One Step Closer and Another Bucket Filled

Tom Rath's video "How Full is Your Bucket", truly introduced helping people out in a completely different sense. Instead of the plain idea of giving out compliments or just teaching the golden rule, "Treat others the way you want to be treated" we are given a nice visual. We have a bucket that we carry with us every day, in this bucket we carry all the positivity we receive and give out that day. When we are nice to people and do kind things we are filling the buckets of others and that in turn fills our own bucket! You are able to fill buckets all day long at any given time because high spirits can never be too abundant. We want to focus all our efforts into being bucket fillers! Unfortunately, there is a downside. When you start to be negative or treat others poorly you start to take away from everyone's buckets; You are now bucket dipping. Just like bucket filling, bucket dipping can happen on any day at any time but by dipping you really aren't helping anyone progress in their goals or daily life by dipping. Dipping is unnecessary and you can really hurt others by being aggressive and hurtful! Luckily, Rath provided a few strategies to stay a bucket filler and avoid bucket dippers!

One strategy given by Rath was to give unexpectedly. He wants us to fill buckets randomly because that will help fill your own bucket as well as boosting others confidence. When you give unexpectedly you can give a given, say some nice words, or even go as small as giving a smile and a polite hello! This way people will recognize you as a kind person and they may even give back to you. You are not only filling your bucket and their bucket, you are potentially getting someone else to fill your bucket! That sounds much more selfish than intended. Anyways, People loved to be loved and if you are nice randomly others will most likely be nice to you. Its called Synergy. You work together to get what you give!

The next strategy was to start with yourself. Show how to be positive when you lead by example! High spirits that come with all the positive energy are contagious. If you start the day off positively, others are likely to follow suit because people are more likely to want to be happy than sad! If we are in high spirits than we are more likely to boost others and that will start a chain reaction and get more and more people in a better mood. There are no down sides to being positive all you have to do is get a little smile and your face and that will get the ball rolling.

A third strategy suggested by Rath was to keep a paper with pluses and minuses next to the energy you feel when in a conversation with someone. This sounds weird but it can really help you realize who is dipping into your bucket and who is helping fill up your bucket. All you have to do is keep a little running tally next to names after you have a conversation with them. Everyone has good days and bad days so don't let one little negative sign stop you from socializing with people. Just realize that if someone is continually bringing you down it might be best to avoid them or, even better, use your positive spirits to bring them up out of their slump. Instead of avoiding those downers maybe you can use your positive spirits to raise theirs and they can go from negative Nancys to positive Pollys!

These bucket filling and dipping ideas totally work with everyday life because we struggle to be positive as much as possible! Rath is really trying to get through to people to have them help others to make our lifes, and communities happier places. These strategies will help me out personally because I know every once in a while I can be a bucket dipper. Generally I am a bucket filler, complimenting people whenever I get the chance, helping kids out in school, and doing tasks that are asked of me which usually keeps my spirits high. Unfortunately my spirits drop occasionally and I can become a bucket dipper. Luckily, with the strategies explained below, with a few other tricks Rath explained, I can attempt to avoid harsh attitudes and stay a bucket filler as much as possible!

One Step Closer by Setting Goals

Here are a few of my goals for the next few months!

1. Keep practicing and try to get a role in STARS2000 Production of Hairspray! Auditions were last week and I got called back to sing for the role of Wilbur on March 18th. I need to keep rehearsing his song, "You're Timeless to Me" and impress the audition panel! This goal is short term (and it has a date to it), and it is possible if I set my mind to it and practice a lot. Plus, if I don't get a role I still have a very high chance of being part of the ensemble!
UPDATE: I went to call backs tonight and sang and danced for Wilbur and they called me back again to read for him tomorrow! I am currently up against 1 other guy and the show is going to be double cast... That means I have a large chance of getting the part!

2. Next, I need to start applying for jobs and try to find one that will work with my schedule if I get cast for Hairspray over the summer. With the help of IQuest I already have my resume and now I just have to enter my information and hopefully impress the managers during an interview. I want to try and shoot for a job by the end of the school year and if that doesn't happen at least find some other way of earning money. This goal fits all of the Qualifications to be a S.M.A.R.T. goal!

