Being that this is a subject that is very important to me, I am going to be very real with everyone.
When it comes down to it, a lot of times I struggle to be tenacious. I get distracted very easily, have trouble maintaining motivation, and have in the past indulged in bad health habits because it felt easy to destroy myself. Because I have resorted to these bad habits several times, at times I feel it is hard to be hungry.
In order to keep up with the requirements of this course, I had to change my routine. I had to make time in my day to write about whatever subject Chris Pryor thinks is important. This meant trying to enjoy whatever it was that I was writing. Because writing takes time and I needed to make this something that I could use therapeutically. After having a long week, I would just write about whatever was on my mind, in a way that it matched the criteria of the assignment.
There have been several experiences that have tested my tenacity. Not getting into the honors program, not getting into several student organizations, breaking up with girlfriends, and losing friends are all experiences that have tested me. But something that tests me daily is an inability to get up from my bed. People call it depression, but I don't think it is. There is a mental block. It makes me sad and it makes me not want to get up. But it also feels like something I can get past without taking any sort of medication. I call it a barrier. A barrier that has been very hard to conquer. And although I haven't conquered it completely, I have been able to rise above it several times. And I believe I will rise above it sometime in the future.
The following are very simple behaviors that have helped me not fall off the wagon completely any time I feel myself wanting to retreat to old ways:
#1 - Be present
I must emphasize that these are very simple behaviors to not fall down completely. All of times you just need to be present. If you care a lot about an organization, go to ALL the meetings. Even the ones that don't matter too much. You never know what will happen at these meetings. If people see you a recognize you, they will remember you. You will find yourself being involved in even greater activities that you wouldn't have known about if you had stayed in. DON'T stay in. Every once and a while, it is necessary.
But I constantly need to remind myself to go outside, even if I don't feel comfortable going outside.
#2 - Have at least ONE method of organization
I understand that everyone highlights the importance of planners, without also talking about how most people aren't able to keep planners. If you are anything like me, you will stop writing in a planner after a few days. This is why I have a dry erase calendar on my wall. The calendar constantly reminds me that I need to update it, or amend it.
Simply looking at the calendar motivates me to stop sitting around. Simply looking at the calendar motivates me to be tenacious.
#3 - Understand your values
This year, I am a member of the Heavener Leadership Challenge. This is an organization associated with the business school that teaches you how to become a leader. This organization constantly reminds me to assess my values. It has given me an opportunity to stare closely at these values and gave me a chance to rate them in terms of importance.
The qualities I value most in a person are Honesty, Altruism, Humor, Respect, and Wisdom. What are yours?
These three things keep me tenacious. You are probably not exactly like me, so the things that keep you tenacious will probably be different, and you probably have a good idea of what those things are. But at least consider these points.
Friday, February 22, 2019
13a Reading Reflection No. 1
Reading Reflection
Book Title: Andrew Carnegie, David Nasaw
Andrew Carnegie was a chameleon. That is what stood out to me the most after reading this book. Carnegie could blend in anywhere, even at the age of 24, when he wore a tall hat and thin beard to cover the fact that he was short and so young. He was also sharp and knew where the market was.
It's easy to get mad at Andrew Carnegie for modern problems. It is easy to be mad at his early efforts in oil drilling because oil isn't a renewable resource, but the fact is that nobody back then had any idea that drilling oil would lead to the negative impacts known today. One thing that you CAN be mad at Andrew Carnegie for doing is being a distrustful tycoon, especially early in his career. He sold off a large family fortune without telling anyone, took advantage of immature shareholders, and even printed unauthorized share certificates that paid him huge dividends. He was a snake, and one could argue that in the business that he was in, you had to be.
Others would argue that you must have your values in sight when you are an entrepreneur. Late in his life, Carnegie did. I respect Andrew Carnegie the most for his philanthropy late in life. His endowments to libraries and scientific research furthered human progress substantially.
Although I am a finance student, some of the Wall Street lingo was at times hard to comprehend, simply because it is a complicated topic. It is also a subject that has changed substantially since Andrew Carnegie's time. As corny as it sounds, if I were to ask Carnegie one question, I would ask if the money made him any happier. It must be like a drug to have all that money and power. But did it fulfill him? Did it make him any more content?
