Driving across the state in this Buick rental, makes me miss my Jeep beyond that with words can express. Road trips just aren’t the same without my beloved Gilbert Blithe. Yes, I did name my Jeep after Anne of Green Gables.

There’s just something about driving your own vehicle down the road with the radio blaring and the windows down. It’s a feeling of ownership, control, and the mindset of taking it all in.

The same would apply to life. Especially the life of a Praxis student.

Starting our first official week of Praxis, my fellow student and I have been diving into exactly what this program offers, what we want to achieve, and the expectations that lie before us.

Get Stuff Done!

When I drive my Jeep, I get places. True, the rental will take me for point A to B, but a Jeep takes you places you otherwise wouldn’t go. And believe me, there are few locations on this green earth that Gilbert can’t go.

In the same way, a life that is owned, as opposed to rented, is one that gets places and gets stuff done. You don’t allow roadblocks to get in your way. You blaze your own trails and you accomplish that which lies before you.

If you do it, Document it!

My shades one, oldies and goodies blaring, with the windows down. That’s what memories are made of.

If one were to look through my phone, they would see almost all Jeep selfies. When I go places this my Gil, it suddenly becomes a picture-worthy moment.

As you live an Owning It life, you are constantly doing new and exciting things. Each opportunity is worth documenting and sharing, regardless of how small it may seem. Having a paper trail to look back on is the same as my camera roll. When I show all my friends the crazy places I’ve been and the things I’ve done, it not only reminds me of the things I’ve accomplished, it also makes other people want to come along.

Don’t Waste Anyone’s Time, Especially Your Own!

The one thing I dislike the most about rental cars is the deadline for getting back on time. I absolutely cannot stand the fact that my trip is being controlled by someone else. For example, this trip that I am on has been a race against the clock to get back before 11 pm. Because of this, I not only missed out on great opportunities for selfie and souvenir shops, but it honestly feels as this trip has been altogether a waste. Going places is just as much about the journey as it is the destination.

When you own your life you take advantage of every moment. You won the car, you determine the schedule, you make every minute count. You don’t waste your time or the time of others by not taking every opportunity to invest in this adventure. When someone else is determining your travels arrangements, not only you miss out on all you could have done, but so do the other people who are will you.

Get On The Road, Don’t Wait For A Ride!

Going to get a rental car is simply sad. Instead of being able to just say “let’s go”, jumping in your own vehicle, and hitting the road; you have to instead go down to the car rental and ask someone to give a car.

Owning you Life means that you make things happen, you don’t wait for others to give it to you. You have the power and honestly the responsibility to get yourself where you’re going. Waiting on others to provide these means of transportation is lazy and a complete waste of your life.

Be Thankful

Alright, by this point you may be wondering why I would be driving a rental car instead of my own cherry-red Jeep. (wipe away a tear with a sniffle). Long story short, I let one guy drive my love and as a result, Gilbert spilled his guts all the side of the interstate. I now have a large mechanics bill and a confirmed resolution that no member of the male species will ever drive my Jeep again.

In all honesty, though, Gilbert has been experiencing problems for a while now. Every time I would get in and start him up, I’d say a prayer and continue that prayer until the moment I arrived home safely. It’s amazing how much my prayer life has improved since I bought Gil.

When you own your life, you are far more grateful for those who make it possible for you to get to where you’re going. No one has to stop on the road to help you change a tire or toe to town you when you’re stuck on the side of the road. In the same way, no one in life has to help you reach your goals and dreams. Yet when those certain toe truck angles or life mentors do come along, gratefulness comes naturally.

When you drive a rental though, you expect nothing less than perfect driving condition. You are paying for someone to do something for you, therefore you do not experience appreciation because it’s expected.

Kill the FOMO 

The anxiety of getting this rental in on time has added a great amount of stress to this trip. At this moment it is 10:30, we have an hour of driving time to go, and as I said, this thing has to be back by 11. The $100 charge for arriving late has resulted in a fair amount of speeding and far fewer bathroom brakes.

When you rent your life, you will experience FOMO, fear of missing out. In my case, I have a fear of missing out on a big Benjamin. In life though, this fear of all the things you are missing as a result of the trip you are on, the thing you could be doing instead.

Going on a road trip means that I am saying no to everything else I could have been doing back home. However, when you Own your ride, you Own the journey too. You focus on the adventure you’re on instead of the fear of missing out on the meaningless activities that could otherwise be wasting your time.

