Week 15 Review

For this week's review post, I wanted to share something that I found very interesting! On this week's announcements, I came across some sources of intrinsic motivation by Emily Magruder:

Source: Mindset: The Psychology of Learning and Achievement.

Week 14: Famous Last Words

For this week’s “last words” post, I wanted to share more of my reflections of the course Epics of India. Some of my favorite parts of this class were learning about growth mindset and learning by H.E.A.R.T. (happiness, empathy, attention, reading, and time management). I think I enjoyed these so much because the knowledge and tools I learned from them can be utilized in all parts of my life. I have always loved multi-disciplinary learning and being able to see connections between different subjects. It is just really hard for me to focus on a subject that I don’t believe that I will ever actually need in real life. That is why this class was so interesting to me! Because the stories we read hold incredible history and culture and meaning. I loved being able to learn about karma, the Hindu gods, and Buddhism, as well as just Eastern culture in general. Being worldly and understanding other cultures is so important in today’s world. And I didn’t even mention that most of the underlying ideas in these stories can be found in western stories today. Being able to think creatively is also an important skill and one that we don’t get to use often as business majors. It is really nice to be able to create something and I believe that the feeling you get after you create something all yourself is so important. In this consumer world in which we live, it is sometimes very difficult to find this feeling! I also really enjoyed trying out a new tech tip each week! I learned so much about blogging and although it is so simple now, I never knew how to insert a link on to a website to give proper credit to the author – such a useful skill! This class has been so enjoyable and useful.

India. Source: Voxbone. 

Learning by H.E.A.R.T.: Meditation

Headspace. Source: Headspace.

Research shows that one of the fastest ways to grow your attention span is to practice meditation, so I wasn't surprised to see an entire section of Learning by HEART's page on attention devoted to meditation and mindfulness. Recently, I downloaded an app called Headspace that guides its users through meditation. It starts out with shorts intervals of time and works up to extended periods of time. I haven't gotten to use it as much as I would like with school being so demanding but this summer I hope to become a meditation master! Headspace has excellent reviews and I have enjoyed it thus far so I would definitely recommend it.

Headspace calls itself a "gym for the mind." As you can see depicted below:

Headspace. Source: Headspace. 

Growth Mindset: Biology

For the last week of growth mindset, I decided to read an interesting article called The Biology of Positive Habits by Leah Shafer and Iman Rastegari. ONCE AGAIN, I came across more evidence that your brain can be rewired!! I keep seeing this idea but I don't understand why more people don't realize this. Everyone thinks that they are a certain way and that's it but we can become whatever we want - science says so! You can train your brain to be more positive and here are some ways that the article highlights:

1. savor the moment
2. look for beauty in the smallest things
3. see the best in others
4. exercise
5. be mindful

Even if you aren't necessarily trying to "change your brain," I think these are good habits for everyone to get into!

Positivity. Source: The Chatham Group.

After this course is over...

I have actually always wanted to get into blogging just to practice my writing skills. So now that I already have a blog filled with lots of wonderful ideas and stories, I hope to keep it going! I doubt that I will be able to post as much as I have this past semester, but I would love to be able to jot down some thoughts every now and then on my blog. Similarly to journaling, I think it is a really good habit to write out your thoughts and be able to visualize them.

When it comes to my storybook website, Kurma and Karma, I hope to keep that as well just to check it out every now and then! I still can't believe that I created it!!

Journal. Source: Lifehacker.

Reading Evaluation

* What readings did you like best?

I appreciated the more structured reading style at the beginning of the semester where we had assignments. I also really enjoyed the 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art videos. I think they should be a requirement for everyone taking this class because I learned so much about them! I also was very thankful for Dr. Laura Gibbs' reading recommendations based on our own interests - it was nice to have a class tailored to individuals. 

* What reading diary strategies were most effective for you?

Just utilizing the reading diary in general was extremely helpful for me! By writing out my thoughts, I was able to see connections between different stories and really analyze them as well as find patterns in things that stick out to me and that I found interesting! Had I just been merely reading, I know that I would not have gotten so much out of this literature. 

* What did you think of the overall balance between reading - writing - commenting in the class assignments?

There was a LOT of writing in this class, and although it was time consuming, I believe that I have grown as a writer thanks to the course Epics of India. 

* As you look back from the end of the semester, what advice about the reading do you have for students who will be getting started next semester? 

Advice I would give students next semester is to just enjoy the readings. Sometimes it is hard to really grasp them, but before you know it, you have learned so much about a really complex culture!

