Exit Plan/Statement

Exit Plan/Statement

My transition out of high school has been a long awaited one. I feel like this last year has been limbo and I could have done much more if I was out making it all happen for myself. Total opinion, but I thought that I should start this topic of with a bold statement. My plan, if it wasn’t that obvious is to study music in a post secondary institution for a full degree. I will be studying drums, jazz drums. This has been my one and only passion for the last 8 years I would say. I started taking lessons on drums at about 9 years and have been going ever since. I stopped for one year to take piano and I thought that it helped a bit. I can’t read piano that well but I still liked it. Drums have just always suited me so I am going to study them intensely after high school. Over the past two months, Capilano and Mcgill have accepted. I was pretty stoked when I found that out. I still have not yet decided but I will decide within the next few weeks. I do always have to option to go to Capilano first and then transfer all of my courses to Mcgill. I might do this because if my courses are all transferable, because I need to get the theory part of my learning up and then after maybe one or two years of doing that, I will then transfer to Mcgill and do all of the live music things where I can simply transfer all of my learning into the real situation. In terms of living, I would not be able to go to Capilano and bus every single day. I have talked to people about going to Capilano from my own home area and they say that it takes them around one and a half hours to capilano and from home and all of the way back. I would not be able to sustain a life going to Capilano if I live in Fort Langley. This is why I have proposed the idea to my parents that I will go live at my uncle Jim’s house. When I was over there a couple of months ago, I was hanging with all of my uncles and I told them about my plan to either go to Capilano or Mcgill, and right away they said that I should live there. Just for a whereabouts of where they live, they live right next to the second narrows bridge. That’s really close to where Capilano actually is. I also have many friends and people who I play jazz with who live really close to Capilano. For me this would enable faster productivity and more chances to really increase my craft. I would live there if everything works out. The only wall that I am hitting now is with my aunt. She is essentially the queen of the household. Everyone respects her and when she doesn’t like something, then it changes. I am thinking that if I go there and she doesn’t like it then I will have to leave. But if it is a success than I will be able to live and go to Capilano without a massive pitfall of commuting. I want my life to be empty of possessions, full of family and full of music. I want it simple yet very productive and filled with opportunities. I feel like this would be a fantastic decision because of my longing to be off to do my own thing. This entire past year, I have been craving to leave this school and go off to work on my craft exclusively. The entire idea of me going off to university is such a great productive idea because I have to get better on my instrument, it’s essentially my only purpose. It’s exclusively the only thing that I feel like I have to do, the only thing I am good at and the only thing I am called to do. The skills I have learned while getting to the next level on my craft is to simply say yes to every single opportunity that comes across my way. I remember at the beginning of the year I was saying yes to everything that came my way. At first I thought that this was a bad thing and would hurt me long term. At first I was stressing out so much because I was basically managing two lives. My life was so busy (it still is) but I realised that I would be able to grow so much as a kid and be able to become an adult. I still say yes to things even if I know that I won’t be able to do it, because I know that I can only grow from it. At the beginning of this year, my life was pretty unproductive. I was in school and I was very limited. I knew that I needed to expand my horizons and start bands with really good players because that was really the only way that I was going to get better. Playing with other people is a thing of it’s own. I can’t possibly replicate the things that I learn playing with other people in any way. This learning that took place only progressed and I got so much better than I was. I knew that this was a product of me saying yes to so many things. I learned at that point that saying yes to things increased my production, increased my social awareness, and increased my playing exponentially. When I progress along in my life, the skills that I have learned that have led up to my graduation will aid my in my plan to become a musician. I cannot stress how much saying yes to everything gets you really far. In order for me to get these opportunities, I have to pay for school, and in order for me to pay for schooling, I have to work. I need to work during the summer because schooling requires money. I also need to get more money through bursaries or at least try. Scholarships as well. I have enjoyed my last couple of years at LFAS but I feel its time. Its time to leave and get on with my other parts of life, time to progress more as a human being and time to really understand the world.

