Time Strategies

The two articles I read were quite informative, and hopefully helpful for myself. I admit that I often struggle with procrastination. Because I struggle with procrastination, I read the articles "How to Beat Procrastination" and "Four Questions to Help You Overcome Procrastination". They were both interesting and insightful!

"Four Questions to Help You Overcome Procrastination" was an interesting take. The author suggested asking yourself what to do first to get started. The other questions to ask yourself were: What happens if I DON'T do this now? How can I make this easier? What are my 3 biggest priorities for the day? They are really great questions to ask yourself, and I can see how it is so effective.

The second article I read, "How to Beat Procrastination", was a bit different in structure, but it suggested very similar ideas. As with the first article, this one really pushed getting started; taking the first step.  Also, there  was an emphasis on making the whole project as simple as possible. Start small and work up to the goal.

All in all, the articles gave me a lot of insight into how I can beat procrastination in my own life. I am looking forward to trying these principles to see if I can improve my performance in school and life!

(A graphic about procrastination - PsyBlog)

Classroom Technology

I suppose since this is an online class it isn't really "classroom technology", but I think the title serves the point well. Generally I consider myself a technologically savvy person, but many of the tools we will be using in this class are foreign to me! Honestly I was surprised to see so many resources that I was completely unaware of. I know of, and use, Pinterest, Weebly, Tumblr, and other sites on my own time. I have never used, or even heard of, Twine, Cheezburger, or Canva. Hopefully by the end of the semester I will be comfortable enough to use them in my own work.

Even for an online course we seem to be using much more technology than I had in all my prior classes. It may be true that if you combined all of the online resources we still would not have used as many as we will in this class. I am up for the challenge of learning these new tools, though.

I found this funny cat meme on Cheezburger as I was exploring the site!

My Thoughts on the Assignments Overview

Personally, I am a big fan of the class structure. A self-paced course is awesome for my busy schedule because it can be molded around my availability. With the amount of extra credit available, I see no reason why anyone should not get the grade they desire. I think there is going to be a decent workload, but with the 0 or 100 grading, it makes it pretty clear how much work you need to do.

I look forward to the reading assignments. Over the Christmas break I had to read a 608 page marketing text book in order to test out of the class. Through that task I really developed the ability to read educational text that is pretty dense and boring. On the bright side, I expect the reading in this class to be much more interesting, so it should be much easier!

Lastly, I am really enjoying this blog. Never before have I had to create a body of work like this will add up to. I can't wait to see how it turns out at the end of the semester!

This is the "Prizefighter" skin for Mercury in my favorite game - Smite - Softpedia News

My Comments on the Growth Mindset

I had not heard of the Growth Mindset before today. Carol Dweck has created this philosophy, and I had applied it in my own life at points, but never under the term "Growth Mindset". I love the thinking behind it. In the first video she told a story about high schools giving students the grade of "Not yet". It is really a positive way of thinking. In general, they promoted a mindset of positive thinking. They encourage embracing challenges, and viewing it as an opportunity to make themselves better. I truly admire this line of thinking because beyond the education, there are a number of places in life that it can be applied to. Carol Dweck mentioned the same sentiment during her first video.
I think we should apply this to our lives. Obviously there is a time for brutal honesty and facing the facts, but in general I think it applies.

The video inspired me to take on the growth mindset again. I feel like I used to have it, but it has faded over time.

The graphic above outlines the differences between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset - Growth Mindset Launch

Introduction to Brady the Accountant

Hi everyone, my name is Brady Justice. I am from McAlester, Oklahoma, which is about two hours east of Norman. McAlester is home to fantastic, authentic Italian food from restaurants like Pete's Place, Roseanna's, Isle of Capri, and more. If you ever pass through town I would recommend a stop at Roseanna's as it is my personal favorite! We are also home to the state penitentiary, unfortunately. Key decision makers in McAlester elected to house the prison rather than Southeastern Oklahoma State University which was eventually built in Durant, Oklahoma instead. The thinking at the time was a prison would provide jobs for locals where a university would bring in jobs for people outside of McAlester. It was not the best forward thinking...

Anyway, that is a bit about where I come from. Here at OU I am studying Accounting. I am in the final semester of study of my undergraduate, which I will have completed in three years! It does not seem real that it is almost over already, but I am proud of myself for working hard to get done two semesters early.

