Am I better than I was yesterday? Yes and No

Yes and no. Am I better than I was in August? In some ways I am. Regarding my senior project, I am much more excited and I see it more closely than i saw it four months ago. This is a reality, it is really happening and I don't believe the wonderful opportunity my Chinquapin School is giving me. I've always wanted to give something back to the school. To have the opportunity to do just that through a sculpture, a form of art and creativeness, is just a nonexistent positive adjective. My research has helped me understand more about the methods of making a sculpture, the different types of sculptures, and different ideas. My Ted presentation has helped me widen my mind and enrich my brain with knowledge about sculptures, plus fill me with creativity. Although I am very excited, I have been doing some procrastination. My procrastination is the result of my perfectionist self. I don't turn in things when I see that it is not fully perfected. I am working very hard to get rid of this habit. I have just recently learned and am still learning what others learned many years ago, nobody and nothing is perfect. By the end of my project, I will learn to be pleased with the work that I have done. But in order for this to happen, I need to work really hard. I already got in contact with some of the people that will help me in my project. Now I am just excited for my project to become tangible.

My Sentence and Blog

My sentence

Throughout my life, I have seen many people at school struggling so much that they give up on it and become delinquents that take away from society by killing and committing other crimes, which has inspired me to create a summer program for Chinquapin that will tutor and counsel students that seek the help to prevent them from ruining their lives.

My Blog
How do you answer that question within several sentences? The question: Was I better today than I was yesterday? I’ve thought and thought of ways to do that. Yes, I am better because…..I sat on a chair pondering on that question to the point that my brain started hurting. How was I better? That is what kept going through my mind. The truth is, there is not simple answer to that question. It is a question that has to be answer in great detail. So, when I think about that question, I take myself back to the very beginning of the school year to where we were introduced to our senior project. I remember being stressed and felt as though I wanted to give up, even though we hadn’t yet started our project. I was very undetermined at the beginning of the school year. I had no intent to “help out my community” because I was not internally motivated to do so. I was a wreck and couldn’t manage to clear my head. Looking at that moment, I can easily say that I am better today than I was at the beginning of the school year. I am more determined to complete my project because of the outcome and impact it will have on others. I will make a great difference with this project. Also all of the research and contacting has given me better communication skills and enhanced my thinking. This is because when I tried to search for something and couldn’t find it, I had to figure other ways to search that topic. This project has also taught me to become more organized with my planning. With this newly acquired determination and organization, I plan to carry out my project to its full extent. I will set up deadlines and appointment so that I won’t bunch everything in at once. I have already gotten permission to work during Creativity week to interview teachers and students at Whittier Elementary School. So in other words, I am already organization events for my project ahead of time.

Am I Better?

I believe that I am indeed better than I was at the beginning of the year. Before this project even commenced I had always wanted t o make a song and music video but I had never had to real drive to do so. Now the opportunity has finally arisen and I am as fired up as ever to get it done. Over the past five months I have gone from practical dreamer to vivid hopeful. The research I have done has taken my thought process and evolved it. I used to think about how I could get all the girls needed for m video, now I think about the vantage points, the lighting, and the camera angles needed to even capture the girls in the video . As of right now I have been able to get a studio that I know for sure I will be able to record my songs in. I have also created my board that will assist me in my project . Everyday now I sit down for about 20 minutes and write down lyrics that come to my head. I am trying to find the perfect words for the perfect song.

Passion <=> Traits

Throughout this semester I have changed my ways of planning and putting things into action. My passion hasn’t change but I as a person have. I started off a young man with great ideas and just wanting to do them. But as I tried to just take control and just do things I was stuck. I wasn’t organized. I needed to start all over.  As I started over, I made sure I had everything planned out and I made sure that my organization got better. The Senior Project has helped me execute these skills. The project requires me to be very organized to have everything planned out and ready to execute all of my plans. I have planned ahead by actually using my planner. I have looked at events that will benefit my project and put them on my calendar. At the beginning of the school year, I felt as if once I was given a task I would just rush into and try to finish it as soon as possible. Now with the skills I have gained I stop and think about what I am going to do and how I am going to do it. I stop and think about what I am doing instead of just rushing into doing it. This is better because now the outcome of things is better. I still do things with the same passion but now they just come out better. A great skill that I have uncovered while doing this project is communicating with people. In the making of this project, I have been force to speak to many adults and try to convince them to help me with my project. With this, I was force to think on the spot and work on my communications skills. I had to be patient and keep contacting people until they were reached. I learned how to be persuasive so that I could get information for my project. I have been communicating with people that can get me in touch with people for my project.Now I have learned how to be more patient and persuasive with my speech.I have learned to have more dedication for the things I do, I need to take my time with them and let them express all of the hard work I put into it. With all of these traits learned and gained, I have become a better person. My traits have changed but my passion stays the same.

I Need Improvement

Over the semester, time has definitely been as issue. That all comes with time management, and I haven't handled it in the best way. I need to improve my research skills and move beyond obstacles. The reason why I've found it so difficult, is because i need a teacher, someone who will help me with architecture and i just barely found them. I'm sure I'll be up and running when i get this figured out. I'm better in the fact that I first tacked this project. The truth is i was to scared to even approach it and now I'm going at it and finding was in which i can learn it. The steps I've taken towards this haven't been quite on initiative but rather what i was told to do. For example my e-portfolio. My blogs have definitely  improved and I hope to keep doing so.As of lately I've been all gears to advance with my project, but better planning needs to be done.When my planning is efficient, I'll be able to execute.

A Better Me

I believe I am a better person. Before I just came up with the idea, but now I know how to execute it. I know that you have to do research and find people who are interested in your idea to help you out. I know that you have to look for resources because it’s hard to do it on your own. I understand that there are certain steps that need to be taken to achieve what you want. And I not only have to take those steps, but I have to do it in a way that will help me become a better person. This senior project has helped me become a more organized person, especially because of the blogging part

A new and improved me!

I am now very familiar with how difficult it is to ask people to help you. In August I was very shy about my own project idea, but now I am excited to inform others about my project. I have gone from trying to avoid the subject of my project to trying to advertise it. I have learned how to gain the attention of an audience. I learned that an audience really wants to know what is going on. I have learned to let myself simply state what it is I am trying to get across instead of trying so hard to sound “smart”.
I have learned how to manage my time better in order to meet deadlines, and also to just keep myself up to date. I have gone beyond simply looking at the surface details. I’ve dived into the words to discover what many, smaller details are behind them. I learned to not worry so much about “right” and “wrong”, because the truth is all I really need to do is share my honest thoughts and views from my perspective to be successful. My ideas may not always be clear, but that is why I have learned to further explain things. Gaining the skill of further explaining I have also been able to give more helpful feedback to my peers, and their projects.
In August I came to school with the usual fear of being wrong. I overcame it pretty quickly, because it was not long before I was told in order to be successful I have to “dig deeper” and take a chance with my writing; that is the only way I will improve. I took a chance to be different, honest and got a comment on one of my blogs from the author, Daniel Pink, himself. Although the perspective I took on his book was different, because I was honest with my thoughts it caught his attention. I am far more confident, better informed about how much information I need to gather and organize in order to be successful in my project, and life in general.