3. My last goal is to try to cut down on fast food. I go out to lunch all the time because I'm a senior and we can but that is no excuse for eating so poorly. My goal is to try to spend more time learning to cook, which will be helpful for college, and making healthier lunches. I will still go out and eat bad things but I am setting my goal to try to reduce this. This goal can even help me get healthier by losing weight. To make this goal fit the SMART qualifications I need to try to keep track of how much I eat out week by week, or even every 2 weeks, and decide how much I can have accordingly.

One Step Closer with Technology!

When I think about technology I think about all the helpful gadgets and tools I use as well as computers and cars; Machines I use every single day. Does that only sound weird to me? "Machines I use every single day." Not too long ago the machines we use, such as phones, calculators and TVs, weren't even thought of yet! Yet now that they are created most people, including myself, have come to familiarize and educate ourselves on the technology.
I would say I could figure out how to use any cell phone with ease after playing around with it for 5-15 minutes. Isn't that weird? Most applications and games on droids and iPhones are easily picked up and I'd say I could teach someone how to use a lot of different items on the internet. For example, I use and understand most social networks, for school I know how to use most of the Microsoft Office software and I've even begun to learn of to program things into my graphing calculator. I also have a macbook, a PC, TVs and other devices that I know how to use in my house.
Although those things may sound a little bit impressive I know I still have a long way to go when talking about knowing technology. As explained in my iQuest class, some applications on programs like functions on excel spreadsheet still need to be explored. I'd say I'm above average in the use of those functions but my mentor showed me so many ways to use it and he can do almost all of it with ease! I think I can learn how to use it with more practice, such as a college class that uses it or something of the sort. Another skill I think I could learn is web design or photoshop! I think it would be a very fun skill to learn as a weekend class and it could help me when I need to be creative or when I'm designing something!
What technologies do you think would be helpful to know how to use?

One Step Closer Toward the End of High School

As my final semester of high school begins I can't help but look back to see how far I have come. Not only have I gone from awkward middle school to proud and confident young adult, I have sufficiently prepared myself for the real world. With my first semester of IQuest gone I have tested the waters on a job that could be a huge part of my future. Going into my final semester gives me a very weird nostalgic feeling but it also makes me want to continue forward to see what life has in store for me.

California High School has been a great place for me. Through all of my trials I know I have grown up and matured significantly more than I ever have. I would even claim that I have changed the most over this past semester because I finally realized I'm going to be on my own (in college at least) by next year and it has pushed me to become a better, independent, and more determined person. I think my education as a whole has been very successful and my ability to branch out and become social has shown tremendous improvements. On the other hand, I still have the feeling I missed out on some experiences in high school. It's a hard feeling to explain but when thinking about highs and lows of high school that feeling is the only low I can think of!

Although my grades have always been high in school I feel like I have become much more lazy in this last semester and I need to pick up the slack. I had straight A's earning an 4.2 the last semester but a couple of my grades were too close for comfort. I need to continue working hard like I have throughout school to finish off my last semester strong. Other than grades I am really looking forward to my final high school experiences. I'm going to try to spend as much time as possible with my friends and family because I know leaving them is going to be one of the toughest experiences of my life. I look forward to getting a job after I turn 18 (In less than two weeks), as well as doing my final performances in choir and with my musical theater company, STARS2000.

Before I finish high school I hope to finish a few things as a final hurrah.
1. Take a senior trip with my friends before we part ways
2. Get a job so I can update my Resume
3. Get organized/stay on top of things
4. Research what I could do with my major more
5. Study a little bit of engineering to give me a little head start in college.

Speaking of college, here is a list of the schools I applied to (in no particular order):
1. University of Southern California* (USC)
2. University of Arizona (UA)
3.University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
4. University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
5. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
6. Texas Christian University (TCU)
*Top Choice


I applied to all of the schools under Mechanical Engineering except for UA. At UA I had to apply to the Engineering school and then I can declare once I get to the school. If I go there I will either choose mechanical or engineering management as they are the only school I applied to that offers it. I have heard back from UA and I got accepted with a $9,000 a year plus an iPad scholarship! Other than that I have to wait for a few more months to receive responses.The anxiety is killing me! 