Week 15 Reflections

To wrap up this semester, I wanted to say just how rewarding this class has been! It has been a lot of work at times but I always felt so proud after pushing myself to use my creative writing skills. It is crazy just how rusty these skills have become after not using them often enough over the past few years. Furthermore, I have learned just how important storytelling can be to cultures, specifically the Indian culture, but they are so powerful to all people!

Storytelling. Source: Green Book Blog. 

Week 14 Review

This video from the current week's announcements really cracked me up! I am actually what some would call a "grammar nazi" haha not really - but it is something that I just have a knack for. I have been told more than once that I should be an English teacher for that reason but I just don't see that as my calling. I do really enjoy proof reading papers though so if you are ever on the hunt for someone to do that, feel free to hit me up!

Learning by H.E.A.R.T.: Time Management

For this week's Learning by H.E.A.R.T. post I chose to share some time management inspiration. With finals coming up, time is of the essence and there is no room for procrastination. I am definitely guilty of procrastination but I am making a vow to myself this year not to wait until midnight to start studying... I am that person!

Source: Learning by HEART.

Growth Mindset: Good Stress vs. Bad Stress

For this week's Growth Mindset post, I decided to learn more about growth mindset by reading an article called How Harnessing the Positive Side of Stress Can Change Student Mindsets by Katrina Schwartz. I thought this article was especially relevant with finals and therefore so much stress just around the corner! This article mentions how much easier it is to cope with stress, or anything for that matter, after realizing just how malleable the mind is. Once you realize that you are in control of your mind, everything else comes much easier. I have discussed this idea a lot this semester. I think it is a revolutionary idea that can change anyone's life from the inside out. And indeed, it is important to recognize that there is a difference between good stress and bad stress. Stress has such a negative connotation but if it didn't exist, the world wouldn't go round. It is as simple as the stress to feed your dog - that needs to be there or else who knows if we would even feel that that was a priority. Stress can be motivation - we just need to learn how to turn it into good fuel.

Good Stress vs. Bad Stress. Source: SlideShare.

Week 15 Tech Tip: Google Timer

I have chosen to write about Google Timer for this week's tech tip because it is a feature that I have been utilizing a lot recently. I have been studying for the GMAT so timing is of utmost importance - you are actually penalized for not finishing on time! This has been a great help in pacing myself. Additionally, I devoted one of my learning challenge blog posts to the Pomodoro technique. Essentially, you use a timer set to 25 minute intervals in order to make the most of your studying. This is a feature of Google that I definitely recommend!

Week 14 Tech Tip: Embed Tweet

Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great.

— President Obama (@POTUS) September 16, 2015

You may or may not recognize what this tweet is all about but the context behind it is that Ahmed, a young Muslim, was detained after creating his own working clock that his high school believed to be a bomb. I just think it is so cool that President Obama recognized this young man, or even that in this day and age presidents are utilizing Twitter to interact with a younger generation. That is why I chose to use this week's Tech Tip to embed a tweet from Twitter.

Week 14 Storytelling: A Caterpillar Named Devi

There was once a beautiful caterpillar who was smart and sweet. Her name was Devi. Her dream was to become a mother and have little caterpillar babies after she found a handsome and kind husband. Devi knew that she would make an excellent mother. She was ready to nurture and devote all of her time to bringing up strong young caterpillars. All day she fantasized about this life she hoped to create one day… when the time was right.

Devi would name her first daughter Saraswati, who would love to read and learn. From the day Saraswati was born, Devi would read to her, feeding her insatiable desire for knowledge. Of course, this would lead to Saraswati’s adoration of music and the arts.

Devi would name her second daughter Parvati. Parvati would have a gentle and nurturing demeanor. She would have the biggest most caring heart, much like her mother’s. Parvati was especially loyal and her presence provided a constant comforting warmth.

Devi would name her third daughter Lakshmi. Whereas Parvati’s energy was constant and comforting, Lakshmi’s was highly active. She would be proactive and successful in both her mundane and spiritual life. Lakshmi may not be a traditional woman but she would be a powerful woman.

Well Devi waited and waited for a husband. She had faith that he would come but time was passing and she was getting tired and anxious. Eventually Devi decided that she should take a nap and rest up for her long-awaited husband’s arrival. She made a cocoon around her tired body and fell fast asleep.

Source: How Stuff Works: Animals.

When Devi awoke from her much needed nap, she felt like a new person. Devi thought, “That is exactly what I needed, a nap! Maybe now I will find a husband.”

But when Devi began to emerge from her cocoon, she realized that that there was something very wrong… she had taken the body of another animal. She was no longer a caterpillar!