Self Potrait

Part two: Self Portrait

ETHAN HONEYWELL

When I look back to around five years back I see a kid who was really cocky, who was into music and didn’t understand what being in highschool actually meant. I remember failing my math 8 exam and getting under 40% and never finding out until the next year. When I realised this, I stopped and finally understood what high school was actually about. High School was not this easy thing I would just be able to coast through. It would challenge me, make me grow, make me think completely differently and show me more concepts and ideas. Since the beginning of high school i discovered my passion for music as well as the benefits it provided. Ever since I have discovered music in late grade 8 and early grade 9, my life has expanded so much with my ability to learn music. I was already enrolled in all of the musical ensembles in music outside of school and I just wanted to do more and more. I started creating bands outside of school. Me and another started a blues rock band where he played guitar and I played drums. It was fun for a while but it just kinda stopped because I realised that me and him could not work together. I learned this the hard way too. My ability to seek out people who work hard and play the heck out of their instrument just bursted beyond that point. That skill has long satisfied my needs. In late last year, I heard a band play on a stage in vancouver and realised that I had to play with these kids. I went up to talk to these kids after the show and said to them if they would like to play in maybe a combo together or just to see if they needed a drummer. I completely forget their responses. But anyway I thought about it all summer. When I was in winnipeg for a little bit of the summer I got a call from one of the most known sax players in vancouver. He asked if I wanted to be in a big band that he was putting together at the VSO school of music. I immediately said yes. The summer finished and our first rehearsal with this big band was coming up. I got to the location and when I realised that the players that were in the band were members of the band I saw the previous year who I asked to play with. So we organized some jams and we sounded pretty good. So we decided to get gigs and start making money. During one of our jam sessions we got an email to go and perform at a presentation house. We immediately said yes and planned for the gig. We practiced our butts off, made so many rehearsals and got together so many times leading up to the actual performance. When the day came, we were stoked and completely ready. We arrived, unpacked, set up and did a sound check. The night was being completely professionally recorded by the main tech engineer who works at capilano. There was a full house in the crowd and we just couldn’t wait to play. The whole night was great and everything went smooth. At the end of the whole night, we got some really nice recordings of the entire night. The recordings were really the high point because they captured exactly what we had worked towards. The recording represents me as being an example of what I have become over the past four to five years. They represent the people skills, the hard work practicing and the development of musicality. I cherish these recordings because they are what I have become.

Links - Both Sets

            

Post Secondary Institutions

Acceptance to Mcgill
Acceptance

Acceptance to Capilano University
Acceptance

Scholarship Application to Capilano
Scholarship

Budget Plan

Financial Plan

Income

Cash/Savings - 1300$

JobEarnings - 1500/month

Student Loan - N/A

Award/Scholarships - 1300$

Income Assistance - N/A

Parents - 0$

Other Income - N/A

Expenses

Tuition - 9000$/year

Books/Supplies - 1000$/year

Rent - 500$/month

Telephone - 30$?month

Food - 250$/month

Transportation - 30$/month

Medical/Dental - Covered by insurance

Entertainment - 20$/month

Other - N/A

Report Card

Report Card Side 1
here


Report Card Side 2
here

Choice Assignment Acedemic Reflection

Academic Reflection

Ethan Honeywell

First of all I just want to say that most of my accomplishment that were the most worthwhile and important were the ones that did not involve academics. I feel like my life has benefitted the most from learning an instrument that has forced me to practice. This slow deliberate practice is like sitting down to study with your phone in the other room or the computer in another room. Going to an arts school there have been many situations where I have had to prepare something for a show or a gig and there is nothing more satisfying than being well prepared for a “test”. Comparing the question of a time where I have persevered through an assignment can be looked at from a musician's standpoint. This happens at least once a week in my practice. I come across a rudiment that I can not play, like triplet paradiddles. I can’t play them yet but by the time you are reading this then I will be able to play them. It is a constant reminder that I can really accomplish anything I put my mind to. The high ropes are linked directly with this assignment. It is really interesting to listen to myself play from a year or two ago and hear how terrible I was. I thought I was probably pretty good at the time but I look back and see that I sucked. Time sucked, sound sucked, I was hitting every part of the drum. So if you want to see that through time and practice your sound gets better, look at some of your previous work, assess it and realise that you have gotten better and you can only get better. Through these experiences of practice, I realise that I will be that much better on the other end of time when I am done and have learned that idea. Music is my passion and I love being able to learn more about my passion and understand that there is no boundary to learning. Knowledge is infinite. This is an important thing for all to do. If one is desperately wanting to find there way and become good at something then they have to hunker down and do it. In my studies I have greatly enjoyed the rudiment part of practice. During the rudiment part of my practice which is usually second, I see the most results out of all of my practice. In my rudiments I encounter the most problems because there are so many things to do in rudiments. But they teach you the most and I am thankful for that. I real changed my work habits in my transition from grade 11 to grade 12 and this has helped me to become more resilient throughout my highschool years. This is a good skill that everyone should have to understand.