Initially I had not planned to be an accountant. I hopped around from International Business, to Entrepreneurship, to Finance, and eventually ended up at Accounting. The job security and opportunity to advance within a company were appealing to me. I am considering going to law school, but one way or another I plan to work for a couple years and get my CPA certification beforehand.

I enrolled in Mythology and Folklore for a handful of reason. First, I heard great reviews about Professor Gibbs. Second, I need one more upper division elective. Finally, I find mythology quite interesting because several of my friends and I play a game called Smite. It features 100 gods and goddesses from Greek, Roman, Hindu, Chinese, Japanese, Norse, Voodoo, Slavic, Egyptian, Celtic, Mayan, and Polynesian pantheons. It wasn't until I started to learn about these gods and goddesses that I realized how often they are referenced to this day. For example, China launched a spacecraft intended to land on the moon. It was called the Chang'e 4. I knew from playing Smite that Chang'e is the Chinese goddess of the moon! I've enjoyed making these connections from my limited knowledge from a silly video game I play with friends, so I thought I would enjoy taking a class about Mythology and Folklore to learn more.

(Almost all of the gods and goddesses in Smite - Latin American Pride)

The picture above features almost all of the gods and goddesses in Smite. Right above the logo you can find Zeus, and in the bottom right corner you will see Chang'e who I referenced earlier. Just to the right of the logo you see Thor, and his brother Loki, and father Odin are also pictured! In the game there is a tab where you can find the lore and history of each of the gods and goddesses.

I hope you all have a great semester.

Three Storybook Favorites

My Three Favorite Storybooks

Horses of Hogwarts

I recently watched the Harry Potter series for the first time, and it was captivating! It has the appeal that makes it really, really hard to stop watching. After one of the adventures ended, I couldn't wait to jump into the next one. When I saw the title of this storybook, Horses of Hogwarts, I had to take a look.  

This storybook recaps the interactions between Harry Potter and his friends with Centaurs in the series. It was an insightful, and interesting storybook. Aside from the content, I enjoyed the introduction. The author of the post did a great job of piquing my interest as a Harry Potter fan. They did a great job of finding a unique subtopic within a hugely popular, and widely discussed series. 

Mount Olympus Gossip

The next storybook I found was  Mount Olympus Gossip. This storybook was particularly interesting to me because I know quite a bit about the gods and goddesses included in it. After diving into it, I found that the author of the post genuinely made the post feel like gossip. It was quite entertaining, honestly. The references to Zues' affairs with the other goddesses and Hera's frustration felt like a tabloid. 

The main thing I would take away from this storybook is to find a unique "tone" so to speak. Find  a way to convey the messages in a way that your "voice" can be heard from reading it. 

(Mount Olympus - Mount Olympus Gossip)

Tales of Ganesha

The final storybook I enjoyed was Tales of Ganesha. I initially clicked on this storybook because I have heard of Ganesha. I knew Ganesha came from Hindu culture, so it was unsurprising when it popped up under the Indian Epics tab. The content of the storybook was interesting, as almost all have been.

Similar to Mount Olympus Gossip, I was a fan of how the author told the stories. In Tales of Ganesha, the author wrote in first person from Ganesha's point of view. It was as if Ganesha was telling his own story. 

I was also a fan of the site structure of this storybook. The home page was welcoming. There was an interesting introduction, and it was easy to find the next page for the story. 

(Ganesha the Hindu god - Tales of Ganesha)

One of My Favorite Places - Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

Over the Summer of 2018 my family took a road trip along the West coast of the United States. We are from McAlester, Oklahoma, which is about two hours East of Norman. It was a crazy long drive, but we had a lot of fun!

My favorite stop during the trip was at Yosemite National Park. While we were there a bad wildfire had closed part of the Park. Still, we had the opportunity to see a number of spectacular waterfalls, wildlife, and wild people. Some of the most beautiful views in the United States can be found in the mountains of Yosemite. I can attest to it, as I have been to 47 of the 50 states by car!

Below I have attached a photo of one of the coolest waterfalls in Yosemite. We had the opportunity to hike right up underneath the base of the falls. The mist from the falls was quite refreshing on the smoky, warm day.

(Yosemite Waterfall - Wikimedia)

I would recommend a trip to Yosemite to everyone. In fact, California as a whole is worth the visit. Try to find a time when the fires are not bad, and I guarantee it will impress you!