*******

So turn up your radio, grab your shades, and let the wind blow through your hair. This life is a journey, so own it, don’t rent it.

A huge shoutout to  Amanda Kingsmith,  and Sara Morrison,  for a great first week of Praxis.

In my opinion, Baseball  is hands down the best sport to ever be played. Not simply because of the physical aspects but more importunely because of the life example that it is.

I’ve heard it said before that baseball is a 10% physical game and a 90% mental game. Just like the batter who’s up to plate, in life we have to be ready for every pitch thrown our way.  Baseball, like life, is all about making the next play.

The batter is up to plate, an opportunity is thrown his way and he takes it, sending the it high in the air, over the shortstop’s head. Once that ball hits the green turf, the runner’s goal is to get back home in order to score. The way by which this player accomplishes this victory is by means of three bases and the ability to maneuver them affectively.

We each have our own skills and talents which we use to achieve our goals in this life. You could look at these skills bases. One’s ability to showcase and use these bases efficiently will determine their score on the board by the end of the game.

For myself, I have three main bases that I have acquired over time and am continuing to perfect during each inning in this game we call life.

Base 1. Communication 

The ability to express one’s self in a clear and effective way is a skill that can truly change the world. If one can clearly communicate an idea in a way that others can understand and relate to, then they then can have the ability to influence that person’s thoughts. Words can change a person’s opinion, which then can change their actions, which then can change the world.

An example of how I have used this particular skill would be the many opportunities that I have had to speak with my national speech and debate team. At one particular event, I was speaking on the effects of addiction on the human brain and how one can overcome this neurological encagment. On many occasions I would have people form my audience speak to me afterwards on how my research had changed their views on addiction. One such conversation was with a gentleman who had personally struggled with an addiction for many years. He thanked me for my presentation because it gave him hope that he could overcome this obstacle, which had before seemed to be an unmovable mountain.

Many of these people went form believe their own situation, or the situation of a loved one, was beyond hope. After a single speech though, nothing more than mere words, they suddenly had hope and the courage to try.

Another example of this would be the many opportunities that I have had to share my faith at church functions and youth camps. From speaking to a large groups of young campers, to quoting the sermon on the mount at a youth group lock in, I have been the able to not only share the good news of the gospel in a clear and understandable way, but also to take the time to listen to questions and give specific answers. One important key to communication is the ability to listen and effectively respond.

Base 2. Leadership

Bringing direction, organization and a vision to a group of people is what leadership is all about. It’s not about who is on top but instead is a position of serving others. As a leader one must constantly be aware of the needs of those who are looking to them for guidance, and must realize that others are counting on them to provide a level of security. Leadership is a privilege earned though responsibility.

An example of this skill in my own life would be my most previous job. For the last two years I have been working as a USA certified Gymnastics coach with all ages and levels of athletes. This last year I was given my own class of beginning students. This was my first experience teaching on my own and it required a large learning curve on my part. I suddenly went form being responsible for an hour and a half long class, to being in charge of organizing the entire class schedule, work-out plan, individual learning paces, and tournament entries. There were many times I honestly didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew that it was my job to figure it out and bring security to my students and their parents. A leader cannot simply back down when they face a new unknown. They must rise above the obstacles and then help others to do the same. Being a leader is the action of living for others instead of oneself.

Another situation where I exercised this skill would be during my grade school extra curricular activities. From 4-H, sports, and debate, I was given no shortage of opportunities to lead. Though I may not of held the official title of leader in each of these activities (though in many I did), the ability to take on responsibility and guid others was still available. Being a leader doesn’t require a title. It requires an audited and a mindset. In ever situation in life there is an opportunity to lead by example. In each of these activities I would find younger participants who were going through many of the same obstacles I had overcome. By offering a helping hand or being an example of moral character, I was preforming the duties of a leader regardless of my actual position.

Base 3. Creativity 

When one hears the word creativity they most likely think of a form of art such as painting, where the artist uses their creativity to create a masterpieces. Though this is true, it by no means applies solely to the arts. Creativity is the ability to take a form of chaos and bring about order in a unique and captivation way.

I find great pride in discovering new and more effective ways of accomplishing tasks.