I believe Andrew Carnegie had strong feelings toward the subject of hard work. I bet he believed everyone should dust themselves off. I believe this to a certain extent. I believe you must do something that you would care about talking about. And I believe after that, it will be easy to succeed.
Book Title: Andrew Carnegie, David Nasaw
Andrew Carnegie was a chameleon. That is what stood out to me the most after reading this book. Carnegie could blend in anywhere, even at the age of 24, when he wore a tall hat and thin beard to cover the fact that he was short and so young. He was also sharp and knew where the market was.
It's easy to get mad at Andrew Carnegie for modern problems. It is easy to be mad at his early efforts in oil drilling because oil isn't a renewable resource, but the fact is that nobody back then had any idea that drilling oil would lead to the negative impacts known today. One thing that you CAN be mad at Andrew Carnegie for doing is being a distrustful tycoon, especially early in his career. He sold off a large family fortune without telling anyone, took advantage of immature shareholders, and even printed unauthorized share certificates that paid him huge dividends. He was a snake, and one could argue that in the business that he was in, you had to be.
Others would argue that you must have your values in sight when you are an entrepreneur. Late in his life, Carnegie did. I respect Andrew Carnegie the most for his philanthropy late in life. His endowments to libraries and scientific research furthered human progress substantially.
Although I am a finance student, some of the Wall Street lingo was at times hard to comprehend, simply because it is a complicated topic. It is also a subject that has changed substantially since Andrew Carnegie's time. As corny as it sounds, if I were to ask Carnegie one question, I would ask if the money made him any happier. It must be like a drug to have all that money and power. But did it fulfill him? Did it make him any more content?
I believe Andrew Carnegie had strong feelings toward the subject of hard work. I bet he believed everyone should dust themselves off. I believe this to a certain extent. I believe you must do something that you would care about talking about. And I believe after that, it will be easy to succeed.
Friday, February 15, 2019
Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1
Segment: Those in the foster care system
Interviews:
Anon 1: This person talked about how they were taken away by child services and its impact on them. They caused a lot of trouble and when they were a kid they thought it was normal to go from family to family, but as he grew up he realized it was simply a disservice that these people were doing to him, as if they were shopping for children. This person was unable to focus in school because of the foster care system.
Anon 2: This person found a good family through the foster care system but admits that they were 1 in a million.
Anon 3: This person also never really found a family they could call their own. They don't keep in contact with their foster family now. This person is someone who was homeless for approximately 4 years and now lives in lower income housing.
What I learned:
I only knew two people who were in the foster care system so I had to search for the third one. But the people who had to go through the system admitted that they system is screwed and could use some funding especially the local branch.
Now I know about a small segment of those affected. I will do more research to learn more about different groups affected because there are a lot of people impacted by this specific problem.
Interviews:
Anon 1: This person talked about how they were taken away by child services and its impact on them. They caused a lot of trouble and when they were a kid they thought it was normal to go from family to family, but as he grew up he realized it was simply a disservice that these people were doing to him, as if they were shopping for children. This person was unable to focus in school because of the foster care system.
Anon 2: This person found a good family through the foster care system but admits that they were 1 in a million.
Anon 3: This person also never really found a family they could call their own. They don't keep in contact with their foster family now. This person is someone who was homeless for approximately 4 years and now lives in lower income housing.
What I learned:
I only knew two people who were in the foster care system so I had to search for the third one. But the people who had to go through the system admitted that they system is screwed and could use some funding especially the local branch.
Now I know about a small segment of those affected. I will do more research to learn more about different groups affected because there are a lot of people impacted by this specific problem.
Idea Napkin no. 1
Piecing it all together
1. My name is Patrick Gilmartin. I am an averagely ambitious dude who is kind of good at a lot of things. I can juggle okay. I am a manager at a decent restaurant. I have some knowledge of things and I do things pretty regularly. I keep a calendar that I add to every now and then and when I die, I won't be remembered.
I want to help people. That is my main aspiration. I was born with a supporting family, went to school with good friends and teachers, and I just want to give back.
