It has been a year since I first CREATED my website and started the Innovation Academy. I've learned so much during my first year in IA that I think it's time for change. I really like my website, but I think that I have to take those small aspects I like and take it a step further by applying everything I learned during the storytelling unit, from the feedback and more. 

In first place I've decided to stay with weebly. In the beginning I was leaning towards squarespace, but then I didn't find it very user friendly. I wanted to use something flexible that if one day I decided to redo my website or a page again it would be too complicated to do so. Additionally I have used weekly for over a year so I am very familiar with it. Also I didn't want to change my theme because I love how my name appears big in the front page and then I could have pictures below, but then every time I did a change I felt I was following the same pattern as before and I wanted something D I F F E R E N T. So I changed to a similar theme so I could have a fresh start. 

The first step was to change my homepage. Like I said, I like my name in big and the pictures. However, there was one more ingredient missing, a written statement to make it more powerful. But what can be more powerful than my own mission statement? So I decided to incorporate that as well. I also included different pictures, that also needed an update. I choose pictures, that kind of tell the STORY of who I am, what I like and what I do. I found good quality pictures and edit them so my homepage looks UNIQUE. 

MISSON STATEMENT 

After finishing with the homepage I started to work on the design aspects of my website, fonts, sizes and colors.  I didn't like the fonts the came with the theme so I personalize it. I also wanted to keep it consistent so it looks neat and organized. The only font I made different was the tittle for the blogs because sometimes while I blog I like to make some things stand out so to enhance that having a different font is PURPOSEFUL. 

Moving on to another page I started to work on the about me section. I think that this is one of the most IMPORTANT pages of my website because it explains to those people who don't know me who I am. It will be the first and only impression about me, aside from my blog posts. This page is important now that I will apply to colleges, aside from my application and academic background they will be able to see who I am and this is how they will put a face to the numbers and letters. 

For the about me section I've saved another set of pictures that I want to include.  I think that pictures speak L O U D E R than words so it would be a great opportunity to show who I am through images. I won't be doing a HUGE collage like in my homepage, instead I will limit myself to 4-5 pictures so it's concise. However, I still think that I need should have some text. In the beginning I was thinking about maybe putting my mission statement there and changing the one in the homepage to a quote, but then I though that the homepage is the cover so I should open with that. Anyway I am still thinking about that, but I'll definitely add text there. 

Furthermore I've been collecting DIFFERENT things from DIFFERENT rojects that I want to put in my IA tab. Here is where I will demonstrate my learning and everything I've done through the year. I want to keep the pages of each project   S H O R T; I just to give an insight to my audience about each project without boring them. I've started to organize this through folders in my desktop. 

So far this is what I have accomplished for my website. I am very PROUD because I like how everything is coming along. Additionally I am happy that I have been able to do this, I planned it at the beginning of the vacation and I'e followed the plan. I am not done but it's a start, its been something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Keep updated to see the changes going on. I will try to launch my new website by the end of AUGUST. 

It's not the skills or talent that make you a CHAMPION, but the right MINDSET. In today's society EFFORT and FAILURE are NOT considered important ingredients to become a CHAMPION. WHY? Because those who need to put extra hours of work, or need extra practice are considered slow and less capable. Also in todays society failure is for losers. How can a person who constantly makes mistakes be considered a champion?  Well, actually FAILURE is an essential part of SUCCESS. Because you learn from your errors, work extremely hard with those weaknesses, GROW and finally REACH SUCCESS. Those who are most capable in the beginning and think they are gifted, they stagnate. They reach the top, but don't grow and EXCEED. However, those who fail and work hard reach the top and even surpass the bar. You can always get better, and learning from mistakes and experience will give you skills like problem solving, critical thinking and more. GROWTH MINDSETS offset FIXED MINDSETS. 

Even though I'm more into the book this is something that still stands out to me. For those who think failure doesn't allow make you successful you are completely wrong. Learning from experience and feedback is one of the most valuable things for a CHAMPION, because it makes you a better thinker and develops more skills within you. As NASA evaluates astronaut candidates to go to the moon they are looking at people who don't have a perfect resume with outstanding achievements, instead they are looking for candidates who have failed, who have overcome those mistakes and succeeded. The characteristics that the ALL successful astronouts have are those that people who have failed and overcome their errors to succeed also have. 

Every page in MINDSET surprises me even more each time I read . This book has really made me reflect upon my mindset and has made me want to change my MINDSET for the good. I want to be a REAL CHAMPION and the way I will become one is by GROWING my mindset and letting go of some FIXED ideas I have. Like I mentioned in a previous blog, through the IA I have grown my MINDSET immensely, but it's time to grow my MINDSET in other areas that this book has helped me discover. Finally REMEMBER that to be a CHAMPION you don't need to be the best or be the talented one to REACH the TOP, all you need is hard work and the MINDSET to fail and learn from your mistakes. 

If you  want to eliminate a bad HABIT or you've alway's wanted to bring a new HABIT into your daily routine I challenge you to do it for 30 days. WHY? Because 30 days is the I D E A L time to develop or eliminate a habit from your life. 

When you finish school all you are thinking about is SLEEPING, CHILLING and doing NOTHING. However, what if you could talk 10-60 minutes of your day to do something productive, something fun, something that will change your life. For this July vacation the CHALLENGE for the IA students was to develop a HABIT and keep it ongoing for 30 DAYS. Before starting the challenge there were many things that crossed my mind that I wanted to do. 

However, out of all these ideas I decided to IMERSE myself once again in the world of 📷PHOTOGRAPHY📷. Really what a better way to improve my skills than by taking one picture everyday. This idea was shown to me by a friend Karen (she inspired me). I felt in love with the ideas, it was purposeful, fun and challenging so I picked it. I've really gone totally out of my comfort zone in the past 10 days, I've tried varies editing skills, shots and angles. Everyday I feel I am getting better and I enjoy it. It's only been 10 days and I always remember to take a picture; it's becoming a permanent HABIT. I love it because it's simple, I take the pictures with my iPhone and this makes it even more challenging since I have to measure the light better to get the HIGHEST QUALITY picture. 

As I read the first two chapters of "MINDSET" I realize, hard to admit, that I have a FIXED MINDSET. To be honest I don't have a FIXED MINDSET 100%, like my soccer anecdote explains, part of me has a GROWTH MINDSET. But before any further reflection I think that I need to explain the difference between a FIXED and a GROWTH MINDSET.