Winter

I am looking through the window, is winter, snow everywhere, Christmas time...
The semester is almost over. It was a good semester. I read and learned a lot. A special in ProSem class, which required 2 books to read, and of course literature for my ILP project.
I just finished to read "Social intelligence" by Daniel Goleman.
Social Intelligence, it is the new science of human relationship, the ability to read other people's cues and then act on them. Daniel Goleman, says that our brain is designed to make connections with other humans, and that our relationships have a real biological impact; whether it's flirting with the opposite sex or succeeding at work.
Social intelligence means being smart in relationships by being empathetic, or being able to sense what others are feeling and their intentions. It means having the social skills to act on that information.
The author, says that the people with the most social intelligence are those, who are good listeners. We can become a better listener by being motivated and mindful in social situations, instead of just saying what we think, we should stop and listen to the other person, and fine-tune our response to them. One of my New Years resolutions is to become a better listeners, and practice, and practice....!:)

The concert and book

I went to the concert in Boston Philharmonic on Thursday, October 18. It was great performance!!! Especially because I was seating next to composer Shirish Korde and I was listening concert mistress Joanna Kurkowicz, who is polish. The Korde's music was fabulous, that combines elements of Western and India instrumental techniques and rhythms. Kurkowicz demonstrated strong personality and assured technique. It was pleasure for me to meet and talk to her after the concert. Before and after the program people could buy the Zander's book - The Art of Possibility. I already read the book which combines Bengamin Zander's experiences as conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and his talent as a teacher and communicator with psychotherapist Rosamund Stone Zander's genius for designing innovative examples for personal and professional changes. The book teach us how to become passionate communicators, leaders and performers in our life, also it offers a lot of practices, which gives an opportunity for personal and organizational transformation.

A University in the Midst of Storms

In October 23 I went to the lecture by Eliezer Rafaeli, who has faced unique management challenges in his career. Eliezer Rafaeli was the first President and now Chancellor of the Hifa University in Israel.
This school is unique as a Jewish-Arab project, which demonstrates peace and collaboration in mixed population. He was talking about how education is important in our life. Process of learning and teaching is by getting information from Internet, media... Then we should convert this information to knowledge and wisdom. He was also talking about politics and history of Israel, which is very sad and tragic. The University is facing challenges, it try to educate people to reach democracy, live without discrimination and differences, fight for dialog between cultures and religions. Israel is a develop country, becouse of that the Hife University's goal is to create leadership, trust, stability, peace and respect. Acording to Eliezer Rafaeli, a true leader must respect people or subject, sacrefised, and has a vision based on knowlegde. This was very interesting and touching lucture for me.

ILP Planning Assignment

Here are my ideas to possible ILP topics. I am looking for suggestions and advices from Professor Seo and you - my classmates. Thank you.

1. The Lack of Professional Ethics in America
2. What Measures Would Promote Ethical Behavior in Business Organizations?
3. Do Ethical Business Practices Benefit Society?

Presentation

Today I have a presentation in Professor Seo class. This is my second public speech in this school and almost in my life! Stress....... and I have some problems with sending comments to my classmates. Sometimes technology makes me crazy. I feel that I still don't know enough.

Development plan

My strengths: teamwork and collaboration
My weaknesses: emotional self-control and adaptability

To achieve my goals I have to:
1. learn how to manage my impulsive feelings and distress emotions well
2. stay composed, positive and unflappable even in trying moments
3. think clearly and stay focused under pressure

To practice and develop my E.I. I will be talking about my problems and experiences with my classmates, listing and using their ideas or advices and recruiting them to role-play troubling situations with me so I can try out new self-control strategies. I will read more books and articles about E.I. and attend to seminars and trainings. If I will get the support from my friends, colleagues and partners and I will communicate with them openly with respect, I will be able to:
- manage my impulsive feelings and distressing my emotions in difficult situations
- think clearly and stay focused under pressure,
- handle changes and challenges very flexible

My notes

My notes from Googles Seminar are in my notebook. I want to share with you some information about blogs. To make great and successful blog we should:

• make each page very interesting - grab people attention, eye catching content,
• add comments section of your site - involve users,
• get your visitors involved to boost visibility and user loyalty,
• monitor your site - use Webmaster Central and create a News Sitemap to see what queries are pushing visitors to your site,
• publish high quality links
• provide clear text links

Do I have intuition?

