Anecdote vs. Stories
Many of us tend to ignore the importance of story telling, or not give much importance in having an effective way of delivering a specific event or time in our lives. Reading through the article written by Nick Morgan, regarding anecdotes and stories, I was able to have a strong relation with some facts stated. By taking a look at the example of the Romeo a Juliet, I was able to detect the difference between appropriately structuring a story and vaguely describing a memory. Two very simple tasks that can be easily mistaken. Noticing this, made me think. How much have I been taking in consideration these two sources over the past years? Well, the truth is, not very much, when it comes to writing I tend to express my ideas as they come along and from that later build it into a specific structure.
I am not one who knows much about defining or detecting different types of writing, but after taking a look at this article, it is safe to say that I have a basic knowledge of what it is all about. Stories always tend to begin with a specific encounter, stating how the event all begins, later leading to a more "complex" climax and finally the ending; where the author decides in having a happy or an unfortunate finish. Whereas the anecdote results as something quite short and simple, having some type of summary and not really getting in to the specific details.
I am not one who knows much about defining or detecting different types of writing, but after taking a look at this article, it is safe to say that I have a basic knowledge of what it is all about. Stories always tend to begin with a specific encounter, stating how the event all begins, later leading to a more "complex" climax and finally the ending; where the author decides in having a happy or an unfortunate finish. Whereas the anecdote results as something quite short and simple, having some type of summary and not really getting in to the specific details.
This is Water
The speech composed by David Foster Wallace on how we see ourselves as the only fish in the water, was defintely the speech that impacted me the most. Finding ourselves in various situations feeling frustrated and stressed doesn't give us the right to blame the ones around us for it. As David stated in his speech, we have the freedom to take choices, therefore we can choose to see those around us in a negative or positive way. These examples and anecdotes David listed, really made me reflect and relate these events to my everyday life, and how we tend to see the outside world in various eyes. I can definitely connect a situation like this to the IA, because whenever there might be a problem or frustration with a peer, we always have to stop and consider different alternatives in handling the scenario. Making sure not to push on all of the stress on other fish in the see.
Finding what your truly love
Pursuing and following up with your passions is the key to happiness and success. How is one able to succeed in life if she/he doesn’t love what they do day-to-day? Going through the speech by Steve Jobs I was able to identify the importance of being passionate for your work and how he was able to survive many years of success thanks to the effort and dedication delivered. Even though there were many ups and downs throughout his career, he never let the opinions and comments of others intervene in his decision-making; doing so, resulted quite well for him.
As I processed Steve Job's story, I was able to connect it to a very recent situation I was encountered with. This situation was when dealing with the decision making of continuing with the IA or going off to the IB. My definite response at first was the IA, noticing how I have grown as a student and having taken in a lot of knowledge over the past year, made me come to reasoning quite quickly. But after letting those around me pile my mind up with comments and doubts was what made it difficult, making me question my final choice. Of course, after thinking it through various times, the IA resulted as being the best fit for me, but what really kept me thinking was the way I had handled being convinced by others. Being delicate enough to actually let the opinions of my peers affect my decision-making. Well, after reflecting and thinking through this process, it is clear to me, that in order to actually thrive in life, we must always stick to our own reasoning, not allowing the doubtfulness of others drive you away from what is best.
As I processed Steve Job's story, I was able to connect it to a very recent situation I was encountered with. This situation was when dealing with the decision making of continuing with the IA or going off to the IB. My definite response at first was the IA, noticing how I have grown as a student and having taken in a lot of knowledge over the past year, made me come to reasoning quite quickly. But after letting those around me pile my mind up with comments and doubts was what made it difficult, making me question my final choice. Of course, after thinking it through various times, the IA resulted as being the best fit for me, but what really kept me thinking was the way I had handled being convinced by others. Being delicate enough to actually let the opinions of my peers affect my decision-making. Well, after reflecting and thinking through this process, it is clear to me, that in order to actually thrive in life, we must always stick to our own reasoning, not allowing the doubtfulness of others drive you away from what is best.