Professionalism

In this latest edition of the Nice Girl Blog, I’m going to share my thoughts on professionalism. I’ve been finalizing my academic plans and researching internships that will lead me down my ultimate career path. I’ve been making mental notes as I come into contact with professors, administrators and career professionals. I’m learning a lot about portraying a professional image so that I can market myself effectively. I’m also learning a lot about what not to do unless I want to sabotage my future.

I hate to admit it but I’m seeing so much unprofessionalism from those who should know better. A striking example of what not to do is not being responsive or not following through. At this stage of my fledgling career, I’m looking to seasoned professionals for guidance and examples but too often the examples I am seeing are examples of things I don’t want to do. I suppose it’s a good thing that I am seeing this in action because it’s very obvious that I do not want to be like that. I will pride myself on being responsive even in difficult situations.

With the advantages of today’s technology, there is no excuse not to respond to someone. There’s a lot to be said for face to face communication and we must be careful not to let electronic communications become our sole means of sharing information. However, it takes mere seconds to send a text message or email in the midst of a busy day. Neglecting to respond, especially when someone needs some piece of information from you or is waiting for action on your part, clouds your performance and will eventually overshadow your skills. Don’t be that girl!

I’m challenging all nice girls in November to follow though! Respond! Don’t leave your friends hanging. Even if it’s just an invitation to an informal get together or study session, send a quick text to let your friends know your status. It’s a good habit to get into now because before we know it, we’ll be out there in the real world managing multiple projects and people and situations. What we do now sets the foundation for our performance in the future. This nice girl will always and forever be professional in whatever I do. How about you?

Have a fun, safe and responsible Halloween and remember Nice Girls always finish first!

BrittneeNoel

Items I always keep on hand

Hey everyone.

It’s time to make this blog come to life again. I was so busy over the summer with classes. I can’t believe how quickly the time passed. I really miss blogging and talking to you about this and that. I am in the process of coming up with new ideas for my blog and vlog. For the first time back, I want to talk about a few food items I keep on hand in my dorm room.

I think it is important to have a few go to items always in reach. It helps keep me on track nutritionally and also keeps me on budget. Here is a list of items I always keep in my room:

1. 1. 24 case of water

2. 2. Granola bars

3. 3. Peanut butter and jelly

4. 4. Apples

Now I know these few things might seem funny, but they have become my staples. I like to always have water in my room so I don’t have to buy a bottle of water out of the vending machine or be tempted with a Diet Coke. (Please remember to recycle your plastic bottles.) The granola bars are a great grab and go breakfast. I love to get ready for class and walk out the door with a granola bar. This is an easy way to get a good breakfast that will hold me over until lunch. I always keep one in my purse too because you never know when a snack attack is going to hit. When standing in front of the huge granola wall in the grocery isle, be sure to check for bars with fiber and lower sugar. You need the fiber to fill you up and you don’t need a sugar overload first thing in the morning. My favorite is Special K Fruit Crisps. They are like Pop Tarts for adults. Seriously good. Ok stop laughing at the peanut butter and jelly. It’s my favorite lunch food. Listen, I’m a college student which means I don’t have much space in my room to store food and I don’t have a lot of extra money. PB&J is easy, quick and yummy for people of all ages. It is so easy to make a PB&J and relax for a while after a busy morning of classes. It’s also easy to eat on the go or with one hand if I’m working through lunch. Peanut butter makes a great healthy snack with apples too. Apples are easy to store in my dorm room and are oh so tasty dipped in a little peanut butter.

Let me know a few of the things you like to keep on hand and stay tuned for the return of the nice girl blogs!

And remember, nice girls always finish first.

BrittneeNoel

Resident Assistant, A new School year, and another injury

Hey Nice girls!

Long time no see! It has been forever since I have written a blog. I have no excuses, I just have not written one.

Summer left just as fast as it came. Today ended summer 2010 for me. Classes started bright and early this morning at 8:15am. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I BrittneeNoel would have a class earlier than 10am. NEW FLASH BRITTNEE…. You do! I decided last night I would set my alarm for 6:50am to ensure I was able to snooze my alarm twice and still be up by 7. Well, I snoozed a third time, not to worry though I was ready to go with time to spare this morning. I have high expectations for what this school year has in store for me. I have been dreading this day for as long as I can remember, but now that it is here I am just making the best of it.

With a new school year brings fall weather, with fall weather comes UGG Boots! I can’t wait to slip on my Uggs and have warm feet all day long! Ugg season is my favorite! Most people put away their winter clothing and shoes and wait for summer and sunshine to arrive, well so do I. BUT I must say I put my clothes away and secretly await the cool ugg weather to approach again!

On another note I’m and RA this year. What a great experience so far! I have met so many wonderful people and I love the other staff in my building. I couldn’t have asked for a better group people to work with. Training kicked my butt though. The days were long and there was more information than a person could ever dream of comprehending. I have been looking for to tomorrow for close to two weeks now because I get to sleep in! I don’t have classes on Tuesdays and I only have a night class on Thursday giving me the whole day to do what I need to do. Hopefully I will be spending that time shopping…. I mean studying!

I am sad to report I have received another injury doing what I love. Cheerleading seems to have it out for me these past few months. Last year it was a broken rib and 8 weeks of rest. This year it is a back injury. I am going to the doctor today so I really don’t know what the correct diagnosis is. What I can tell you is that I have a bump on/near my spine in my lower back, which is extremely painful. I am hoping it is just a bruise and not anything to serious. I will find out today though. I am almost positive I can predict the words that will come out of my doctor’s mouth… you were just hurt, maybe cheering isn’t a good idea anymore. Although I will shake my head and agree with her, we all know that I love to cheer!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday! And remember, nice girls always finish first!

BrittneeNoel