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MEDIA
DISPATCH
Class X: Week 8
December 22, 2008 Monday, October 13, 2008 – Today we reviewed our chapter 7 and 8 test scores; we did really well! Everybody kicked their commitment up a notch, and it was evident by our test scores. We also worked on our pitches for Selling Night. The one-on-one pitches for Selling Night went something like this: One person picked a meeting place and the other had to sell his product or service during the “random” meeting. The situations can be quite comical. For example, I had to sell Curtis air duct cleaning services while he was working out at the gym. How are you supposed to sell air duct cleaning services to somebody doing squats? We are learning a lot and having a good time while we do it. Fun is a must, according to PEP driving value number eight. Tuesday, October 14, 2008 – We spent all day on the computers, making corrections to parts of our business plans. Our MBA advisors are giving us awesome feedback. I know all of our presentations are going to be really great! I’m really thankful to be receiving all of this help from an MBA student. It will be interesting to meet them next week at our MBA workshop. Wednesday, October 15, 2008 – Today we were honored to have guests for our Philanthropy Roundtable event. It was awesome! It was a new event for PEP; one in which representatives from a variety of different charitable organizations came to see what PEP is all about. Incredible as the event was, after our guests left the really amazing stuff happened. I think Ron (Sweet Ladybug) put it so perfectly as he first pointed to his head and then to his heart and said, “We took it from here, to here.” Our class sat in a circle to give affirmation to each other. We poured our hearts out about how much we mean to one another. It’s hard to express the magic of the experience. Tears rolled down the faces of many men in our class. Some of us have heard these things many times before, but our low self esteem would never allow us to accept it. We told ourselves that others were just saying it because they had to, because they were our friends or family. Some of us have never heard words of affirmation before in our lives. Thursday, October 16, 2008 – We had a guest today in class. She came to observe because in a few weeks she’ll be teaching a class of troubled teens. Hopefully, she can help them before they end up in prison. Ms. Rohr arrived later that day. First, we did a case study. This is where we study the actions of former participants who ended up doing the wrong thing. It can be very valuable to learn from the mistakes of those who do not choose the correct path.. This gives us good insight in how to think critically about our actions. Finally, we honored the top character guys in our class. The top three were David (Pocahontas), Ron (Sweet Ladybug), and Michael (Butterfly). Congratulations guys! Friday, October 17, 2008 – The most important thing that happened today were the personal statements. I think it’s important that all of us in here and all of you out there say a prayer of healing for Nick’s (Violet) father. It is obvious how much Nick loves you, and all of our prayers will be with you. Second, I want to talk about Michael and his personal statement. Snowball (singular, not plural) is extremely courageous in my mind. He really put his life story out there for us. Michael has been through a lot. I think of the times we travel this planet and never consider what kind of baggage the people we meet are carrying around. We don’t think about what they have been through. I think if we did, this world would be a much better place. My heart bled for Michael today, and at the same time I was very happy to call him my brother. On Thursday, my brother Charles (Pop Tart) said something that really touched me. He spoke about what he wrote in his journal, and how everyday he professes how thankful he is. It made me think about life. In life, how come negatives stick out so blatantly? It’s so easy to point out what is wrong with something or someone. Everywhere we look, especially on the news, we see nothing but negativity. Even now, as I write this sentence, I’m telling you what is wrong with the world, rather than what is right. The truth is there’s a ton of stuff that is right. I’m so thankful for my family, for my new brothers, for Ms. Rohr and PEP, for the wonderful path God has been steering me down lately. I’m making it a point in my life to start giving thanks for all that is good. In the same piece of literature that said “out of suffering have emerged the strongest of souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars,” my favorite author Kahlil Gibran also said, “with all its shame, drudgery and broken dreams it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.” I believe that Charles is living that. We all are. |