Devi didn’t know what to do. After awhile, she worked up the courage to fully exit the cocoon, and she didn’t know what to think. She was no longer her beautiful citron green color. Now she was the most brilliant purple, and she had two wings… did this mean that she could fly?!

She decided to give it a try and with a flutter of her two wings, she took off. No longer did Devi have the desire to find a husband. She was so much more now: a goddess!

And it just so happens that she had all of those qualities she hoped for her children within herself.

Source: Pinterest.  

Author's Note: This story is based off the goddess Devi. I learned a lot about her from Chapter 5: Devi's Secret from 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art by Devout Pattanaik. The concept of the goddess as the divine feminine is very important in Hinduism. The goddess represents raw energy that can be funneled into creating a family or protecting life. The divine feminine is infinite power. Similarly to my story of the butterfly, Kanyakumari was supposed to be married but after her groom never showed, she spun all of that pent up energy to becoming the powerful woman that she had always been meant to be, even if it wasn't exactly how she had imagined her life. Furthermore, I based Devi's children on three more goddesses, Saraswati, Parvati, and Lakshmi. 

Week 14: Shiva's Secret

In 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art by Devdutt Pattanaik, the main idea of Shiva’s Secret is that withdrawal leads to destruction.

Shiva is commonly known as the destroyer. Rage and anger are often associated with the act of destruction but Shiva is calm and composed, which is confusing to many people. But, according to Pattanaik, this confusion is due to our negative connotation of this verb. Shiva is the destroyer of Kama, Yama, and Tripura, or the destroyer of desire, death, and the three worlds. There is nothing negative about this sort of destruction.

Shiva destroys desire by destroying Kama, the god who makes us want for things. Therefore, Shiva wants for nothing. Shiva destroys death by destroying Yama, the god of death. Shiva destroys the three worlds - the earth, the atmosphere, and the sky - by destroying Tripura. Thus, Shiva destroys our desire for life, our fear of death, and our need for the world around us.

Ash is a byproduct of destruction and also happens to be a symbol of an immortal soul. On Shiva's forehead are three vertical lines of ash, which you can vaguely see in the picture below. It also happens to look a lot like an eye in closer up pictures, which I believe has to do with the third eye or evil eye. These three lines represent inertia, lack of movement, and a state of dissolution.

Three is a very important number to the god Shiva, where he is the destroyer of three things, the third eye is made up of three lines, and he holds a trident of three blades.

Shiva. Source: Mythology Wikia.

Week 14 Reading Diary: The Orient Pearls

For the final week of reading diaries, I chose to read The Orient Pearls by Shovona Devi. I really enjoyed these Indian folk-lore tales.

I began my reading with "A Feast of Fists," which is about karma. On the second page of this story, Shovona Devi writes, "Suffering is the badge of mankind. Indeed, these mortals bring down suffering upon their own hears by sheer demerit, and suffer they must, do all you can, until they have passed through the usual cycles of birth, death, and rebirth, again and again, working out demerit by merit in the process, and thus paving the way for final absorption into the Deity, the source of their being. So why trouble about these wretches?"My favorite part about this passage is the question that is asked: "Why trouble about these wretches?" If eventually everyone gets what they deserve for the actions that they have done on this earth then this is so true, why worry about others' bad deeds? It is not our problem. The only thing that we should worry about it paving our own way for, as Devi puts it, "final absorption into the Deity, the source of their being." I especially love this because it includes almost everyone - not just those of a certain faith.

In "A Feast of Fists," a starving brahmin begs the gods for mercy on him and his starving wife. The gods respond by providing the man with a gold mug that can replenish any food to which one's heart desires. The brahmin is so joyful and shares his blessing with hungry children who end up replacing the holy gift with an identical but mundane gold mug. The brahmin returns to the gods to ask why the mug no longer provides food and they discover that the mug has been switched. They give the brahmin another mug that, instead of yielding food, yields punches. The family who stole the mug tried to get food out of the new mug but ultimately receives a few black eyes and returns the original mug.

Next, a king takes the mug away from the brahmin to serve all of his guests. The king becomes very greedy and pompous having this mug in his possession. The brahmin arrives at the king's castle with the "mug of fists" and the king greedily takes it as well. To his surprise, he isn't given any food by this mug but a face full of punches and a lot of embarrassment from all of his onlooking guests.

Gold mug. Source: Pinterest. 

Week 13 Review

I thought this very a good way to look at stress. With five finals coming up and countless other work I have to do, there is going to be stress no matter what. So rather than get bogged down by stress these next few weeks, let's harness it as motivation.

Let the stress energize you. Source: Cheezburger. 

