Why You Need Optimism >= Oxygen

Yes, I'm an optimist, and no, I won't let your cynicism get to me. (That was probably implied, but oh well.)

I read a saying recently that really makes sense to me. I don't know who said it, but it goes like this:

If they don't know you personally, don't take it personally.

What a good point! It's so easy to let little daily mishaps get to you, but that's such a bummer. For example, I'm currently temping at a marketing company in Boston. Naturally, I don't know how to do everything--that's just inevitable. So when one of our upper-level employees spoke gruffly to me about something I had done wrong, I was tempted to wallow in self-pity. Luckily, the optimism kicked in. Hey, well now you know--you should have been thinking about that task before he even had to ask! That's an example of how to be pro-active in your work.

Bullet of sadness = dodged; helpful lesson = learned! Besides, staying positive and being persistent is an incredibly valuable quality. If you need inspiration, look at this post from the popular Humans of New York blog:

"I've been trying to get into a full time orchestra for the past 20 years. I'd guess I've been to over 200 auditions. It can be pretty heartbreaking. I tried out for the New York Philharmonic four times. One time I prepared three months for the Los Angeles Philharmonic audition, flew all the way across the country, and they cut me off after twelve seconds. But believe or not, I still have a certain amount of optimism about the process. And I think I'm getting better."

I'm not saying that you should always, always persist if you fail hundreds of times, but I find this man very inspiring regardless. He might not have booked the right audition just yet, but he has the attitude that will take him there--and make him successful in whatever he ends up doing.

Being able to handle setbacks, and accept your own mistakes as learning experiences rather than personal downfalls, is a skill, and you can acquire it.

So next time something akin to any of these examples happens to you, just try to re-frame it in your mind. How did it make you grow? Do you now know something that will help you in the future, so you won't make the same mistake twice? And if someone was judging you--odds are that person doesn't know you completely. You, on the other hand, know yourself--and you know that you are a capable person of value and worth.

Don't let them get you down!

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I'm Just Doing This to Put It on My Resumé

As a young adult, I'm supposed to (kind of) have it together. Part of this, naturally, is having a kickass resumé. That way, when I get rejected from 10 prestigious internships in the same week, I can still sit back, look at my resumé and think, wow, my resumé is bad. ASS. And so well written! Gosh, I'm way more accomplished than I realized. Who cares if I don't have an internship? Anyone looking at this thing would die to have me!

(Healthy or not? You decide...)

Anyways, this obsession with appearing professional (despite dubious amounts of real work experience) has made me all-too-conscious of what I might and might not put on a resumé. It's gotten to the point where I catch myself considering what I can spend time doing based on whether or not I could use it to get a job later. Sure, thinking like this is smart, to a point--it keeps me focused and mindful of my future opportunities. But I think it's gone too far.

I decided that I want to volunteer at a museum this coming semester--there are a lot of fantastic Boston museums that I've loved for many years (e.g. Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, various historical locations around here, etc.) But as I looked into the volunteer positions, I heard a snide little voice in my head, saying, could a Meet and Greet Volunteer position at the Museum of Science really help you get a job? After all, I'm not studying science, and I'm not exactly hoping to make a career out of working at a museum.

That's when I stepped back and asked myself, why the hell am I thinking about it like that? Since when do I base my interests off a vague idea of a future job interview for who-knows-what? I'd be signing up to volunteer at the museum for the best reasons--because I'm interested in meeting people and giving back to a museum that has brought me so much joy since I was a young kid! Feeling reaffirmed and confident in myself, I printed off the application and began filling it out.

Also, it's my personal belief that if a company is smart, they'll look to hire people who use their free time in meaningful ways. So I guess this is something that would look good on a resumé, after all...!

That still doesn't make filling out all the paperwork any more fun. Sigh.

That's all for now!

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I Really Have Nothing to Say Right Now

I haven't posted on here in a couple days. No, I haven't been busy. Honestly, I've been doing a lot of sitting at a desk. I just haven't posted because I haven't had anything significant to say. I find it irritating when people talk just to hear the sound of their own voice, so I had no desire to write just to see my words on a page.

I'm still looking into volunteering at a couple museums around Tufts next semester, so I'll post if anything works out. I'm mostly hopeful about either a history museum in Boston or the Museum of Science. We'll see!

Also, there's been a boy here and there, which is new and nice. But this isn't my personal blog, so I'll spare you the details. ;-)

Today, the representatives from Wrigley arrive for the big meeting tomorrow. I've got to say that I hit it out of the park with this one--I made them fancy little name tags in plastic sleeves, and they look great! They have the Wrigley logo and everything. I also made them each little welcoming packets, with information about the restaurant they're going to tonight, the guest WiFi information, etc. I know it's just a temp job, but I wanted to put effort into it anyways and show that I'm a competent and motivated person! Plus, working up the name tags took up a good chunk of an otherwise boring Friday. :-)

That's about it for now! Just wanted to let you know I am still alive and well, radio silence or not. I'm off to double check those packets...

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I Just Want to Time-Travel, is That Too Much to Ask?

There are few things more depressing to me than hearing students say they hate history because it's "boring."

Granted, not all historical texts are riveting, but history itself--boring?! Now that's just ridiculous.

History is everything but boring. It's not some ancient, crumbling tome, engraved in dusty rock and stuffed away in a basement. It's flexible, it's vibrant, it's ever-changing, it's fresh, it's new. It's a living record of everything that has existed and a reflection of everything that will come to exist. It's a story that never ends. Better yet, though, it's all real. 

