anahorvath.com

Category: Character

  • Reminder to Be Kind

    This week, I’ve got a lot going on so I need to keep this a bit short. An anatomy test and econ test are in my future unfortunately. I hope you all had a great and safe Halloween! It’s crazy how fast the year has flown and that it’s already November. I also hope that you are all staying happy and healthy. With flu season on its way and the cold temperatures coming in, it’s more important than ever to be healthy. With all of what is going on in our country currently, especially with Election Day being on Tuesday, I just wanted to remind you all to be kind.

    We may differ in our political views and opinions but we need to respect one another. You don’t need to sever ties with your family and friends, just because they vote for a different person. Yes, these choices matter, but that shouldn’t be what ends a relationship. You don’t need to call people names solely based on the fact that they filled in a different bubble than you did on the ballot. Let’s act like mature adults with this wonderful right we’ve been given. You don’t need to create an environment of hate and tension in a time when that’s really the last thing our country needs. We may not see eye to eye on various issues, but we need to recognize that and choose to be the better people. We need to use our heads, think with clear minds, and do what we think is best not just for ourselves but for the wellbeing of the country. We need to educate ourselves, and learn the facts, so that we can be better people and functioning members of society. More than anything, we need to BE KIND. Not just on Tuesday with the election or throughout the week but every day.

    Be good to each other. Be kind and stay healthy and safe. See you next Sunday.

    reminder to be kind

  • My Vision for the World

    My vision for the world

    There are a lot of ways in which our world is in a great place. There’s better access to medicine and treatments for people all over the world. People are living longer. The quality of life for many has improved. While all of this and more is true, there are also plenty of ways in which our world needs improvement. There’s so much hate. People are so sensitive nowadays. No one listens to anyone. People are more worried about themselves and their stupid online profiles than how they actually appear in real life. 

    There’s a lot of things I wish I had the power to do on my own to make this world a better place for all. I know that I can’t individually change the world, but I know that with the help of people like you (thanks for being here!), we can make the world more of what we want it to be. For this world, I see:

    • No hate. Be good to one another, please. 
    • Kindness. The header on my home page says it… Have courage and be kind. 🙂 Please share this message. I keep this in mind every day. I think it’s so important.
    • Celebration of differences. We’re all beautiful and wonderful individuals. We need to take time to recognize this more often.
    • Good education for all. Knowledge is power. By being educated, we all make better decisions and have a greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us. 
    • Self-love, and when I say this I mean the healthy kind! It’s important to appreciate yourself for who you are. It’s important to love your body for what it is. You’re perfect for who you are and there’s absolutely no need to compare yourself to others because everyone is different!
    • Less talking and more doing. People, take action if you see something you don’t like! If there’s something you know you can help change, go out and make that change!
    • Respect for all. Even if you disagree with a person and their opinions, you should respect them. Be professional and work with people even if you don’t get along. You can hate them all you want, but when you’re around them, you should be respectful, caring, and pleasant.
    • Good health. Mentally, physically, and emotionally!
    • Healthy relationships for all.
    • No anger. Selena Gomez says it best in her song, Kill em’ with Kindness. “No war in anger was ever won.”  
    • Peace. If there was less anger and less fighting we could have this. Agreeing to disagree would also help us have a more peaceful world.
    • Honesty. I feel like if we all stopped trying to please everyone by telling white lies every so often, the world would be a better place. With honesty, I think it’s also important that we all learn to be true to ourselves! Honesty is something very important to me and I feel like I’ve made myself a better person by being as honest as I am with myself and others.
    • More smiling. When I become an orthodontist later in life, I hope that I can help people feel good about themselves and smile more. In addition to this, I just want more happiness in the world. We could all use some more happiness. 
    • Gratitude. Tying back to my Thanksgiving posts, we all need to be more thankful for everything we have. There is SO much to be thankful for.
    • Unity. If we all celebrated our differences, learned that it’s ok to disagree, and had some respect for one another, I think that we could be a more united world.
    • Love. Mark 12:30-31: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

    As I said earlier, I think the world we live in is a pretty amazing place but there’s so much potential for it to be even better for everyone. I hope you keep these things in mind and find little ways in which you can make a difference in the lives of those around you. I hope you can find ways to make the world around you the world you want it to be. Have a great week everyone 🙂

  • Thankful

    thankful

    Thank God this past week is over! Wow was that rough. All of my professors and TA’s decided this week was the best week to turn in papers and lab reports and also take exams. I’m SO glad it’s over.

