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  • Taking a Big Risk

    Taking a Big Risk

    The biggest risk a person takes is usually something that drastically changes their life. The thought that you could fail miserably and be laughed at or put down by your nonsupporters can deter you from taking that significant risk. It’s easier to do what’s comfortable and be in your safe place.

    I took a major risk years ago when I decided on a career change. The big hurdle I would have to overcome would be public speaking. Of course, I was intimidated by the thought of speaking in front of people I did not know. The first time I spoke in front of a group of twenty-five people, I wasn’t very loud and the people at the back of the room couldn’t hear me. I was also worried about forgetting my lines.

    After presenting for about a month, my throat hurt and I discovered the roof of my mouth had a soft palette that I hadn’t known existed until that point in my life. I thought that I had grown something in my mouth!

    Fast forward a decade and I was presenting in front of groups of fifty to two hundred people. My confidence had grown since my early presentation days. Despite having so much experience, I still got nervous the day before a presentation, but I am a lot more confident. The trick is to practice what I’m going to say in my head before the actual presentation. Although I refer to notes, I try to remember what I’m going to say as if I don’t have notes. Then I picture myself speaking to the audience and calm myself down (because I still feel nervous sometimes).

    I feel a lot more confident about speaking in front of a large group now than when I started.

    One day, I would like to speak at a Ted Talk. This would involve speaking in front of a group of thousands. As confident as I am in speaking, I don’t think I have the time or energy to practice a speech that is eighteen minutes long until the words are flawless. I think I will get tired of repeating the speech many times as I practice it. Also, I’m not sure what topic I would be so passionate about that I would spend months practicing the same words over and over until I know them in my sleep.

    So, a big risk that I’d like to take but haven’t been able to is making a speech in front of thousands of people.

    Daily writing prompt
    What’s the biggest risk you’d like to take — but haven’t been able to?
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  • I Was Part of a Famous, Historical Moment

    I Was Part of a Famous, Historical Moment

    Many people have heard of the tragedy of the Titanic. I was pretty much right there, experiencing the life and death of the passengers. Let me explain.

    I found myself on the dock where the Titanic was waiting for passengers to board. It was part of a museum display, and it was like traveling back in time to 1912 because we were each handed an identity card. I wasn’t a museum visitor anymore. I was a Titanic passenger, and the card told me my name and who I was. I was a famous actress traveling in first class. And by the end of my journey, I would find out if I survived.

    I could feel myself transported back in time when I walked into the famous room with the staircase and clock. I saw menus that described what I ate as a first-class passenger, and I walked through some of the rooms on the historical ship.

    Then, near the end of my journey, I touched a piece of ice that was at the same temperature as on that fateful night when the ship sank.

    In one display room, I read letters written by people who had traveled on the ship (and sent mail before that night). Some people weren’t even supposed to be on that ship but circumstances put them there. Sometimes, one small decision can have severe consequences.

    Finally, at the end of our tour, we disembarked from the ship. Along one wall, we saw a list of the names of all the passengers. I eagerly scanned the names until I found mine. I was alive! Then I searched for my friend’s name. He was a rich businessman, also traveling in first class. He didn’t make it. It was chilling to think this was once a real person. I felt sad that we had both boarded the ship and only I had made it.

    I reminded myself it was just a museum exhibit, but it truly had brought that moment in history alive.

    Daily writing prompt
    What major historical events do you remember?
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  • Fashion Trends, Virtual Meetings, and 3D Digital Projections

    Fashion Trends, Virtual Meetings, and 3D Digital Projections

    Updated post

    Fitness and comfort have influenced the fashion style of work from home (WFH). As technology continues to make working from home more commonplace, it won’t be as necessary to pack a suitcase for a business trip. In the near future, we could be going to work in a digital outfit.

    A few years ago, WFH became a household word and began a trend that continues today. When that switch happened, many people became uncertain about what to wear for work.

