Do the right thing because it's the right thing to do.

Hello dear honor friends,

Tonight a lovely lady by the name of Ms. Libby Jordan came to talk to us tonight. You have no idea how happy I am that it is finally a female!!! It's about time now, Vince. You sexist or something? I'm just kidding. Hopefully he won't see that one.
She began with a story of an earlier time about her kids and an encounter at Dairy Queen. Basically, she misjudges. Like all of us at somepoint do, she put herslef over another woman and her children because of the impression she got from her appearance. She learned a lot that day though and she will never forget it. Everyone has worth and value.
Also, everyone is a salesperson. In some shape, form, or fashion, we all are selling something. In the basic job market, we are selling ourselves to possible employers. We are selling ourselves to the opposite sex in hopes of finding a mate.
She sells an image, the town of Florence. She told us that UNA, as well as the Honors Program indirectly, play a big part in that. That kind of made me feel very proud. I love UNA and the town of Florence.
She also discussed a lot about dishonesty. She related it to the difference between being legal and ethical. I had never really thought of that before but it makes complete sense to me. Something that I question myself is speeding. Is it legal? No. Is it ethical? I mean, why not? I am not saying it is I am just posing the question. It brings a new light on things. Obviously, we should be as honest as possible, as it will get us far in life. Even if we have to stand alone, doing the right thing is always important. Cheating, and things of the like, tend to weaken your core. It is a gradual thing that will catch up with you and deteriorate you as a person. I definitely can attest to this statement. I think that is true for anything. When you do something you know you shouldn't, there is always that feeling of guilt that just seems to really eat you up. Maybe I am the only person who feels that way.
A good example of how being honest gets you places is of her story with the new public library. Because she told them it was actually going to be over budget, they gave more money. That absolutely shocked me. For one, it was a lot of money to begin with.
I really liked everything she had to say. Relating to jobs and such, I felt that her stories were relevant and helpful. It was nice because she did not display herself as perfect in any way, that makes her more relatable. She was real, as well as a very respectable person in general.
Overall, awesome speaker. Loved it.

Later friends!

Anna Goggans

Hospitals and Walmarts

Today was very interesting to say the least. Dr. Desselle jumped right into the nitty gritty with FREAKING AWESOME pictures. I love it when this happens because all the girls feel sick and the guys just feel wierd because they see an infested penis on the screen hoping it will never happen to them. I, on the other hand, think it is fascinating. Of course it's not like I "enjoy" seeing disease, but I feel like it is important, necessary, and neat to analyze. I guess that it is a good thing I want to work in the medical field then.
Dr. Desselle was an LSU graduate and has many years of experience being a surgeon. He really began talking about the pros and cons of having medicine as a career. However, I feel like these really apply to doctors, specifically. I think this because I have weighed out the differences in nursing and doctors. Sure, I won't get paid as much. But golly, I won't have that con list like he does. I have shadowed Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Doctors. From that experience, I have realized that Nursing (Nurse Practitioning)  is what I want to do. Tonigh has only emphasized and fueled that passion more.
Some of his values in learning and practicing medicine were: mentorship, perserverance, and trust. I feel like these are super important values to have. Specifically in the workplace, trust is important. My family and I have to trust in my grandmother's nurses and doctors to take care of her because we can not be at the nursing home that is two hours away all the time. We have to trust that they will fullfil her needs because she cannot remember herself. That, my friends, take a lot of trust. The patients, as well as the families, are entrusting lives into these people. That is a big undertaking and trust is something that needs to be established first. That is why I think it takes people of character to work in the medical field. It does not matter if you are the smartest doctor in the world, if your patients cannot trust in you and your character, they will not receive your service.
I disagree with him on one thing. I do think the larger hospital, less private practice theory of change is good. I mean, of course he does not want this. He has his own practice. However, it is not about money. It is not about how expensive it is. It is about the patients and the quality of their care. It basically goes back to the well-being of the population. I believe that should come first, before anything else. If it happens that the way to improve care for everyone is through the big hospital chain, then I believe that is the way to go.
Finally, he left us with important advice: to try to identify with someone that can guide us through difficult decisions and to always cherish our family.
Overall, tonight has reminded me of why I want to do what I want to do.