Week 13 Reading Diary: Devi's Secret

In 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art by Devdutt Pattanaik, the main idea of Chapter 5: Devi’s Secret is that desire and destiny create life.

As this semester wraps up, I wanted to use my Reading Diary posts to continue learning about Hindu gods with my favorite method: The 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art video series. I have come to love this educational tool because, at least to me, Devdutt Pattanaik does an incredible job of making what could be a very boring topic very interesting!

There is actually a very sad story associated with the goddess Kanyakumari. As it goes, she was supposed to marry Shiva. On his way to the wedding, he came across a giant rooster, which he took as a sign that the wedding had been canceled. Yet, Kanyakumari waited and waited in her wedding attire for Shiva’s arrival, which never came. The most interesting part of the story to me was that Kanyakumari held incredible feminine power (what is known as raw energy) that would have been diluted upon marriage and maternity so that she may provide for her family. But in the case of an unmarried goddess, this energy is used for protection and in Kanyakumari’s case, the ability to destroy demons. 

Because goddesses represent the material world, it is only fitting that feminine power not only are able to nourish the household but also to protect the household – as that is equally vital. For this reason, goddesses have the power to channel their energy into either of these roles. I just love all that Devi represents - she is the ultimate goddess! All of the images of her really portray her incredible femininity:

Devi. Source: Dolls of India.

Growth Mindset Challenge

Almost weekly for this entire semester, I have dedicated time to a post about Growth Mindset. This is an opportunity that I have thoroughly enjoyed, especially as a strong advocate that we can change ourselves by changing our mind. Everything that I have read tells of just how incredibly malleable the human brain is. We have infinite potential to become whatever we want to become through our mind. Whatever you believe in or whatever method you use I believe can affect you in real ways whether it be through the music you listen to or through meditation. Even the Bible says through God and prayer, you can regenerate and renew your mind. This is similar to the practice of manifestation, which says that through repetition and concentration on a mantra or goal, you will eventually reach that goal or at least have a much better chance of reaching that goal. Anyway, I have been writing about Growth Mindset and although I have learned a ton, I never really understood what it was all about, so in one of my final Growth Mindset posts I thought it would be beneficial for both my readers and myself to include this very helpful diagram:

Growth Mindset. Source: GrowthMindsetMemes.blogspot.com.

Learning by H.E.A.R.T.

For this week's Learning by H.E.A.R.T. Challenge, I chose to watch John Spencer's video, We Need a Bigger Definition of Creativity. He is so right that we have a very narrow-minded definition of creativity where we see only those who are painters or writers as "creative." He says that in actuality, creativity can mean mashing up ideas into innovative ways, thinking differently about data, finding unique solutions to practical problems, tweaking things in unusual ways, or even hacking systems. It can mean exploring ideas, navigating information, and designing systems. Especially as an accounting major, this video gave me lots of hope to lead a creative life. Watch it here:

Tech Tip Cheezburger

For this week's Tech Tip, I chose to use Cheezburger to create a meme. Of course, I decided to make the caption something about the end of the semester being right around the corner, so I wrote "Only two more weeks..." on my image. Although I didn't use a cat like the Tech Tip suggested, I used a super cute pup. This was a fun Tech Tip! Here it is:

Source: Cheezburger.

Week 13 Reading: Shri Krishna of Dwarka Part B

For this week’s reading diary, I chose to read Part B of Shri Krishna of Dwarka re-told by C. A. Kincaid. In Chapter 8: The Syamantaka Jewel, I thought that it was interesting that Krishna didn’t think Satrajit, a “mere noble,” was worthy of the Syamantaka necklace. It was quite sudden that just as soon as the evil Prasena put on the jewel he was killed and then the same thing happened to the evil lion. These stories are always so entertaining. For one, the nursery rhyme was so cute:
"Baby Bear! Baby Bear! The jewel is yours to keep and wear. For he who would take the lovely thing must first fight Daddy, the great Bear King!"

Next, it was quite humorous to me that the Bear King Jambavat and Krisha struggled against one another for 22 days. After all of the business about Krishna’s importance in Part A of Shri Krishna of Dwarka, I can’t believe that people actually thought his end had came from his want for a necklace but then I remembered that he was not fighting for the necklace but for his own clean reputation, which is why he returned that necklace he fought so hard for to Satrajit.

It is so strange to me that all of the characters’ first reaction is usually to kill. Satrajit merely gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to Krishna as a thank you gift (this was normal at this time) and all of the sudden everyone wanted to kill him because they also wanted his daughter… and they did kill him. 

Here is a comic cover that shows Krishna fighting for the Syamantaka necklace. 

Source: ExoticIndiaArt.com.