“In the last analysis, our only freedom is the freedom to discipline ourselves.” ~ Bernard Baruch

Discipline: it sounds like such a harsh word, such a restrictive word—at least to a creative individual like me. It sounds like I’m about to be punished. I like words like imagination, transformation and manifestation—words that seem almost mystical. But really, we could use the synonyms vision, process, and outcome to say the same thing.

• Imagination (vision) is the idea, the end results, where you want to go.
• Transformation (process) is the step by step journey that will take you from where you are to where you want to be.
• Manifestation (outcome) the end results.

But what ties it all together? Yes, discipline.

I have a friend who is a professional boxer. When he’s training for a fight, he’s a machine—absolutely focused. The necessity of this is obvious, right? You can’t sit on the couch, eating potato chips, watching reruns of the Simpsons, and expect to achieve any level of success in a boxing ring.

What if we took that focus, that determination and applied it to other areas of our lives—academics, finances, social networking? What if we demanded that our minds operated with the same efficiency as an athlete’s physical body? Would we be willing to cut the fat? Would we be willing to do what needed to be done even when we didn’t feel like doing it? Are you ready to manifest your destiny? I am. Let’s embrace discipline together and see it for the mystical word it really is—cultivation!

Worlds connect @ your library: celebrate National Library Week at Florida National College Library & Resource Room, April 12-18, 2009
It’s National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries, librarians and library workers in schools, campuses and communities nationwide – and the perfect time to discover how worlds connect @ your library.

The FNC Library & Resource Room is celebrating National Library Week!

Every day, libraries in big cities and small towns, colleges and universities, in schools and in businesses help transform their communities. At our library, people of all backgrounds come together for community meetings, lectures and programs, to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to get help finding a job or to find homework help.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

For more information, visit the Library & Resource Room at Florida National College, or online visit My FNC Library in the My FNC campus portal.

Contact information and hours are listed below:

Hialeah Campus Library
Phone: (305) 821-3333 ext. 1020
Email: hllibrary@mm.fnc.edu
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 8:00 AM – 9:50 PM
Friday 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

South Campus Resource Room
Phone: (305) 226-9999 ext. 1320
Email: cslibrary@mm.fnc.edu
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 8:00 AM – 9:50 PM
Friday 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM

I’m a big believer in personal empowerment. I feel we humans have limitless potential, although we don’t always see it in ourselves, or each other. Believing is often the first hurdle. Empowerment usually requires two believers, yourself and someone who believes in you.

That is where a good mentor comes in. I’ve had some wonderful mentors. Some probably never suspected they were mentors. Some of their lessons took years to sink in, but I am grateful to all of them. So, I do my best to honor them by being a mentor myself. That’s why I enjoy working with student organizations.

With student organizations, I get to teach them more than just textbook skills, like where to put a comma. When I serve as an advisor for a student organization like the FNC Student Government Association, I have the opportunity to really mentor.

Mentoring is a very delicate balancing act, though. As a mentor, those looking up to you are expecting guidance and I do my best to provide them with developmental opportunities. At the same time, empowerment requires room to grow: a safe environment to test these new skills. So at times, I make myself a little scarce, giving them the chance to figure it out for themselves. After all, that’s the true purpose of student organizations—to give students the opportunity to develop skills outside of the  classroom, to allow students to explore their own leadership abilities, and to inspire other students to do the same.

What are you passionate about? Here’s a hint, when you’re engage in something you’re passionate about, you loose track of time. When I write, hours pass like minutes. The intensity of focus is almost a trance like state.

I’m equally passionate about art (sketching, painting, pottery, graphic design), but writing has always come easier than the rest—perhaps because I read so much or perhaps because it requires so little. Anyone with a keyboard or even a pen and paper can write. It takes practice to write well, but no special equipment. So I write, where ever I go, whatever I do.

It’s important to identify your passions. The lure of material gain is so sweet. Many students think of dollars per hour and projected job markets when considering future career choices, but rarely consider their passions. Those sizable paychecks are never big enough if you spend your days dreading the time clock.

Let’s face it, after you graduate, you will spend the majority of your waking hours at work. What will work be like for you? A frustrating interruption of your real  life? Or an opportunity to flourish and grow?

I’m not saying that everyone should opt for a life as a modern bohemian. Even I have a job. I commute through traffic. I pay my bills . . . and I write. It’s a small part of my job, but there are other parts of it that I am passionate about as well, so all in all, I enjoy what I do.

During a recent conversation with one of our students, I described the peace and serenity I experience when I walk onto a college campus.  She thought for a moment and replied, “I get it. I feel the same way when I walk into a dentist’s office.”

Yes, I had the same astounded reaction . . . a dentist’s office? However, this student was a member of the Dental Program so I just smiled, “then you’re studying exactly what you should be studying.”

Let’s be blunt. Excuses are fears masquerading as responsibilities. I confess, even I use them.