Choice Assignment Health Plan

Health Reflection

Ethan Honeywell

Some of the things that I have seen improvement in my personal health life is the increase of saying no to things. Saying no to things has extreme health benefits. A decrease of stress is one thing. I have said yes to mostly everything in the world and it really starts to take its toll on you if you don’t control it. I have been extremely stressed this year and I have just been starting to say no to things this part of the year. It has proven to been really helpful and makes everything better. I feel like my sleep patterns have changed and I have been getting 30 minutes more of sleep. But even then I only get around 7 hours each night. I only do so because I usually watch a show right before bed because I have so much to do in the day that when I am done, I can finally have some of my own time. My goals include getting more sleep. This semester for me is especially heavy now and I feel like it will be a lot less insane next semester. I have a ridiculous amount of things this semester and I have no time for anything but I am so stoked for next semester because things will be less insane. I really want to focus on getting more sleep. I can only do that with a lessened schedule which will be next semester. I choose to focus on these things because of what they will bring me. When I get more sleep it will then improve my work habits which are really essential for grades this and next semester, it will also improve my comprehension that is so important to learning and it will make me less stressed. As I have been learning more about this I have learned that health and mental health are super important for the well being of learning and expertise. Health is something that students don’t get a lot of these days. Health is really essential for learning because kids have many things that go on in their lives and to have more things that are stressful is tiring add up to their schedules. Kids have many things going on in high school and are expected to learn at full scale. It is well within the limits of achievement but people need to make social sacrifices to be able to achieve certain goals like marks and projects. This decision to make better choices about my goals and lifestyle really helps the well being of me and others around me. When I am stressed I tend to take it out on my family and is makes them feel bad. I corrupt others. I am learning that if I become really really stressed than I become a nut and I get really annoying. Also when I am stressed my body stops working properly. I experienced this last year  and it really took its toll on me. I become really depressed and my insides hurt and all of this crazy stuff. So I have learned that stress creates problems and in order to get rid of these problems I have to say no to things. Case closed.

Choice Assignments Interview

INTERVIEW

Ethan Honeywell

Right away off the bat I think that you’re strength is your ability to pursue what you love and that love and passion is drumming. I know you are going off to postsecondary to do just that. During the debate in history got pretty heavy and I think you should let go of that just incase it is still weighing heavily on you. You are definitely at your best when you are at a drum kit creating new ideas and innovating. The hard work and struggle that I see in you comes through when you are performing. Whenever you play, the sheer passion and flow of your musicality shines through and shows evidence of hard work and practice.I feel like you should give more credit to your work ethic and because what you are doing now, I can see through me. I have gone through what you have gone through. I think that you should pursue your passions and continue to get better!

I chose David Ko because he has been a close person in my life. Especially this year. Our friendship has been strong and continues to grow throughout our experiences.

Cover Letter

20543 96 ave

Walnut Grove

V1M 3W3

January 15

Target, Langley

Bill Smith - Store Manager

140-19705 Fraser Hwy

Langley, BC

V3A 7E9

RE: Potential Employment Opportunities

Dear Bill Smith,

I am interested in applying for the position of Cashier Team Member at Target which was advertised on the target website.

I feel I have the necessary skills in order to obtain this position. I am ready to work hard and achieve the goals put before me. I am interested in working at target because being a cashier has always been something I’ve wanted to do. I am able to be moved around in terms of my shift to an extent. I am available on weekends and friday nights. I am interested in working at target I would not mind being a cashier at target and work to my full potential. I can deliver excellent service skills and be obedient when the time comes. I can work in other areas of the store if needed.