    As we approach Thanksgiving, once again, I just wanted to take some time to talk to you all about the importance of being thankful. When I say this, I don’t mean that we just need to be thankful on Thanksgiving. Being thankful for EVERYTHING is important on a daily basis. There is so much that we take for granted from day-to-day, and that’s not how life should be at all. It’s a miracle that I’m sitting here writing this blog to you all and it’s a miracle that you’re sitting on the other end reading it! 

    Throughout the month, I’ve taken time to reflect on what I’m thankful for every day. I was really wanting to add this list up to 30, for each day of November, but I feel like this is something I’ll continue doing anyway. By taking time to recognize all the good in my life, I feel like there’s really not a lot I can complain about! 

    Here are 18 things I’m thankful for:

    1. It’s November! This year has really flown by.
    2. The fact that I get to help my mom volunteer at COMOM tomorrow.
    3. My mom who helps keep my teeth in good shape and a family that can afford dental care.
    4. Time with family, especially my health and ability to play tennis with my dad and sister 🙂
    5. Pre-dental club and wax whittling (I’m a dork)
    6. The fact that I can handle an honors section biology class. I’m also extremely thankful for Harry Potter and that entire world. In my honors seminar on children’s literature we are reading Harry Potter and I love it way too much. Proud Gryffindor 🙂
    7. Wednesdays. It’s almost the end of the week!
    8. Fun and cool lab substitutes for my honors section biology lab
    9. Fun emails from my dad about foxes creeping into peoples’ yards
    10. Weekends! Sleeping in is pretty great too
    11. Brunch with my roommate and honorary roommate (I say this because she’s in our room more than she is in her own)
    12. No more homework in my honors recitation! Good meetings with pre-health advisors are great too. I feel so much more sure of what I want to do in my life 🙂
    13. Discipline to study hard and hopefully do well on my biology exam (Thanks Mom and Dad!)
    14. My adorable sister who is so so so excited for me to come home (Me too Allyson, I can’t wait!!)
    15. My lab TA for chemistry. He’s a really good guy and he’s also not bad looking (haha). He’s helped me a lot this semester. 
    16. Getting an 85% on my chem exam! This last exam was super duper hard and a bunch of people I talked to failed the exam. I’m thankful for my abilities to study (once again) and go with my gut. Hard work pays off!
    17. BEING HOME! I missed my family and also my doggies and bird. 
    18. Showering without shoes. I’ve been showering in flip flops for the past 3 months and the communal bathrooms are pretty nasty. They’re cleaned daily and I’m so grateful to the cleaning staff (I couldn’t do what they do!) but the fact that a bunch of other girls use the same shower that I use kinda freaks me out.

    Even the little things in life mean a lot. It’s all about perspective. If you ever feel like your life sucks or you’re hitting a rough patch, find one thing to be thankful for. I bet you that someone in the world has it much worse than you do, so that’s important to recognize. 

    I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week and I hope that you all get to enjoy some quality time with friends and family. If you’re in college, like moi, and are on break, you deserve it! I don’t know about you, but I SOOOO needed this break. Honestly, everyone deserves this break. Have a great week everyone! Don’t forget to be thankful. 🙂

  • How I Define a Leader

    I’m involved in the President’s Leadership Program at CSU and I think it’s going to be a wonderful opportunity. I’m very excited to learn more about what makes a good leader and just get to meet some cool, new people. As our first assignment, we were asked to define what leadership is and what makes a leader who they are. Here’s my response.