Reflection

Yesterday looking up at the night sky, and I realized that I am slowly coping with my grandfather death. I am also realizing that in the process I am being even stricter and opened minded than what I was before not caring whether I hurt peoples feeling or not. I have placed a barrier  to keep my self from getting hurt, with the support group I hope I am able to slowly drop the barrier. Hopefully soon I will be able to refer to my grandfather without blaming someone for his death, and without crying.

I Am Better!

In August I doubted myself more than I should have. In August I believed that I would not be considered as a participant for the TEDxYouth conference. In August I had no idea how I would start work on my project. Now, in December my mind is made up, I have participated in the TEDxYouth, and I am ready to dive into working on my project.

I am more confident in my ideas, I realize that I can make them realities and I don't need anyone to tell me how to do it. By preparing for the conference I was able to get a taste of what working on my project would be like. It won't be easy but I am confident that I will be able to deliver an encouraging and captivating performance.

Have I become better then before?

Being the very introspective person that i am, I tend to gradually find my miistakes and my flaws and learn from them. Now in the past semester I honestly think that i have become better than I was in the beginning  of the year. In this past semester I feel like i have picked up on a few things that have made me more aware of the life ahead of me and what i need to do to become better.

In the beginning of the year, I wasn't very much aware of what i wanted to with my life, and wasn't sure of what to exactly what to expect out of my senior year. I wasn't sure how to go through my last year in high school.

Later as the year progressed and I started to become more aware of my project. I started to look into psychology and being my introspective self I asked myself questions of what am I going to do? and after answering my questions I came across my solutions. I've become more aware of the things around me such as the students, I've learned to be helpful with them and be friends with them also I have learned how to become focused on what is needed to be done such as school work and projects and how i should address certain situations.

In the end I think that I have become better because I've learned to be more interactive with people and my teachers. I've learned how it is to be part of a group and working with others, I have learned how to reflect better, and accept things in my life. It has been a real journey for me.

Reflection

Am I a better person now than I was at the beginning of this project? I would have to say yes. There is no doubt in my mind that this project has helped me grow as a person. I remember being very intimidated when the senior project was first assigned. Then when I finally figured out what I was going to do the pressure just increased. I wanted to paint a mural in a children's place in order to make a kid smile. I knew what I wanted to do, now I just had to figure out how to do it.
It took a lot from me having to e-mail and call people I don't know but I had to get over that timidness if I ever wanted to find a place to paint. Rebecca and I called the Make-A-Wish foundation and Texas Children's Hospital but even thought they liked our idea they couldn't provide us the space to make it happen. Those two were a bit of a disappointment but we did not give up. In the end, thanks to some connections a lady - Janet Peden - got interested and decided to offer us a place a wall in her Boys and Girls club. This process definitely taught me persistence and it paid off. We were able to get a place and accomplish the first part of our project.
This project also helped me learn more about smiling. I have always liked to smile but now I know that it can actually make a difference on a person. Specially on a child. It can make them be on a good mood, keep them away from depression, and send a signal to their body that everything can be okay, even if they are going through a hard time.
I have grown because now I see that I can make a difference on a person. This has made an even more cheerful person. I always say Hi! and smile to people walking by. I like talking even more to the younger kids. And I enjoy now more than ever spending time with my sister, Karen.
The steps Rebecca and I have taken is that we know now which days we are going to go over and start the painting process, mostly during creativity week but we also scheduled some Fridays. Now we need to start focusing on researching more about the smiling part.

Looking Back

At the end of the semester last year Ray and Susan gave us the task of coming up with a individual project that we could take all senior year to work on. The only thing to come to mind all summer was designing a city. Everything I read or experienced made me want to design a city even more throughout the vacation. At the beginning of the school year all I knew about designing a city was that it took a lot of time and work. Looking back at the start of the year, I see that I have developed a better understanding about what cities need to prosper, through my research I found that I can plan my time more wisely by digitizing before I make a model, and I have taken the biggest step to completing my project which is figuring out that I will be designing an urban/park sector of a city.

Modern cities are disruptive to the environment without Green buildings and technology. A city doing well ecologically says a lot about its livability. The greener a city is, the more success it is able to have. Therefore it is important to keep in mind each buildings impact when designing, which for me is going to be one of the main focuses in making the city.

Sometimes when I look back at something I learned, I find that it should have been obvious to me. Tricks for time management was one thing I overlooked at the beginning of the year. I thought that it would be safe to make model buildings one by one and just put them in a city setting. Now I know that it is smarter and easier to make a digital version and model based it off of that.

The biggest burden I had at the beginning of the year was deciding on what to model. The decision proved to be based off of personal appeal and showability. I chose to design an urban/park sector in a city because I liked the idea of a better green space in a downtown. I also chose it because I could more affectively portray the different elements of a city; Buildings, streets, houses, shops, parks, etc...

Better Than Yesterday

I started out in August not knowing what I was going to do with my Senior Project. I was going from topic after. I was so indecisive. I had no focus and I wasn't really thinking about what my passions were. I just thought that I should do something to help my school. When I realized that I wasn't really motivated, I realized it was because I wasn't doing what I really loved.

I love to sing. So once I made up my mind that I would sing, I came to a road block with trying to narrow down a specific idea for my project. Now, at this point, I have a fairly detailed outline of what my project will consist of.

As an assignment for our Senior Project, we were asked to create a TEDtalk for our school. This project helped me narrow down my ideas and it has also helped me realize that I have all the inspiration I need.

The biggest skill I have learned is that things won't come out the way I want them to. I am a perfectionist, so this bothered me tremendously. I had to learn to accept the fact that things will not always come out the way I want them to. If I did I would never get anything done.

When I started to get a better idea of what my project was going to be about, I started to look up how notes affected the brain and soothed people. That helped me realize that I wanted to talk about inspiration. While I was looking up this information, I was listening to music. The music was inspiring. That is when I knew that I was going to talk about inspiration and how music did that for me.

Am I better than yesterday? Another question of the past

Looking over this semester and at all the blogs I’ve done has made me realize all the progress I’ve made from the first day when I thought I would try to get a built in pool here at Chinquapin and take up learning to cut hair. It’s amazing to me how much my project has evolved and grown into something I truly feel passionate about. For once I feel as if I have the ability and chance to pursue my dream of making my own CD strictly composed of me from the beats, to the lyrics, ideas, time management, and recording-and-editing skills. I actually see potential in my final product being able to help students re-gain the confidence and motivation they never knew they had.

