"Are You Fully Charged?" Blog

 Chapter 5 By: Ella Richards     In chapter five of, Are You Fully Charged , Tom Rath wants the readers to focus on asking the world what it needs and how to create meaning when you are changing the world. There are three categories in which people have in their life. Interests, Needs, and Strengths.  Reflecting on my life, I realize that I put my interests before the needs of others and the world. I am still growing up, so I never really thought about putting the needs of others before myself. That was until I took a class in my senior year of high school called, Multicultural Studies . That class informed me about how other cultures were living around the world and just how privileged I am. I can now say, that I look at things in a different light now, and am more knowledgable about different cultures and issues that they face.          This chapter specifically talks about how people need to focus on the natural talent that they possess to...

 Chapter 4 By: Ella Richards     In chapter four of, Are You Fully Charged , Tom Rath talks about working for more than just money. People would rather have a nice paying job, rather than doing something they actually enjoy. Personally, I would want to have a job that makes me happy, no matter what the pay is. I am going to be a teacher, and if we are being honest with each other, their income is not the best. I want to be able to create meaning and help shape the lives of others at my job. If that means I will not be making a great amount of money I am okay with that!     Rath says, "...Wealth can lead people to spend less time doing things that are enjoyable and more time doing things that create stress". I find this statement to be quite accurate. This has not happened to me, but someone I know worked almost every single day this summer to earn money for college. She rarely had any free time on her hands and came home stressed every single night. She was eith...

 Chapter 3 By: Ella Richards     In chapter three of, Are you Fully Charged , by Tom Rath it talks about making your workplace a purpose instead of just work. He says, "The work you do each day is how you make a difference in the world"(Rath). I agree with this statement because even the most minor jobs play a big role in making the world different. When you find the right work, you can find and create meaning all the time. For example, in the reading Rath talks about the hospital cleaning staff. Some workers are there just to clean, while others create relationships and find meaning in their work. In an environment like a hospital, it is necessary to make relationships. Relationships can help people achieve their goals and make them a better person. This is because of the way people treat you.       In my own personal experience, I have had difficulty creating relationships with my co-workers. That has caused me to not enjoy my job as much. Creating r...

Are You Fully Charged Chapter 2 Blog By: Ella Richards      Chapter two of, Are You Fully Charged by Tom Rath starts off by him explaining the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic is the deep internal motivation. While extrinsic is someone doing things in order to receive a reward. He says that it is more important to focus on the deep internal motivation, in order to find meaning in life. If you are only doing things for rewards it can deteriorate your well being. People could constantly get down on themselves if they only do certain activities to get rewards. Extrinsic motivation could make me lose sight of creating meaning in their lives. I think that people should be doing things that motivate them internally. For example, if a child is constantly rewarded with objects, they could possibly never be rewarded with internal rewards. Internal rewards could be happiness or pride. Those emotions are important for anyone to have if they want...

   My First Blog Post By: Ella Richards  In chapter one of, Are You Fully Charged, Tom Rath, tells the readers about his rare genetic condition that led to cancer and how that diagnosis made him want to live everyday to the fullest. I 100% agree with him. He says many times throughout the chapter that, "It's the little things in life that create the most meaning" (Rath). I think that this is true, because there are little things in life that can change someone's whole day. For example, if I am having a bad day and someone takes the time out of their day to say something nice to me or even a simple, "Hello", it makes me happy that other people care just a little. In my life, I feel as though I need to start creating more meaning in my life. Right now, I focus more on the big picture of things. I can start by not worrying about the big things in life, start small and work myself up! Like the quote from above, the little things in life do create the most meanin...