Metacognition: Get Organized

My clothes are some of my most prized possessions. I use them to express myself, and I see certain pieces as works of art. This is why I chose to clean my closet; a space filled with opportunities for organization. I made this task especially important because the seasons are changing, and I wanted to eliminate the clutter of my warm weather wardrobe and accessories.

Before the assignment, I felt overwhelmed and frustrated. I asked myself, "How is this possible to accomplish in 45 minutes, and where do I begin?" It took me a few minutes to gather my emotions. However, once I got the ball rolling, I was all set. First, I dumped out out all of my tops, pajamas, and pants from the drawers. Then, I organized them by colors: reds, blacks, pinks, blues, greens, and grays. It was actually an enjoyable process. Mentally, I checked off the finished piles of clothes from the list that I keep in my mind. This made me feel in tune and controlled. Just for kicks, I turned on the song "Cleaning Out My Closet" by Eminem, which really put me in the mood. Next, I grabbed the storage boxes from underneath my bed and put in my summer clothes. Though it was upsetting for me to realize that summer isn't coming back for a while, I felt relieved to make my closet efficient and ready for the winter. Lastly, I folded the remaining clothes and placed them into the drawers where they belonged.

After my work, I felt relaxed and cheerful. I looked through my drawers, and I couldn't believe what I accomplished. Not only did I arrange a massive amount of clothing, but I also did so in only 45 minutes. The project forced me to realize that big things can be accomplished in a small amount of time, if I put my mind to it. Now I know how incredible organization is. Previously, my experiences with organization were always stressful. I believe I felt this way because I've always procrastinated when it came time to getting organized. However, now I know that when you set goals for yourself and eliminate procrastination, organization can be a stress-free and enjoyable experience.

Blogging Around

The first post that I commented on was Katy's. She wrote about the inconvenient truth that our career choice is not chosen based on our passions, but rather what is realistic. She mentioned that when she was a child, her dream job was a zookeeper. But, as she's matured, her career choice has shifted to the medical field, in which she deems "much more realistic." Her post got me thinking about myself, and what I find so inconvenient about this truth. My comment was the following:

"Katy,

Thank you so much for sharing this. As I've grown older, it's become harder and harder for me to face this inconvenient truth. The reason is because ever since I was a child, I've always wanted to be a celebrity stylist. However, as I've matured, I've realized that the likelihood of me becoming the next Rachel Zoe is quite slim. What I find so interesting is that the questions society asks us about our future drastically change as we mature. When we're little, people ask us what we want to be. But as we grow, people ask us what we want to do. There's a major difference between these two questions, and I think that is the root of this issue. Hopefully, most people (myself included) will be able to find the middle path between what we want to be and what we want to do. "

Katy's blog post put me in the mood for reality, the future, and inconvenient truths. So, I picked up Sofia's blog which discussed the idea that we have no control over what is to come. She made me realize that what we've been told starting from childhood is actually false. I commented the following:

"Sofia,

I agree with this post wholeheartedly. It's scary for me to think that I really don't have a say in my future. Yeah sure, I can try my best and work my hardest, but there's never any guarantee. The minute we're born, there's a future intended for us that we ourselves can only manipulate to a certain degree. Yet, time and time again, we're told that we can be anything we want to be as long as we try our best. So, what I think this can tell us about society is that we're all afraid. Most importantly, we're afraid of being afraid. But, I think that the more we try and forgo reality, the more there is to be fearful about. If we were taught from an early period on to accept reality, this inconvenient truth would not exist. "

I loved reading my classmate's thoughts. They provided me with necessary insight for my future, and I loved reading ideas from their point of view, rather than my own.

Change of Mind: Shakespeare

Up until today, I assure you that Shakespeare was not at the top of my reading list. In fact, the thought of reading Shakespeare made me cringe. I'm more of an Ellen Hopkins or Nicholas Sparks fan. Literature from the 1500s was not in my comfort zone, even though I had a delightful stroll through Shakespeare's home in Stratford on Avon and listened intently to the guide's story of his life and writings last Christmas. However, when it came time to actually sitting down with his works, neither the tricky craft of Shakespearean language nor its "vintage" seemed appetizing. Don't get me wrong; I'm always up for a challenge. However, I certainly wasn't ready to believe that his works applied to my time period. There's just no way.