2. I will be offering my customer a mentoring program. This way they will be able to find stability.
3. My customers are people with less than I have. They are people who would like more in this world.
4. There is a whole lot to this world and many people aren't able to enjoy the beauty because they lack the necessary care whether it be attention to their mental needs, fiscal needs, or health needs.
5. I am nice.
Also, I am willing to commit my time to this. I want to dedicate as much time into this subject as I can and accomplish my civic duty.
One aspect of my business concept is that it is a nonprofit. Often nonprofits fail because although there are a lot of good people out there, people have to deal with not always making a big difference with substantial effort. It is also a very big problem that I am trying to solve and it will take more than just me to solve it.
1. My name is Patrick Gilmartin. I am an averagely ambitious dude who is kind of good at a lot of things. I can juggle okay. I am a manager at a decent restaurant. I have some knowledge of things and I do things pretty regularly. I keep a calendar that I add to every now and then and when I die, I won't be remembered.
I want to help people. That is my main aspiration. I was born with a supporting family, went to school with good friends and teachers, and I just want to give back.
2. I will be offering my customer a mentoring program. This way they will be able to find stability.
3. My customers are people with less than I have. They are people who would like more in this world.
4. There is a whole lot to this world and many people aren't able to enjoy the beauty because they lack the necessary care whether it be attention to their mental needs, fiscal needs, or health needs.
5. I am nice.
Also, I am willing to commit my time to this. I want to dedicate as much time into this subject as I can and accomplish my civic duty.
One aspect of my business concept is that it is a nonprofit. Often nonprofits fail because although there are a lot of good people out there, people have to deal with not always making a big difference with substantial effort. It is also a very big problem that I am trying to solve and it will take more than just me to solve it.
Friday, February 8, 2019
Elevator Pitch No. 1
Hi there. This video was too large to upload so I left the link to the video. I hope you enjoy my elevator pitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD64bSmwA5M&feature=youtu.be
Continuing Your Opportunity Research
Continuing Your Opportunity Research
.
Interviews:
Interview 1: I interviewed a coworker of mine who feels that they are in a stable situation. They aren't plagued by any drug problem. They don't get a lot of pay, but they live in a stable situation and that's "all that they could ask for". This person didn't have the most stable upbringing, but they joined a mentorship program at GHS and found someone they really admired. This person didn't go to college, but are currently as happy as ever.
Interview 2: I interviewed a teacher that I had at PK Yonge. Although they didn't grow up on the East side of town, they grew up in Hawthorne, in a low income household and went to a D rated school. This teacher graduated 2nd in his class, went to UF and now has a stable life. I asked him how and he said his peers had a bigger influence on him than his family. Although he didn't go to the best school, he found a niche group that wanted to succeed.
Interview 3: I interviewed my girlfriend. Although she grew up in a low income household under not the best conditions, her mom brought her up well. Although she admits that her mom and her don't have the best relationship at the moment, her mom put in the time.
Interview 4: I was actually born on the East side of town, so I interviewed my dad. When I was born, he and my mom were both out of a job and surviving off of food stamps and trying to raise two boys (and a soon to be newborn girl). I asked how he got through. He said he never really felt like he lived in an unfortunate circumstance. He lived in a trailer all his life and moved around constantly. So he just studied his way through UF when I was born and got himself a job at GRU.
Interview 5: I interviewed my supervisor at Reading Pals. She said she got through high school because of a mentorship program. Because of this, she decided to work for a mentorship program herself.
Inside the boundary
The who: Citizens of Gainesville, Florida
The what: face one of the biggest recorded income disparity rankings in the United States
The why: Gainesville is a small city with a large university. On top of that, UF does very little to combat the disparities those in the city face.
Outside the boundary
Who is Not: Those born in a middle class household or with a proper support system don't fall into this bracket. But Some people are set up from failure at birth. There are some schools within the city of Gainesville that aren't set up with the proper resources or staff to give students a proper start. If people are born in low income areas, often they need a proper upbringing or mentor. A lot of kids in Gainesville haven't seen anything west of 13th street.
What the need is not: This opportunity is an opportunity for mentorship. Our mission isn't solving the other problems faced within the community such as the food deserts or revamping low income houses. This program is for teaching people to fish.
Why: It's simple. Those who have already had good influences but were born under poor conditions are more able to succeed. Just the understanding that things could be different changes everything.
