My favorite Lou Holtz Quote

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 
 90% how you respond to it."

-Lou Holtz

legendary NCAA football coach and

ESPN college football analyst

It was spring 2006.  I was just finishing up my undergraduate degree and my fiance (now husband) was completing the final requirements for his M.A.  We were preparing to graduate from Marshall University, get married in two short months, and start our lives together.  Early in the winter, he had thrown a hail mary and applied to a Ph.D. program at Ohio University.  After waiting a few months and hearing nothing, he hit the WV public school teaching job market, hoping to find a job as a junior high or high school english teacher at a decent school somewhere reasonably close to family.  Big dreams of becoming a doctor had nearly vanished.  And then...

the call came.

One minute, we're planning to settle for a life in our home state of West Virginia, close to family, where we could buy a home and start our own family immediately. The next... the possibility of more school, a hold on babies, another few years of renting, and a new state were knocking at our door.

The familiar vs. the unfamiliar.
The known vs. the unknown.
The easy vs. the challenging.


So, we jumped into the car -my husband was in the driver's seat, I held a printout of Mapquest directions - and we headed two hours north, up to Ohio University's campus in Athens, Ohio. We spent a rainy day on the road, a rainy day on campus, I ate my very first Turkey Ranch & Swiss sandwich from Quiznos, then I cried like a baby all the way home.  I hated Athens because it "wasn't like Huntington."  "OU's campus isn't like Marshall's campus."  Basically, I'd lived in WV my whole life, and was terrified to move somewhere else.

I spent three weeks fighting with myself.  My husband had a huge opportunity within his grasp, but all I could feel was fear of the unknown.  He was over the fear, ready to chase a dream, and I was holding him back. After three weeks of confusion and something that felt a little like heartbreak, I suddenly woke on a Sunday morning with a positive outlook and new attitude. "Let's go", I said.  "Let's go to Athens."


That is how I dealt with one of the most important occurences in our lives. When I think about what could have been had we not moved to Ohio, I shudder.  The last five years of my life have been so full, so fun, and so exciting.  Life definitely is 10% what happens, and 90% how you respond to it.  What would my life be like had I responded to what happened in spring 2006 differently?  What would my husband's life be like?  Would he be teaching 7th grade english but still be dreaming of becoming a scholar?  Or would he have let that dream go by now?   Would I be as brave, as goal-oriented as I am now? Or would I have settled for simplicity in the West Virginia mountains? Would we have traveled as much, explored as much, and experienced as much together living in WV as we have while living in Ohio? Judging by the person i was then, I think I would've continuously sold myself short and held back on living LIFE if we had stayed in our home state. Moving away has changed me.  I've learned that it's safer not to plan anything - what happens is going to happen.  As Lou says, life is mostly made up of how you handle the things that happen to you - and I completely believe that. 

Lou Holtz is an amazing motivational speaker, with great character and an impressive life story.  Even if college football is of no interest to you, Lou's story probably could be.  He's a very positive person, and I love listening to his commentary during ESPN college football games - he'll make you feel good about your team, even if they're getting pounded on the field! He also makes you feel good about life - good ol' Lou.  I love him like a grandpa! 

He's a quote machine, and his books are full of them.  My personal favorite is Lou's autobiography, "Wins, Losses, and Lessons" - such a great story, and truly motivating!  He's the best at inspiring others to face a challenge head-on, defy the odds, grab life and GO. I'll take Lou's advice over Oprahs any day (no offense, Oprah fans! I love her, too!)

I squealed with delight when Lou's Quote was one of Mama Kat's writing prompts this week. I seriously love him.  My grandpa!