An example of this would agin be my past experience as a gymnastics coach. In each new obstacle that I faced the ability to look at the situation and creatively find a way by which to solve my dilemma was a life saving skill. One particular situation involved teaching a student a skill that I had never taught before. I knew the fundamentals of how the skill worked, but I myself had never actually taught someone else how to preform this actions themselves. For many weeks I would spend hours watching other coaches who taught higher levels than myself. I also thought of analogies and examples that I could use to explain exactly what the skill would feel like, and which areas of their body would need to move in certain ways. The final thing I did was break down the complicated movement into simple movements that made up the whole action. As an end result, I was able to teach this skill, and many more advanced skills, to my students throughout the competitive season. At the end of that year, my class had progressed from its beginning level, to advanced, with each student placing in the top ten at the Sate level, in every event.

Regardless of the opportunity that life pitches my way, be it a job position, a life changing decision, or simply an every day task, these three bases are the way by which I reach my goals and slide into home.

As a middle- school girl, I remember jumping on the couch and turning on the  Disney channel to watch the Hannah Montanan show. What captivated me about this show was the idea that a girl, in many ways much like myself, could have a second form of identity as a supper star.

The “Best of Both Worlds” idea is that someone could live a normal life yet also be idolized and seen by so many.

What if you could actually have a life where being yourself was what made you famous, or at least recognized? What would you do with this popularity and recognition? How would being in the spotlight change the way you live?

The answers to these questions doesn’t lie in a wig or secret identity, but instead in something far more empowering; your Personal Brand.

A Personal Brand is exactly what it sounds like. It’s how you go about branding, or presenting yourself to the world. The catch here is that in order to brand yourself you must share openly with the world who you are.

To some this may seem a bit frightening, after all, Miley Cyrus was able to hide her life behind her blond hair and bright lights. In the real world though, people don’t want to see a fake performance. They want to see real people who they can relate to. By being exactly who you are, you can provide for them someone to follow, and all it takes is three key ingredients.

• First, Ditch the Wig

Despite the title being Hannah Montana, the majority of the show consisted of Miley Cyrus juggling the life of a teenage girl who also had to deal with being a pop star. Like I said, people want to follow real people who make them strive to be better themselves. If the show had been all about Hannah Montana then only celebrities could relate to it. Because it was from the view point of a simple young girl though, the majority of the world could then relate.

If you want to crate a successful Personal Brand then you must present yourself in a way that others can relate to. If they wanted to follow a Brand then they’d follow a political campaign, fashion company, or actual celebrity who pays other people to run their social media. People trust a face more than they do a logo. So ditch the wig and live your life in a way that inspires others to strive to be better.

• Second, Sing to Your Own Tune

Whether it was with her family, her friends, or her boy drama, Miley always had a unique way of handling her problems. She never sang her life song to anyone else’s tune. Though she went through the same life experiences as everyday people, she did it in her own way.

When you are crating your personal band, you must be interesting. The key to getting people to notice you is by doing things different than everyone else. Accomplishments + Uniqueness + Expression = Interesting. If you take the tasks that you accomplish on a daily bases, add your own personal flair, and then showcase it in a way that expresses who you are, you will then have something that people actually want to see.

• Third, Use Your Spotlight

Every time Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus used their voice to sing, people listened. They listened because they were intrigued and in so being they gave their full attention to the words this girl had to say; regardless of how annoying the songs tended to be.

The best artist are those who write songs that share their own experiences and life lessons. Wether you choose to express yourself through music, writing, videos, or so on, you are crating a platform on which you get to share with the world what you have done and learned. Never shy away form this spotlight. Embrace it. Show who you are and take this opportunity to impacted the lives of others.

In the end, having your own Personal Brand is nothing more than sharing your life with the world. If you choose to be yourself and no one else, live life in your own way, and share your gifts, then you truly can have the Best of Both Worlds.

A huge shout out to Ed Latimore, a heavyweight boxer chose to use his experiences in the ring, in the physics lab and in life to uncover deep truth about the world. As a Twitter phenom, Ed has one of the largest unverified accounts on the platform. In other words, he’s a pretty cool guy.

And to Praxis for hosting Ed Latimore for their workshop on the Art of Personal Branding. If you are a creative, independent thinker who wants to get a jump start on their career without hopping through the hoops and political agendas of a dying degree, I strongly recommend checking them out at https://discoverpraxis.com