Peace Out

Anna

Farming. Roll Tide.

This week, Mr. William Lee spoke to us about his job and they way he conducts his business. Although he has not been my absolute favorite speaker, he did have a lot of good things to say.
First of all, Mr. Lee was a firm believer in hard work. That was something that was evident beyond his words. That was evident from the sun on his face and the assurance in his voice.
He is an Auburn graduate and now is a commercial farmer. I thought it was interesting that they grow non-perishable items, such as wheat, soy beans, cotton, and corn. This is smart because they can store it for a long time if it does not sell right away.

 He described the farming business as being labor intensive, but also something that requires thought and heart. He says, "It doesn't take a lot of people, but it does take good people." I think this concept can be applied to many tasks in life. Specifically, it reminds of one important organization that I am in on campus- the POD. Dr. Jones always talks to us about our values as a group. He talks about character, excellence, and the dedication it takes to do what we do. The thing I am most proud of is our size. Relatively, we are small for a college band. We probably could be bigger if we wanted. However, to practice and perform the way we do, we do not need those numbers. It is not about the numbers, it is about the quality of those numbers. In which case, the POD has a lot of. That is something we are proud of, as well as Mr. Lee.

A lot of the things Mr. Lee talked about were just simply not applicable to me. I could not relate nor understand what he was talking about. But, I could take the concepts he discussed and apply them to my life. He talked about how diversifying his crops made for much more certainty and production. This is the same in life. When we are only focused on one thing, it is much easier to fail. However, when we have backups and other interests, the liklihood at us failing at all of those things are quite slim.

Farming is a family business. Mr. Lee has been involved for a very long time. Farming also takes a lot of capitol or a lot of land to start. It also takes a lot of risks, knowing when and what to invest. With all of these challenges, Mr. Lee still holds strong to his original values and that is quite respectable.

I was curious about the plants themselves and I actually found out from Mr. Lee that most of what they actually spray on them is against weeds, not insects. The method he uses to farm also surprised me. The fact that they kill a whole field (pretty much) to farm something else shocked me. I wonder what are the reall effects, as Mr. Lee avoided many of those direct questions.

He also talked about the relation between farming and population growth. This reminded me of Makowski's class, as we were talking about the first days of farming and how it sparked population. I wonder if other developing countries are going through that same spark now with farming. It also makes me wonder if we ARE going to run out. There is only so much land on the earth. It reminds me of my hometown- good ole Hazel Green. Abbie was right. Many of the farming, cotton, fields are being replaced with subdivions. There is one big cotton field right next to my house and I wonder when the day is that it will no longer be there. It kind of makes me sad because one day the small country town I grew up might turn into a city with it's own WalMart.

Lastly, the question of success was brought up. What is the key to success? Mr. Lee says not only hard work, but to take advantage of technologies and know how to use them. However true this may be, it wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for. However, I assume that one word cannot answer that question. It also is different for every person. For me, I really don't know yet. I've tried a lot of things to be "successful" and I am not sure if those have worked yet. Check back in four years.

Does anyone know the answer to world hunger by the way? Just asking.

Later

Anna Goggans

I know my learning isn't done.

This song pertained a lot to me around the time I was graduating high school. Although I still think it applies now. We are finding ourselves and learning new things everyday, things academically and things that have nothing to do with school.
I am posting this video because I hope some will watch. The lyrics are with it (that is what is most prevalent). Even if you don't like the style, see what you think. Does this apply to you? Am I the only one that thinks this is brilliance?
Anyways, Enjoy.
Golden- Farewell Fighter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkRYLrXTmP8

On a musical sidenote..haha.. Get it?

