Session 13- Justin Lister

On my 100th birthday I’d want highlighted:

• Adventurer
• World Traveler
• Optimist
• Mentor/Leader
• Empathetic
• Reliable
• Successful career
• Philanthropist

Session 12- Justin Lister

The word that I would use is optimism. Through out life there are so many things that could drag someone down and being an optimistic individual you can find good in the smallest of things. Having this trait could very well give someone the boost of confidence to get them through a tough situation. Growing up there are many pessimistic influences such as the church, friends, family, and the media. All these influences have a major impact in peoples lives and having a bit of optimism can help get you get through the toughest of situations. The way you react to a situation determines whether or not it has a positive or negative impact on you. With a bit of optimism, many different opportunities may arise.

Session 11- Justin Lister

The presentation that stuck with me the most was the baking one. It was certainly a unique perspective and definitely left me thinking differently and left looking at things from a different outlook. It is easier to view some characteristics as “ingredients” that may need some work and added to make things better. It made a subject very understandable and not making it as complex as it could come across. Giving myself a different look on things and realizing some of the ingredients I lacked makes it so much easier to work on the ones I did not have. Everything tied in together quite well during this presentation and it all made more so much more sense.

Session 9- Justin Lister

Looking back on my LPI assessment and the results I received actually shocked me quite a bit. My results turned out a lot better than I expected.

One of the highest scores I received was “enabling others to act” and being “up beat and positive” which was nice to see; but, it was also great seeing things that I scored the lowest in so I know what I need to work on. One things I need to start working on is being able to learn from experiences that may not go my way. Overall, reading the results was a fresh boost into knowing what I need to really work on with my self. Something else that surprised me was that some things I do quite well were actually marked lower than I thought it would be.

It was an insightful assignment and I am happy being able to see the results that I received and now know what to work on now.

Session 7

Over the past summer I was a part of an organization that let allowed me to take on a role of a team leader. I was ecstatic that I had the opportunity to have a new experience under my belt and the ability to test some of the skills I’ve developed over the years. Being a new in this position someone higher up than me decided that I had everything in control and knew what to do in any circumstance. It was not a great experience at all. This individual expected that I knew all the policy’s of the company and what to do when a problem would arise.

I prior knowledge and a basic idea of what needed to be done, but I was essentially thrown into a new position expecting to know everything. After an hour of countless trials and errors, I had to finally confront someone else equal to me who ended up helping out more than my boss had.

It was definitely a learning experience to be had and I’ll definitely remember it for quite some time. Other than a couple incidents that night I pulled through and managed to be somewhat successful and kept that position. That summer was a hallowing experience and I built a lot of character.

Session 6

During my sophomore year of high school, I was in marching band and we were going to a state competition. Everyone was beyond hyped and was very excited to know we will be having a great experience and as a plus be out of school for a week! It was awesome; but, there was also drama going on between my section and the band director. It was over where our Tuba room was located and the section leader at the time was not handling business accordingly and was willing to give things up for the sake of not getting herself in trouble. So, a couple friends and I didn’t want our tuba room taken away so we made a list of everything we would change and had the mindset that we and the director would get what we wanted. We came in with a win/win attitude.

It ended up working out in both of our parties favor. Going into the meeting with that attitude and the willingness to change what needed to be changed definitely made things a lot easier for all of us. Because it went so well, we got what we wanted and the band director did as well. He appreciated what we did so much the next year my group of friends and I all got section leader the next year and helped the band in many more ways.

Session 4

Having an extra hour added to my day would definitely be something I’d quite enjoy. I would take advantage of the extra time given to me and read a lot more. There are so many books that I would love to read and fully immerse my self in but due to a tight schedule with classes and home work and having a social life that is not really something I really allocate time for. There are so many self-improving books that I’d like to delve into and I’d definitely use that hour to start reading some of them. One of the main books I have been trying to read on the side is called “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. I’ve been sitting half way through the book now for about a month now and just need to finish it.

Reading has been a hobby I’d love to try to actually implement more into my daily routine and may actually try to start doing that now.

