Spooky

Every Thursday night the Sci Fi Network airs “Ghost Hunters”. A show where a team of professional paranormal investigators goes to different places and investigates phenomenon of a supposed paranormal nature.

They meet with people that are not too different from people that we know and also folks that creep me out more then the thought of dead people in my room while I sleep.

I do believe in the paranormal to a degree. As pretty devout Latter-day Saint, I believe in a spirit world and a life after this, along with the host of heaven cast down for their rebellion in the pre-mortal life. But I wonder to what extent the “other” world intrudes upon our own.

Living in Hawaii I heard many superstitions and legends that are held by the locals. Some that came to mind were the Night marchers along with how you should never take pork over the Pali highway at night.

I had an experience in the house that I used to live that I attribute to sleep deprivation and too much pizza, cokes, and television before going to sleep.

So does anyone have any stories to share? Anything tales that make the hairs on the back of you neck to stand up? If so, I would like to hear them.

Eeking By

Getting through college is not that difficult. Basically, if you show up to your classes and put forth a minimal effort, your teachers will give you a passing grade and send you on your way. But is this really what you want?

Believe it or not, in striving to do well in classes you can develop something that many young people lack which is a solid work ethic and the ability to stay with a project until it is finished. These two things are essential in getting and keeping a job.

When an employer looks at a GPA, it answers several questions that they want answered. “How hard will this person work”, and “What is the quality of their work”? If I were looking at two students with degrees in the same field and one had an A and the other a C, I would take the A student.

The A student has demonstrated, in a measurable way, that they have achieved a higher level of mastery then a C student. I know that there are exceptions, but by and large it holds that a person who has taken the time to do well in the course work, will take the time to do well on the job.

But in most fields, it does not matter what your grades were. All that matters is if you can pass licensing and certification exams that are used by your specific field. These can be quite rigourous, and merely passing demonstrates that you have the know how to work in the given field. This, combined with a good grade point average will provide opportunities that you would not have otherwise. I know of people who did great in college but could not get hired because they could pass the licensing examinations.

But here is another fact that we rarely consider. You don’t need a degree to be successful. I know of many individuals who have made, and will make far more money in their lives then my father who holds a bachelors degree in business, and a masters degree in nuclear engineering.

In the end, you will be better off if you work hard at something and do a good job then if you just eek by.

Be an achiever, not an eeker.