Category Archives: Involvement

jason mraz is always right

Posted on by under Involvement, Tips

The other day I was listening to You and I by none other than the aforementioned lyrical and musical genius Jason Mraz, which begins with the line “Was it you who spoke the words that things would happen, but not to me”, and I felt like bursting into tears, because Jason Mraz was right: things were happening, but not to me.

Hiring season has started, and I have so far been rejected from every position I’ve applied to. I’m no stranger to rejection and failure but it still stings nonetheless, and I’m sure many of you have gone through, are going through, or will go through the same experience.

Nonetheless, it’s easy to turn that negative experience around and get the most out of it. If there’s anything I’ve learned from the multiple speakers I’ve listened to this year, it’s that failing can be an extremely valuable learning experience; making mistakes is what helps you see where you have room for improvement. In this context of applying for jobs or positions, the experience doesn’t simply end with the “We regret to inform you…” email. Go ahead and email or call the Hiring Director, or whoever is responsible for hiring, and ask them (politely, of course) for feedback on your performance in the interview. Learning how to improve your skills and build your experiences will make you a more competitive and qualified candidate for any future positions you might apply for.

Another tip to keep in mind is to stay positive, which is evidently easier said than done. It’s okay to feel down for a couple of days, especially if you’ve been rejected over and over and over again in the short period of one week. In the words of famed poets Timon and Pumbaa, Hakuna Matata. Forget about the past and focus on the future – which means getting up off your feet, dusting yourself off, and applying to yet more positions.

Lastly, surround yourself with a supportive group of friends, because their encouragement can really help in tough times. Each and every one of your close friends believes in you, and thinks you’re super intelligent and probably ridiculously beautiful too. :) If you still need that extra boost, this is one of my favourite websites for injecting a little positivity back into my life.

Fortunately, Mr. Mraz’s song doesn’t end at the first line:

“Oh things are going to happen naturally,
Taking your advice I’m looking on the bright side,
And balancing the whole thing.”

If you keep thinking positively and pursuing your goals instead of giving up at the first sign of failure, you’re going to (eventually) end up where you’re meant to be, even if that means failing a few times first. There’s always a certain balance to life, and although it may often seem that the bad far outweighs the good, it’s always possible to find a little bit of good within the bad (and vice versa, I guess, but I only condone optimism here).

Incidentally, I recently found out I’m going to be the next Communication Director for SIFE UBC (soon to be Enactus UBC), and an Assistant Director for UBC Rec’s online magazine, The Point, and I’m so so stoked.

Jason Mraz is always right. :)

DFTBA,
Olivia

 

TUNES:

You and I – Jason Mraz
9 Crimes – Damien Rice
Say When – Jukebox The Ghost
Champagne Supernova – Oasis

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ME INC.

Posted on by under Academics, Involvement, Sauder

Warning: this is a super long conference summary post. I couldn’t help it – like I said, I’m a complete conference addict!

Last Friday, I attended my 4928394th conference – the Me Inc. conference for first and second year Sauder students. The conference informs students about the various specializations  (eg Accounting, Finance, HR) and gives them a better understanding of their potential future careers, and helps students discover what they’re passionate about.

The opening keynote this year was Drew Dudley, the former National Chair of Shinearama. Drew kicked off the conference with a motivational speech about leadership. When he asked the crowd, “Who here is a leader?”, only fifteen or twenty hands were raised. Many of us think we don’t belong in that category, that we don’t deserve to be called a leader because nobody has presented us with a gold plaque saying, “Congratulations! You’re officially a Leader.” In reality, most of us are leaders in our everyday lives; you never know when something you do or say can have a life-changing impact on someone, even if you think you’re not being a leader. Who you are as a person and as a leader isn’t defined by those extraordinary moments, but rather by your ordinary behaviour, those “everydays” where we’re just living our lives as we normally do. It’s no surprise that we think about leadership this way; our education system of having a final exam and two midterms has taught us to pay a disproportional amount of attention to those three days, but doesn’t really reward the ordinary days in between.