Session 3

This past week I have actually had the opportunity to apply the 90/10 principle on multiple occasions but one stuck out with me the most. One of the days this past week I wanted to send my girl friend in Fort Worth flowers through a company that is near her house. So I ecstatically searched for website and finally came across one that appealed to me. Being a broke college student I certainly had to be picky with what could be chosen but I ended up picking a beautiful bouquet with a glass vase that was within my price range.

I really wanted the flowers to be delivered the next day and selected that as an option in the payment menu. I finally sent the order and was very happy knowing that my girl friend was getting flowers from me the next day. Well.. I ended up having to go up to Austin to help my Mom with a couple things while she was getting back from a trip. On my way back, I had to park super far away from my dorm hall due to the parking garage adjacent to it being filled. Carrying a laundry basket in my arms and having all my school supplies in my back pack I was receiving a call.. It was the flower company which I purchased the bouquet from. Upon answering the phone I was told that the address given was too far away for the delivery driver and was requested to have another address given. There wasn’t another house my girlfriend was living in so I couldn’t supply one. After asking a load of questions she came down to the conclusion that UPS could deliver the bouquet at the same price without the glass vase. I hesitant at first but I really wanted my girlfriend to receive these flowers so I said yes and ended the call with that thinking it was the end. It wasn’t. After 4 more phone calls regarding the delivery and extremely poor communication from this company (the same caller every time) it became so complicated and I was growing impatient and demanded a refund. I kept telling myself 90/10 because there was nothing in my power that I could change.

Finally getting over it and accepting the fact my girlfriend won’t be receiving flowers.. I get another phone call stating that there was a store closer that could deliver her the flowers. After an hour of calling and being put on hold because of flowers the worker didn’t once check that there was a store closer and could have solved this problem much sooner. I didn’t let it get to me. My girlfriend was getting the flowers the next day.

My Background

Being born in Germany definitely set me a part moving to a small town outside Fort Worth called Azle, Texas at a young age. Before I was born my Father was in the military where he was brought over seas to many different countries; but, the one that was most important of course was his last destination in Germany. Where he ended up meeting my Mom. Once my parents met, got married, and eventually brought me into this world my parents finally started a small family of their own. After two short years in Europe my parents believed the next step should be continued in America in a small town North West of Fort Worth. After 3 years of living in a new country I was now eligible in attending school at the age of 5. Many things changed when I was put into school and the major part that affected me was being put in ESL (English Second Language). German was my first language growing up but due to outside influences of this new school that quickly changed to me despising the language I grew up learning.

After this school year ended, my parents decided to file for a divorce.  This is where my influence in life really begins to take shape. My Mom mostly had to raise me by herself due to the distance my Dad decide to move to. My Mom being a foreigner in America and still having trouble with English she acquired a job at Sprint. From counting quarters to do basic necessities my mom slowly worked her way up the “ladder” and is now a very successful business woman.

Time-Management– Over the years of growing up some of the things I suffered from most was time-management. I quickly had to grasp and be able to utilize this skill once I got into high school and joined band. Band has taught me many important life skills that have helped shaped me into the individual I am today. One of the things I learned was figuring out what time I was going to allocate to certain everyday tasks. It took me a little while to accomplish this but after many trial & errors I slowly begin to pick up what was best for me.

Self-Discipline– Having seen my Moms work ethic through out the years has been the foundation of my very own. Watching her spend countless hours answering phone calls, e-mails, and going on business trips has impacted me in a positive way.

Self-Discipline was certainly a challenge for myself to overcome. It mostly had a play in my work ethic and with school work but I came around after many trial and errors later.

Leadership– Growing up I was taught a variety of leadership skills through my Dad. Since my Dad was in the army he had a leadership role within it. As I progressed through Junior High and then to High School he gave me many lessons through out the years. They started to take affect while I was a section leader in band for the last two years.  Having held a section leader position for two years has taught me a variety of important characteristics such as time management, discipline, communicating effectively and leading a group of people to a common goal. Having grown these attributes throughout the years has taught me to use any given resources effectively and efficiently. These skills have taught me important life lessons throughout the years has helped me become a strong leader through the process.