Scholar Scoop

It took me a long time to write this post because I kept putting it off (kidding).

Actually, it didn’t take me long to write this, once I decided that I wanted to. And I’m starting to see how that works in other areas of my life too.

As I’ve written about before, I’m a Toastmaster. One of the most basic things you need to do as a Toastmaster is complete a manual of speeches–  10 speeches, each focusing on a different feature (using body language, vocal variety, visual aids, etc).

I’ve been a member since October 2007 ; until April 2009, I had only given FOUR speeches. It wasn’t that I was afraid of giving speeches– it was just that I couldn’t think of a topic, or I couldn’t find time to do it. That’s what I told myself, anyway.

So in mid-May 2009, with one month left in the Toastmasters year (it ends June 30), I decided to finish my basic manual of Toastmasters speeches. If you’re counting, that means I had to do six speeches in two months. But my club only met twice a month, which meant I only had the chance to give four speeches.

So I did something that signaled how serious I was. I e-mailed the president of my club and my mentor. They told me about other clubs where I could speak. I signed up for speech opportunities before I was even quite sure WHAT I was going to speak about.

Pretty crazy, and pretty opposite of what I usually do (I’m a planner).

I’m on track to get those six speeches done by June 30. I’m giving my fourth on Friday (June 5) and then another on June 10 and another on June 24.

So what happened?

I decided to just do it. I didn’t fall back on my old excuses “I need time to prepare,” ” I don’t have a topic,” etc. I just signed up, and took the plunge.

The more I think about this, the more I realize that the key to getting stuff done is to do it. Don’t give yourself time to make excuses. More importantly, tell other people– because once they know, they’ll hold your feet to the fire.

What’s the one thing you’re procrastinating on, and why?

For many people May and June is a time of transition. As someone who recently relocated I can tell you the move was more hectic than I expected. With that in mind,  here are a few tips I found helpful.

1 – Moving is a great excuse to get rid of excess “junk”. Sell it, donate it or just give to someone. Lighten your load by getting rid of stuff you truly don’t need.

2 – The better you pack, the easier it is to unpack. While it’s always tempting to buy the biggest box you can find and throw everything you own in it, more often than not you’re going to ruin something, lose something or spend more time untangling a power cord than actually unpacking. Make unpacking easy: pack your stuff neatly.

3 – In the rule book of friendship, if a friend helps you move they are entitled to a free meal. Usually in the form of bread, tomato sauce and melted cheese.

4 – Move on a weekday. Not only is there less traffic on the road, you’ll also find parking, especially if you’re moving into a city. Also, nobody likes to share a freight elevator.

I was on vacation a few weeks ago and wandered into an internet cafe to check my email.  As I opened up the browser it was very clear that the last person had not logged off because I was staring at somebody’s HSBC bank page.  I quickly hit the log off button and then typed in gmail.com.  When gmail opened it was already logged into someone’s account.  Geez!  I was wondering about the careless person who was sitting there before me. I could have started a whole new identity right then and there.  I did a quick clear private data and got on with my email.

Students are notorious for using computers anywhere and everywhere. I also think students, and people in general, can be careless and sometimes forget to sign out of personal pages and fully log off before walking away from a public computer.  I would take it one step further than logging off and also delete history and clear the cache before leaving the computer for the next person. In general, it is a good policy to follow since there will be people following you and they may be more than happy to dive into your personal business if you have easily left it there for them to find.

As I was on the plane back, I was reading an article about password protection.  Similar to public computer access, I guess, people are really careless about passwords.  Who knew?  There is a flourishing industry that tries to guess passwords and get access to people’s personal information.  I really haven’t given much thought to my passwords and honestly didn’t know that most people use “password” as their password.  Did you know that?  Or how about 123456 – that is another one that is very commonly used.  I can tell you if you are trying to guess my passwords…it is not one of those.

Most people are lazy when it comes to passwords (and logging out).  For the most part, people will use the same password for every account that requires one.  I guess there are even plenty of people who put passwords on a post-it note that is usually not very far away from their computer.  Would that be you? Convenience, and as little remembering as possible, is everything these days…right?

I guess all of this got me really thinking about how much access someone has if they can guess your password.  I counted this morning and realized I used a password to access eleven different accounts when I first arrived to the office.  I also have most of those “remembered” on my computer which could be very convenient if some random person knows the ultimate password to unlock my computer.  I am guilty of using, for the most part, one password for several sites.  I am rethinking my convenience logic.

It all made me wonder if passwords should be like smoke detector batteries and people should change them at least once year.  Smoke detector batteries and passwords…a change that could save your life.

It could be a new Hallmark card opportunity…happy change your password day.

What would be the day to pick?  New Year’s day seems like a good choice to me…new year, new passwords.  Or how about your birthday?  I guess, though, every year older may be a slight reminder that getting older may mean it is even harder to remember stuff, like new passwords! Regardless on when, I have had my current password(s) for probably more than 8 years for most things…and I guess that is simply unacceptable.