I have always been affected by music. It is something I have always loved and something I have always done. I have been in band since the 6th grade and playing my trumpet is something I could not ever imagine just not doing. Well, in case you haven't noticed from talking to me, band here hasn't exactly been what I was expecting. I feel hesitant at first to talk about this, but decided to anyways because it is something heavy in my life here at UNA. As everyone knows, the POD sucks up all your time. It is tiring and just to be quite honest, hard. For all you athletes, yes I know it is not hard physically necessarily. It is hard in a entirely different way. I never thought I would hate playing my trumpet. However, now I do. That is what makes it so hard. Most days I dread band practice and I look forward to when the game is over.
There are times, however, when the fire rekindles and everything is worth it. That, my friends, is halftime. There is no drug out there that will produce the same high as performing a halftime show with the POD will give you. It is like nothing else.
There are also other times that remind me why I love music.
Monday night was one of those nights. I got lucky enough (Thank you KATE PARTAIN!!!) to acquire Civil Wars tickets and got to go to the concert. It was AMAZING! It was absolutely amazing. Those are some talented musicians. Normally I am a little biased with singers because I can do more on my horn. But, what they do with their voices is something else. The same effect could not be produced by one instrument, or with a whole orchestra for that matter. They way they bend and harmonize is unparallel. It was simply amazing. They reminded me of the passion I have behind music. I love to hear it, I love to play it, but mostly I love to feel it. I love the message behind the music. If that is through the notes, the dynamics, the piece as  a whole, the lyrics, the ending..anything that makes music what it is. I appreciate so much of it. Music is something that has kept me grounded, sane, and has reminded me of who I am and who I want to be. Relating to my life questions, it helps me find myself. Scratch that, it is helping me find myself.
Music amazes me and makes me happy.
I hope that I never loose that no matter where I am or what I am doing.

Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons.

October 2nd was such a lovely day. Besides the fact that it was my birthday, it was cold (my favorite kind of weather) and the day was full of smiles and friends. I ate lots of sugar and was quite happy.
Aside from my digression, the speaker at forum also contributed to my wonderful day. He has definitely been my favorite thus far. Yes, he is the CEO of a hospital, which obviously appeals to me because of the profession I want to pursue, but I also admired him as a person, as well as his decisions in life. I like the way he told us his story. He was very real and presented his values in a way where we could see them without him ever actually having to say them. He is a respectable person, in every aspect of the word. I respect the way he runs his hospital and hopefully can one day work for him, or have an opportunity to observe. He emphasized that we need to take care of ourselves. We need to decide what we want to do, make a plan, and do it. I really liked the metaphor he used of aviation. Sometimes we will experience turbulence, we might have to make a stop along the way, and the destination may be farther than we expected. However, with determination we will get there. This made me feel very good. I have not always been the smartest or most talented. But, I have a plan and a will. That drive has fueld many of my decsions, such as Mr. Berry, and has given me hope for my future.
He alluded to Walt Disney, to which he recieves many brownie points for that, saying. "If you can dream it, you can do it." I have some big plans for mysef in the future, some of which including international efforts, most of which my family has nevers supported. However, that will not stop me. In fact, I look forward to the journey that will get me to where I am going.
His mission statement is something I admire and that I hope to adopt in my own life some way:
Faith
Family
Career
Community
In that order..
Of course I am not in the same place he is in life, but I feel like this can still apply to me. In the very least, it motivates me to come up with my own and life by it. Maybe once I come up with that, it will help answer the questions I have posed about myself in previous blogs. There we go! So, I just have to come up with a mission statement for Anna Goggans to live by and make decisions from. Okay, I can do that. I'll get back to you when I have made my final copy.
He also used a metaphor of a sack. He used imagery of a person walking carrying a sack on their back and every bad decision was like adding a brick to that sack. I hope that my sack never gets too heavy to hinder my goals and dreams. Of course, I am not going to say I do not already have bricks. We all have them. We have all made bad decisions at some point. However, I am not going to let that weigh me down.
Mr. Berry gave me lots of great advice, as well as expressing the values he exhibits in his workplace and life. He gave me hope and motivation to keep going and strive for the best. He reminded me of why it is important to work hard and not take anything for granted. I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I have a God that loves me, a country I can be free in, and parents that support and nuture me.
I have a plan. I am ready to execute it. The journey is already in motion.