First of all, I apologize for posting this late! The past couple of weeks I survived a hurricane in South Padre, a flood in Laredo, any my most challenging cheer camp. Now I back on campus for a few until to practice cheerleading until we go to Texas State for cheer camp!
MY RULES
RULE 1: IT AIN'T AS BAD AS YOU THINK. IT WILL LOOK BETTER IN THE MORNING.
When I read this rule, the first thing that came to mind was the expression sleep on it. I know that after an argument with my mom I feel better the next morning and am able to think more clearly. Sleeping on it gives me time to think about the situation and put it into perspective. This past cheerleading camp I worked in Laredo the staff had a hard time working on our opening rally. Because we had too many fliers, I had to base. It was frustrating because the stunt kept dropping and had been working on it all practice. Finally, we decided to stop what we were doing and try it again the next day. Sure enough, our stunt hit every time the next day. Having that extra time really energized us and gave us time to think about what we were doing.
RULE 4: IT CAN BE DONE.
I firmly believe in this rule and in the philosophy that you can do anything you set your mind to. When I was younger and in grade school, I had an attitude problem. I would fuss about every little thing. Then, on the first day of 5th grade, I decided that I wanted to be nicer to people. I put in my head that if I was nicer and started smiling at people I would make more friends. I also wanted to make good grades, so I pushed myself to get good grades in everything. From 5th grade on I have learned that I really can do anything. I feel like I can be trained to do something and do something well. I see this especially in cheerleading. When I want to hit a new skill I work hard for it. I go to extra practices and channel all my energy into it. I know that since things can be done, I can accomplish anything. I strive for excellence always. In high school I was nominated to be a member of the NCA staff, a group of extremely talented cheerleaders who lead high school cheer camps in the summer. I tried out and did not make it. Not making staff motivated me to want it more. I worked hard over the summer and my first semester in college to get new skills. I tried out a second time and made NCA. To me this rule has a special place in my heart, as I know I can accomplish big things if I set my mind to it.
RULE 6: DONT LET ADVERSE FACTS STAND IN THE WAY OF A HARD DECISION.
This rule completely embodies my high school experience. After 8th grade, I had a very difficult decision of deciding where to go to high school. I knew I would be attending a private high school, I just didnt know which one fit me best because I knew I would do well wherever I went. I decided I wanted to cheer for Central Catholic, the all boys school, and I knew to cheer there I had to attend one of the two all girls schools in the city, because both schools cheer for the all boys school. One of the two has a better reputation, is bigger, and more popular. I chose to attend the other school which was not as popular, wasnt in the best area of town, and was typically known for being less well-off. These adverse facts were very difficult to ignore and overcome my freshman and sophomore years of high school, but as I became an upperclassman and invested in my school, I loved my high school. Going there became one of the best decisions I have ever made. It taught me the lesson that you may not always do what is popular or what everyone else is going to do, but it may the best decision for you...in SLT's case, the team.
RULE 10: REMAIN CALM. BE KIND.
I feel this rule belongs to me and describes how I handle stress and frustrating situations. By nature, I tend to hold in how I feel about things when I am upset. I would rather not have others see that side of me and keep it to myself. This shows in my demeanor as my friends tell me how I rarely get upset. I do, I just show my feelings in different ways. This may not be completely healthy, as I believe emotions should be expressed. So I have outlets like cheerleading and working out to get my emotions out. Remaining calm and being kind has a certain aspect of self-awareness and professionalism. I believe that remaining calm in situations is a great way to manage your stress. I will definitely use this rule during the upcoming year as I may need to manage stress and deal with conflicting viewpoints.
RULE 11: HAVE A VISION. BE DEMANDING.
This rule is essential to leadership and life in general. Having a vision and being demanding and persistent to that vision will yield results. If you are demanding, you also are passionate about accomplishing something. To me, vision aligns itself with purpose. Actions steps and goal setting are a small part of the vision process but also a process of growth. Visions can always change with time but it is having a vision that brings you hope and a higher purpose in life.
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