SEEing Your Community

I thought of this entry after taking a second to truly look at my surroundings. I realized that I was still able to find new sites and treasurers on a trip I had easily taken more than 50 times.
 
Upon “discovering” the new objects, places, and colors, I was able to understand spaces, events, and scenery that were once foreign or unexplainable to me. 

It all happened when I was leaving the north side of Chicago to return to school in Urbana- Champaign. Currently surrounded by agricultural landscape, the city view that I thought I knew all to well, came alive.
 
As I drove down lake shore drive I found myself going slower and slower, observing, appreciating, and seeing the intentionality of the design. I was beginning to see that everything had its place in the city and I longed to stay put so that I could receive all that the clear sky was trying to show me about Chicago.
 
I’m sure that my urban planner eye was kicking in, but either way, it was not until I truly looked at my surroundings that I understood what was there for me to learn from.
 
The new views made me feel creative and I wanted nothing more than to find the words to describe what I was experiencing. For me, this experience confirmed that people MUST travel outside of their community to SEE their community, suggest improvements, and ultimately to know more than we already do in order to be builders of the future.  

Leaving Chicago was the only way for me to SEE Chicago. As a planner, I know that I will have amazing opportunities to go into communities and suggest changes. I hope to always remember this experience and find ways to help residents SEE more outside of their community so that they can think of innovative solutions for the problems in their communities.

When did you begin to SEE your community?

Below is a link to the Education for Sustainable Development website. The page provides an activity readers can use to work with residents to SEE the effects of local development.

http://www.esdtoolkit.org/community_goals/sust_lens.htm

 

“Dont be scared to wear your greatness”, Said Hip-Hop Artist Common

“Peace” was his first word upon taking center stage. 

Talk about somebody that has something to say. Common, the world renown Hip-Hop artist has an a capella message out of this world. I am not sure if it was because it was my first time hearing him speak for an extended time (about an hour), or if it is because he is such a handsome man, or if it was the crowd’s energy pouring into me, but Commons address to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (also known simply as Illinois) lit a fire I greatly needed rekindled. 

With the release of his new book “One Day It Will All Make Sense”, Common is making his way across territories to promote a message that encourages people to FIND, BELIEVE, and LIVE their path. Common’s word of the day for the standing room only crowd of mixed- age, ethnicity, income, and educational attainment, at Illinois was GREATNESS. 

Throughout his speech I fought back tears. Common opened the evening with a freestyle about the hot spots on campus and immediately began to talk about the influence Emmett Till had on his life. Although I have known about this tragedy for many years, I felt like I was learning about it for the first time as Common connected the tale of Emmett Till to his life journey. Since the age of 12, Emmett Till has been an omnipresent spirit in Common’s life reminding him, “It’s greatness inside of you”. 

Humorous, passionate, and sincere, Common provided the crowd with uplifting quotes and revealed vulnerable moments from his life that continue to build his greatness. The freestyle flow was an example of how Common could take an experience he had in a few hours (touring the campus community) and formed words, turned sentences, turned lyrics, into a gift that Fighting Illini would never forget. 

Common reminded us that greatness does not exist purely because we do, but instead, we exist to find greatness in what we do and who we are. Focused on the importance of affirmations, “turning obstacles into possibles”, and the famous quote, 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

(Quote source varies- originated by Marianne WIllimson, made famous by Nelson Mandela)

Common’s speech was not a dreamy one, but one that provided tangible solutions for listeners to be “greater than what you think right now”. 

Common stated, “Greatness is contagious; on your path to greatness you will help others become great as well”. Along with this, he admitted that for years, he dimmed his greatness, as not to offend others. THIS IS WHAT STRUCK ME MOST. Probably because I am beginning to see and accept my greatness, but have yet to put it into third gear. I am now inspired to examine my hesitancy. 

One of Common’s motivations to act in greatness and conviction of his path is Kanye West. Common has observed how Kanye West promotes his music and product with so much enthusiasm and belief that he realized, “when you believe in yourself people can smell it on you, and it resonates”. And maybe that is why his speech to a receptive crowd at Illinois on Wednesday September 21, 2011 at Foellinger Hall will resonate with me forever- because HE BELIEVES IN HIS GREATNESS and I do as well. 

Now, I have to believe in mine. 

Hosted by W.O.R.D. (Writers Organizing Realistic Dialect) and IUB (Illini Union Board), Common was a great addition to the repertoire of speakers that have presented at one of the top public Universities in the nation. 

THANK YOU W.O.R.D. AND IUB- Deuces!

 

Scheduling Obstacles

As I embark upon new endeavors, I have tried to prepare an ideal schedule that will help me to stride toward my personal and professional goals. Unable to create an all-inclusive weekly schedule that I am happy with, I found a format by Michael Hyatt that I am thinking about trying out over the next few weeks.
 
Before I take the time to map out this intricate schedule, I must address the self-imposed barriers that are keeping me from doing so.

• First things first, being scared that I will not commit to the schedule. In so many words, to commit means to make a pledge or actively display progress toward a goal/ objective in which you agree with.

For example, there have been plenty of tactics and best practices that I have tried over the past few months, but I have yet to execute these tactics to the fullest extent habitually. On so many levels, the lack of consistent implementation is unhealthy, but on a most basic level the inconsistency negatively impacts my self-esteem. Although it does not drag me down totally, I do get irritated that I have not been able to analyze SMART goals that I created for myself. This reality is becoming a hinderance to creating new SMART goals and I am trying to figure out what is keeping me from committing to my life tactics. What I realize is that the more I have had to multi-task (BAD WORD), the less I multi-achieve (GOOD WORD). I am doing a variety of things in one day, but nothing is truly getting completed to my liking or in a way that I feel represents my best quality of work (hence the fewer posts…..)

• Issue number two, laziness. It is so much easier for me to be “lazy” with some of the more physically consuming tasks (i.e. workout). I am prone to avoid scheduling working out despite a true desire to want to lose weight. 
   
  Lastly…, well anything else I was going to put actually fits into the two categories listed above.

How has scheduling affected your progress? Do you have a preferred scheduling format?

Below is a link to the article that Michael Hyatt uses to plan his ideal week.

http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-better-control-your-time-by-designing-your-ideal-week.html