Anger Managed

"Oh, that makes me mad!"

Have you heard that before? Can something really make you mad? You may have heard that being angry is a choice one makes. That being true, it doesn't really help me not to be angry. So I like to look at it another way. Something will stir emotions in me and I have to sort out these emotions to keep anger from coming forth. It's not choosing to be angry, it's choosing to stop anger from beginning or progressing.

Anger is closely connected to other feelings such as disappointment, jealousy, guilt, and fear. So when these other feelings are felt, we humans are prone to become angered. But if we can manage these other emotions, anger will be subdued. However, if anger is expressed and continues to build, many other emotions will follow. Anger doesn't help; it hurts. When I am being motivated by anger, I am an irrational reactor instead of a logical actor. By keeping anger controlled, I can make better judgments related to my actions. So just choose to stop anger, wherever it may be.

Oh, that's not so bad.

Educate Yourself

With all the different learning and teaching styles, the student does the educating. Some people direct and others instruct; some inspire, others dictate. But the student who learns is the one who will educate himself or herself.

Many students have heard of the self teaching concept before, but they don't experience it much in high school. Classes taught in a high school are designed to suit the lowest common denominator. While some students are built to excel, they have become programmed to learn the same thing in the same way as everybody else. However, with proper motivation, and some mentoring, almost any student can educate themselves to become leaders of the future. In college, many things are taught the same to every student, but much more is taught and learned in a specific field. As students select majors and decide on their career paths, they go off to learn what is needed for their future. But what can a student do if he or she hasn't decided on a future career? These students just need to decide to become great. There is a lot to be learned out there that can help anybody live a successful life, but the individual has to be responsible for the learning.

Education in the public school system has had many improvements throughout the centuries. Is a change needed to help students excel to their potentials? What can or should we do? What can government do? Ultimately, how will the students learn to love to learn?

Give It

Valentine's Day is a day for love, but it's also a day for giving. I now have a permanent Valentine so we, my wife and I, gave away a box of chocolates to some strangers. We were on BYU campus Saturday night looking for a stranger who would accept the gift. I saw two policemen talking by their car and made the suggestion that we give the chocolates to them. My wife agreed that it would be a good way to let them know they are appreciated.

The cops immediately asked what we did to the box. I realized then that they had a good reason to be suspicious. They are prone to receive undesirable gifts. But, they were kidding when they asked us what we did to the box of chocolates. I then decided to explain why I was giving candy to a stranger. I received an assignment in my Management Communications class to give something to a stranger. Telling them about the assignment kind of ruined the sincerity of giving the chocolate, but it dismissed any suspicion. They weren't worried about it; though, it ended up being a great conversation starter. The one officer told us about a time when he was at the police station and a couple kids brought in a box of doughnuts. His story doesn't need to be repeated here, but it was interesting that the act of service was able to make strangers not so strange.

We shouldn't need an assignment to get us to be kind and willing to give. Nevertheless, any act of service can start an interesting conversation.

The Smell of Libraries

If it is true that a smell brings back a memory more than any other sense, then a library is a place that can bring back many memories. This blast from the past isn't necessarily because there are many smells in a library; it's because there are many things associated with the smell of books.

A certain smell brings back a memory of a certain activity that happened when a similar or the same smell was smelt. I'm not referring to someone saying, "That smells like strawberries." The subject is more related to a comment like this. "That smell takes me back to the day when I picked strawberries at my grandma's house." A lot of things that we learn in life come from reading books. Books have a smell. When a lot of books are stored together in one place, they seem to share the same smell. Try going to a library with used books (not a book store packed with freshly printed books) and smell if you recognize the scent. It may take you back to the novel you recently finished. You may remember a childhood picture book that you loved. Or, you may remember the never-ending researching from your college days. Either way, you are most likely going remember being in a library.

Libraries are one example of smelling your way to the past. Another thought is using smells to help you remember things. For example, if you have a big test coming up, burn a peppermint scented candle while you study. Then when you take the test, have some peppermint oil handy or chew peppermint gum. Who knows? It might work.