    A leader is the kind of person to embrace challenge. If there’s an issue in their community, a leader is the type of person to promote change and work hard to make their world better. In our world, there are many leaders known for their outspoken personalities and abilities to work a crowd. While a leader can be that type of person, it is also crucial to have the leaders who guide others through their actions and ability to listen. Leaders who listen gain the trust and respect of others while also giving voices to those who may not typically have one. Regardless of how talkative or quiet a leader is, every leader should have the ability to listen to others. In addition, every leader should be respectful of others’ opinions and ideas even if they disagree. Leaders should understand all sides of an argument or issue and comprehend the various backgrounds of others.

    When leaders work together within their communities they promote social change. Social change is the evolution of people’s interactions, ideas, and acceptance pertaining to other people. Leaders greatly impact social change in that they work to promote acceptance of all people, no matter who they are.

    The way I lead is through my kindness and ability to listen. I lead by encouraging others to become leaders, participate in community service, and show support for their friends, peers, and coworkers. When I played club volleyball, I learned that leadership is most importantly about making a difference in the lives of others. As a leader, I’ve found that being approachable and inclusive is extremely important too. I lead by demonstrating good character and spreading positivity to others. Leadership is the opportunity to help others grow. It’s a chance to have fun, work hard, and learn so much about yourself and others. Most importantly, leadership is what allows one to truly make a difference for others and make the world a better place.

  • Revealing the True Colors of Your Opponent

    For the past few months, I’ve played in a lot of tournaments and seen all kinds of tennis players. Along with those tennis players, came a variety of personalities and attitudes. One thing that frustrates me about some tennis players is their lack of self-control, class, and sportsmanship.

    It’s hard to understand why some girls appear as sweet and friendly when they’re up and turn into jerks when they lose a game or even a single point. As soon as your opponent pulls out their claws, you know you’re in for as show. They start yelling at themselves, hitting themselves, abusing their racket, and using profane language. They lose all sense of control and even begin making bad line calls. They might even start questioning your calls.

    This can be hard to cope with on the court, especially when you’re winning. It can be difficult to keep yourself optimistic when your opponent is acting like an animal. When I played a girl like that in the past few weeks, I struggled to keep the anger that was building inside of me contained. I was able to because I was disciplined and had class, but that wasn’t the case for the girl on the other side of the net. While I may have been winning for a while, I let her ridiculous actions get the best of me and had the match slip from my hands. So what.

    A lesson came from that match and it is something I’ll never forget. Regardless of the outcome, I know I outclassed her and acted like one should on the court. If your opponent begins acting like a monster, ignore it, be yourself, and kill them with kindness. Allow your opponent to dig themselves a hole and self-destruct. Never let that kind of silliness get to you. When you play your best and ignore your opponent’s actions, you’re going to succeed.

    Just remember this, play with class. If you choose to lose self-control and respect for your opponent and yourself, remove the “c” and the “l” and now see what you are.

    revealing the true colors of your opponent and tennis

  • Tennis Etiquette: How to Respect Yourself and Your Opponent

    Sportsmanship is a crucial part of building good character on and off the tennis court. There are times when players cheat or do things that aren’t respectful towards themselves or their opponents. This is true for all sports, but today I am focusing on etiquette in the tennis world. Here are a few ways to show respect for yourself and your opponent on and off the court.

    Don’t trash talk your opponent. Just don’t. You should never talk bad about anybody anywhere and I feel like that is common sense. Still, for some reason, people think it’s alright to make others insecure or unsure of their abilities by talking about them to others in a rude manner.

    Wait to talk about your match until you are somewhere private and quiet. This follows along with the first tip in a way. After you’ve played a match, wait to say anything about it until you’re somewhere quiet and away from your opponent and their family. My family and I always wait to talk about how a match went until we get to the car. Once you get to the car, or wherever you go to, then you can talk about what went well that match and what didn’t. If you had any questions or concerns that weren’t brought up during the match, now would be the time to spill the beans. Still stay away from speaking negatively of your opponent.