So am I better than I was yesterday? Have I become better than I was at the beginning of the school year? The answer is most definitely and tremendously. Giving that my project has gone a long way from topic to topic, I have learned to develop my ideas into a realistic form that embraces my interests and has a purpose for myself as well as being used effectively by giving something back to the community. Throughout the process of developing our senior bog posts (page), I gained the habit of maintaining my page in order to keep my audience updated on my projects progress and what my next step was going to be. I also gained the habit of giving off constructive feedback in order to receive the same feedback for a better project from different perspectives. I as well-gained skills for creating an ornate project based page in which I had to learn to embed, link websites, video, and audio on my page.

At first I didn’t think there would be much research for writing lyrics and creating music, but through my Google searches on music composition, I found out otherwise. There is so much for songwriters to learn about music; from psychology to the effects beats have on wave patterns in our brains. From my findings, my thought process for making beats had been enriched due to the fact that I knew that different counts used in beats and instruments project usage of different parts of the brain which creates ways of thinking and moods fallen into. From there on my planning of beats had to be re-made because I would write my rhymes first and compose beats after, but I had to re-plan that procedure vice versa.

So far I have taken multiple steps for executing my plan in order to get to the final product of my project. I had to develop my topic, learn to create a project page and ornate it, research, and gather a script for speeches introducing my project and the significance it has on me. I also had to reach out, through advertising my project, to my mentor, faculty members, and individuals within the profession of music. Last but not least, I had to dedicate and manage my time wisely in order to find time to experiment with composing beats that stimulate the moods I want my listeners to feel. With all being said I must say that I have grown so much and am way better than I was yesterday.

Look Back In Silence

Definitely. The first time I even thought about this project was over the summer while I was working at the Children’s Museum of Houston. The second time was at a college interview when
they’d ask me what sort of stories did I write about. So yes, my project has come a long way and still has room for improvement. I still need to write, write, write and write! The process never ends until the crowd is happy to even review it.

At the beginning of the school year I had a vague idea as to what was my project. Know I have the answer but it’s up to me to get it out there. My skills have developed in the writing department but still there’s room for improvement. My story-telling skills are the only thing keeping my play alive but I have to show what’s is going to blow people’s mind away. Writing a play is something not just anyone can do but a few. I’ve definitely started to show some progress in my protect in the sense I’m looking for the help by participating in a theatre group.

I’ve grown to be a little more comfortable with sharing my weirdness with other people. Some of these amazing people are just as crazy as me but have good intentions in mind. I’ve also starting feeling less ashamed of how I behave in public during dances and performances. The possibilities for me are endless, I just have to take a course and stick through it. Will I write a play, will I have it published or performed? These are the questions I’ve already answered and my first step is to get the play written down before anything else can happen.

Better Man

So in the past semester, I have learned much about the legislature concerning Driver's Ed. and who can teach it. I have managed to nail down and contemplate what I plan to do, and I have given myself purpose. I actually want to do this, because I believe it, not just because I am being graded. Learning what needs to be done has given me goals to strive for and hurdles to overcome. More than anything, I can say that this project combined with Close Up has given me the reason and ability to contact my representative (now if only he had reason and ability to contact me back).

In light of all these things I've learned, I would like to say that I am better. By no means would I say by much, but I am better. I think that I have learned enough and applied enough to make myself a more driven person and, also, a more informed person. Isn't that the whole purpose of this project, more than having us leave our mark?

One step toward the ones I still have ahead of me...

While everything that I have done and written in my personal blog Soul Singing shows that I have made progress, I have yet to feel satisfaction of signing. I have read to the writings of Joann Deak (preventive psychologist) who has spent years researching about the development of girls and how their environments can shape the way that they will act and become. I have realized that I became self-conscious (shy) because of prior experiences when I sang before an audience. This is one of the reasons, I joined Speech and Debate class because I knew that I enjoyed reciting poems but if I didn't get out of my comfort zone I would never recite a poem in public nor perform a song which is one of my goals for my project. That was one step I took toward the many I still have to take.

Today, I have a better understanding of what I had when I started brainstorming for my senior project. I know that I that I will carry out an experiment that will reinforce the research carried by Joann Deak and many other scientists. The purpose of this experiment is to actually collect qualitative research that will give me an insight as to what girls think and feel from two different economic and racial spectrum's. Girls are girls in any place of the world but they are affected by different influences and that is something that is fact that could become helpful for the further development of teenage girls today. I also know that even though I have progressed in some ways with my research I have been set back with my lack of organization. I see that for the next semester I have to set deadlines and organize my time to work more efficiently and effectively.

For the second part of my project which is singing I have made little progress if any. I have attempted to find a voice teacher to help me gain confidence in my voice in order to sing publicly but I have yet to find someone. The odd thing is that I always sing at home. At home I sing all around my house, print lyrics, and record my voice all the time. I sing to the wind because no one ever tells me to be quiet. When I sing at home, I connect and transmit the emotion of whatever song I'm singing. I now know that that is the reason I truly sing. I sing because I reach a connection with God when I sing his song. This connection makes me feel happiness and fulfillment. This Christmas dinner, I will attempt to sing with Chassidy Smith the song "This Christmas" by Donny Hathway. It should be a grand step toward improvement.
Overall I have grown in many ways and I have had the good fortune of having Susan Davis and Jan Ott mentoring me through the process of my Senior Project this semester.

Pursuiting A Dream

Am I better now that I was yesterday?

Of course. Back then I would only hear about the DREAM Act and then simply hope that someday it would pass. I've also learned about the importance of hearing both sides of the story. I always wondered why people were reluctant towards the bill, and know I know why it sparks so much debate and emotions.

As of now, I feel like I know a lot about the controversy around the DREAM Act, and why some media portrays is as a "nightmare". After hearing both sides of the story, I've learned that most of the negative critcism of the bill is because of people being misinformed. Some people think that the DREAM Act, is a free ticket to citizenship for illegals. Well, it's not a ticket, and it's not free at all. The bill won't give illegals citizenship, it will only open the doors for many of them. Mostly these are Republicans, but I have been glad to see some Republicans that are in favor of the Dream Act are so because they are well informed about the DREAM Act.

I am planning on getting the school involved. After my presentation on the DREAM Act at school to a small portion of students, I wouldn't mind giving it in front of a larger crowd. I also want to get the school involved, I'm going to start out by writing an article on the Burr, and then probably give a speech to the entire school during circle ceremony. I see this project headed in a good direction.

Painting Smiles and Lessons Learned

I think that every day we learn from our experiences and become a better person that the day prior.

In regard to my senior project I do believe that I have become a better person that I was in August. Before starting on the physical project there have been many failing and successful moments.

With my senior project I have discovered that making my dreams come true is a lot harder than I had imagined. I had had this vision to paint a mural and I could see it and all, but the journey there has been a lot harder than I had imagined.

So far I have really learned how to be interactive with the professional world. I have learned how to introduce myself and the project formally in hopes that others will listen to our project.