Friday, February 1, 2019
The Second-Most Important Part of Entrepreneurship
Problem:
The wealth disparity in Gainesville, Florida is huge compared to other cities in the United States. We have found that a big reason for this is that Gainesville is a small city with a big University.
Opportunity:
I would like to propose a potential solution to lessen the gap.
Potential Solution:
When it comes down to it, there ain't much I can do as an individual to change the University of Florida's contribution habits. Other than lobbying and joining DIVEST, it would be hard to come up with a service to encourage the university to contribute more to the city and improve wealth disparities.
This means that I will have to approach this from a different perspective. This is obviously moving in the direction of nonprofit. Nonprofits have developed all over Gainesville specifically for this purpose. How will mine be different? I will need to creatively allocate my funds in smart ways because nonprofits are not money machines. But lets start simple and broad. What will my nonprofit do?
My nonprofit's mission: To provide mentorship to Gainesville's bottom 20%. The Heavener School of Business has CAP mentors, who help students draft resumes in the proper ways, and find internships as well as potential employers. This nonprofit will do the same thing to the struggling community in Gainesville.
How we will keep the lights on: Without grants, this nonprofit will fail. It is a nonprofit, after all.
A nonprofit might be outside of the rules of this assignment. I'm sticking with it though because when I'm older, I hope to help those who need it for living.
The wealth disparity in Gainesville, Florida is huge compared to other cities in the United States. We have found that a big reason for this is that Gainesville is a small city with a big University.
Opportunity:
I would like to propose a potential solution to lessen the gap.
Potential Solution:
When it comes down to it, there ain't much I can do as an individual to change the University of Florida's contribution habits. Other than lobbying and joining DIVEST, it would be hard to come up with a service to encourage the university to contribute more to the city and improve wealth disparities.
This means that I will have to approach this from a different perspective. This is obviously moving in the direction of nonprofit. Nonprofits have developed all over Gainesville specifically for this purpose. How will mine be different? I will need to creatively allocate my funds in smart ways because nonprofits are not money machines. But lets start simple and broad. What will my nonprofit do?
My nonprofit's mission: To provide mentorship to Gainesville's bottom 20%. The Heavener School of Business has CAP mentors, who help students draft resumes in the proper ways, and find internships as well as potential employers. This nonprofit will do the same thing to the struggling community in Gainesville.
How we will keep the lights on: Without grants, this nonprofit will fail. It is a nonprofit, after all.
A nonprofit might be outside of the rules of this assignment. I'm sticking with it though because when I'm older, I hope to help those who need it for living.
You Have An Opportunity, Now What?
1.
Opportunity: The wealth gap in Florida is the 5th largest in the United States according to CNBS and Gainesville has also ranked nationally in wealth disparity, according to 25/7 Wall St and Richard Florida's book "The New Urban Crisis".
The opportunity is to lower the gap between high income and lower income households in Gainesville, Florida.
2.
The who: Citizens of Gainesville, Florida
The what: face one of the biggest recorded income disparity rankings in the United States
The why: Gainesville is a small city with a large university. On top of that, UF does very little to combat the disparities those in the city face.
3.
Testing the who: There are definitely others that fit my need, even when it comes down to specifically why they have this need. Universities that drain the city of funding and resources is a nationally recognized problem, but it is rather taboo to bring it up because it is generally agreed that universities should be well funded and have the ability to receive tax breaks. But many towns around America experience this issue.
Testing the what: Not all citizens are negatively impacted by the wealth disparity. However, Gainesville's poorest 20% generate less that 2% of the region's income. The bottom 20% will be the population I will be focusing on.
Testing the why: The University has made strides when it comes to medical research. Once someone needs medical attention, UF is good at providing. But when it comes to helping those who need it most, UF hasn't been contributing. Don't get me wrong, the city could also be putting in more work. More needs to be done to fund homeless shelters and programs for those in a state of poverty. So UF is a large reason, but not the only reason.
4.
Interview 1:
I interviewed a fellow student who grew up in a low-income household. They agreed that UF should do more for the city of Gainesville, because the city is trying to lower the income gap. The student says that they are not paying for their education because they got scholarships not associated with the University, so they would be relatively unaffected if UF allocated more of its money to support Gainesville.
