The envelope please.....

On February 27th, 2010, I took the FSOT. Today I found out that I didn't make the cut. However, I'm OK with that because I wasn't able to study and I'm not sure I was really ready for the foreign service. Since my real dream is to be a Business Analyst and I love living here in Central Texas, I will just have to chalk it up to being an idea; a question that was answered for me.

So on to plan B, or C or maybe D. I can always find a new path.

Most assuredly, I will study for the next exam...I have a year and my university studies are nearly ending. I will graduate in May. However, I will not rely on the results to plan the rest of my evolution.

On an side note, I've been working out almost three days a week since January and have lost over 10 pounds of fat. My goal is to be under 210lbs by my graduation on May 14th. I'm sitting @ about 218lbs now. I read that for each pound of fat, you must burn 3500 calories more that you consume. My target is one pound per week by reducing portion, eliminating sodas and walking the dogs.

I have also been practicing Arabic, mostly numbers and things around the house. waraq hamam (TP) or waraq (bathroom or toilet)

Until next time...assalamualakium, cheers, chow and siyonara

The next level...

Today, ladies and gentlemen, I recieved the official invitation to take the FSOT. Up until today it has been only an idea, a vaguely, distant dream on the horizon. Today the reality of it all has reared its head. Today I have to ask myself if I'm ready. Today really is the first day of the rest of my life, so to speak.

In the few minutes since registering for the test, I've had a flood of ideas of a plan. Already this year I've proven that I can accomplish difficult tasks. I changed my diet and started excercising and have lost 9 pounds in 3 weeks. So, I am confident that I can fully prepare for this momenteous undertaking.

Here's my plan.

1. Read, like I've never read before. I will read about foreign affairs, international economic conditions, current events and the two weakest areas of the exam noted on the last blog entry.

2. Write. Since I continue to be a full-time undergraduate student, I have opportunities to write, every week. Now I must focus on writing well, structured paragraphs that convey my point or argument.

3. Practice. I have the official study guide, access to web-based practice exams, the FSOT WIKI and a good, smart wife to help me study.

4. Lastly, I need to believe in myself and focus on the goal. To take it to the next level....

And were off!

Preparation part 1....INTP

In preparation for the FSOT, I bought the official study book. It contains a few self test for each area and a practice FSOT. These tools help to isolate your poorer performing areas. I performed outstanding in the Computers (duh), Management (again...duh), Economics and Mathematics sections and quizzes. I passed in US Government and world history and geography, but could use more work. However, I did horribly in Communication and US Society and Culture.

Now that I've isolated the areas which need the most improvement, I am incorporating testprepreview.com to study these areas. I will also concentrate on these areas in the study book.

At the same time I will be a full-time college student. My classes this period are Database Management and Networking. Once I pass these classes, I will have only one class left to graduate.

Also, I recently took The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment. The MBTI is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.

My result.....I am an INTP.

There will be more on this area to come. In the meantime I will be studying, a lot.

THE FEBRUARY 27- MARCH 6, 2010 FSOT

The window of opportunity....has knocked? This year I decided to change my life. I have applied to take the US Department of State's Foreign Service Office Test. If I pass the test and am eventually selected for the position, I would be a Management Officer serving my country overseas by running embassies. Since my track is Management I have a good opportunity to be seated for the exam, according to the pasted information from DOS. My wife and I call it DOS, like uno, dos... it is a catchy phrase. The DOS opportunity allows me to serve my country again (dos) and start my second career (dos).

Seat scheduling for the February test begins for candidates who have completed their Registration. Invitations to schedule seats are issued by career track, and then on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. Career tracks
management and economic will be invited first, followed by consular, and
then political and public diplomacy.

I am writing this blog to capture my adventure, my forray into the realm of diplomatic relations. This is the goal of my evolution.

Let's try and keep up...

To study or to play, that is the question.

I read an interesting article on MSN.com today. Apparently the brain is like a muscle, it can be worked out and buffed up. The article talked about how a child's IQ can change significantly, swinging in both directions. This kind of makes sense to me because I felt like I became a different person after I completed boot camp. It would make sense that the changes are linked with hormonal changes, like when a women becomes pregnant. I understand that hormones cause her brain to change, permanently.

So, here's my question. I understand that an increased intelligence helps me to reach my far-reaching goals, yet I do not constantly flex my brain muscle. Today I feel like playing. I know what I should do....but playing is fun.

I'm opting to study because change cannot come without sacrifice. My goal, my passion is to evolve, to change myself. There will be time later for games.

Change is a process.

One day I grew tired of the way I wrote the number 2, so I decided to change. I examined other commonly written forms of the number and made a choice based on the one which appealed to me the most. Now that I write my 2's differently, am I a different person? I saw a need or desire to change, researched options, picked one and consciously changed the way I write the number 2. I am still Eldon, just tweaked ever so slightly.

Is it more important to understand why I want to change than what I want to change ?

In life, or my life anyway, most changes have evolved me. One experience, positive or negative, builds on another and shaped who I represent today, and tomorrow. That being said...I believe that there are two fundamental types of changes, reactive and proactive. The first type of change is mostly involuntary. I learned that an electric stove top was hot even when it was no longer red at a fairly young age, I changed my behavior in reaction to a painful event. The other kind of change is willed, voluntary evolution, and the topic of this blog.

I like who I am and have no regrets about my choices, because the have made me who I am today. However, I have a dream. I want to see how far I can travel down the path. While the path has no foreseeable end, the adventure is in the journey not the destination. My ideal path contains a few goals. First thing is to graduate college, followed by learning another language to the point of being near bi-lingual. Somewhere in the distance, I see a possible world-wide adventure, or a grassroots effort. I seek wisdom and understanding and to grow into the person that I want to become.

Along the way, I will change. This blog will track my spritiual, emotional, psychological, physical and intellectual changes.