Inauguration Day

- January 20, 2009 (Inauguration Day)


Sunday I returned from Los Angeles having finished an ICDC planning and membership development trip and as the very full plane touched down in Washington D.C. there was a huge cheer and boisterous clapping from all of its occupants. On the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and this history making Inauguration Day, the crowd, the energy and the excitement was palpable. Regardless of your politics, it is new energy in the people that this change is inspiring that inspires me to find new ways of contributing to the drive, the purpose and the vision of our collective future.

There are moments when I am coaching start-up chapters and answering questions from would-be new members that I become crest-fallen by what seems to be an attitude of, “if it exists I’ll join… if it doesn’t then its not going to happen for me.” Is it a generation who’s attitude is controlled by a need for instant gratification and a sense of entitlement? Somehow, I don’t think that can be the pervasive expression of the generation but it certainly is a prominent message that I hear. Personally, I was raised believing that anything worth having is worth working for and that it is my own responsibility to create a future worth having. The idea of instant gratification is a farce; delayed and earned gratification however, the reward that follows the sometimes-tedious labor, is truly what living a life of purpose, ambition and success is all about.

There are also moments however when I hear from start-up chapters asking very specific questions because they’ve already done the hard work to get started. These are stories like Indiana University that grew in its first semester of existence from a single individual’s desire to continue his DECA experience to a chapter of 35 members. Which brought a large group to the Collegiate Leadership Academy and just today called to ask for help connecting with DECA alumni on each of the “Big 10” campuses for their newly conceived idea of hosting a “Big 10 Delta Epsilon Chi Competition” in preparation for the international conference. Other stories like the University of New Haven also a brand new chapter that already has 28 members and is taking on the task of working with Connecticut DECA to bring in the future generations to their emerging chapter.

It is in these moments that I am inspired by what should define the next generation of business leaders and visionaries. These are individuals who embrace hard work as a necessary and valuable motivator for accomplishing their goals. These are individuals who ask, “how do I overcome?” instead of reaching a barrier and stopping in their tracks.

It is individuals like these that shape stories of a new generation who understand that they must work and contribute in order to receive personal reward. These people inspire me and give me hope that what little I do to support their efforts, to answer their questions, and to continue to create Delta Epsilon Chi programming that may teach them new lessons and connect them with other soon-to-be business leaders, brings value to the community that I care so much about.

Whether you work to serve your own chapter, your own campus, your own community, or reach higher and perhaps taken on the mantle of state or national leader, I hope that you are also inspired by the actions of your peers to come away from an attitude that expects instant gratification and move instead towards the understanding that you alone are in control of your destiny and that you alone can make a difference by serving the needs of your Delta Epsilon Chi community through hard work, dedication and steadfastness.

Today, be inspired. Today, build on the energy of those around you. Today, embrace a new beginning, a new attitude, and work hard and long to achieve a new purpose. You alone can turn vision into reality by embracing the opportunities afforded to you through your education and your membership in organizations like ours.

Kyle Walton
Assistant Director, Delta Epsilon Chi

Teamwork is what Delta Needs!

Recently I was put in a situation working with someone who really pushed my buttons because he came into a work area that I had been in for about four years and acted as if he knew more than I did about the entire company. My father had been running another chain of this same restaurant throughout my whole life and I had been going and helping him at work since I could walk. When someone else tried to come in, and not only tell me what to do, but tell me how to do my job, I was not only threatened but highly agitated. This person’s confidence had brought a whole new meaning to the saying “fake it til’ you make it”. As I continued to work with this new person, I realized that he was just as threatened by me, as I was by him. He knew all the textbook rules and regulations, but had no idea how to put them into practice without offending people who had been with the company for many years. After a while, the new person realized that he was not getting anywhere by bossing people around with textbook answers and that he just needed to go with the flow and remind people of the regulations every once in a while.
This relates to Delta Epsilon Chi every day. There are those people who come into your chapter that know all the rules and regulations from either high school DECA or from researching Delta Epsilon Chi, but they don’t know how to handle the chapter, because chapters are made up of people, not robots. They don’t always do what you want or what they say they are going to, but they have been there for a while, so you need to go with the flow and remember they do have feelings. Members of Delta Epsilon Chi don’t take kindly to pushing and shoving (much like people in the business world). By adding everyone’s strengths and weaknesses together, you gain an entire entity that we call a chapter. This is what the leaders of Delta Epsilon Chi have come together to do – create a chapter where everyone has a chance to contribute. So remember to give everyone a chance, help them out when they need it, and take help when someone gives it.
-Samantha NARVP

Money, money, money... what do you do when low on funds?