I have grown to learn that ideas take a lot of time to plan and process. I now have learned to deal with being rejected. For example when we called hospitals asking if we could paint a mural for their children it was really crushing to have to hear them reject our project.

My thinking has been enriched by research by looking at other muralists’ art and getting ideas for our own project. Research has also helped us find different colors that will make the mural be a more positive influence on the children of the center. Finding out what colors will bring children have really helped in knowing what we don’t want to do or what colors we will try to avoid.

Steps that we will be taking for the future and to keep on pushing for our project are learning about lesson planning for the art classes that we will be teaching aside from painting. Other future plans are to figure out the actual mural with its colors so we can get the approval of the staff of the center and most importantly, the children.

Becoming Better

When I first started my senior project I simply had an idea but I didn't know how I would realize it. Now, my idea is beginning to formulate into something tangible. I have struggled with keeping up with the blogs and doing a good job of documenting my progress but I'm slowly starting to do a better job of this.

As far as improving my Jiu-Jitsu, I haven't been able to do as much as I would like simply because of the amount of time that senior year requires. However, I have been improving slightly, working on what I can in the time that I have. When the year began, I would do things as they came up, I would struggle to meet deadlines but I have had to learn to manage my time better.

My sense of commitment has increased as well. I have set aside time to drilling and I'm doing it without too much difficulty, when before I would say I would do something and then talk myself out of it.

When I see what I can do now compared to what I could before, I must admit that I am better today than I was yesterday. Not just in class and with my project, but with my Jiu-Jitsu as well.

To Persevere Or Not Persevere?

It has been a relentless assignment for me to continue and make my project clear to everyone, yet it seems so simple. I have brought my project so a small halt in order to review what I have done for the past 4 months. It has been a struggle for myself and my peers to come across such a difficult mission as to be sent out to not only do our homework after excruciating days of lectures, tests and papers. But, also we were given a year long assignment to confront a project that involves whatever we wish, but to fulfill it is complicated. I have under went stress, research, proposals, to come up with something to do with movies. To reply to the question whether or not my time spent in my production of making my project come true is yet to be seen, but I will say this: I have improved tremendously since the starts of this year. I now have the ability to prepare, plan and execute a proposal and fulfill a project. I acquired not only skills to organize projects or proposals, but also emotions. I learned patience, perseverance, and met deadlines. i still have much to go, but so far I have done well. I'm still in a tight spot as to choosing my review panel, but I'm in the process of completing that task as well. I not only grown mentally to where I can research and seek the necessary factors for a plan to be completed, but also I now know that this is the way life and college will work out to be in the future. To starts out now is just a step towards a greater good.

Better Than Yesterday?

Was I better today than I was yesterday? Am I better today than I was in August? These are two questions that flow through my mind at the moment. They aren't easy questions that require a simple yes or no, instead they require a complex answer that show how you have become better than the previous days. I feel like I am doing a lot better now than at the beginning of school and my project. I remember stressing almost everyday because I felt like school and my project were too difficult for me to handle. I tried to do everything at once because I wanted time for myself where I didn't have to worry about finishing an assignment. Week after week, essay after essay, and test after test, I felt like I couldn't handle the situation. It felt as though things were thrown my way and I didn't have a chance to duck for cover. But after going through all of that, I learned to take things slowly. I learned to not try to consume everything in at once. I split things a part and gave each thing a time. So what I am trying to say is that I learned to manage my time better. Trying to conduct research, finish school assignments and organize my project taught me determination and motivation. Without following my project through I would not be in the position I am right now. I would continue to struggle if it wasn't for my devoted mind. Also seeing others struggle has motivated me to not slack off. Researching has taught me a great deal as well. It has taught me to prepare for failure and always have a backup plan. The steps that I have taken to execute my plans are that I have contacted people who are able to help me put together my group therapy and set up dates to interview counselors so that I can have a better understanding of what I'm up against. Planning ahead is a key procedure that I am utilizing to carry out my project.

LESS USAGE

Does the drive book really help someone become a leader? In a way yes it does help people become leaders but using it too much like we do in school isn't much of a help because then the leadership rule that the drive book has is taken into a literal account, rather than just taking the suggestions into account and work with them according to the person's best abilities. The surveys that the class of 2011 took during our junior year were to help us figure out what strengths we had as a leader, but if you really look at the result some were not so accurate for certain people due to the fact that they were neutral from over half of the questions. When the class read what their results were since it wasn't fully pushed on us we were able to take those suggestions and work them into our personality.

Another summer book to read

To be honest, I was sort of excited to read Daniel Pink's book Drive because at the time Susan and Ray had just pumped us up with these ideas of making a difference and leaving a trade mark before we leave school, and just because I keep an ear open to new things even if I already know them. The first couple of chapters turned me off and my flame of inspiration was quick to go out, so I left it off until the last week before school started. When I picked the book back up it was a drag until I read about how we seem to be motivated by "sticks and carrots." I could relate to various situations in my life when I was only doing things when I got paid, but when I didn't I performed a poor job. Though he talked about being rewarded as a way to motivate, I also related to Pink as he wrote about how some are motivated by inner-self rewards, and I agree because I feel the same when I'm at school; even if it's not a grade I go for it because i know it's only helping me out with every extra piece of knowledge I gain.

I extremely admired where he said that major companies were given a "Fed-Ex" day to work on whatever project the want and deliver it over night. I liked this because I never knew and never would of thought that companies did this; I always had the image of companies as a strict, tuck in your shirt, boring type of place to work at. I immediately felt how it could benefit a company, person, and world after reading that post-its were invented over a Fed-Ex day at a company. Overall after readink Pink's Drive, my eyes were open to new things about myself and how I function to realizing how flexible well known companies really are.

Again

When I first read this book, as a mater of fact i was quite disinterested. I started reading and it just  seemed like another author's philosophy on life. I already read the bible, why do i need someone else telling about life? Though, the ideas behind motivation in the human race are quite complex and Daniel Pink tries to uncover them all to our world. I would have more to write if i was in disagreement with him, but the truth is I'm not. I can compare his text with situations in my life like the simple idea of carrots and sticks. It works for a while, but after a while, i just became interested in reward. That motivation had to come from within and that's the only thing that truly drives us. It brings success if we are interested in something and not forced to do it

Drive Yourself

Before reading Drive, terms such as “sticks and carrots”, extrinsic/intrinsic motivation, type I behavior, type X behavior, flow and Motivation 2.0/3.0 were never a part of my vocabulary. I didn’t understand why I did what I did or even how I did what I did. I just did something without giving any thought to it. Then I would continue on with my life. When I got the book drive I glanced at the book cover and thought, “Why are we getting a book that tells us about driving?” I didn’t even look at the subtext that clearly stated what the book basically was about: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. In my mind, I felt that this book would have no interest to me and that I would only read it because I was obligated to. Little did I know that this book would have a major impact on my perspective of many things.