    Hand the balls to your opponent during changeovers. I know a lot of girls that will simply just tap the balls into the corner or fence after serving and allow their opponent to go get the balls after getting water. I have nothing wrong with that, but it’s a good idea to be courteous and hand your opponent the balls when you’re close together. As a side note on that, if you chose to hit the balls to your opponent from the other side, hit the balls to them directly so that they don’t have to run for the balls.

    Show up on time. Whether it’s a practice or a match, show up on time. You can receive penalties for showing up late to a match in a tournament, so don’t let that happen! It is disrespectful to the tournament, your opponent, and other players to show up late.

    Know the rules of tennis and abide by them. This is pretty self-explanatory but ignored by many players. Knowing the rules of the game is super important. On top of that, if there is an interruption or interference during a point, call a let. Either you or your opponent can call it. Calling the score loud and making your line calls loud is also important.

    Turn off your cell phone. Most clubs prefer that you don’t bring your cell phone onto the tennis court, but if you do it’s not a big deal as long as it is turned off. You don’t want your phone to become a distraction to you or your opponent.

    Shake your opponent’s hand at the end of the match, make eye contact, and tell them good match. Regardless of the outcome, you need to be a good person and thank your opponent for playing, let them know how the match went, and wish them good luck with their next match if they have one.

    Be kind to yourself. Being the perfectionist I am, I struggle with respecting myself and being kind to myself. If you lose a point don’t yell at yourself or hit yourself in any way. It looks silly when you do this plus you are actually harming your body when you choose to hit yourself. Plus, it becomes obvious to your opponent that they are winning mentally and have the upper-hand. If you do get angry or frustrated with yourself after losing a point, there are other ways to release that anger by tightening your ponytail or gripping your racket tighter. When I start to get frustrated with myself, I do my best to focus on my breathing and getting into a very simple rhythm that can keep my head cool and off of other things.

    This list of tips on how to respect yourself and your opponents on the tennis court could go on forever and I know that there are plenty of things that weren’t mentioned here. Just use common sense when you are on and off the court and think about how you would want to be treated. By choosing to be respectful to yourself and your opponent you will probably have a better experience with tennis and you’ll learn much more about your game, physically and mentally, and also learn about all of the potential you have as a person and tennis player.

  • Rising to Fulfillment

    For the final project in my advanced language arts class this year, we had to create a new model for a person to reach self-actualization.  We had to argue why it was better than Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and explain the new steps of the model. The model my group created shows how a person must reach fulfillment as opposed to self-actualization. This post is going to be a long one, so be prepared to do a lot of reading! Enjoy!

     
    After untying the ropes and releasing the sandbags, the beautiful and bright hot air balloon was released from the ground. Slowly and gracefully, the hot air balloon travelled farther and farther from the surface of the earth. As it reached into the clouds, its passengers could see the land below clearer than ever before. The journey to becoming a fulfilled person is like a hot air balloon in that the more needs a person satisfies, the clearer everything appears to them and the closer they are to becoming fulfilled. If someone allowed too much heat to fill the hot air balloon, it might pop or tear causing the passengers to come crashing to the ground. If a person is full of hot air or has a big ego, they may fail to meet their needs and never reach fulfillment. A person must satisfy their basic needs, communication, self-confidence, love, sense of accomplishment alongside benevolence, and be self-motivated to become fulfilled.
    Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has become irrelevant to the people of today because it was created so many years ago. Times have changed and so have the needs of the people. Maslow’s hierarchy also lacks communication, self-motivation, and self-confidence in its steps to becoming self-actualized. These three needs are crucial to a person’s understanding of themselves and the world around them. They are also needed in order for a person to reach fulfillment. Unlike Maslow’s model which appears to have a clear end, this hot air balloon model shows that a person can become fulfilled, however, their journey is never complete and they are always working to accomplish new things and discover even more about life. Similar to Maslow’s model, a person must first satisfy their basic needs to start their journey.