Interview 2:
I interviewed a professor. The professor that I interviewed seemed relatively moved by what I had to say, but also said that the agreements have been in place, so those in administrative positions at UF don't want to break too many precedents to pay more money to the city.
Interview 3:
I interviewed my father who has been in Gainesville since the early 90s. He says that he's noticed not only an increase in disparity, but also an increase in those who are unemotional about the disparity. The city has kicked all of the homeless out of Bo Didley and neighborhoods are becoming more and more segregated.
Interview 4:
I interviewed another student who disagrees with my position. They say that Gainesville gets too much money from GRU and doesn't use it to their advantage. This student says that real economic change will come from the free market rather than be government led.
Interview 5:
I interviewed one of my high school teachers. They have noticed a slight improvement in the way that at least the secondary education system aids in income inequality. Alachua County schools are now giving free lunch to everybody, regardless of income.
Most people generally agreed that this was a problem. It is hard to argue against that. Most of the disagreements came with how to solve the problem- which is the difference between Sociology and Political Science- Sociology identifies the problems and Political Science solves those problems from different positions.
5.
Now I know that there are several ways to approach this problem. Also the University attributes to the problem, many other Gainesville organizations and facilities also don't do much to combat the problem.
Opportunity: The wealth gap in Florida is the 5th largest in the United States according to CNBS and Gainesville has also ranked nationally in wealth disparity, according to 25/7 Wall St and Richard Florida's book "The New Urban Crisis".
The opportunity is to lower the gap between high income and lower income households in Gainesville, Florida.
2.
The who: Citizens of Gainesville, Florida
The what: face one of the biggest recorded income disparity rankings in the United States
The why: Gainesville is a small city with a large university. On top of that, UF does very little to combat the disparities those in the city face.
3.
Testing the who: There are definitely others that fit my need, even when it comes down to specifically why they have this need. Universities that drain the city of funding and resources is a nationally recognized problem, but it is rather taboo to bring it up because it is generally agreed that universities should be well funded and have the ability to receive tax breaks. But many towns around America experience this issue.
Testing the what: Not all citizens are negatively impacted by the wealth disparity. However, Gainesville's poorest 20% generate less that 2% of the region's income. The bottom 20% will be the population I will be focusing on.
Testing the why: The University has made strides when it comes to medical research. Once someone needs medical attention, UF is good at providing. But when it comes to helping those who need it most, UF hasn't been contributing. Don't get me wrong, the city could also be putting in more work. More needs to be done to fund homeless shelters and programs for those in a state of poverty. So UF is a large reason, but not the only reason.
4.
Interview 1:
I interviewed a fellow student who grew up in a low-income household. They agreed that UF should do more for the city of Gainesville, because the city is trying to lower the income gap. The student says that they are not paying for their education because they got scholarships not associated with the University, so they would be relatively unaffected if UF allocated more of its money to support Gainesville.
Interview 2:
I interviewed a professor. The professor that I interviewed seemed relatively moved by what I had to say, but also said that the agreements have been in place, so those in administrative positions at UF don't want to break too many precedents to pay more money to the city.
Interview 3:
I interviewed my father who has been in Gainesville since the early 90s. He says that he's noticed not only an increase in disparity, but also an increase in those who are unemotional about the disparity. The city has kicked all of the homeless out of Bo Didley and neighborhoods are becoming more and more segregated.
Interview 4:
I interviewed another student who disagrees with my position. They say that Gainesville gets too much money from GRU and doesn't use it to their advantage. This student says that real economic change will come from the free market rather than be government led.
Interview 5:
I interviewed one of my high school teachers. They have noticed a slight improvement in the way that at least the secondary education system aids in income inequality. Alachua County schools are now giving free lunch to everybody, regardless of income.
Most people generally agreed that this was a problem. It is hard to argue against that. Most of the disagreements came with how to solve the problem- which is the difference between Sociology and Political Science- Sociology identifies the problems and Political Science solves those problems from different positions.
5.
Now I know that there are several ways to approach this problem. Also the University attributes to the problem, many other Gainesville organizations and facilities also don't do much to combat the problem.
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