While reading this book, I agreed on and was awed by many of the facts that the eloquent author, Daniel Pink, gave us. I started to relate to many of the things that was said. I remember when I used to get paid to take out the trash, clean my room, make my mom’s bed, and vacuum the entire house. I did those things because I was extrinsically motivated to do so. This went on for a while until one day I didn’t receive any payment. I put less effort into my chores, even when the “sticks” kicked in. The longer time progressed, the more I started to slack off. Then, one day I decided to clean because I was happy that I did well on a test earlier that day. When my mom came home, from a long, stressful day at work, and noticed the house clean, she gave me gratitude. Later that day, I reflected back and came to a conclusion that not only did it feel great to get praised for doing a good deed, but it felt great to do chores. I immediately thought about myself as being crazy for liking how I felt during chore-time. I never could explain this awkward feeling, until now. I was in “flow” when doing chores. The amount of time I had to clean the entire house before my mom came home was very little. It was difficult to complete the task in time, but not impossible.

After reading this book, and learning about type I and type X behavior, I realized, that as a teen, I showed some characteristics of type X behavior. At times, I would only do things for extrinsic recognition. Immediately, I wanted to change this type of behavior. Now that I am aware of the consequences of type X behavior in the long-run, I tend to think more about how and why I do things. I want to do things because they make me happy and because they are better for me and others around me in the long-run. I am more aware of my “drive” and how I can use it to the best of my abilities. I’ve learned that with a purpose and with autonomy you can improve your “drive.” Nothing feels better than completing something when you want to, how you want to, and with whom you want to. And with a purpose, completing something is easier and more “fun.”

You may be wondering, “Why did you take all your time just to write this long post, Robert?” Besides the obvious fact that this was a mandatory assignment, it is because I want you all to think about what is your “drive.” Then I want you to ponder upon how to master your “drive” to by always having a purpose and autonomy.

SELF

As soon the book "Drive" by Daniel Pink was put into my hands my first thoughts were completely negative. I said to myself "Oh man. Why do we have to read this book, especially over the summer." To be honest I put off even reading the book till the last minute, which was actually late august. Finally though when I decided to sit down and actually read the book I digested so much of it that it actually changed some things in the way that i see things and the way that I stand, for example Daniel pink talks about being self directed and to be honest i have never seen myself as a self-directed person. Usually when people aren't around I don't go and do the proper and right thing. Usually i follow the crowd and just play along like everything is fine and dandy. After reading Drive however i decided to look into what he was saying about how a person should be driven into doing the right thing even when someone isn't looking because thats were it counts the most, and as a senior I have had to learn to push myself to stay focused and on target because i could just go and do something else for example at evening study hall I could say forget my homework and go to sleep but instead i decide to stay driven and do my homework because in the long run it affects me the most and even though there is no one there to congratulate me, my rewards come from within.

The Meaning of Life

I plan on writing a book on life. Now some may say it is to broad of a subject but I feel that it isn't. I've read many books that have just focused on some aspects on life and when I read these books, I have wished they talk more about the general subject on life and I understand that it is a broad subject but I feel like I can cover all aspects of it. Now only at the age of 17 some may say "I'm not old enough or haven't lived long enough to experience life" but the strange thing is that I have read many book son life and I ponder on life for most of my time. I may not have experienced much but I sure can talk about it. But all in all I plan on just giving a different view on life, that some may not have realized. There are many things to life then the basic routine lives we live and its a very special gift and I want everyone to realize it.

My Comment to Lucy's Blog

I completely agree with you Lucy this summer I got awarded a scholarship to attend to the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)after applying for the second time. I knew how much I wanted to challenge myself and I was not going to give up on applying. Apparently persistence is a good quality. But I didn't get what I wanted instead destiny was determined to challenge me to the fullest it was in my hands to take it or leave it. Whitewater rating and kayaking? Yes. I had no idea how to swim or even of what this course was going to consist of but I did not let this intimidate me. Drive is a quality that comes/ emerges from the heart without this quality we can not truly learn how to master something.

I am worried, not excited

When we first received Daniel Pink's Drive, to be honest I just kept thinking..."Oh no...it's just another motivational book". The reason I thought this was because with motivational speeches or books all they do at first is stir you up and excite you during that time, but afterwards that excitement wears off. We really should not be excited after reading the book, we should be worried about why the motivation we had before didn't last us until we read this book. I mean because one of the reasons we read it is to start fresh and motivated in out senior year. What can we do to keep our motivation alive throughout the whole year? Our creativity? Especially since we started this exciting new senior seminar project, we want our creativity to be flowing out of us.
Reading Drive, I realized that the reward we get affects us. I mean one would think we would feel motivated with a prize to work harder, be more creative, and win that prize, but that is not always the case. I love the Creativity section he talks about on pages 42-46. On page 46 he mentions, "It is those who are least motivated to pursue extrinsic rewards who eventually receive them". I went crazy when I read this line because it is completely true! Last year I had in mind receiving some academic awards for classes I thought I excelled. I tried hard to study and to get the highest grade, but the result was pure disaster. I ended up with no awards and tears on my face. I now realize, with help of Drive, that I was learning to widen my knowledge. So to answer my first question, what can we do to keep our motivation and creativity alive throughout the whole year? Well we should focus on gaining knowledge and joy out of what we are learning. If we work and learn this way, when it comes to our senior seminar project (even if we don't get the results we wanted), I'm pretty sure we will get full satisfaction, and motivation and creativity left over.

Students...start your engines

So all these years we have, basically, been doing it "wrong". After reading Drive by Dan Pink and discussing it at school with my teachers and friends, I realize the truth and importance of the "right" motivation. Of course, there are different situations and different personalities, but there are also different ways of approaching motivation. There are many ways to motivate and stir up creativity in people other than the typical “carrots and sticks” as Pink points out.
School has a certain monotonous nature. Teachers assign homework, depending on the class the assignment is usually around the same format year-round. They assign the homework, and basically your reward is your grade. It turns into work, and I may say it can be dreadful. Teachers want their students to love to learn, but it gets hard when your homework tends to suck all the joy out of learning. That is why I am so glad our school has opened up to the idea of 20 percent time. This year seniors have two days out of the week to work on a project. Anything we would like to do. This, honestly, gives me more motivation to go to school. I want to show everyone what I can do and I want to work hard on it.
In our classes, our teachers have opened up the floor and their lesson plans. We get to have some say in what we want to learn. This makes the class more interesting and exciting. It turns into fun; play. This book would have never been a book that I would have picked up on my own. It may have been directed more to the work/business setting but it works in the school setting as well. I’m glad I was assigned to read Drive because not only is it helping me learn and discover new things in my school work, but it also helped me realize what my teachers go through to try to get us to love to learn and to motivate us.