I will enjoy being part of target and am available for an interview at your convenience. You can contact me at 604-888-8713. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for your consideration.

Regards,

Ethan Honeywell

Current Resume

­­­­Ethan Honeywell

20543 96 Avenue

Windsong Cohousing

V1M 3W3

604-888-8713

Profile

I am a student attending the Langley School of Fine Arts and have been a member of the school for 6 years. I am a music major currently involved in many extracurricular activities.

Experience

I have been playing in many bands, jazz combos and vocal groups professionally for close to 4 years playing many different types of music including traditional jazz, modern jazz, and rock.

Just this past summer I completed a two-week program called Junior Leadership Training where I got to work with many different age groups.

I have worked in the studio setting for many years, recording and the occasional experimental mixing.

Skills

I am very clear and focused when talking with people. When a challenging situation occurs, I believe I am very capable of dealing with that situation, making sure that problems are solved correctly and efficiently. Being organized and responsible are two skills that I have to use every day.

Team Building Reflection

Team Building

Ethan Honeywell

Humans crave community. If you see a person that you never talk in your own life, outside of your regular life, you will instantly say hi. I know this because humans are social and desire to be together. These are the bonds that happen in a team. Everyone is involved one way or another and are all in it for the communal achievement. In order for a good team to happen there needs to be an evident leader. Leaders have to make the hard decisions of deciding which is best for the group. The leader also greatly encourages the members and provides support for each individual. The leader must be humble and lead with power but lead with empathy. Not only does a group need a leader but a group needs people to fill niches. These niches are naturally formed and filled by members of the group. There is an unconscious decision that goes on in each member that distinguishes who they will be. For instance, a leader understands that they have the most leader like qualities due to training that the leader has undergone in their life. A leader has certain experiences that enable them the leader. This applies to the others of the group. Everyone is different in a group setting, they will all have different minds and skill sets, but there are basic things that all of the group members must know how to do as well as have the courage to do them. If one person lacks in an area that the others are caught up on then it is in the best interest of the group to nourish that person by word of encouragement or physical labor to make sure they are able to stay in the group. This is when the communal effort comes in. Everyone is in the group together and are all looking to get to the common goal.

At trinity western university, most of us were put into groups. On the bus rides there we all knew that we would be put into a situation where we would feel uncomfortable and would need our group to help us. Each person standing on the podium or climbing a massive ladder was in the same boat as the rest of the group members.  I was reminded that I could accomplish anything by this event. The whole day was a metaphor for sheer accomplishment. The members of my group were the ones I least expected to show encouragement. But given time and the right situation they were able to bring out the human instinct of encouragement. I know this is the final year in which I am really helped out by adults and spending time with them reminds us of the human nature we have. Some may argue that teams can only be built on the experience that a functional group has experienced. For instance, friendship can be argued to be a prominent role in the functionality of a group and to get to that understanding of friendship and loyalty, they must be put to the test to show who they value. Through these experiences, bonds are formed and people learn to co-exist with one another a lot quicker because they understand how each of the group members minds work. Through a sense of one is achieved among the members and the goals become a way of thinking. But I am saying that these experiences are not always required to have a functioning group. Sure it helps to have some sort of bond to thrive from but the essentials of a new group are already in place it it is formed.At trinity personaly I did not learn anything new, although I was left with a reminder of how the task at hand, no matter the strength needed, can always be accomplished. If I was to take art in the activity again I would encouraged more, because everyone has a right to be encouraged.

Encouragement is something that doesn't happen a lot these days. It is taking on the role of a higher power because by saying “you can do it” is just simply telling them that you have already done it and is easier than it looks. Encouragement has been skewed from its original intent. It used to be something that is special when heard. But today whenever someone speaks words of encouragement they do not seem at valid as they should. Encouragement almost seems like it is the thing to do when you are put in a situation where you're watching someone struggle. You are expected to help out because if you don’t then you will look unsupportive. I am not saying that encouraging is a bad thing, I am saying that it doesn’t have the desired effect. that it used to.

