Freshmen year of college I thought I had it all figured out. I declared my major and worked hard in every class, whether it was Spanish 201 or Advanced Reporting. I loved to talk to people, to learn about others and their passions, and pass on this information through articles and stories. With every analysis, feature, and editorial, I felt validated and even more certain of my path. In the fall semester of my senior year, I decided to study abroad in Seville, Spain. Thus far, the decision to live in another country for a semester has been the best choice I’ve ever made, though it did have … [Read more...]
Risk Taking: When to Dismount a Dead Horse
Taking risks is no doubt scary, there is no definite outcome, and there is no guarantee for success. But risk-takers are the people who make history. People who take calculated risks are often the ones who reap extraordinary benefits. Taking risks and failure go hand in hand and you shouldn’t be afraid to do either if you want to set your goals high. When it comes to entrepreneurial ventures, Dr. Shufeldt is the first to admit he has made mistakes, and some ideas have never come to fruition. But trying, and taking that leap of faith is what creates innovation and breakthroughs in … [Read more...]
From Elementary to Extraordinary
Every day teacher Brenda Rico enters through the doorway of her fifth grade classroom and prepares for the arrival of her students. Child after child files into the room, each one a sponge; ready to absorb every bit of information their teacher has to offer them. During her 26 years of teaching, Brenda has developed a solid idea of the values she hopes to instill in her students and the knowledge she wants to impart on them. So,when she stumbled upon Ingredients of Outliers: A Recipe for Personal Achievement during the summer of 2013, Brenda knew the book would impact both her life and the … [Read more...]
How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Hopefully the following story will influence you to take a few risks in your life. The January 2013 issue of SUCCESS magazine contained an article titled "52+ Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone." This story was featured in the article: Cecilia Aragon was a ordinary women who had an extraordinary fear of heights. As she put it, even climbing a ladder caused her to break out in a sweat. During her graduate years, she decided to try and overcome her fear and accepted an invitation to take a flight in a four-seater airplane. During this flight, her friend asked her to take control of the … [Read more...]
The Takeaway
If you’ve kept up with our posts throughout the week, here is my take away message for you: Most things work out; if they don’t—it is hoped you will learn something, you often get a good story out of it, and possibly, you will never make the mistake again. So, what’s not to like? You have to be a risk taker to start a business and have the vision to see it through. Don’t just take it from me. Here are a few words from some famous successful risk takers: "We took risks. We knew we took them. Things have come out against us. We have no cause for complaint." — Robert Frost "Man cannot … [Read more...]
Trumping Failure
We are sure many of you are familiar with the name Donald Trump: star of hit TV show "The Apprentice", chairman and president of the Trump Organization, founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, investor, author and billionaire. With countless achievements under his belt, one might think this all comes easy to Trump, but in fact, success was not handed to him. Trump had to overcome obstacles and took ample risk. Trump started his off his working life at his father’s real estate company and eventually built his own personal real estate empire. Unfortunately, interest payments became to much and … [Read more...]