ROWE in school

ROWE In School
In Daniel .H. Pink Drive, chapter four he speaks about a certain company that uses a strategy called ROWE, (result-only work environment) which means working without a schedule. In reading about ROWE I believe that using this strategy works more than putting a person under deadlines.When Gunther the owner of a company, implemented ROWE in his workplace the productivity increased.I believe that our school should implement ROWE on our students when it comes to certain classes such as math or English. In chinquapin certain teachers give lessons at the beginning of class and then allow the students to do work. I think that the students that feel comfortable enough with the lesson that has been taught should be able to leave the classroom as long as they turn in there assignments on time. I believe that if students were able to leave early from class it would give them the freedom to work as they please, in a place where they feel more comfortable, and and where they would be more willing to finish there work. This would also show the student responsibility which would make them more willing to do what is expected of them. Using ROWE also shows that the teacher has trust in the student and will make the student feel as if he/she was being treated as an adult instead of a little kid that has to be reminded of his/her work

Self-Directed

One of the lines that caught my attention as I read Drive by Daniel Pink was "But since they don't have bosses themselves, there's nobody to manage or motivate them. They have to be self-directed. This statement reminds me much of why the class of 11 are seniors. In the next year we will have times when no one is going to be watching over us and well this mean we have to do what we are supposed to. We have to self-directed. We have to be self-motivated to do our best. We have to achieve in as many was possible, even if no one is there to give us credit. We have to do it to see the outcome and feel great about ourselves. It is incredible how most people never even realized that Wikipedia is made by people who aren't getting paid. Wikipedia is an important source that most of the world uses. This is a great example of one of the great things that have become from people being self-directed. Imagine what us Seniors (Class of '11) can do just by being self-directed. I am pretty sure we will see some of this greatness in our Senior Projects.

My response to Lucy's post.

I can't at this moment comment on anyone's blog because I'm using my sister's 1st generation Mac but I wanted to say a few things to Lucy, in response to her blog.

A. You and I can relate, this summer I challanged myself to write more often because I felt this was the only way I would improve as a writer. Sometimes it was hard, words didn't necessarily make sense but I kept them because eventually they do.
( if you want to see some of my writing over the summer go here: http://lorenaperezfiction.webs.com/

B. You're right about rewards, they've have been used for ages as motivation. I too did some volunteer work at The Children's Museum and it was probably the best thing I did (beside my trip to Costa Rica. Making the guests at the museum happy put me in a good mood and it made me want to go back every day but also there were the perks' : Free access to every exhibit, ice-cream parties, and shirts! Last but not least, the people you work with, they were a bunch of strangers to me at the start of June and by August they became good friends to me. Yes,I am glad you enjoyed your time at the Zoo, everyone knows animals mean a lot to you and that's something you can probably explore more this year. Maybe you can hold a small expo about animals that live in Highlands and how the local farmers in the area can take care of them better.

Cheers :D

My Drive

I have been VERY busy this summer and I have always come to this blog and clicked on the "new post" button various times but never got around to typing. I started reading DRIVE while working at the Houston Zoo this summer and somehow found some of the ideas mentioned in the book similar to what I was doing on my own. I am going to be honest and say that this book wasn't my favorite but it did open my eyes to a lot of things. For example, whenever the author mentioned about offering a reward, like money, for an action to be done can be dangerous I could honestly say to myself I have witnessed that. My younger sister doesn't enjoy reading and so during the summer my family has accustomed her to read and she knows she will receive an amount of money in return. Obviously she finds a way to not really read the book and receive the reward. It reminded me about the part in the book where the idea of a not so well job done will be a consequence. On the other hand I realized that my love for animals and volunteer work is the other type of motivation mentioned in the book. I first applied to the Houston Zoo Crew program because I would love to spend my summer working with animals and gaining more knowledge about them. As I worked my hundred hours I realized that I was being rewarded in small ways, such as, discounts, the laughter of the campers and knowledge. The book then became a bit more interesting to me because I realized how much these kind of scenarios happen everyday and one goes through life not really paying much attention to it. My drive this summer was keeping myself busy helping others while in return gaining many rewards that weren't always necessarily money.

Quick Comment

It was fun reading everyone's posts! You all deserve brownies in my opinion. I haven't been on in a while but to see that my fellow classmates took the initiative to post their comments and thoughts was exciting.

I've been busy like a bumble bee baking blueberry biscuits. I wish I had more summer time to get everything done before school but it seems that I'm out of luck. I'm happy though. I can't wait to share my experiences over the summer with everyone. Drive has been applicable to so much of what I've done. From working in the corporate world to hanging with friend. I wish I could dedicate the next few hours to writing about it all but school starts in 10 hours and i still haven't even made an attempt to get ready. The purpose of this post, however, is to say that I could write a book about Drive and how it's affected my thought and experiences this summer, but time does not permit.

Can't wait to see everyone tomorrow!

David Copeland

Notes From Drive 8/15/2010

Here are some notes I've taken but whether they're good or not is up to y'all.

1. How do I motivate myself to do anything at all?
- Pink writes that if someone is given his/her own schedule(that they can follow), then it's more likely they will do their job and produce something of good quality.

I like this notion because whenever we're given deadlines, I start to get a bit nervous as to how the result will turn out. Don't get me wrong, I'm serious about my education but the best results that anyone is going to get from me is in A. They give me enough time and B. Don't ask me every minute, hour, day about how the project is coming along. (I'll just leave it here for now)

- Mr. Pink suggests that in between work, we take some time off.

I think he called this ROWE but I'm not too certain. Working for a big company and having to stay there from various hour of the night can be frustrating and exhausting. As an employee, will I finish the work by the end of my shift, probably? Will I give it 100%, not so sure about that one. Anyhow, ROWE suggests we take a break from the heavy work load and relax. Let's us contemplate about other things such as how this years soccer team will improve. Little things can really put us at ease and I think this will help a lot of Chinquapin students, especially the seniors since we have to not only focus on school work but on college applications.


2. What I really think about Mr. Pink and his book.
This book just serves to prove another point that Chinquapin also tries to plant in our heads: You have to go beyond normality and do something that defines you as a person. That's why this is a good book for young people(such as myself) to remember why we go to school and after that it becomes more about the decisions that we make that will take toll in our lives. I thought also this was a sneaky way to make me realize, my gosh, I've yet to learn anything. There is so much that the world has to offer, I haven't even begun to understand what lies ahead. Drive, Drive, it can mean so many things but it's up to you, me and the rest of the world to make it what we want it to be.

Let's find our Drive...

When i first got this book I wasn't really interested in reading it. First of all because I didn't see a story in it and, personally, I like a book with a plot I can relate too. But as i started reading it i have to admit there were several occasions where I would find myself nodding in agreement to what Pink was sayin. Especially when he talks about the three essential elements; autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

I find the three elements to be so true. For example, I think we all share a broad autonomy: a better education in whatever our fields end up being. Isn't that why we are at Chinquapin? We all want to do better than McDonald. Not htat there is anything wrong with that. What would be wrong is to not take advantage of the opportunity we have and seek to improve ourselves. The opportunity to start at a McDonald and then works our way up to something better. That's where mastery comes in because in order to get better at something or move forward we need to improve ourselves and our skills. That's what college is for, right? But not just to get better in general but to get better at whatever we want to do. Whether its at creating music as a musician, or designing buildings as an architect, or dealing with numbers as an accountant. It really doesn't matter what we choose as long as we have a passion for it. A passion that becomes our purpose. Because musicians create music for other to enjoy, architects build so that others can admire, and accountants do their math so that a business can run without going bankrupt.