At trinity western we were put into a situation that was encouraging encouragement and it all seemed so forced. I almost wished we could have been put into groups sooner because then we wouldn’t feel like we were shouting phrases at people just to fit in. Once consensus is formed, it makes things a lot easier to do. For instance, I felt like we were at trinity to learn about the campus and experience a massive shock at the high ropes course. All we had to do was climb or jump something and it would be over. Once we knew that we were tackling goals then things became easier. The entire social setting as well kind of stuck with me. If you did not jump or climb you would look “different”. The general sense of “fitting in” was very present I felt at the course. You would be seen as weak minded if you did not jump. No one would say anything nor look at the ones who didn’t jump and be unsatisfied they would just categorize them as the ones who didn’t do it. At the high ropes course everyone felt inclined to fulfill the jump or climb because their friends were watching. I don’t know. Just some thoughts.

Peer Art Review

Peer Review

Ethan Honeywell

I have chosen an arrangement by David Ko of the piece “Girl with the Flaxen Hair” by Claude Debussy. This piece is depicting a story of a girl with flaxen hair and was inspired by a poem written by Leconte de Lisle. David has written many pieces in the past but I chose this one because of him arranging instead of composing it. Arrangements are always more interesting because they are a direct interpretation of a piece of art already in existence. One can only arrange someone elses work once they have have completely understood the material.  I love what he did with it. He used his ideas and musicianship and implemented them upon an impressionists composer’s piece of a story.  Comparing my creative process to his, I would say that usually my way of thinking is taking some of my own ideas and mashing them together to make a story, but in David’s case, he started with someone elses work and made his own creative version. I would not call this copying. You see this in many remixes of popular music these days.  The people who are taking other peoples work and altering it ever so slightly can be seen as copies of someone else's material, but really it is seen as a different interpretation of that one particular piece.  This happens many times in jazz music.  Many times there are “standards” books that are in front of people at a gig. These books are just kind of a road map for the musicians who are playing. No body is going to sue these musicians for playing someone else”s music because everybody in the jazz world has been playing other peoples music since the beginning of Jazz. David Ko was able to take the story of a melody, round up all of the ideas and re-organize them into a completely different song.  Even though he did this, the audience could still understand exactly what the song was and how it was related to the actual song by Debussy. I enjoyed listening to it because it was slightly different take on the original which was amazing.  Sitting in the chair listening to the instrumentalists play the arrangement was very interesting to hear. I knew that some of the artists were playing the original by Debussy and were having an interesting time with the piece. Arrangements are always very hard to do. To do an arrangement very well has to be carefully planned. No one can simply sit and write an arrangement, because there is a relationship between the original piece of music to the arrangement that the non original artist is composing or painting or dancing. There is a special bond that goes on between the arranger and the composer. First the arranger must get inside the composer’s mind and really expose what they were trying to get at in the piece of music. Once their mind is understood, the arranger has to carefully expand on the story and the ideas that the composer was writing about.  Once the story is grasped by the arranger, they can then start piecing together an interpretation of the song. Now this interpretation can be either direct link to the song or it can be a remaster of the sounds and story. Either way it is going to be an interpretation.  But sometimes an arrangement can be a reflection. In David’s case, he wrote an interpretation of the story line. But sometimes, people will write arrangements that are really reflection where bits of melody are exposed throughout the song but is really not the main idea.  I have always wanted to do something like what David does but do it in writing. All of the interpretations and arrangements of music are never planned and are always performed live in front of people. No preparations are ever held before the show. This in a way is more exhilarating than a normal planned show.  In these unplanned shows, anything can happen. The creative process is also ramped up a lot because you are always trying to figure out ways to get out of your normal way of thinking. Playing a live show increases the creative capability that one has and forces them to think outside of the normal realm of improvisation. With an arrangement, it is something that is carefully planned which I can respect and enjoy. David did a very good job of sticking to the original and going only slightly off of the path of the main story.