    Home was where you walked around in PJs, fuzzy slippers, or gym clothes. Were you expected to dress up in slacks and a shirt while working in your home office? People continued to dress the way they did for the office because it was familiar. Later, the fashion became a hybrid of styles. At virtual meetings, people wore business casual tops for the camera, and shorts or yoga pants for under the desk.

    As the years continued, people accepted that the worlds of work and home could be blurred, and they showed up to virtual meetings wearing clothes that they could do housework in. Work-from-home fashion became more casual and influenced by sportswear.

    For example, fashion has become cardigans, sweatshirts in material that’s too nice for gym clothes, comfy dresses with pockets, and pants with a jogger waistline. These pants have a flat front and elastic back like very casual slacks. 

    Fashion continues to evolve. 

    In the near future, video calls will be replaced with 3D digital projection. The technology will reduce travel costs – an important consideration with the rising cost of EVERYTHING from inflation. Consider the time saved from traveling to and from airports and the money saved on hotels and airfare!

    In these futuristic meetings, your image is beamed from your location to the meeting location. Your image will be able to look around and interact with the people in the meeting room – you’ll be much more lifelike than in current 2D calls!

    For the 3D projection to work, you will stand in a portal surrounded by cameras and microphones. However, you will need to dress up for the presentation (unlike a virtual meeting in which you only need to be presentable from the waist up).

    We wouldn’t be able to shake hands or hug people during a virtual call yet, but we’re getting closer to that technology.

    Perhaps the next advancement in virtual meetings and networking would be alternate projections. Just like our current capability to create virtual backgrounds, you will be able to roll out of bed with your PJs and project a pre-programmed image of yourself to your meeting.

    There won’t be a need to dress up or check your appearance. Your pre-selected meeting outfit is ready to be projected with the press of a button. As technology advances, the possibilities are limitless.

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  • Noticing the Details Could Save a Life

    Noticing the Details Could Save a Life

    Sometimes we are so busy with our own lives that we don’t notice the struggles of the people around us. There may be no consequences to what we overlook. But other times, we miss an opportunity to change a life.

    We miss an opportunity when we don’t pay attention to crucial details. For example, that friend who is always so chatty with text messages has suddenly gone silent. What happened? Was she just busy with work? Or is she silent because she is depressed about something? Do you notice the change right away, or weeks later? And if you notice right away, do you reach out and let her know that someone cares?

    Sometimes, the details are misleading, so we have to do some analytical thinking to figure it out. Like the time a friend’s mother died just months after he just got a divorce. He tells you he’s not doing well, but when you run into him two days later, he’s smiling and telling jokes. Is he ok? So you ask, but he says he’s feeling the same as two days ago. The smile is just a facade.

    But, noticing the details doesn’t just mean noticing if your loved ones need you. In some cases, you could be the one who needs the support. Hopefully, you have a loved one who cares enough to reach out to you.

    So the next time you’re really busy and just say a quick hi to a friend or family member, take an extra moment to check and make sure that person is okay. It could make a big difference in that person’s life!

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    Daily writing prompt
    What details of your life could you pay more attention to?
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  • Would You Love Once or Never Love at All?

    Would You Love Once or Never Love at All?

    My earliest memory of him is when he sat across from me in the cafeteria and asked me about the pictures I was drawing. He asked me questions and wanted to know all about me. And so, I thought, I was in love.

    I saw him in the hallway, where he would smile at me and his beautiful face would light up my day. He would call out my name and ask me how I was, and those were the most wonderful words.

    He was perfect. Everything he did amazed me. I saw him in the mall on the weekend and he wouldn’t stop talking with me. He bought me ice cream. We went for a walk. He asked if I had a boyfriend. 

    Then I saw him with another girl. “I thought you liked me,” I said.

    “We were just friends,” he said.

    So I sat through the next class wondering what I had done wrong. Was it something I had said? Something I had done?

    Months passed. He never talked to me again. But over time, he didn’t look so handsome. His voice wasn’t so beautiful. He stopped walking on air and he came down to earth.

    Ah, love is fleeting. A crush is just a crush.

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    Daily writing prompt
    Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.
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