So how can you make sure that you’re being an effective leader in your everyday life? Luckily, Drew knew his audience (a bunch of profit-mongering, selfish, stereotypically greedy Sauder students, of course) and offered one key piece of advice: don’t make it your goal to earn money, or fame, or that promotion from Assistant Director to Director. Your goal, both for your ordinary days and for your life overall, should be to add value to everything you contribute to, whether that means putting in 110% of your effort to that fundraising campaign you’ve been planning for weeks, or by helping a classmate if they’re having problems. At the end of each day, you subconsciously check up on your goals and your daily performance. If you make it your goal to get rich, get famous or get promoted, each day your brain will ask, “Did I get a raise? Did I get that promotion? Am I famous yet?” and for most of those ordinary days, the answer will be no. If you make it your goal to add value and make sure that you make the world a better place every day, your perspective on life and your happiness are probably going to skyrocket.

Me Inc also offers a huge variety of workshops for you to choose from, with professionals from multiple careers and industries, such as Corporate Law or Transportation and Logistics. The workshops were great opportunities to hear from actual business professionals and to learn their insights about why they chose their specific career, and how they got there. My personal favourite was Jen Riley, the Communications Director at EA Sports. Like many other business professionals, Jen’s path to success wasn’t straightforward, but was instead filled with plenty of ups and downs, including being a beach bum for a period of time.

 

One of my favourite images from Jen’s presentation

The whole concept of “success” being a squiggly path is completely true if you think about it – and it’s also extremely reassuring, because it means you can mess up and fail a whole bunch of times but you can still end up where you want to be. Jen explained how you never know where life is going to take you next. One year ago, she went on maternity leave, thinking her career was taking yet another standstill, and yet that Friday she stood in front of us proudly launching her new app, Yogify, which she thought of, created, planned, made, produced, promoted…all in one year. Yogify launches tomorrow (Wednesday the 20th) – I recommend anyone from yoga beginners to hardcore gurus to check it out, because I was personally wowed by the app itself as well as the process that allowed it to come to fruition.

The conference also came with a three-course lunch (which was a lovely departure from the usual rez food) where student delegates got the opportunity to talk to business delegates from various industries and backgrounds ranging from delegates from the Big 4 firms to Lululemon to local entrepreneurs. It was definitely an amazing and valuable part of the conference, because being able to have those one-on-one ten minute conversations with business professionals allowed me to gain an even deeper understanding of what my future career might be like.

By the time the conference wrapped up, most of the delegates were drained, so the choice for the closing keynote could not have been better: Will Gadd, an ice climber and general adventurer, had every delegate hooked on his every word as he recounted stories of his pursuits in ice climbing, paragliding and iceberg climbing. The free Red Bull was a pretty good pick-me-up too. Motivational speeches are usually centred around positive self-talk and always being optimistic, so much so that Will argued that most people are experts at being positive – maybe too positive. As someone who’s been in the midst of multiple life-threatening situations before, Will taught us the importance of thinking negatively and making sure to be as careful as possible, and to preemptively get rid of any problems or risks.  Before you do something, make sure you have the confidence and the competence to do it. That being said, don’t be afraid to try something, fail – and then rinse and repeat.

All in all, I personally thought Me Inc. was amazing – if you’re still in your first year, make sure you go to next year’s conference, because it was an extremely valuable and inspiration conference. I thought it was well worth the humble price of $30 (which, by the way, included lunch at the Four Seasons as well as a bunch of free swag from Lululemon and Burt’s Bees, to name a few!)

Don’t forget to be awesome,
Olivia

 

TUNES

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall – Coldplay (I like Coldplay, deal with it)
Colombia – The Local Natives
King of Anything – Sara Bareilles
Son of Man – Phil Collins

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9 to 5

Posted on by under Involvement, rezlife, Sauder

So…I finally got around to making a home page for my blog! Unfortunately WordPress doesn’t offer much in terms of customization and personalization, so the page is a little rudimentary right now but I’m glad my blog is a little bit more ‘me’ now. :)

A few weeks ago I blogged about Dan Moore and his tips for successful studying, one of which included treating every school day as a 9 to 5 work day. I decided to try it out for a week or two – it seemed like a good idea at the time – but I ended up failing. Miserably. Surprisingly, the parts which I thought would be most challenging – the huge time commitment, the lack of breaks, and having to wake up early – were easily overcome with perseverance. The main reason I couldn’t commit to the 9 to 5 schedule was because there’s just so much more to do during the day. I’m not talking about napping or snacking or catching up with friends (okay…maybe a little bit of napping) – there are so many events going on during the day that I feel like I’m missing out on if I’m studying, like careers workshops and visiting speakers and case competitions.