Hello everyone!
I was talking to Steve today and realized that there is so much to do in the start of the new year. Steve talked about setting goals and keeping old ones. My biggest challenge starting this new semester in school will be keeping up the enthusiasm that everyone had for Delta Epsilon Chi and their chapters in the fall. Yes, ICDC is getting closer and people are getting pumped up about that, but they are also getting bummed out because of the money situation.
I am trying to brainstorm ways of helping people out with their fundraising issues. The members from across the country are extremely creative in the ways that they raise money. They take different spins on the old faithful fundraisers, like adding in new themes to their bake sales or car washes. They also think of new ways to raise money like indoor mini golf courses with each hole sponsored by a different company. These inventive ideas can be spread by just talking to people from across the country.
So, go onto facebook or send emails to different schools. Swap ideas and raise money. I guarantee you it will be worth all of the hard work to get to Anaheim.
-Samantha NARVP

New Year ...New Goals, and Renewed Drive!!!

With the New Year fast approaching and the old coming to a close it’s the time to review how we did with the goals of 2008. I personally did horrible on my workout program; I will need to set that goal up again and create steps to help me to make sure I find success this coming year. I did however do really well with my educational goals as I made sure that I kept my grades right where I wanted them.
It is always fun to review the past goals, the past year, and one of the greatest things that you can review is your Delta Epsilon Chi program of work. Review what you have accomplished, what could have been done better, then review what you will do better. This process of reviewing can help you to have great Delta Epsilon Chi success. The great part about reviewing the program of works is that you still have half of the school year to make things happen and get the POW goals accomplished. You can also look at the goals that were set, and meet with your team to determine if some of them are unreasonable and may need to be dropped. You can also consider the possibility that new goals may need to be added to the work load. No matter what goals you review and new ones you create make sure to review your Program of Work and recognize what will make the second half of the Delta Epsilon Chi Year a super success.

Finding Time For Christmas and Family

Holy Cow…. Life is busy busy. With Finals finishing up and Christmas on the way it is so hard know where one day starts and the next begins. In this crazy time of year I always try to take a step back and slow it down a little so that I can enjoy the holidays with friends and family. So many times we will catch ourselves starting to work crazy hours again, or taking on new projects, but we have to keep telling ourselves that it is our families and friends that help us to perform well in school, Delta Epsilon Chi, and at our places of employment all year long. We should give them this special season. Take time this year, not just to service the community or Delta Epsilon Chi, but your families and your friends. Let your loved ones understand how important they are to you. Take time to think of what you can do to make this season one to remember.

Happy Christmas

From
Steve Hanson

Delta Epsilon Chi...Thanks

Just and update!

I have been busy as can be the last two weeks as my wife and I were just able to introduce are new baby boy into the world. His name is Grayson Stephen Everest Hanson. He was 8 pounds 5 ounces and 21 inches long. He is a fun little guy and is very animated. It’s truly amazing to watch him and have a new outlook on life. Thank you all for the great amount of support and kindness that you have shown to my little family. Delta Epsilon Chi students are always willing to care and you have truly shown it to us these past two weeks.

Thanks to everyone,

Steve Hanson

One of those days...

Have you ever just had one of those days where everything that happens is slightly less than perfect? You wake up and you know that there is something that is not quite right. This happened to me about four days in a row and I was looking for something to get me out of this rut that I seemed to have my foot cemented in. I found out that I forgot to write things down when I should have, I didn’t know the answers when asked questions, and I would forget the simplest things that would push my life off kilter just enough to annoy myself and everyone around me.
How do you change this? Well, I’m just beginning to find out is that you have to have a positive attitude and a different outlook on everything that happens. If you (excuse me for being cliché) take everything with a grain of salt. Remember that things are going to go wrong, you are going to forget things, and you can’t change everything. For example, I woke up this morning and looked at my phone (for some reason my roommate and I don’t have an alarm clock in our room), and realized that it is 9:45. Well this is odd, because I remember setting my alarm for 8 a.m. because I have class at 9:30 and I needed to get ready and get some things ready before my classes that day. I take a double look at the alarm I set and realize that I set it for 8 p.m. and therefore, was not awoken by it. At first, I got really aggrevated, because I had missed my first class and basically wasted the first half of my day. Later on in the day, after I had caught up on my tasks, I realized that I needed a couple of extra hours of sleep after staying up to study for an exam I had that day. This little bit extra sleep gave me a more cognitive mind and helped me focus on the things I had to do for the rest of the day. It’s issues like these and not having a sharpened pencil that really made my day bad, until I realized that these are not events that should not dictate whether my day is satisfactory or not. I don’t have control over these inconvenient things that happen in my life, but I do have control over my reaction to them.
With a positive attitude (and perhaps a good night’s sleep), you can have the worst luck in the world and still have a good day!

Samantha
NARVP