The Windy City

As I sit in the O’Hare Airport waiting for our flight back to Columbus, I feel the need to reflect on my first visit to Chicago. Besides some interesting experiences getting here, the trip was amazing.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather: the first two days were sunny and exceeded 50 degrees. The city is fast-paced, but not overwhelming like New York. The atmosphere itself motivated me to take every extra step I can to achieve my goals.

The agency visits were very impressive. Each company had its own way of organizing and working together, but all seemed to run seamlessly. Ruder Finn gave me great insight on how to be a great intern and how to get the internship in the first place. Weber Shandwick stressed the importance of advocacy and building relationships. Fleishman Hillard talked about branding yourself and how to stand out, whether in an internship or as you grow in your career.

I met some amazing people and got to know many more from PRSSA. The trip confirmed for me that I’m pursuing the right career.

Chicago, I’m sad to leave, but I know I’ll be back soon!

Post-It addict

I think I've become the Queen of the Post-it. Currently, I have five Post-It notes on my desk, all reminding me of different things I need to do. I've also been known to be halfway asleep, remember something I need to do, and ask my roommate, (who's still awake), to write a Post-It for me.

I think the whole obsession with Post-It notes started when I came to college. My mom got me a Post-It holder that alternates the colors of the notes. It also has a suction cup on the bottom to secure it to my desk. Since then, I probably have averaged around five notes a day, some of which stay on my desk for several days.

Since I love the real Post-It notes so much, I thought I would like the Stickies application on my Mac, but that has not been the case. I just don't get the same satisfaction from dragging my Sticky to the trash on my computer desktop as I do when I crumble up my completed Post-It and throw it in the trashcan under my desk.

So to whomever created the square piece of paper with a strip of adhesive to the back, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Communication

I just got e-mail confirmation that my business cards have been shipped. I guess that makes me one step closer to achieving my goals. Recently, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what I truly what out of all aspects of my life. One of the things I’ve come up with that is the most important to me is communication. Whether it be in a relationship or a job or even with yourself, I have come to see how imperative it is that you get across the correct message, or at least correctly portray the one you want to send. And being honest is usually a good thing as well. I’m slowly learning how difficult this can be at times and how much thought must go into every aspect of communicating. As we are getting deeper into our PR plan for ImPRessions, it amazes me how one word can change the impact of what your message says. I have a new-found love for my thesaurus and I finally understand the term “power words."

To sum all of this up, I think I’m finally starting to grow up and I guess I’m listening to myself more then I ever have in the past. And once you start communicating, it’s so much easier to continue the conversation.