Speaking of case competitions, Sauder is hosting UBC’s first global case competition, the Sauder Summit, next week. For those of you who don’t know what a case competition is, teams are given a case study on a business and prepare and present their solutions and recommendations to a panel of judges and an audience. I’m ridiculously excited for Sauder Summit – students from 12 international universities are visiting, and watching case competitions is always great for developing your presentation skills. If y’all want to find out more, we have a Facebook page, or you can buy tickets for only $5 (and despite what the name suggests, the event is open to all faculties!)

Another upcoming event I’m excited for is Place Vanier’s Musical: coincidentally, this year’s production is 9 to 5 with music and lyrics by the legendary Dolly Parton. I adore watching musicals, and I’m sure the cast and crew have been working 9 to 5 to make this production absolutely amazing! The show runs from March 7th to 9th, and you can buy tickets at the door of Vanier’s Ballroom for only $7!

I could go on and on about the various involvement opportunities and events around campus, but this post would probably end up being 90000 words and, unfortunately, even though I didn’t succeed in my plan to study from 9 to 5 I do still have some studying to do.

DFTBA,
Olivia

 

TUNES:

Big Jet Plane – Angus & Julia Stone
Blood – The Middle East
Tongue Tied – Grouplove
All These Things That I’ve Done – The Killers
Demons – Imagine Dragons
Holocene – Bon Iver

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I and I Alone

Posted on by under Academics, Involvement, Sauder, Tips

Well, it’s official – I’m a workshop/seminar/conference junkie. I just got back from an amazingly inspiring seminar by Dan Moore, the President of Southwestern Advantage, who talked to us about dreams and success. The seminar was organized by my wonderful Residence Advisor, Desiree, aka the best RA in Vanier UBC.

I’ve attended so many motivational workshops, speeches and seminars that you might think I’ve heard all there is to hear on the topic of “How To Succeed” – but the exact opposite is true. Dan’s workshop today taught me countless valuable life lessons, and I literally could not wait to share a few of them with you.
Firstly, and most importantly, in my opinion, remember the following mantra: I and I alone am responsible for my success. It’s so natural for people to attribute their failures and shortcomings to circumstance; many of us often blame a poor grade on a “bad” professor, for example. It sound corny, but the moment you stop blaming your failures on circumstance, you take full control over your success. Obviously, people’s circumstances vary: a person studying at UBC was likely born into far better circumstances than a child born into poverty. The bottom line is that, ultimately, your future depends on how much effort you put in. You are capable of turning your future around if you are motivated enough and don’t limit yourself.

Speaking of limits, remember Luca Patuelli and his motto “no excuses, no limits“? Dan told us the story of an incredibly inspirational guitar player by the name of Tony Melendez. The thing that separates Tony from other talented guitarists is the fact that he was born without arms. He plays the guitar with his feet and is extremely successful, despite doctors telling his parents that he would never be able to lead a normal life. If you don’t limit yourself to what society deems as “logical”, “realistic” or “possible”, you can open so many doors that you never even knew existed.

Lastly, Dan gave us some advice about how to become more productive and successful, especially with respect to the ever-dreaded school work. The key is to think of school work as exactly that – “work”. On Mondays to Fridays, from 8 to 5, focus all your attention and time on school-related work, whether it’s assessments, studying for a test, or reviewing lecture notes. That way, all your evenings and your entire weekend are free for leisure and, most importantly, sleep! Naturally, you can adapt and change this schedule to your own needs: some people have lectures later than 5pm, for example, or maybe you’re an athlete and have practice during the weekdays. Currently, I’m still a little skeptical about this regime (mostly because I’m a devoted fan of the twenty-minute-nap-between-classes) but I’ve vowed to try it out and stick to the schedule as rigorously as I can.

Dan is presenting another workshop this Friday, this time focusing more on sales and his organization, Southwestern Advantage. The bad news is it’s restricted to Sauderites; the good news is, it’s not too late to sign up on COOL – plus, there’s a free lunch thrown in too!

DFTBA,

Olivia

 

TUNES:

Smooth Criminal – Michael Jackson
Skinny Love – Bon Iver
Postcard from Italy (Beirut Cover) – Florence and the Machine
Raconte-Moi Une Histoire – M83

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no excuses, no limits

Posted on by under Involvement

Saturday mornings (or rather, afternoons) are usually reserved for sleeping in until ungodly hours and grabbing “breakfast” at the Vanier cafeteria, which thankfully serves breakfast until 2 pm on weekends. Last Saturday, however, was an exception: I got up bright and early to attend the Student Leadership Conference, the SLC. I registered for the SLC at literally the last minute, and I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t even know who the opening and closing keynotes were prior to the conference, so when I got to the SLC I was blown away.