     
    Whether it be shelter, food, clothing, or water these are basic needs that a person must satisfy in order for them to begin their journey to fulfillment. These basic needs are what help keep a person alive. Some people, like Shin Dong-hyuk, who had escaped from the internment camps in North Korea was deprived of his need for food (Harden 76) as well as a comfortable, spacious place to call home (Harden 15). In Camp 14, he was unable to become a fulfilled person because his basic needs were limited. A person can get by with enough food to keep them alive, enough water to keep them hydrated, and a small area to use as shelter but it may be difficult to survive. Even if a person is at a low on their basic needs, they still have the opportunity to become fulfilled. In order for a person to continue on their path to fulfillment, they must be able to communicate with others and have support systems present in their lives.

     
    Communication is crucial to a person’s growth and ability to become fulfilled. It provides a person with comfort and people to talk with. It gives people a support system too. Social interactions make people happy and give them something to look forward to in their days. According to the documentary titled Happy, “studies show that the happiest people have strong and close relationships with their friends and family”. Communication allows for support systems between others to be built. People rely on others to give them criticism, encouragement, advice, and guidance therefore communication is critical to a person’s journey to becoming fulfilled. In life, the job of parents are to help their children overcome setbacks, help them see their progress over time, and guide their children in making the right decisions (Merryman). A lack of communication or support can halt one’s progress towards reaching fulfillment. When someone a person loves shows disappointment or disapproval, it can be difficult to feel confident in one’s self especially when they are doing their best to please their loved one. The main character of Two Kinds wasn’t able to become fulfilled because her mother failed to communicate with her in a way that would allow her to understand why she was disappointed. The girl’s mother wasn’t willing to support the main character through her struggles of discovering herself and thinking positive. Even though body language can be considered a form of communication, verbal communication allows people to gain feedback that they will be able to remember and use to improve themselves. Social interactions and having a support system are important in helping to build one’s self-confidence which is the next step in this model.

     
    Self-confidence, or being able to be happy with one’s body, knowledge, and accomplishments is the next step on the path to becoming fulfilled. It is critical for a person to be able to have faith in who they are and their abilities because it allows them to continue gaining confidence in themselves. In today’s society, especially in schools, students are pressured to achieve good grades, particularly A’s so that they will feel good about themselves. Receiving a B in school is still a good grade to receive, however, most students feel that receiving a B in class doesn’t make them look as intelligent and doesn’t make them feel as accomplished as receiving an A does (Lieberman). In order for a person to achieve self-confidence, they must stop measuring themselves to others. They must “stop gauging [themselves] and comparing [themselves] with others’ accomplishments and possessions” (Green). A person must realize that only they can control their actions, feelings, thoughts and worry about themselves. When someone has faith in their abilities and has a plan for themselves in a sport, school, or life in general, they will be successful and ultimately become fulfilled, like Novak Djokovic, #1 men’s singles tennis player in the world. Starting at a very young age, not only did his coaches and parents know that he had potential to be an amazing tennis player, but he too knew he could be great. In order to do that, he worked extra hard, trading in his recess time for tennis practice and now Djokovic dominates the men’s professional tennis tour (Novak: Novak Djokovic). Believing in one’s own potential and and abilities assists them in becoming fulfilled and having loving relationships can back up one’s self confidence and journey to fulfillment.

     
    Love can be defined as a strong feeling of attraction for someone, whether it be a friend, family member, or a significant other and it is beneficial to one’s happiness and sense of security. Not only this, but love allows a person to get closer to reaching fulfillment. When a person is in a loving relationship with someone else, they are willing to sacrifice their time and strength, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Oog from I Love Girl, spent every night he could moving rocks to form a path for Girl, whom he loved very much. He wanted Girl to be safe and have a more efficient way of getting to the river from her cave (Rich). Love is important to have in one’s life because it helps people “get through tough times and [allows them to] reach [their] peak potential” (James), as long as it is a healthy loving relationship. Some people struggle to form healthy loving relationships. They communicate poorly, are rude to one another, or forget to support their loved one. Hamlet and Ophelia, for example, loved one another, however, they struggled to deal with their negative emotions in a way that would not damage each other. Hamlet upset Ophelia by rejecting her love, and with the death of her father still fresh in her mind, she drowned herself in a river (Shakespeare). Hamlet and Ophelia may have been in a loving relationship, but since it was a damaging relationship, the two lovers weren’t able to become fulfilled. Love allows a person to feel as if they have accomplished something good in their life. It gives them a sense of accomplishment, urges them to be the most helpful, generous person they can be, and brings them closer to fulfillment.