I think this year we should all strive to find what drives us. Including me, cause honestly I don't really know what i want to be when i grow up. If we find our drive and not lose sight of it then it should get easier.

I'm Not The Greatest Driver

As Susan handed me this book I couldn't help but wonder why she would give us a book about driving. I quickly realized this book wasn't about a drive we can control, but about a drive that controls us.

What exactly is my drive? I never really thought about this question till after I read this book. I also thought about how many times a teacher has "encouraged" me to do great in a paper with rewards. I also got to thinking aren't grades rewards as well? Are grades really necessary?

As you can see a lot of questions arose in me. I thought a lot about how when we are little our parents teach us to respond to punishments and rewards. Parents would offer us a cookie if we made our bed. Why couldn't they just expect us to do it by ourselves? I mean we would have done it eventually right?

I have noticed that the natural drive everyone has helps create something much more unique then when we are pressured. I like to surpass my boundaries just like a lot of people. Have you ever noticed how little kids are always wanting to jump higher, run faster, or be better at something. Once we become young adults, we always tend to expect something in return for our achievements. It's time for a change..

I Finally Found The Drive to Write My Blog

I completed my reading about a month after school ended and since then I have been struggling with exactly what to blog about. Here it is August 1oth, less than a week before school starts, and still I haven't decided what to write about. So I've decided to just go for it, here goes.

Before I had even read the first chapter of Drive I was enthralled by the introduction. Pink writes, "Rewards can deliver a short-term boost --- just as a jolt of caffeine can keep you cranking for a few more hours. But the effect wears off ---and, worse, can reduce a person's long-term motivation to continue the project." (pg.8). That statement is so true and it helped me to understand a lot of things that I have experienced. I remember back in elementary school one of the little girls from my neighborhood (let's call her Susie) was really enthused about a new rewarding system her school had come up with. The deal was that every student that got commended performance on their TAKS test (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) would receive a check for fifty dollars (Keep in mind the fact that we were in the third grade, so fifty dollars is alot of money.). So Susie took the test and got the fifty dollars. Well, the nest year when it was time to take the test again she found out that there would be no reward and here attitude towards succeeding changed. She didn't care if she passed or not because she couldn't get the fifty dollars.

That school got what they wanted, state recognition, but at a greater price than they had prepared for. They had given the children the wrong kind of motivation and in return they got little to no self-motivation and made the kids expect to be rewarded for succeeding. These children were given a short-term boost and no long-term motivation. So as far-fetched as Pink ideas seem they are true and I got all of this from a couple of sentences in the introduction.

She's Back...

I've been enjoying watching the conversations grow on this blog! You all have some great ideas, and I'm glad to see you are applying them to your personal goals and your work at school. (See especially Marcos's blog about homework and independence at Chinquapin.) You are already showing your leadership by participating in this blog and taking the risk of sharing your ideas here.

Now I would like to see the "lurkers" who have not yet participated chime in. We are getting closer to the start of school (August 16th!), and the rest of you most certainly should have started your reading of Drive by now.  If you are not sure where you might jump in, I suggest that you pull a passage (a sentence or two) that speaks to you and just respond to that.  (Don't forget to cite the page number.)  You don't have to have read and digested the entire book to be able to dive into the conversation.

How about it?  Which passage got you thinking?  Was it about autonomy, like Tito's blog below?  Or was it about mastery?  What about the significance of having a sense of purpose in what you do?

As you blog about your thoughts and reflections, don't forget to include "labels" (also called tags).  Include a label of your first name and at least one for the main idea of your blog.  As you can see from the "tag cloud" on the right, your name or topic gets bigger the more you use a particular tag.  And, frankly, my name is way too big here!  I want to see more from you than from me.

Finally, I want to thank the teachers -- Jeremy D., Amanda, and Amulya -- who have taken the time to participate in the conversation.  This all makes me very excited about the coming year and our work together.

(And a few members of the Class of 2011 are still missing.  Where are they?  Please encourage them to get on board!  I would like to see a post from everyone in the next week.)

The freedom of autonomy

The other day I was reading over the chapter of "autonomy" and the first thing I did was look up the word autonomy, because honestly I didnt know what it meant and plus I was curious. When I found out what it meant "independence or freedom" that like sparked this wirlwind of things of what the chapter could be about. I was thinking "okay maybe this is about the freedom of doing what you want to do, to self motivate you" and I was somewhat close. When I started reading the rest of the chapter and Pink was startig to go into how companies have been florishing because they have given there employees certain days to fix a problem on software or there own project and many thiings where coming out of it, like Google creating all their side branches like Gmail etc. Then it hit me. As seniors we have a responibility to set an example for the rest of the school and try to rub off on them and think that a way we could leave our mark on the school. Is to try to teach the students what we know about things. I was thinking we could have some sort of like "session" or whatever you want to call it for some students. I dont know if it could actually work but it was just a thought of mine.

Intrinsic motivation in Chinquapin

As Chapter 1 of Drive explains, Motivation 2.0 works by rewarding people for doing a good job, punishing them when things are not working, and keeping a very close eye on them. As we can see by reading the novel, this sort of structure is being less frequently used in business and replaced by a self-driven motivation. My question is, wouldn't this also work in Chinquapin?

People who work using intrinsic motivation do jobs that are interesting- non-routine work. These people are self-motivated, and therefore they need to be less monitored. I saw Chinquapin take a similar direction last year with the addition of a new rule- high school guys on the high honor roll didn't need to attend night study hall. Instead, these guys did their homework in their own dormitory, and, every now-and-then, on their own beds. As the year culminated, these students did pretty well.

Now, I don't know if Ray, who came up with this idea, had read Drive before, but this new rule showed a perfect example of how intrinsic motivation works. The students were were not monitored, and still managed to have positive results on their tests and quizzes. They were not monitored, forcing them to be self-driven and to work at their own pace . This privilege set up a "purpose maximizer" environment. Students were able to turn on their stereo and find more creative ways to do their homework, making the task more enjoyable.

I know there are many other ways to add intrinsic motivation to Chinquapin, but the positive result of this "experiment" by Ray could lead to Chinquapin being run by a new "operating system", something I definitely wouldn't mind.

You're Off...!