The opening keynote, Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli, was not only an amazingly talented dancer but also an incredibly inspirational speaker. He was born with arthrogryposis, which left him with extremely weak leg muscles, yet this ill-ability (not a disability, as Luca explained), but he never let this stop him from achieving the seemingly impossible – he can do handstands, he can walk without using his crutches, and he can dance. His motto is “no excuses, no limits” – because Luca is living proof that you can succeed at your dreams as long as you persevere, and don’t close doors on yourself.

My first workshop, titled “Really? Did You Just Say ‘That’s So Gay’?” was highly valuable and thought-provoking. In today’s society, many people use words like “gay”, “retarded”, and “fag” without realizing the full implications of those words, and without realizing the impact they can have on others’ feelings. The statistics at NoHomophobes are enough to astound anyone. Next time you hear anyone say something like “that’s so gay” when they really just mean “that’s so dumb”, try and (politely!) inform them why what they’re saying can be offensive.

I also had the chance to attend a presentation by Olympic gold medalist Michelle Cameron Coulter. Like Luca, Michelle had to overcome numerous obstacles and devote all her effort in order to achieve her goals. Michelle is also a wonderfully positive person, and inspired me to be more optimistic: one of her mottos is that the energy which you put out equals the environment which you create.

The closing ceremony was a whirlwind of emotions. The closing keynote was Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret. It’s impossible for me to summarize what he said, or what he did, or what was felt that Saturday afternoon. His speech was so touching and showed all of us that, no matter what problems we’re dealing with or hardships we’re going through, we are not alone. There is always someone out there who is suffering from the same problem that you are, and there is always someone out there who can understand and who can help. In a way, I was reminded of a quote from John Green’s Looking For Alaska, which I recently framed on my wall:

“It always shocked me when I realized that I wasn’t the only person in the world who thought and felt such strange and awful things.”

 

Admittedly, the SLC was, for me, a lot less about leadership and a lot more about taking control of my life and not being afraid to take risks and strive for the impossible. I wouldn’t change a single thing about my SLC 2013 experience; although most of the workshops and sessions I wanted to attend were full by the time I registered, I’m glad I ended up in the sessions I did, because I took a valuable lesson away from each of them. (Although, honestly speaking, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to register a little earlier next year!)

DFTBA,

Olivia

 

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Beauty Night Society

Posted on by under Involvement, rezlife

HAPPY (VERY BELATED) NEW YEAR! Looking over my blog, I’m ashamed to see that I’ve made fewer than ten posts so far. I’ve been so busy on this huge adventure at UBC that I’ve forgotten to take a break once in a while and actually document it, so one of my New Year’s resolutions is to make at least ten more posts before the end of April!

Last Tuesday night, I visited Downtown Eastside for the first time. Having grown up in one of the ‘safest’ cities in the world, it was a completely new experience for me to see entire streets lined with homeless people. Even though I wasn’t there alone – my RA, Desiree, was there with a huge group of residents – I still felt slightly nervous. We were there to volunteer at Beauty Night Society, an organization which offers free services like makeovers, healthcare and personal development to women living in poverty.

Three other volunteers and I were assigned to give the women hand massages, something which none of us had ever done before. Luckily, the beauty of Beauty Night is that the volunteers don’t need to be professional makeup artists or masseuses: its main objective is to improve the women’s self esteem and self respect by treating them just like one should treat any other human being, with care and respect. Talking to the women at the shelter was an extremely valuable and eye-opening experience for me. There’s such a strong negative stigma surrounding addicts and the homeless; people on buses, trains, even on streets, often tend to avert their eyes or edge away from homeless people. Some people openly mock them or call them “scary” or “weird”. As one of my friends said, addicts are people too, and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

Don’t forget to be awesome,

Olivia

PS: Those who want to get involved with Beauty Night Society can easily do so – you can visit their website for more information, and attend a mandatory orientation (the next one is on January 27th). There are also plenty of other volunteering opportunities both on campus and around Vancouver – and, if you live on rez, you could talk to your RA about organizing a volunteer group for your house, as our lovely RA Desiree did.

 

 

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