People will scoff, saying things like, "You can't live in the past, you know." And it's true (though a certain Jay Gatsby would beg to differ) -- and that'd be a good argument, if historians were trying to live in the past!

But studying the past is not the same as trying to live in it. Studying the past is about seeking, asking questions, trying to expand our knowledge and comprehend the human experience in ways which we will never truly understand. What was it really like to be a Pilgrim, in that first winter on the cold shores of Massachusetts? What weighed on the minds of kings--what were the thoughts, the troubles, the hopes that never came to the light? How did Egyptian slaves feel when they opened their eyes each morning? Why did a cup of tea mean so much more to a colonist than it ever will to you or me?

Historians ask these questions to understand people, not to relish a time long gone. At the end of the day, studying the past means living a more vibrant present, enhanced by the knowledge and awareness of those who came before. It's a beautiful field of study.

Now tell me it's boring again--or try opening your eyes!

Boston Water Makes Boston Better

One thing I really love about Boston is its balance. Its population is about 7.7% the size of New York City's population, and geographically, it's about 1/6 the size of the Big Apple. So it's smallish, but compared to many cities, it's not small at all--and on my morning commute, it's certainly a bustling place! It's also a lovely, charming mix of modern and historical. It has a distinctly historic feeling to it--scattered throughout are traces, both architecturally, artistically, and culturally, of Boston's exciting and patriotic history.

One of my favorite examples of this can be found in our famously dirty water--or rather, sailing on top of it. We have boats, and they're beautiful! Here's a picture of one of the Liberty Fleet's tall ships, that gives tours every day in the summer around the harbor:

The office I'm in this week is located right along the harbor, so every day I walk by the Boston Tea Party Museum, which has two beautiful replica ships from the famous event. The little museum plays trilling flute music and employs men and women to stand outside, dressed in Revolutionary-era clothing. It makes me smile every time! Boston wouldn't be the same without its history, and I'm glad someone is keeping it alive.

So next time you're in town, keep an eye out for our boats--or maybe even go for a sail!

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I Can Make You Think There's Something to See Here

This is why I love taking Psych. It's just so real. I see it everywhere I go.

I learned about the phenomenon of pluralistic ignorance in a psych class over a year ago. For those who don't know, this is when you notice something, or want to act on something you perceive as wrong, but because nobody else around you is reacting, you choose not to act, preferring to blend into the crowd rather than risk looking the fool. Unfortunately, this often results in people not acting on emergencies--there was actually an incident in China where a little girl was struck by a truck--twice!--and nobody ran over to help! Unbelievable.

But choosing to look on the bright side, as I prefer to do, I like to think about the gentler instances of this phenomenon. The fact of the matter is, people act based on how people around them are acting, no matter how 'free-thinking' they say they are. I saw an instance of it this morning.

While walking along the beautiful Boston Harbor on my way to work, I glanced down at the water. As usual, I saw hundreds of moon jellyfish floating near the surface, pulsing gently and enjoying the sunny morning (at least, I'd like to think so). I've walked by them dozens of times in the past week or so, but I still stop to admire them each time. They're lovely! 

Well, my slowing down, combined with the similar actions of another commuter, caused an interesting reaction. Most people walking over the bridge slowed down to look over the railing too! I've seen how people walk over this bridge when nobody is stopped--they stride purposefully, as if nothing in the world could keep them from their destination. But as soon as some people are stopped, peering over the railing and clearly looking at something, other people realize--something's going on! And, not wanting to miss out or look the fool for passing by, they stop to check it out as well.

I'll think of it more as pluralistic knowledge -- next time you're somewhere public, test it out. Stop and squint at something; peer into a tree as if you're watching a squirrel do the most amazing thing you've ever seen. I guarantee that other people will slow down and stop to see what you're watching. Frankly, I think it's adorable--people believe they're free-willed, but they're more predictable than they'd imagine. It's oddly comforting.

Really, though, try it out--it'll make you smile!

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Free Time, and Work Time, and You

How do you know you really love to do something?

I started thinking about this the other day, when I was talking with Grace, the woman for whose job I'm filling in this week. We were talking about computer programmers--this office is full of them--and how they really love programming, to a degree beyond I-like-my-job. "They even go home and program over the weekend, in their free time!" I observed.

"That's actually a big thing that we look for," she said, nodding. She explained that when budding young programmers come in to the office to interview, the interviewers ask a sort of 'trick' question to determine if the engineer is truly committed to his or her work. The question is, what do you do in your free time?

"Because," she explained, "if someone really loves to code, he'll do it in his spare time too. That's how we weed out the people who really love what they do--that's the kind of person we look for."

I thought it was a neat idea, because sure, it's a good way of thinking. After all, passion shouldn't be turned on from 9-5, M-F, and then turned off again. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but imagine being in that interview and being asked that question. I might have a slightly different train of thought, something like, well, I do love to code in my free time, but I don't want them to think that that's all I do...so I should talk about my other interests too, so that they know I'm a balanced person. I just wouldn't want that to backfire on me.

I suppose, though, that there are ways we can incorporate our interests into our hobbies--similar to the work we do during the week, but less...work-ish. A programmer might make a little game or an app in her free time, for example. I guess everyone finds different ways to balance work-work and fun-work.

If I'm ever presented with that question in an interview, though, I know I'll be trying to find a way to make it seem as if I simultaneously work on the weekends and lead a very grounded, balanced, exciting life...ah well. I'll figure it out.

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