Take writing for instance, as a freelance writer, I use a Nome de plume (a pen name). It removes the inhibition of writing. When I write using my real name, I am much more self-conscious, much more careful not to offend. But sometimes, even the most carefully crafted words can be misinterpreted, so I hide behind my Nome de plume, carefully evading the curious Googler.

That is why the content has been so sparse here. I have made excuses about being too busy, of having higher priorities, of having nothing to report; but the truth is I have no Nome de plume to hide behind. Anyone attending Florida National College can easily inquire into the identity of the Director of Student Services.

The one thing I really love about my job, is helping individual students reach their full potential, but sometimes reaching your full potential means letting go of some of the excuses. So it’s time for me to lead by example and set aside some of mine.

I must be disciplined and brave, and write outside of my comfort zone.

Opportunities are interesting things. Generally, we think of opportunity as some anomalous event. Most liken opportunity to luck really, and perhaps there is a bit of luck involved. But opportunity is more than realizing you’re in the right spot at the right time, it’s about placing yourself at the right place, at the right time.

Quite frankly, that is how I became the Director of Student Services, by putting myself in the right place at the right time. I was a freelance writer looking for a part-time job, when I sent my resume to FNC. At the interview, I was asked if I would be willing to substitute for a teacher who had just undergone surgery.

“Sure . . . when,” I responded.

“Tomorrow,” was the reply.

That was opportunity number one.

While working as a substitute, I was asked if I would be willing to help the Office of Student Services with the Spring Commencement Ceremony. Again, I agreed.

That was opportunity number two.

I wasn’t pushed to make either of these decisions out of necessity. In fact, decisions made out of necessity are very rarely thought out well, and can often end badly. This was not something I had to do. Someone asked for help, and I did. I could have made numerous excuses, and they all would have been valid: childcare issues, the 1 hour commute to the Hialeah Campus, my final semester of graduate school, conflicts with my husband’s busy schedule, etc. etc. You’re probably over-extended enough to understand.

But, I said yes . . . and that put me in the right place at the right time. Opportunity is funny like that. Quite often, it doesn’t reveal itself as an opportunity until you say yes.

Finally! The New Student Portal is ready! But was it worth the wait? It certainly was.

FNC students have the convenience of on Campus Services right from their computers. Here’s a brief run down of some of the things you can do:

• Post Used Textbooks for Sale
• Change Your Address
• Print your schedule
• View your grades
• Print Unofficial Transcripts
• Make a payment
• View Your Financial Aid Award Letter
• Access Blackboard
• Create an Employment Profile
• Upload a Resume
• Access the Library’s Online Resources (articles and full-text publications)
• Access Student Forms and Publications

Visit How to Use the New Student Portal for details on how you can create your new Student Portal account. You must have a valid email address on record with FNC in order to retrieve the confirmation link.

For further assistance, visit the Office of Student Services.

As of last week, the FNC Library has a new face – Aleksandra Pitner, our new Library Director. Aleksandra will lead the team of librarians at both the Hialeah Library and the South Campus Resource Room.

She is excited to be a part of Florida National College family! Aleksandra says “the library is more than just a place with books – stop by for a tour and you’ll see why!”

Aleksandra looks forward to hearing your library related suggestions and can be reached via email at apitner@mm.fnc.edu.

Fellow students,

As you may have noticed, January is our Blood Donor Month. I believe there are several myths about blood donation that need to be cleared up in order to encourage more of us to donate blood and help save lives.

I found this short FAQs http://www.givelife2.org/sponsor/quickfacts.asp article that will answer most of our questions about donating blood. Remember, it does not hurt more than just a mosquito bite but it sure makes a difference in the life of those who need it. Do not believe old myths such as

• Donating blood makes you gain weight, in fact you lose a little weight.
• You cannot donate if you have high blood pressure. As long as you have your condition under control, you are an eligible donor.
• You can catch a disease from donating blood. It is perfectly save as all the implements are sterile and discarded after each use.
• You already donated blood this year. You may actually donate blood every three months

There are many other myths and misleading information that keep us from donating blood and saving lives.
You may visit the following websites for additional information and donation centers:

http://miami-fl.yellowusa.com/Blood_Banks_and_Centers.html

http://www.aabb.org/Content/Donate_Blood/Donate_Blood_Public_Education_Initiatives/National_Blood_Donor_Month

https://www.givelife.org/index_flash.cfm

It is a great pleasure to be part of this blogosphere and provide you all with some tips and information from my own academic experience that you may find useful and help you avoid common mistakes that students make while attending higher education institutions.

Why “ aperpetualstudent”? Well, for several reasons including a firm belief in constant learning and education; I have been a higher education student for many years. I have attended several schools such as Florida Metropolitan University, Florida Institute of Technology, Brevard Community College, University of Florida, University of Waterloo, and currently Florida National College.Throughout these years at school, I have acquired some firsthand experience on how to survive college life and move forward towards better opportunities and horizons.

Please feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I will be more than happy to help you and/or look for further information that can help solve the issue.