Art Review

Art Review

Ethan Honeywell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP_-wwU-KQ8

This piece of work that I chose to reflect on was one created by Brian Blade. Brian Blade is an american jazz drummer who is around 45 years old. He plays a lot of Jazz fusion and plays in a quintet. The piece of art that I am referring to is a concert that he played in his quintet. The concert ran for around an hour and a half. Each time I listen to it I feel more connected with the piece. It is hard to understand what it is about because it covers so many ideas. I view it as a long journey that can not be described in words. The reason why I chose this piece of work was because of the depth and deepness they went into. During certain parts of the music, all of the musicians are so into it that they start to yell. Now just by me saying that they are yelling takes away a little bit of the magic that goes on onstage. I started listening to this piece of work around a year and a half ago. Brian Blade was a very interesting musician for me at the time and I was constantly trying to find something that I liked in his performances. This genre of music was also one that I was really interested in and still am. It is the genre of pure interactive storytelling through music. Now all music is storytelling but this specific kind is extremely interesting. In jazz, if you can’t tell a story through your music then you are doing it wrong. Jazz is all about conveying a message to your audience. Whenever I play jazz, I always try to invent new things for myself and induce creativity. It has proven to be really hard but annoying to try to be actively creative.

Miles Davis - Bitches brew

This is sought out to be one of the most in depth pieces of music. I respect it, but I hate it. Bitches Brew is almost entirely improvised while all of the musicians have a common storyline that they are following.  This story ties in with the witches in macbeth and their brew as well as being an interpretation of a journey. I find this piece extremely challenging as it tests an artist's ability to interpret the situation. This is why I hate it yet respect it. I first learned about this piece of work when talking to Brad Turner, a trumpet player who studied at North Texas and lives in Vancouver. The juno award winning player told me why he loved it so much and his path starting out with the piece was very similar to mine. He hated it at first but it later grew on him. The piece being almost entirely improvised has inspired me to think more about pure improvisation. The creativity also flows through this piece. Whenever I get into the zone of this piece, it melts into a story  and my mind starts making connections of how the story is going. It could be as vague as a strawberry trying to jump over potholes but always missing. I love this piece but I struggle to understand it, and the struggle helps me grow.

Dr. Liljedahl Presentation Reflection

Grad Transitions             

Portfolio                                                             Ethan Honeywell

Lecture with Dr. Liljedahl

In our lecture with Dr. Liljedahl, he spoke about ideas that resonated with me. The idea of no hesitation and discomfort really hit me hard in terms of living. In order to grow, one must find ways of exploring themselves. This might mean getting yourself into a situation that you are unfamiliar with. I find that in order for personal growth one must put themselves in a situation where they may not be comfortable or in other words try something new. This is something that the lecture purely focused on. I really liked how he described his life. He did not plan to have things come out this way. He had a plan, but that plan changed. His life was altered from his original plan into something much more. The main idea of the lecture was to try something new. Because that will open up more possibilities for someone or enable them to find themselves. I used to be a very shy person. Ever since that lecture happened I have been saying yes to a lot more things. These things have enabled me to think differently, see the world in a different way as well as finding my place in the world. As a person says yes to something they have just opened up a whole new area for themselves. The simple word could change ones life forever. And that was one of Dr. Liljedahl’s main ideas. I have always wanted to go on a wild adventure to somewhere like India or someplace like that and go there and do some volunteer work. I would love to get to know different parts of the world and go volunteer in places where I would really learn about different cultures and how they work. I would really grow. It would force myself to think differently because I really don’t like being away from home sometimes. This activity appeals to me because it would help me become a better person. Also the setting of the entire activity. I would greatly enjoy to go to india and become a volunteer because it would force me to become a more grateful person. I take things for granted sometimes and don't notice the real world around me. I haven't really got to do any work in another country yet because I am simply not old enough. I need to be at least 19 years of age for a lot of programs out there because some of the things that I would have to deal with is a lot of poverty and possibly dangerous people. I would have to handle myself like an adult. There would be a lot of steps in making this a reality for me. First I would have to fundraise a ton of money (close to 3000$) then go buy my plane ticket. And the fundraising itself would take so much time. Another thing I would love to get involved with is a movement against Sarnia and its chemical fields. Sarnia Ontario has some of the most disgusting air in all of Canada. They continually have leaks of dangerous chemicals and they need to be stopped. This activity appeals to me because it would be helping a lot of first nations living in the land of sarnia. It would also be helping the environment by reducing spills and leakage. The steps to taking on this heaping mess would be to first get people involved and get the message out there. Then send letters to the government or  the leaders of the chemical companies Many people have done this already but the more the better. If I would just say yes to more things, than opportunities would open up. That was the main message that was portrayed by the lecture speaker. Right now I have a plan in life and that is to become a jazz drummer or musician. I think I would do quite well in it. But my plans could change as I go throughout this year and the next because when I start saying yes to more things then thats when my perspective will change and I will grow. Touching back on the topic of saying yes to things can be also very dangerous. As I said before, I have been saying yes to many new things which have greatly opened up my eyes and given me many opportunities. But the very dangerous part of this is saying yes to everything, which is what I have been doing really well for the past year. In the world of Music, opportunities come every so often, and I value these moments very much. I have blended these opportunities with things that don’t matter much in my life. These things I have said yes to are now clogging up my life and are almost unnecessary. That is the problem with myself. I am a people pleaser. I will always try to help out someone and make their lives easier. So when my personality mixes with the opportunity and things that don’t matter, I will have a very hard time with trying to distinguish what matters most in my life. When being a musician, I have to have clear goals. When being a people pleaser, these goals get lost in the depths of me trying to help people. It is a dangerous hole that I have now fallen into. It has only been until recently that I have really tried to cut things down little by little. So when listening to the presentation that Dr. Liljedahl  was presenting, it was basically another person saying say yes, because you don’t know where you’ll end up. I respect this philosophy because it had obviously enabled him to grow, but when the word yes mixes with an unimportant event or thing that needs doing, then I become skewed. I guess this is the first step of me becoming in charge of myself instead of others.