So, today, when Mr. Allen asked the class to plop out King Lear, I wasn't too cheerful. The thick, purple cover did not bring any warm feelings. Rather, I was irritated. Kings? Kingdoms? No thanks. As my classmates sang aloud the words of Shakespeare, I felt perplexed. I mixed up characters like Gloucester and Kent repeatedly, and I couldn't grasp what Shakespeare was saying behind his confusing vocabulary.

But soon enough, Mr. Allen interrupted the play. He explained the characters and their personalities, such as King Lear's ignorance. Suddenly, things clicked. No longer did Shakespeare feel out of my reach. Mr. Allen's analysis connected to my 21st century lifestyle. Characters like Goneril and her insincerity reminded me of many people that I've encountered. And finally, Shakespeare's puns made sense!

Now, it seems funny that I was so "anti-Shakespeare." The craft of his language only adds to the literature's greatness. While it might've taken a while to understand this, I'm thankful to Mr. Allen for helping me. I've learned that language is immortal, which is why Shakespeare still applies to today.

An Inconvenient Truth: Improper Word Choice

"Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs." -Pearl Strachan

In my mind, word choice is crucial. It may seem like just a speck of life, but to me that tiny speck makes all the difference. Forgetting to leave out something like "please" or "thank you" leaves off a vibe that many do not appreciate. Or, the word "good" versus "phenomenal" rises emotions to a much higher occasion. Many of you have probably come across those examples before and understand the repercussions of misusing common words like them. So, I want to call attention to something more intricate; word choice regarding identity.

Whenever the topic of identity comes up, I find it tricky to handle. Is it even possible to generalize such a diverse world? I don't believe so. Therefore, I think that this question is the root of improper word choice. Since it's so challenging to place words that deal with identity in a specific category, they are easily confused with other adjectives.

For example, walking through the halls of GBN, I can assure you that you'll come across some intriguing conversations. The inconvenient thing about this is that you'll most likely hear words like "gay" or "retarded" more than once. Even more upsettingly, those words often aren't used correctly. They are used to describe things like exams or clothing. People throw around these offensive words without thought. In doing so, we've created a world that has no regards for offensive language and instead substitutes them for common language.

It vexes me that a modern, 21st century world still cannot understand the implications of improper word choice. However, I think that if we educate our society, this issue will be less of a problem. People are confused on how to address identity and therefore communicate inappropriately. I believe that this inconvenient truth can easily be turned around with awareness.

iMedia: Mindsets

Mindsets Video

As an avid volunteer in the Friendship Circle, I am a testament to the fact that this video is what peaked my interest in this incredible organization. As the video shows, the Friendship Circle is a miraculous program that allows teenagers around the word to help children with special needs. The posted video demonstrates all of my emotions towards the program, and provides a meaningful perspective on life.

This video is what I find to divide truth from perception in present society. The beginning of the clip portrays the ignorant world. It demonstrates the lack of understanding that many people have. It's hard for me to imagine this kind of world, but I recognize this inconvenient truth. I think that the reason this unfortunate world exists is because the lines between perception and truth are converged. In doing so, we've created a society that cannot discover truth, because perceptions distort those abilities.

Before this video, I'll admit that I was a part of the perception based society. I remember that I'd sit at the cafeteria in grade school and was afraid to go near the kids with special needs. It wasn't that I found the children to be problematic, but I thought that if I went near them, I'd do something wrong. It was hard for me to realize that I could be so ignorant about myself. I used to think that it was much easier to stay below the radar, and that my contributions could have no impact in the world. After watching this clip, I've realized that this isn't the case at all. My assistance in Friendship Circle helps make up my identity today.

The change that this video fostered matters to me because I now know how society can trick people. Without this video, I would probably still be trapped in our culture's cave. It's important to know that humans do have purposes, one of the most important being to help others. Thanks to Friendship Circle, I figured this out soon enough to feel that I've made a significant impact in our culture today. Now, every Sunday I travel to Highland Park to play with a boy that is hemiplegic. Working with him defines my idea of happiness and purpose.

Best of the Week: Writing Techniques

I'm not lying when I say that Orlando, last week, felt challenging and over my head. More often than not, I was perplexed rather than oriented. You see, my confusion wasn't really plot driven. I understood the main ideas and occurrences of Virginia Woolf's novel. However, I seemed to get caught up in her "trippy" and stream of consciousness writing style. It took me minutes to get through a single page, which was something that I wasn't used to. But thankfully, class was based off of discussions. During this time, I listened and learned from my peers, making sense out of the novel. While I can say that everyone's ideas helped connect the dots, there's one specific that really stuck out. This idea is how writing connects to the mind, rather than conforming to rules.