     
    Doing good things for others and wanting to be able to help other people learn is pivotal to one’s development towards reaching fulfillment. Having the satisfaction of helping others, getting good grades in school, receiving awards in sports, and recognition in one’s community are not only important to the confidence and security of a person, but their sense of accomplishment. Men’s #1 singles tennis player, Novak Djokovic, has had a successful tennis career and this has given him confidence as well as a strong sense of accomplishment. Not only does he have a sense of accomplishment with his career, but he has had success with his foundation, the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which raises money for poor children throughout Serbia in order to build and create safe, nurturing, and fun environments for them to learn and play in. So far, his foundation has helped over 10,000 children in Serbia (About Us: Novak Djokovic Foundation). Djokovic has been willing to give back to the people of his country and this has added to his sense of accomplishment. Others may not be as successful as Djokovic or have a wonderful tennis career like he does, but they may still be willing to perform helpful acts for others. However, some people may not have a sense of accomplishment because they haven’t been successful in anything or don’t have the motivation to accomplish something like the main character of Two Kinds. She was constantly pushed to try new hobbies and activities with hopes of becoming a prodigy in at least one. Since she wasn’t successful in any of the activities she tried, she had no sense of accomplishment and was unable to motivate herself to feel as if she had a sense of accomplishment let alone fulfillment.

     
    Before a person can finally become fulfilled, they must have self-motivation. Self-motivation is a person’s drive to push through difficult times and get work done on a day to day basis. If a person wants to become wealthy, lose weight, or meet a certain goal, they have to create a plan and follow it. According to a surfer interviewed in Happy, a documentary, “If [a person] wants to be a surfer, they will be, and if they want to be a doctor, they will be”. A person should do what they enjoy and want to do so that they will be the happiest they can be and have the most insight on their life. If someone wants to perform better in a sport or academics they need to push themselves to work hard and accomplish their goals like Peekay in The Power of One. Despite the beliefs of most people in his life, Peekay believed he could become the welterweight champion of the world. With long, hard hours of work and training over many years, Peekay managed to stay undefeated in his boxing matches and “earned an exaggerated reputation as a boxer” (Courtenay 342). Peekay was motivated to prove everyone in his life wrong and accomplish something great in his life. Even when a person is in a position of strength or at the top of their game, they need to be motivated to stay on top and become even better so that they can remain in their position. In an interview with Djokovic about being in the #1 position, Djokovic said, “I believe that all guys that are out there are fighting each week to get to number one and I know that… I think that you need to work twice as hard when you’re up there” (Stutchbury). When someone is lacking motivation, they struggle to accomplish goals or succeed in many things. The main character of Two Kinds had no motivation to try to become the next Shirley Temple, an expert pianist, or even succeed in school after failing in many activities. Even though her mother would persuade her and find ways to motivate her daughter to become successful, they would never motivate the poor girl (Tan). A parental figure or a friend could be doing whatever they can to push or force someone to become good at something but this will usually never motivate the person to accomplish a goal. In the end, it is the individual being pushed that has to force themselves to practice and succeed. Once a person is able to motivate themselves to accomplish goals, be successful, and find happiness within themselves, they can become fulfilled.