When You're the Baby of the Office (Problogger Challenge #2)

Five things I've learned as the youngest employee in the workplace:


1. It takes some time to earn respect.  When I first started working at my current job, I was fresh out of college, ready to dazzle everyone with my mad skillz, and I wanted them to know just how smart I was.  These things, my young working friends, take time to establish.  At first, my experienced co-workers were a little skeptical about my ability to do - well - everything.  I dropped the "hot college graduate" stuff and slowly but steadily displayed my responsibility and work ethic by jumping in to projects, offering to help others when help was needed, and completing my job tasks efficiently - and correctly.  I made sure to ask intelligent questions when I felt stuck or unsure of something I was working on.  These things, paired with perfect attendance and being nice to others, helped me to earn my co-workers' trust.  There truthfully is no better feeling!


2. The youngest tend to learn quicker.  With technology rapidly fueling changes around offices everywhere, the youngin's come in handy.  Experienced employees are getting tired of learning new stuff, and the newbies are eager beavers.  Soak up all the new info you can - it will benefit you down the road (when you're older, lazy, and tired of learning.)


3. It's next to impossible to change anything.  Positive change, negative change, even a change that would make little or no difference in anything at all really shakes up folks in the workplace.  When you're the youngest in the bunch, you need to be understanding of the fact that not everyone will be as enthusiastic as you hope about your brilliant ideas.  People tend to be set in their ways.  Be careful - and mindful - when making suggestions about work related matters to the older and wiser.   


4. It's normal to feel under-appreciated.  You think you're fabulous.  You think they think you're not fabulous.  Office babies are often asked to do what seems like every little thing, and may feel taken for granted.  Trust me on this - you're valuable in the workplace, and will be missed on the days you're out of the office.  Your co-workers will realize how much they appreciate their go-to resource, and will let you know about it upon your return.


5. Have patience.  You're young, you have a lot time to earn valuable work experience, and you'll gain tons of helpful insight from your supervisors that will help you in the future.  Be patient with those who are resistant to change, be patient when trying to establish yourself as a hard working, trustworthy employee, and be patient when your new ideas or suggestions are shot down at the meeting table. With time and patience, you'll gain a voice within your workplace and become that hot shot you so desired to be in the very beginning.  Or maybe you won't.  Either way, enjoy being the baby of the workplace because one day, you'll be the one some other kid is waiting on hand and foot.




*This was completed as part of the SITS/Problogger 31 Days to Building a Better Blog challenge!  
The second task in the challenge was to write a list post that breaks down the complicated and is easy to read.  I've used list posts in the past, because they are very easy to understand, and a nice way to organize thoughts.  I like reading lists posts because they are easy to follow and seem to hold my attention better than a longer post with several paragraphs.  Really, it depends on the topic.  I like writing list posts for the same reasons - easy organization, good to use when you can't seem to churn out an essay-type post that flows well, and quicker to develop.

My Elevator Pitch (Problogger Challenge #1)

I decided to bite the bullet and join the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge by Problogger, hosted by the SITS girls on Blog Frog.  I'm a few days late in joining up, so I have some major catching up to do! I'll really have some catching up to do the week I'm off, at the beach... I'll figure that out later. Time to concentrate on now:

The first assignment is to "create an elevator pitch" for my blog - that is, a short intro or description of my blog that lures readers in to read more.

It's time to get my RHETORIC ON!

An elevator pitch sounds easy, right?  NOT so much.  I started jotting down ideas on post-it notes, which lead to lots of wordplay in sloppy handwriting on half a dozen sheets of typing paper.  Eventually, i wrote one that I liked.

31DBBB asked:
What is your short elevator pitch?
"One big free-write about what inspires, excites, and challenges an ordinary young woman who's married into the world of academia"

Did completing this task change your blog, or change the way you think about your blog?
The process of completing this task was a very long one - much more difficult than I anticipated!  After an hour or more of working with key words, I kind of found my way back to the original idea behind my blog - which I think, I've stuck to. Lately, however, I've found myself drifting around in the blogosphere, wondering what to write about next.  I'm hoping that sticking to this elevator pitch will help me to focus and come up with blogging ideas easier.

There. I did it.  Whew!... step 1, complete!