After one classmate read aloud the passage on page 119, I saw Mr. Allen's face light up with excitement. The passage went like this: "'Better is it,' she thought, 'to be clothed with poverty and ignorance, which are the dark garments of the female sex; better to leave the rule and discipline of the world to others; better to be quit of marital ambition, the love of power, and all the other manly desires if so one can more fully enjoy the most exalted raptures known to the human spirit, which are,' she said aloud, as her habit was when deeply moved, contemplation, solitude, love.'"

While his grin did make me feel more comforted in the classroom, it also worried me as to why I wasn't smiling as well. Word by word, Mr. Allen re-read the passage-again, and again, and again. The last time he read it, however, his voice stressed the emphasis on comma placement. At this point and time, it clicked. The reason why I was so caught up and distressed in Orlando was because of the way I'd gone about reading the novel. Virginia Woolf's writing style was completely contrary to my lessons in previous years in writing. She wrote for mind, instead of for the rules. Virginia placed emotion and thought into her writing, and she made it feel as if the reader could actually hear the speech that was written. For example, her commas separated actions of Orlando with Orlando's thoughts. In doing so, her writing felt fluid and rhythmic, just like the mind. I wasn't used to attacking a book in this manner, concluding why I felt so confused.

This made me think about and connect my years prior in English class. I'd always been drilled down to the core on my grammatical errors. Whether it was by placing too many commas in my sentences, or using the wrong tenses at times, I saw ink all over my papers for these reasons. However, none of my teachers ever wrote messages to me saying things like, "Work on rhythm" or "needs more fluidity." It seems as if so many of us disconnect writing with thinking. They are put on opposite ends of the spectrum. Even though writing originated as a way of expressing thoughts, we've put ourselves in a bubble and obstructed ourselves from certain opportunities. And although there are no solid rules to thinking, there are endless rules to writing.

I'm thankful that Virginia Woolf recognized my claim above and took action. I look forward to reading more of her writing, especially now that class taught me how to read it. I see myself adopting Virginia Woolf's writing in the future, now that I understand what makes it so special. Virginia Woolf really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities that writing can give to us, but only if we allow it to do so.

Captured Thought: Golf's Mind Tricks

“The worst club in my bag is my brain.” -Chris Perry

I take my abilities very seriously as a teenage girl. In fact, many will say that I'm too compulsive for their taste. The idea of perfection rings in my head every, single day. However, recently the bell has begun to ring louder. As a sophomore on Glenbrook North's varsity golf team, the pressure to be perfect is now not only placed upon me by myself, but the team as well.

At the beginning of the season, I was on top of my game. The swinging of a golf club felt effortless, something that I'd worked on for months. The summer sun beamed down on the greens and the freshly cut grass made my putts feel like a breeze. My mind was focused on one thing only: being the best for myself.

Although, as the months went by and the school year inched along, my mind compiled more thoughts than just putting and chipping. Suddenly, I was pounded down by homework assignments, tests, and winning matches against other teams. My cumbersome golf bag lugged around more than just a set of clubs on the course, it also lugged my worries. This didn't seem like much of deal at first, considering I was used to being an over-analyzer. However, soon enough I realized that it was more than just an issue.

In fact, it wasn't until last week that my golf epiphany occurred. On Wednesday, after finishing my match against Loyola Academy, I was more than devastated. I played my personal worst, which for matters of self-esteem, I'd prefer to keep to myself. Nonetheless, I was shocked, angry, and confused. I was shocked by the high score inked onto paper, I was angry at myself for how poorly I performed, and I was confused as to why this happened to me.

My dad proposed a solution; I should see a coach and gather assistance from them. Sounds simple, right? Well, actually, it was more than simple. It was incredible. Within the matter of two golf balls, I transformed back into the player I was earlier. However, this wasn't just due to the mechanics of my golf swing, but also the mechanics of my brain. That's right, not only was I on my way to becoming a golfer, but also a neurologist. I'm just kidding. But actually, I was dumbfounded by how much of my game was due to mental tension. We practiced ways to maneuver my thoughts into motivation, as well as ideas on how to move past my brain. For example, I came up with certain songs that motivated me, and I practiced singing them before shots to keep my brain focused and loose at the same time. I was amazed at how such ordinary thoughts and adjustments could alter my game drastically. While my perfectionist qualities may never disappear, I've learned that there are ways to avoid the qualities for the better.