My Metaphorical Bucket

Watching Tom Raths’ video has really got me thinking. The idea of the bucket and whether it’s full or empty is truly on point. Everything that you experience effects your mood and every one that you become in contact you directly effect them with how you’re feeling. All five of his strategies have powerful wealth behind them, the 3 I think have the most are: Shine light on what is right, Make best friends, and Give unexpectedly.

Shining light on what is right: has so much uplifting power behind it. This feeds you bucket keeping it filled as much as possible, you maybe are thinking that this means that always complement never criticize; but it doesn’t. I believe that Rath’s point is to draw attention to the bad but high light the good, this leaving the applicant open and willing to talk about the problems at hand and more available for improvement. By all means Rath is not saying ignore the bad things and singling focuses on the good thing but he’s saying everyone’s happier when their bucket is full so give out more big pluses then large negatives. This will leave the relationships at hand to be positive and comfortable allowing to have more good interactions to come.

Make best friends: To me this is obvious. If you want to enjoy work you have to have friends around you. When in school the classes you have with your best friends were always the more enjoyable. And that’s simply because someone that knows you in and out is their to help you though the hard stuff and allow ease to come to the easy stuff. When I say this I don’t mean just schoolwork, projects, and tests, I mean the emotional ups and downs that you must go though with any human interaction. Best friends learn how each other react to certain emotional problem and can become a sort of therapy because they’re the once that experience thing with you not your parents or teacher. Your friends are the ones you know have your back and are more likely to see what you need because the can relate to you more easily. This is why everyone needs at least one best friend in every circle we enter, whether that’s in certain classrooms or in jobs or even at home.

Give unexpectedly: This I think is one of those obvious things that no one thinks about until you’re asked the question: would you rather an unexpected gift or one that you know was coming? This makes me think of the moment I got my Schinnerer-Podany award from my swim team the summer before my freshmen year (2011); one thing that’s so important about this award is that the coaches do not pick, the hole team cases their vote for the one swimmer that they think exemplifies what it is to be an Aqua bear. The award usually goes to one of the older kids but I got it when I was just 13, I was so shocked to hear my name be called instead of one of the older kids that it didn’t register in till Kristy Graham grabbed my arm and told me “get up, that’s you.” I think this is the biggest award I have ever gotten and I had no clue it was coming and for that it will always be held dear to my hart. Because of this I believe that when your not expecting the praise to come is the best time to receive it. It is more appreciated and means more in the long run.

I believe in every way that Rath’s bucket filling concept works and should be practiced in ever corporation, state, district, school, and classroom in some degree. The idea of a happier average of moments a cross the board should be everyone’s goal in life not money or fame or position.

In this assignment we are asked to stat weather we are a bucket dipper or a filler generally. But I don’t think I can answers this generally. I believe its depending on who I’m with and ware I am. When at home and with my family I am the definition of a bucket dipper. But when I’m with my friends I’m generally a bucket filler. As my mom says there are two Maddie Hurds. Before I though she was just being sensitive and annoying but now I see that it’s true. My only explanation is that I’m never really happy around them because I feel I can’t be myself around them, my bucket is empty. But when I’m with my friends and their family’s I feel way more comfortable to be myself. There I find its easer to laugh and be happy and be a filler because my bucket is full with them. So truly there are to sides to me.