because we work on assignments as a team I develop more on an individual basis. Students need to understand the opportunities laid in front of them, chasing after the chance to develop and succeed.

            I am thrilled to spend time in a team on a regular basis. I understand that although arguments will occur, ideas will conflict, and personalities will not align, students need to welcome as many opportunities to be in a team as possible. I challenge each student to approach their teams with an entirely different mindset. Once will be surprised by the benefits of doing this. Now believe me, I understand that there is always that group member who slacks, pulling down the team with it. Stuff like this happens, and it may seem to be wasting you time. It is not wasting your time. Each time there is conflict in a group and an obstacle needs to be overcome, you as an individual will grow from the experience. Whether it will help with future conflicts or a give you a good answer in an interview, these experience will push you and help you grow as an individual ready for the business world.

Bouncing On My Butt

Explosion of Laughter

I love more than anything to laugh hysterically. I love when people completely let loose and allow their bodies to give in to the laughing sensation. In these moments, one can hear a true laugh. There are so many different types of laughs, and different situations erupt different sounds. Here are a few of the common laughs:  1) the pity laugh—when one feels obligated to laugh at a bad joke. Whether you are the one telling the joke or the one laughing, nobody likes when this happens. 2) the ‘that is so funny’ line—people say this when they kind of think something is funny but don’t let out an actual laugh. 3) the normal laugh—when one thinks something is pretty funny, but the laughter subsides after a few seconds. 4) the true laugh—when one’s body is overcome and a natural noise erupts that creates more laughter. It is this final laugh that is contagious.

My girlfriend, Emily, is one of the funniest people I know. Her humor is perfectly in line with mine, and it makes every day a joy to be with her. More often then not, when I spend time with her I either experience a true laugh or get to hear her true laugh—it’s beautiful.  If I ever have a bad day or am stressed from tests, I can always bet she will be there to make me smile.

Recently, we were laying on our backs in her room talking about our day. Went to class, ate some cookie dough, and procrastinated homework—the usual day. At this moment, Emily lifted her legs, leaned back, and began bouncing on her back with her legs in the air—it was hysterical. It was something she had done as a kid, and she felt the urge to do it again. I immediately joined in on the fun. If you’re reading this, go ahead and try it. Two 21 year olds were bouncing like children, and we felt like children. We loved it, and the laughter began. While bouncing on our backs, the laughter continued to erupt from our mouths. The true laugh had begun.

Once one of our true laughs begins, the other immediately follows. It is like a virus that you can’t help but catch.

One of the things I find so funny about these moments is that nobody speaks for at least two minutes. People become vulnerable and are comfortable in the ‘silence’. If one were to be on the outside of the conversation, I’m sure it would look ridiculous. Two people bouncing on a bed with a weird guttural noise protruding from their gut—definitely seems weird. But if one is in the moment or is the person laughing, it seems completely natural.

I think I may drive back to my house, go to my room, and bounce on my butt. I need some way of relieving some stress.

Meet Gregory

My conversation partner’s name is Gregory. He is from Venezuela, and I have extremely enjoyed getting to know him. He has a great sense of humor, and our first few conversations have been informative and fun. In our first meeting, we focused on learning about each other’s cultures.

            I learned about the Venezuelan culture, and I was shocked. Our entire conversation consisted of him praising how lucky we are in America. He told countless stories of how his country is not safe, suffering, and has a weak economy. I was blown away by the facts he told me. The most interesting was about the grocery system in Venezuela.

            Gregory said that each citizen is given a number, and the number labels what day of the week that person is allowed to shop at the grocery store. An average citizen is allowed to shop one time a week—only once a week! On top of that, each person is only allowed to purchase a certain amount of some products. He explained that milk is an extremely rare commodity. Gregory said that one person is only allowed to purchase a half gallon of milk at a time—even if they are shopping for an entire family. Produce and other similar products are the same. One is allowed to only purchase a certain amount. Gregory compared it to Kroger and how he can walk to Kroger and buy as many gallons of milk as he wants on any day of the week. He was extremely grateful to be in the USA.

            Not only are citizens limited to the day and amount of a product he/she can purchase, but also the lines in the grocery store and insanely long. He said the average wait time is an hour and a half to get one’s groceries! Families will send one member to go wait in line, so it results in a less amount of groceries for a family. It broke my heart hearing this, seeing as I take my grocery store visits for granted. He also mentioned that the homeless or unemployed will spend their entire day in the grocery stores purchasing groceries, then selling them on the streets for four times the amount they paid. People will purchase the over-priced groceries for the benefit to not wait in line all day.

            The last part of our conversation was about the safety in Gregory’s country. He repeated over and over how lucky we are in the United States to be able to go outside after dark without the fear of being kidnapped. I heard stories about his friends who would walk into a bar after night, get kidnapped, then ransomed for money. During our conversation, I could not help but think about how lucky I am to be in my country where I can feel safe. It is a luxury I never think about, but people all across the world do not have that luxury.

            Seeing as our conversation was quiet somber, we ended with what made each other laugh. We scrolled through Gregory’s twitter account, and I saw that he finds fail videos absolutely hysterical. He also finds pictures funny. We decided that the next time we would meet we would each bring the funniest joke/video/picture we could find. I am thrilled to continue to learn more about Gregory and his culture.