Leadership

You don't have to hold a position in order to be a leader.  ~Anthony J. D'Angelo

 

On Friday, I (along with 5 other sisters) attended a leadership conference in Virginia for my sorority- Phi Sigma Sigma. At this conference, I met a ton of other Phi Sigs and was able to trade stories and suggestions about positions. Because I am SDC ( Sisterhood Development Chair), the groups that I was placed in were with other SDCs. It was really great opportunity to meet new people and see sisters from all different colleges. I like to meet new people and to be able to bounce ideas off each other. It is very interesting to see what other sisters are doing with their own chapters. It was neat to see the difference and similarities. It made me really proud to be a Phi Sig when I looked around the big ballroom and saw the other hundreds of sisters there for the same conference. I felt unified with them even though I don't really know, but it was nice to all be there for the same reason. It was nice knowing that we all shared a common bond with one another and could identify with each other on some level. Everyone was so nice and I really was able to let loose and have fun and meet new people and to be able to learn a lot about myself over the weekend. I realized there are much bigger things in the world that really matter and that I have no time for petty drama. I think this conference has helped me become a better person who is willing to go into something with an open mind and be able to accept others for who they are and realized that I cannot change anyone other than myself. This conference taught me that I am a leader who sisters look up to and I want to make sure I am a role model for my younger sisters. Phi Sigma Sigma has changed me for the better and has made me the leader that I am today. Without Phi Sig, I wouldn't have gotten the opportunities I have received and wouldn't have made the friends who support me and who always have my back in times of need.  Phi Sigma Sigma is a FΦRΣVΣR kind of thing.

Hurt

The world needs anger.  The world often continues to allow evil because it isn't angry enough.  ~Bede Jarrett

Sometimes people don't see the pain they have caused others. To me, this is a hard concept to understand. I normally realize when I have hurt someone and immediately try to write my wrong. What happens when someone is so oblivious to the situation that they completely misread the warning actions of another that signal hurt? I don't like people who plot against others. Before you do something to hurt someone else, please look at what you are about to do and see if maybe it will hurt someone else in the process. With this being said, it is really sad when friends turn their back on you in times of need. I know that I would always be there for my friends, but when they are not always there for me, it hurts. I will try to talk to them to make them feel better, but I think it is sad when you go so far in the conversation with a friend and express how upset you are, but they kinda brush you off. I feel like why did I even bother to reach out to them. I think what I need to do is separate myself from people more and expect less. Fact of the matter is: You can't change anyone. You can only change yourself.

Stress

Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold.  But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.  ~Douglas Pagels

I feel that I have entered a whirlwind where I barely have any free time to do what I want to do. I don't know where this hectic schedule has come from, but I feel like it has washed over me and become this stressed out person who has anxieties about finishing projects, making everyone happy, or just being there for anyone. I never used to have trouble controlling everything that is going on in my life. I could find time out of my day to just sit and do nothing, but these days I rarely have time for that. I constantly feel like I am behind on my work, but don't know what to do to catch up. It is hard for me because I haven't experienced this very often and don't know how to handle it exactly. Maybe I am stressing because this is my second semester of my Junior year and I know I am moving closer to Senior year. Also, it could be that most of my friends are Seniors so I am stressing about losing them and not having anyone to hang out with. Regardless, the stressful period in my life has to stop and it has to stop now. I don't mind being busy. In fact, when I'm busy, my mind tends to be taken off of things that are hurting me inside. However, being stressed just makes me anxious and causes me to run around hectic. I like when people want to hang out with me and try to get my mind off of all the things I should be doing. To me, that is a friend who is looking out for my well-being. None the less, I appreciate my friends and when they see that I am stressed, some try to talk me through it and pull me away from life for even a few hours. This helps me to relax a bit and settle my mind.

Trust

There is no action without reaction, no choice without consequences. We are all accountable for our words and actions. Live and tell the truth and life is easier. 

~ Author Unknown

When discussions go on in group conversations, one topic tends to come up - what is your biggest pet peeve? I never really knew what my exact answer could be, until something happened to me to make me realize how much I valued it. One of the biggest qualities I look for in a true friend is by far honesty. With that being said, I think my biggest pet peeve are liars. I do not like people who lie to me about something they supposedly did or something someone else supposedly did. What is the point of a lie anyway? Just like the saying says, "Truth and time will tell." Fact of the matter is, the truth will come out in the end. It always does. I think it is sad that people feel the need to lie in order to gain something. I mean how does it feel to know you only gained something because you lied. I know that I would feel like I cheated, which is why I cannot lie. I try to be the most honest person I can be because I do not like how it feels to be lied to. One lie can hurt several people and even if you may not have intended to hurt someone, the lie can spiral out of control and ultimately hurt others. If someone lies to me, the trust that we once shared is now gone. It is very hard to gain my trust in the first place since I rarely trust people. I feel it is easier to only trust myself because then I can't be hurt as much. I've been hurt a lot in the past and have learned to deal with the pain that the hurt has caused. Some of the things people have done to me in the past have hindered the person I am and caused me to have trust issues. You have to gain my trust because to me trust does not come easy. So when someone lies to me, that trust has gone out the window and allows me to see a person for who they really are. In time, I may forgive you because I do not like to hold a grudge, but I will never forget what someone did to me to hurt me.