If you are searching for a few helpful password resources, you may want to check these sites out:

Ten most commonly used passwords

The 500 worst passwords of all time

How to choosing good passwords

Online password managers may be a good option too

What universal day would you pick to change your password?  If you want to edit my new year’s or birthday idea and you know my password…feel free to log-in and change the day.  Otherwise, you can leave a comment below.

Just remember: clear your history, completely sign out of personal accounts and fully log-off when using public computers…and change your passwords frequently.

Happy public computer web surfing!

Like almost all Western states, Utah is constantly being embattled by fights over land use, and how to manage the vast open spaces that these states boast. These fights bring in many different players: environmentalists, sportsmen, off-road vehicle users, non-motorized recreationists, equestrians, ranchers, developers and oil/gas developers. Historically, these fights have been like one of the old WWF super-fights with twenty people in the ring. Normally, the most powerful people, with the most money, would end up winning. This led to developments and mineral-rights leases being consistently issued on land that was at one time protected.

A few years ago, I was doing some work for a Congressman, who along with a Senator and some State representatives wanted to change the way these fights took place. Together, they rounded up environmentalists, ranchers and recreational use groups. What these groups found, was that even though they disagreed with how they thought the land should be used, the one thing they all agreed on is that they wanted the land to stay undeveloped. These meetings were great to witness, because it was a classic case of  groups coming together in order to advance a common goal.

In the end, it was simple really. All that these politicians had to do was get these groups in the same room as each other, and ask them, “what is it that we all want.” Sure, later on these groups will be debating grazing rights and whether or not you can ride a mountain bike on the trails, but at the end of the day, their interests are best served by the land not getting turned into a strip mine (or a strip mall, for that matter).

So where’s the lesson? Beyond being just a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” story, this is a great example of building a community. Because what else is a community if not a group of seemingly separate people who join together around a common interest. In some communities, they will organize around location. In others, a common interest. Sometimes a brand creates a community (like Threadless). Your college campus is its own community, organized around your school. There are also micro-communities within your campus as well.

If you’re an NSCS officer planning I Stand for Integrity Day, what seemingly unrelated groups may want to participate? How about on campus political groups? I bet the College Democrats, College Republicans and/or the student government groups would love to be seen promoting academic integrity. Do you have a philosophy club? Maybe they would hold an ethics debate. Here’s one that may seem weird. What about the golf team? Golf is a sport that is based on a player’s own personal integrity. No other sport has their professionals call fouls on themselves. Could be an interesting discussion to have.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to finding something you care about, then bringing other people together that want the same thing. Do you have to agree 100%? No, but you can find the compromises to get you closer.

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

It was my battered suitcase that inspired me to write about the fact that I love to travel. My battered suitcase was not on a sidewalk but rolling around on a conveyor belt when I realized that it had truly grown tired of the road.  Yikes!  I had not really noticed that I was totally wearing that bag out.  How did I over look the broken zippers, the wobbly wheel, the broken handle and the difficulty in raising the bar so I could roll it along behind me?

I had this moment of feeling like I had committed luggage abuse.  The big suitcase that I had called my “apartment suitcase” because I could practically throw everything I own into it and just go….was just not looking so good.  Why had I not seen this coming?  Had I committed luggage abuse? It had been very loyal. In reality we had racked up crazy amounts of frequent flyer miles, seen the inside of some super good and super bad hotels and it had followed me along through the evolution of getting NSCS off the ground.  It was truly my travel companion throughout the process of launching my dream. Me and this suitcase had a history…and it was hard to believe it was wearing out on me.

I felt confident that Tumi, the company which I love for luggage, would get it back in working order in a flash.  I dropped it off at the Tumi (hospital) store and they told me that this was serious and they would need to send it away.  They felt the prognosis was pretty good and it would be back to me in three weeks.

In less than three weeks, I got the news. My bag was not going to make it.  The “apartment suitcase” had more problems than could be repaired and I would need to buy a new one at 20% off.  What?!?!  Tumi is supposed to be fixable, right?  I was told that I must be a tough traveler because along with broken zippers, cracked wheels, a broken arm, two broken handles…the main problem was that I had cracked the frame.  It was not repairable.  Did I not see all of these faults the customer service rep asked?  No, honestly I did not….my best quality is not noticing faults in people or things was my response.  She didn’t think that was funny but offered me the 20% off or they would ship it back to me.

Ship it back I said.  It came back and, as you can see in the photo, I made the tough decision to let it go.  It was time.

As I lifted it up and  into the big garbage can, I really did have a flood of thoughts about how many places and all of the faces, smiles and miles this suitcase had traveled along with me on my journey.  The thoughts were a reminder of so many memories that had been created along the way.

I know I am a better person because of the places I have been.   Isn’t it true that sometimes we don’t stop for a moment and reflect on how great life is and how experiences that occur through travel really make life full and meaningful?

It is only a piece of luggage you may say but to me it was an important part of my travels.

Putting the suitcase in the garbage was a good opportunity, even an excuse, to take a moment and reflect on all of the great experiences that I have had so far.  It also reminded me that even though I tossed away the luggage….the memories are mine to keep forever.

Have you reflected on what your travels have meant to you lately?

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

Happy travels!