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. - Steve Jobs

One Step Closer with Help From AT&T

Recently, my IQuest class went on a field trip to AT&T's job shadow day at their San Ramon Offices. After a short introduction speech on what to expect out of the day, the students were split up into small groups and placed with one of the generous employee's who gave up their time to teach us a little about their business. I got placed in a group with 2 other Cal High students and we were with Al Martinez, an IT technician. He began our tour by taking us to the 4th floor and explained how large the company was.

After giving a brief history of his time at AT&T he showed us to his office and explained how he got to where he was today. We also got to ask him any questions that came to mind. I asked if he had always wanted to be a part of AT&T, if he was hired right after college, and if he had wanted to pursue engineering his whole life. His surprised me when he said he had never really thought about joining this company and he got picked out at a smaller company right out of college. Also, when he got hired by AT&T he was trained to do something his major hardly contributed to.

We also got to go see a brand name and trademark seminar and a Telepresence conference. In these seminars we got to learn the importance of making a name for your brand and we even touched on some legal infringement issues. Afterwards we got to play a game where we had to guess the companies by their icon or logo. At the Telepresence conference we got to see how the company can conference call, with video, other workers in different buildings, states, or even counties! The technology was astounding and I thought it was a great chance to see how far we've come from letters to video calls!

I thought this field trip was a great help for any IQuest student because it gave us a glimpse at what working life could be like. It fits perfectly with what IQuest has to offer and my mentor, Al Martinez, taught helped us realize we may do one job, and end up in a different career AND turn out to still be successful! Although I thought the day was a great experience, I would have liked to see how our mentors do their current job, even if it is a little difficult. It was nice to see how the company flowed but we really didn't get the opportunity to learn how they manage to do their jobs. Either way I would go on that field trip again if I had the chance.

One Step Closer with Some Guidance.

In IQuest we were asked to pick a California High School staff member as our mentor outside of our internship. My first choice was my choir teacher Ms. Mottaz (Mow-tah), or just Mottaz as the students call her, because she has always been a bit of a mentor while I've been at Cal High. I have been in Mottaz's choir classes all four years in high school because it is such a rewarding class; We work hard then we travel to sing and explore cities like New York, Boston, and Washington D.C. We would never get to experience any of these wonderful moments if it weren't for all her dedication and hard work toward her choir programs.

In November I met with Mottaz and we talked all about IQuest and what I was planning on doing for the rest of my senior year. I explained to her what I was doing and how I was meeting with Mr. Shaw, another one of her student's father, and she commended me for going into such a hard field. We talked about how even a small foot in the door, such as the one I currently have, is a great opportunity to become a part of such powerful company.

We then talked about college and where I was applying to. At that point I was almost done with applications and now I am completely finished and can confirm that I applied to all of the colleges I told her I was planning on applying to. Because many of her past students come back and talk about their experiences at college, she gave me very helpful advice on what to look out for when making a final decision on where to spend the next four years of my life.

Next meeting I hope to talk more about the project that I am currently working on. Also, I hope that I can talk to her about some college responses that I will have received by then!

Unfortunately, I can't find a picture of just the two of us from past choir trips even though they are somewhere out there. I'll keep my eye out.

One Step Closer by Creating a Bucket List.

I've put together my own little bucket list. This is just a shortened version because I know a have more than  just a few various lifelong goals. Also, as I go through life I will be adding and crossing off things from this list but for now, I'm excited to just begin achieving these. Here it goes:

See number 11

1. Stand at a point where I can look up and only see the sky or stars (No cell towers or trees just sky)
2. Get admitted to college
3. Get at least a Bachelor's Degree
4. Be happily married, possibly with children
5. Play a huge game of dodgeball
6. Spend a weekend in New York and see at least 4 Broadway shows
7. Skydive, but actually jump out of the plane
8. Take Sign Language again
9. Live in Australia for 2 weeks
10. See the Pyramids in Egypt
11. Scuba dive near a sunken ship
12. Lose weight, Stay healthy
13. Go Bungee Jumping
14. Get Giants season tickets
15. Be in a successful flash mob
16. Take dance lessons
17. Dive into a pool
18. Learn how to do a backflip
19. Work as an engineer
20. Get over my fear and donate blood
21. Do a 365 day photo project (Take the same picture of yourself everyday for a year to see the change)
22. Take Violin lessons



See number 14

23. Learn how to Photoshop