     
    After a long journey filled with positive and negative experiences, a person finally can become fulfilled, realizing all that they are able to do, what their potential is, and that they are as happy as they are. Fulfillment is the satisfaction or happiness as a result of accomplishing something in a career, school, sports, or anything in life that comes from becoming a fully-developed being. In life, a person will experience many ups and downs, successes and failures. They have to learn to overcome the negative aspects of their lives and watch as their successes slowly become bigger and more important in their lives. When a person believes that they have enough accomplishments to quit trying in life and finally relax, but they continue accomplishing goals, they have become fulfilled (Gordon). Becoming fulfilled means that one is happy with who they are and all that they have accomplished (Cort) and in order to do this, a person must embrace change as well as the unknown. They must enjoy the process of reaching goals and discovering how to reach fulfillment. When a person reaches fulfillment, they are humble, have a purpose to life, are motivated by growth, and aren’t bothered by the little events in life (Sze). Even after a person is fulfilled, their work is never done and they continue to set and accomplish goals. A fulfilled person knows that there is always room to improve and learn, so they are eager to try new activities and hobbies that will keep them satisfied and happy with their accomplishments and life. This new model gives a person unlimited room to continue accomplishing goals and improving themselves once they have become fulfilled.

     
    The hot air balloon travelled over luscious, green pastures and fields of wildflowers. The passengers inside excitedly waved down at cars, which appeared as ants in a long line from high up in the sky. The people could see so much from their halcyon place in the sky. They felt happy, truly happy. The ride up into the sky gave them a sense of excitement as well as accomplishment in life, giving them motivation to keep trying new things and be successful. This new model with the analogy of a hot air balloon is more fitting in modern times than Maslow’s old model. It touches on several traits and needs that Maslow missed with his model. It also allows a person to continue growing and improving, unlike Maslow’s model which abruptly ends after one becomes self-actualized. In order to become fulfilled, a person should satisfy their basic needs, need for communication, have self-confidence, love, and a sense of accomplishment. A person must also be benevolent and have self-motivation. Only after a person has acquired all of these traits and satisfied their needs, can they reach fulfillment, allowing them to truly be happy and see the world in a new, bright, and encouraging light.

    Works Cited
    “About Us: Novak Djokovic Foundation.” Novak Djokovic Foundation. Novak Djokovic Foundation, 2016. 30 Mar. 2016.
    Cort, Sean. “Achieving Self-Fulfillment in 2012.” Psychology Today. N.p., 2 Jan. 2012. Web. 03 May 2016.
    Courtenay, Bryce. The Power of One. New York: Delacorte, 2005. Print.
    Gordon, Emily Fox. “The Meaning of Fulfillment.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Oct. 2014. 03 May 2016.
    Green, R. Kay. “4 Steps to Self-Actualization and Becoming the Best Version of You.” The Huffington Post. 18 Jan. 2013. 03 May 2016.
    Happy. By Roko Belic. Dir. Roko Belic. Perf. Anne Bechsgaard, Gregory Berns, Roy Blanchard.
    Netflix. 03 July 2013. 28 Apr. 2016.
    Harden, Blaine. Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to
    Freedom in the West. New York: Viking, 2012. Print.
    Lieberman, Matthew D., Ph.D. “Self-Esteem vs. Esteemable Selves.”Psychology Today. N.p., 29 Mar. 2012. 02 May 2016.
    Merryman, Ashley. “Losing Is Good for You.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 24
    Sept. 2013. 03 May 2016.
    “Novak: Novak Djokovic.” Novak Djokovic. N.p., 2012. 30 Mar. 2016.
    Rich, Simon. “I Love Girl.” The New Yorker 17 Dec. 2012. 2 May 2016.
    Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2012. Print.
    Stutchbury, Greg. “Djokovic Vows to Work ‘twice as Hard’ to Stay at Tennis Summit.” Evening
    Standard. N.p., 31 Jan. 2016. 30 Mar. 2016.
    Sze, David. “Maslow: The 12 Characteristics of a Self-Actualized Person.”The Huffington Post. 21 July 2015. 03 May 2016.
    Tan, Amy. “Two Kinds.” The Joy Luck Club. New York: Penguin, 1989. Print.

  • Zest is the Best

    This is the last trait for the 8 Ways to a Happier You series, zest. After this, I hope that you will be able to apply this trait as well as the seven previous character traits to become a happier person and make a difference in the lives of those around you. Here’s zest.

    Zest is the ability to tackle life and all that is in it with energy, enthusiasm, and eagerness. It’s having an optimistic attitude and perspective in all that you do.

