Record Revelation: Daily Inspiration

Whew, what a weekend! Busy doesn't even begin to describe it. Graduate school has been eating my lunch these days. In spite of all the craziness, I had an epiphany this weekend that I felt was worth sharing. As a public relations master's degree candidate, I spend quite a large portion of my day writing, researching and formulating ideas for public relations campaigns. As a result, I am constantly trying to stimulate creative concepts and ideas within my writing and research. 

There are many days that I feel that my thought processes and writing abilities are extremely lacking in "creative" direction. However, I have begun to realize that, often times, that doubt is actually rooted in a deep-seated fear of failure, rather than an objective evaluation of creative dimension. As a result of this "revelation," I try to make a daily conscious effort to minimize negative or critical thoughts that may cause me to shift my focus from the true objective: creative direction. I assume that I am not alone in this creative struggle against fear, so I have included a few inspirational quotes (see below) that have helped me to overcome my negative misconceptions of my professional abilities. 

As you begin this week, make a pledge to banish negativity and embrace positivity and creativity in all of your daily thoughts and activity. A chronic "fear of failure" does nothing but cripple an individuals' natural given creativity and chance for opportunity. Leave me a comment and share any similar struggles that you may have experienced, as well as any inspiration that you have found to be helpful. 

Record Revelation: Hattiesburg, MS Tornado

As you may have noticed, I have been trying out a few new things on the blog this week. I am always open for suggestions, so be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think about the new additions! Today, I would like to introduce a new blog segment entitled "Record Revelation." 

"Record Revelation" will be a weekly, or whenever inspiration strikes, blog segment featuring inspirational and career-focused quotes that are targeted towards either the music industry or the public relations/communication discipline. This weekly segment provides professionals with a short, uplifting anecdote that includes useful industry-related information and tips, without forcing readers to dredge through 1,000 plus words. 

Today's debut edition of "Record Revelation," however, will cover a slightly different subject matter than the future editions of this segment will cover. In light of the damaging effects of yesterday's tornado in Hattiesburg, MS, I thought it would only be fitting to devote this entire segment to the tornado damage and recovery efforts currently transpiring within the city. This destructive, nearly mile-wide tornado reeked havoc on at least 100 buildings and residences, including a substantial portion of the University of Southern Mississippi's campus. 

While this issue is near and dear to my heart, considering it came dangerously close to my home and devastated parts of my school's campus, the storm still affected dozens of other innocent Hattiesburg residents. While the rain still continues to pelt the debris-littered ground, students and residents desperately try to piece together the pieces of what once was. The rain is forecasted to fall without hope of sunshine for the next couple of days, making it difficult for recovery crews to assess and clear the damage. Residents and officials from all over the state, however, have willingly poured out their time and resources to aid in recovery efforts. We truly live in a great state, a state that really cares. 

As I was gathering material to compose this post, I came across this anonymous quote on Pinterest that I thought was particularly relevant to this post. 

Just as this quote illustrates, the current damaging effects that the city of Hattiesburg and the University of Southern Mississippi are enduring is not their destination or future, but merely their current path. We will rebuild, restore and recover as one city, united under a devotion to each other and our beloved eagles. 

Here are a few images of the storm damage to USM's campus and many surrounding residences and businesses. The following images were derived from Facebook; all rights belong to Matt Bush. 

As you go about your everyday activities today, please remember to pray for the less-fortunate who were affected by the deadly aftermath of yesterday's tornado in Hattiesburg.