I'm glad to see more members of the Class of 2011 starting to make an appearance here, and I'm even more thrilled to see the conversations beginning to emerge! If you are still a lurker and don't know where to start, you might pick a passage from Pink's book to respond to, or you might raise a question about one of his key points. In the end, though, you should bring all of this back to you -- how does what you learn from Pink relate to your understanding of your own sense of motivation and how you might cultivate it?

Now that this blog is beginning to take off, I am going to invite more faculty to comment on what you are saying. The faculty is reading Drive too! And, who knows, before the end of the summer, I might invite Dan Pink himself! Meanwhile, you might not hear so much from me -- I am actually going on vacation in Maine, where I may or may not have Internet access. I hope when I get back to find an explosion of creative ideas and discussion here!

PS. Don't forget to add labels for your posts. Also, you can begin playing with adding links to other relevant sites or videos or photographs. Remember, if you add material from others that you need to credit your source and only add material you have permission to disseminate (look for "Creative Commons" permissions to be safe). I'm adding a video below of Dan Pink's presentation for TED. TED Talks makes its "ideas worth spreading" available to others via Creative Commons permissions.

My Thoughts

I hadn't had a chance to begin reading Daniel H. Pink's book today due to other activities that I have going on this summer until today. I was at work when it started raining hard and I had to come home. Finally having time to read the book, I picked it up and didn't stop reading it until now that I finished it.

The purpose of Pink's book is to present a new view on the topic of motivation. Although it might come as a surprise to some people to learn that external motivation isn't the best tool to coax a person into doing something, it makes sense to me that internal motivation is the better medium available. I had been contemplating this idea before, but after reading Drive, there is no doubt in my mind that a persons true motivation comes from within.

It makes sense that you would motivate yourself to do something as a result of interest rather than reward. The reason that I think this is true is that I think that there is more to life than waiting around for the next paycheck, or recognition for that matter. When I think about it, if people lived to enjoy their lives rather than worrying about superficial matters then the world would be more productive. Pink argues that this is true because we have an internal drive to be active rather than sit idly waiting for the world to pass us by. We all have share this. Even the monkeys that are presented to us in the introduction. They solved the puzzles for the simple joy of accomplishing the task, in a way this is self fulfillment, this is the same way that I have seen myself behaving. I do what I do because I enjoy it, not because I expect anyone to give me anything. I want to constantly push my limits to see what I can accomplish, however I don't do it for anyone's benefit but my own.

I agree that money is an important factor in life, but it's not the most important thing out there. I work during the summer, from six to five; the pay isn't that good, but I find myself working just to do something. Nothing feels better than coming back home from a long day at work to a cold shower, knowing that I have done something, the pay is a bonus. Honestly how many of you feel bored when you have nothing to do? Doing something should be it's own reward because it inhibits our life from becoming dull, like a knife that is never sharpened. Pink proposes that a person's salary should be able to meet that person's necessities and that that should be it, the employee must be left to enjoy their work. He even points out how companies that employ this tactic are developing at better rates than companies who remain stagnant in a changing world. When the world changes, different innovations arise to keep up with it, it seems that for the 21st century there won't be an innovation, simply more attention should be paid to something that we all have in ourselves, our internal motivation. Jobs are indeed changing, no longer are they boring, there are a lot of jobs out there that you can find pleasure in and it's these jobs that hold the key for prosperity because routine jobs can be condensed into a series of on and off signals which can be used to program machines to complete them. A robotic vacuum already exists, how long is it until a lawn mower can be programed to mow by itself? I don't think that it will take that long, but the one thing that no machine can replace is human ingenuity; the designers and innovators can't possibly be replaced because the brain is the best machine there is.

Pink makes an important point in voicing Mar Twain's opinion of turning play into work and vise-versa. Nobody likes to be told what to do (or at least i don't) and that is essentially what work is "you do this and I'll pay you" but what if we choose to find a job we appreciate and where we decide what we do?, then work would no longer seem like work and we regain control of our lives, something we all wish for. I myself wish to leave nothing to chance and cease whatever control I may. I don't want anybody trying to direct my life, standing over my shoulder, breathing down my neck, I hate it. It's the same way at any job, if your boss is constantly hassling you to do something, then you begin to resent him, but he's the one who pays you so you'll probably put up with what he throws your way hoping to get a raise, chances are you're probably miserable, meaning you won't do more than asked to. However, if your boss isn't a complete idiot, then you find yourself with more liberty and have viable options as to how to do something, and chose what method may please you, this environment allows for greater possibilities and that is why in the long run you will find yourself enjoying your job and maybe working overtime, not out of necessity, but by your own will. Truth is we all love going what we want whenever we want.
Throughout the beginning of the book Pink talks about our internal motivation then he reaches part two, where he talks about three elements for success in a work environment: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. Autonomy has to do with control and the ability to direct our own lives, mastery deals with becoming proficient at something, and is it's own reward, while purpose is what drives us to accomplish anything we desire. Of these three I value mastery the most. Why? Because I want it, my purpose is to attain it. According to Pink mastery is reached by being involved in something, by immersing yourself so deep in something that nothing else matters, by reaching a state of flow, that's when greatness is achieved. It takes time, dedication, and work to reach mastery, it is a hunt that is never finished because it always eludes the pursuer; but like any good hunter will tell you, it's the thrill of the chase that matters.

Drive- Read Or Not To Read

I happened not to have started to read Drive due to my concentration on my other summer reading book called, A Hope in the Unseen. Even though I'm behind I hope to read the book as soon as possible and get into this whole blogging community, which I am new to. But I also want to conttribute. even though I'm not reading Drive I can still see some similarity between that book and A Hope in the Unseen. The book introduces an African -American teenager, who is a very smart and lost soul. Having to face a corrupt world in which poverty, violence and drugs affect his community and school, he is forced to stay on the right path of success and live everyday in fear. Even though he doesn't cause any trouble and does well in school, the story itself shows how one student pushes himself to confront everyday obstacles and yet still maintain a steady composure. Instead of taking the easy way out and becoming corrupt just like most of the urban population, he stays true and does what he does best for he wants to be soemone in life and even though the road is dark and lonely, he is the light and guides himself to drive far beyond than what most kids don't acheive.
I hope Drive also has that sense of motivation and hopefully I get to read it soon.

Drive.

I smile ran across my face as I read the first chapter of Daniel Pink's Drive. It wasn't a surprise to me that motivation does not come from rewards. People who get motivated to perform a task by monetary means or just rewards in general just tend to get pumped for a short period of time and lose interest. I have seen this in my own family. My mother to try to get my brothers to obey and do their chores offered to reward my brothers with money which t first made them very happy and excited of course but that has eventually turned completely bad. My brothers were of course motivated or moved by the sight of this reward then but now they will not do anything unless they get something in return. Parents (including my mom unfortunately) who use rewards to get their children are failing to see that this system of educating is not the most appropriate. When my brothers no longer obeyed without some type of reward, I realized what happened immediately. My mother lost control of the situation and now she has to find a way to fix it. The experiments that these scientist did back then just proved what I had believed for some time.