    Having zest matters because those who are zestful are generally more satisfied, successful, and enjoy what they do with their lives. Zestful people “tend to see their work as a calling” (Janes), in a good way, and use their positive energy to work hard and brighten others’ days.

    To become a more zestful person, do what you love. It’s hard to be optimistic and eager to go to do something if you don’t enjoy it. Become a more social person. This may be somewhat difficult for those who prefer not to be social but you can still do it. Interact with people that are close to you and be welcoming to people you meet. You don’t have to say anything but a simple smile or gentle wave will usually help boost social skills and confidence. Another way to improve on zest is to surround yourself with other zestful people. This trait is very contagious so surround yourself with others that have a lot of enthusiasm, energy, and are interested in you and life.

    Zest truly is the best! You can become a more social, optimistic person by improving this trait. Don’t worry if you are overwhelmed by zestful people or working on the trait for yourself. Take a walk, get some air, and allow yourself some space to breathe if you are feeling overwhelmed or “hit by the blahs”. Becoming more zestful won’t come over night but it will come over time with work.

    This has been a very interesting series to work on. With every blog post on each of the eight traits, I’ve been trying to apply them to my life.

    zest

    Janes, Beth. “8 Ways to a Happier You.” 2016. Print.

  • Grateful for Gratefulness

    Gratefulness is the trait of being able to recognize the good in others, yourself, and the world around you, appreciate the goodness, embrace it, and then give back your thanks in whatever way you can whether it be community service, your job, a talent, sports, or academically.

    There’s being thankful and there’s also being grateful. There is a difference. Gratefulness differs from thankfulness in that being grateful is when a person expresses true gratitude and motivates others to be generous and pay it forward. Doing this produces joy and you will mostly likely gain more support from the person by expressing gratitude. Being thankful on the other hand, will still demonstrate to others that you are thankful and appreciate what they have done for you however thank you’s are so banal that most people overlook them now.

    To become a more grateful person, think about what you can be grateful for every day. It could be that you have a roof over your head, another day to live, good friends and family, an education, food, or anything else that you can think of. It’s never a bad idea to look for the little things in life to be grateful for. Another way to become more grateful is add more detail to your thank-you’s.

    Think about what you can be grateful for every day, like I said earlier. Learn to appreciate what you have and be grateful for all things, big, small, good, or bad in life. Whatever is going on will only make you a stronger and better person.

    Have a wonderful week!

    gratefulness

    Janes, Beth. “8 Ways to a Happier You.” 2016. Print.

  • Social Intelligence is Sweet

    I feel like the titles for the 8 Ways to a Happier You series have been pretty cheesy, but that’s alright. I need something to sound creative. 🙂 We’re moving onto the sixth trait this week which is social intelligence. Here we go.

    Social intelligence is one’s ability to read between the lines and pick up on the things that people don’t say out loud like the tone of their voice or their body language. Social intelligence is a person’s ability to “pick up on the gray areas of a situation” (Janes). Learning to do this can take time.

    Being able to have social intelligence is important because it allows you to learn a lot about people and how they interact. Learning how to read what people don’t say can also help you make new friends and have more fun with your interactions on a daily basis.

    To gain social intelligence or improve what you already have, Janes says to think of yourself as a spy bent. Your objective should be to figure out what the person you are interacting with is feeling as opposed to saying. Think about whatever is going on and try to figure out why your friend, partner, or family member is acting the way they are. When you’re trying to figure out why that particular person is acting the way they are, refrain from getting nosy or pushy. Make it apparent that you are only trying to understand what is going on and you want to be there to support that person and have a closer and more understanding relationship. Be smart with what you say and how you respond to what the person you’re interacting with says.

    Actions mean more than words, and that is what social intelligence is all about. Be aware of what your friends, family, peers, and others around you are not only saying but how they are acting and what they could be feeling. This is one of the trickier traits to master, but when you do, you’re on your way to becoming a happier person. There are only two more cheesy titles to go!

    Have a good week! 🙂

    social intelligence

    Janes, Beth. “8 Ways to a Happier You”. 2016. Print.