I think I do. Many people say that every woman has intuition. Sometimes I have a "gut feeling", which tell me what I should do or what decision I should make.
For me intuition is our inner knowing, the part of us that serves as an inner compass. It is our one trustworthy source of knowledge,which allows us to gain perception, insight, understanding and compassion about our past and to make decisions about the future. Intuition help us decide if a person, job, move or treatment is right for us, despite what anyone else is saying. Responsible for this is amygdala - the site of the brain where the emotions an experience evokes are stored. According to Goleman, young people have stronger intuition than old, because life experiences add up and they are afraid to take a risk.

My first final presentation

Today I have final team presentation in Organizational Environment class. I learned about four different frames which are useful to analyze organizations and their environment. Structural, Human Resource, Political and Symbolic frames teach as that we should look at the world in a different light and confronting new challenges with different tools and reactions, we should use multiple perspectives and think about the same problem in more than one way. Emotional Intelligence is very useful and important in Human Resource frame. The individuals who scored relatively high in the ability to perceive accurately and understand others' emotions can respond more flexibly to changes in their social environments and be able to build supportive social networks.

Emotional Intelligence

I just finished to read "Working with Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman. Emotional Intelligence consists of self-awareness, self-control, self-motivation, enthusiasm and social ability. People with emotional intelligence understand their feelings and manage them in ways that are positive a helpful. They make decisions about life - what job to pursue, what direction to take - with greater confidence and skill than people with low or no emotional intelligence. Their people skills make them more likely to succeed at relationships, cooperation and leadership. I found many suggestions how I can control my impulsive feelings and reactions and stay focused under pressure. Now I know the answers how to develop my strengths and how to eliminate my weaknesses.

Technology

Technology has always scared me, however i understand that I live in twenty-first century, the era of science, automation and electronic engineering. There is no chance of stopping the progress in science and there is no point in doing it as well. Technological and scientific advancements have become an essential thing to make economic growth. The obvious advantage is that the world changes into the global village. It means that it become "smaller" nowadays. It is amazing that I can publish my own journal on the web, communicate with people all over the world and share ideas with them! Professor Seo opened a new door for me, the door of virtual adventure.

My goals and dreams

I finally have gotten myself to place where I am legitimately, really happy. I have a place to live.
Everything is good with my family and my boyfriend. I am happy to be a student at Cambridge College... but I still have goals and dreams.
I want to create a healthy life balance. I want to be active and successful but also there are other things more important for me, like spend time with my family, friends, myself; every day have a dinner with my boyfriend, graduate from Cambridge College, travel, get organized, learn French, start my own business. And finally the biggest dream, which I have is to be a mother.
In my opinion it is such an overwhelming and all encompassing love. I want to look at my children and think; you are so gorgeous, fabulous and funny. I think it is privilege to have that kind of a relationship.

Kasia's biography

My name is Kasia. I was born in the small town of Pilzno, located in the south of Poland, where I graduated from both primary school and high school. I grew up during a time that was very tragic for the Polish people, constantly facing the difficulties of a Communist political and economic system. Nonetheless, I was able to have a productive and happy childhood. Early in my life, I displayed strong musical abilities and was able to learn how to play the piano, sing and dance; later, I was able to use these skills to teach other children dancing as a volunteer. Additionally, despite the fact that my family was poor, the good environment of my household taught me to be strong and independent and this has helped me throughout my life. Moreover, my parents taught me how to forgive, which is necessary for getting along with other people. My very open-minded father also helped me develop a passion for different cultures, languages, art, economy and history. Because of my parents’ dedication to my learning, I was able to travel a lot and had great opportunities to perceive old and new civilizations alike.

My interests lead me further in the fields of economics and politics, and I therefore pursued business during college. Despite working part-time as a Assistant Manager in a wholesale firm, I consistently demonstrated a high level of excellence in my studies as a full-time student. After graduating in February 2000, I worked as a Sales Coordinator for a Brokerage Trust. This position required me to work closely with Bank Executives and customers to facilitate their loan transactions.

I continued to develop a deeper understanding of the types of skills necessary for communication with different groups of people for different business- related matters.
I feel that I was able to apply my academic knowledge while performing administration and sales support associated with account maintenance. After holding this position, I further improved my abilities working in a Bursar’s Office and finally, by starting my own business, which has been a wonderful experience for me. The challenge of managing individuals provides me with a fine sense of motivation; I also pride myself on being able to work effectively and responsibly.

My passion and curiosity for different cultures, lifestyles, economic and political systems brought me to Unites States. I am highly motivated to utilize my developing English language skills as a student in Cambridge College, and I am likewise eager to continue learning more about America’s people and cultures. I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue my education and development in Cambridge College.

Kasia's First Post

This is my first post. I will be adding more very soon.