I love to plan ahead at least a month in advance whenever I get the chance. My friend Luis always argues when I try to plan something with him. You see he believes that the more you plan the more likely it will blow up in your face. “I’ll let you know that day,” he says. His philosophy is that he doesn’t want to disappoint people so he prefers to not commit so early. Is planning ahead a recipe for disaster?

I was taught to always plan ahead and that you can never control things completely. Expect things to unfold in unexpected ways. That’s where the beauty of a plan comes into effect. It’s easier to recover from having a plan than from having had nothing to begin with. Back in January I planned to do something amazing and productive over the summer break. I decided to visit Ghana this summer through the Red Card Project. As fate would have it the funding was cut back and I was informed that I would not be going. That plan was squashed but luckily I had also applied to participate at the Hesselbein Leadership Summit. I was accepted and will be going to Pittsburgh, PA for an unique leadership development experience. Without the forward planning I would probably be kicking myself for not having done something else. But what if the best plan is not having one?

What about the people who choose not to function in such an organized setting? Luis is not the only one out there that hates to plan ahead. I believe there is such a thing as too much planning and sometimes even I give myself a headache when reviewing the planner. However, I prefer to be over-prepared than under-prepared. It is a personal choice and I believe it helps me tremendously.

Do you think perhaps Luis is on to something? Can we get too caught up in planning ahead for our own good?

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The impact of students on anything they set their mind to is a tremendous sight, indeed! On March 23-25 Student World Assembly (SWA) held a Book Sale fundraiser for a philanthropic initiative. The Book Sale took place at the Kingsborough campus and was a success! SWA raised over $600.00USD to send much needed literacy materials to the children in Ghana. Students, faculty and staff donated and bought used books to a charitable cause. This fundraiser was Phase 2 of the Bread-For-Africa Project started in Fall 2009 by the Liberal Arts Council; Phase 1 was collecting appropriate literacy materials.

The Bread-For-Africa Project is under the umbrella of The West African Development Objective (WADO) initiated by Mr. Moses Kanduri. It aims to send aid to Africa in various capacities. Mr. Kanduri has been a long-time supporter and active member of SWA and is excited as I am in the success of the Book Sale.

It’s great seeing students, faculty and staff coming together and collaborating on various projects to make the world (hopefully) a better place.

This is just one story. What other stories can you share where the college communities are making a difference?

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It’s awesome when people acknowledge the great things we do. Sometimes we prefer a thank you for the money raised or perhaps a simple pat on the back will suffice. Whatever tickles your fancy is OK, just don’t let the lack of acknowledgment deter you from moving forward.

I love when family, friends and even colleagues acknowledge my efforts and hard work. It motivates me to keep on fighting the good fight which, as most of us may have experienced already, is not always easy. Yet when our work goes unnoticed it may feel like we are being taken for granted. That feeling should not deter us from continuing onto the next project. Would it be nice to receive a thank you? Sure. Should we expect it? I believe not.

I rarely got thanked or encouraged at a previous company. It was a bit disheartening but I kept on truckin’ and doing what needed to be done. Did they care much? Maybe, maybe not. What we should value is not the praise but the progress we keep on making in our endeavors. In the end, quantifiable accomplishments go further than praise.

What is your take on this?