Resiliency Reflection

Grad Transitions         Ethan Honeywell

Resiliency

Portfolio 11

Resiliency. Its what makes us advance as a civilization. We commit to something and stick to it.  Humans as a species have demonstrated resilience for thousands of years. Things get done with resilience. I define resilience as something that enables us to overcome great feats. It helps us get things done. I as a human cope with stressful situations by stopping for a couple moments and think about the work that with go into whatever I am doing. Then I think that whenever I finish, that the massive amount of hard work I have put into a project or something that I am doing will eventually pay off. And that is something that is very satisfying. Psychological resilience is an individual's tendency to cope with stress and adversity. This coping may result in the individual "bouncing back" to a previous state of normal functioning, or simply not showing negative effects. I respond to stressful situations by taking some time and calming myself down. I meditate and this really helps me to calm down. I let the fear in for around 10 seconds, I get used to it and then just keep going. I also manage my time. When I need to respond to life when it has not proceeded as I had wanted it to. I once had a situation on the sky train going to Vancouver for a concert where I was offered some drugs. I was eight years old at the time and I just stayed calm. It was a big thing. Another example was when around 12, I smashed a car window, not on purpose and I freaked out. I ran home and sat with an acquaintance that was there with me and just watched TV. It was one of the most stressful situations of my life. I learned how to cope with the times and in dark situations. I trust my mom, dad my brother and school counselor, an acquaintance in my complex, my uncle Jim and all of my cousins.  I hang out with people around me; I go for walks and in the walks,  I especially like going on nature walks in the park, play some video games, cook some good food and then eat it. Life usually does not go as planned and we have to know how to be resilient. There have been many times where I have had no idea what to do. In the situations described before, I have learned how to cope with these situations. Some of the things I learned were things like being able to calm myself down after one of the incidents, being able to mentally think about it after it has happened plus being able to process it well, I hope that time of my life will be over soon at that point in time, I talk to people about what has just happened and tell them some of the things that might have been disturbing, I use music as a drug and make myself calm and happy after doing it, and also  go especially to the school counsellor or one of the people of whom I trust. When I am in a stressful situation, I will take these things into consideration when trying to cope and get through them. There have been situations in my life where thinking differently than my normal self and think outside the box in order to get things done. I think that the definition of resilience is the power to stay in original form. Many people have not learned how to properly stay resilient and calm throughout a time of sorrow. This can lead to depression and will result in meetings with psychologists and or help to get back to a normal life.People often go into depression because they have no people around them to give them the support that they need to live and go on in life. It is good to have people support you and have someone that you can go to in case of need for it. Millions of people are affected around the world everyday because of stress. Stress really has no function for your body and it has no point in being inside of your body. I have learned a lot about stress over the years and I will continue to learn about it in the future. The more stress that you endure the more you can handle.