Let's become the Avatar! -Bending the Elements to your Will

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

"Water

Earth

Fire

Air

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony, then everything changed when the fire nation attacked.

Only the avatar, master of all four elements could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.100 years passed and my brother and I discovered the new avatar - an Airbender named Aang and although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone; but I believe that Aang can save the world." - Avatar, the Last Airbender

"Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."-Iroh

You need the fluidity of a Waterbender to be able to take whatever unforeseen articles come at you. Just as how water can easily change and adapt from low to high tides, you'll have to learn along with your board members to adjust to new situations and different members accordingly. Just as how a Waterbender can blood bend, try to connect with other members and understand their perspective - you should be able to foresee different aspects and ask their opinions and ideas. As a Waterbender, bonds and trust are needed to be create a functioning continuing tribe. As a leader, there should be some sort of bonds between you and all your club members; be it in or outside the club, try to become that friend and be that person they go to when they're need: it'll just lead to a bigger and better bond as a club's tribe. Water is the element of restraint, so if you need something done, encourage it rather than command it - because then it becomes an option and not a demand. Water can be gentle or strong, so once you learn how to control it, it'll be easier to manage; as a Waterbender there is never manipulation but pure persuasion and suggestion, never control. So go with the flow but keep your cool, be open and inviting to all, create bonds that should never be broken and lastly, don't be a control freak but a friend that is there to give insight to people.

"Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring." - Iroh

You'll need the realistic and hardworking spirit of an Earthbender to make your goals a reality. Earthbenders are powerful but also have the most temperamental element that requires strength - both mental and physical - to manipulate it. Just like Earthbenders, you want your board members to have strong leaders that can guide members as well as a strong foundation so that the tribe (club) can build on and doesn't comes crashing down later. Not only does a Earthbender have to be strong, they also have to be organized so that the board has structure and so the club does too. The board should understand that it takes 100% effort to even start to get 1% back and that sometimes your efforts will not always be fruitful; however, one failure does not mean everything is a complete failure - you just have to look at what may have caused your tumble and get up and try again.

"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."- Iroh

The diligence and ambition that fuels Firebenders is what first comes to mind when you think of them - but fire is also the element of life, vitality of pursuit of happiness.  Firebenders are very straightforward, emotional, and react on impulse, so be aware of everything and everyone and leave nothing unattended so it can't get out of control and lead to corruption. Even though you have this bond with your members, you should remember to keep a line between friendship and being a board member. Make sure your members know that you are there for them, but they also need to respect that you have responsibilities as a board member and that they are not exempt from rules and regulations. As much as you hate rules, they are there for a reason, and many times they are there as safety precautions. A fire left unattended can easily set ablaze a whole forest.

" Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns, and they found peace and freedom. And they apparently had great senses of humor." - Iroh

You’ll need the Airbenders' focus on tranquility and spirituality as well as otherworldly details rather than worrying about materialistic issues. An Airbender has a level of humility and idealistic point of view that engages and charms you to push yourself above and beyond the stars into things you never thought plausible. They have a detachment from the world that makes it seems like they are off on their own little ventures. Similar to this, I've heard numerous recountings of “greatness being thrust upon people,” and how they believed that they were unsuited for the position and how they made it through. Only with a detachment to the world will you be able to find new perspectives, open your mind to new experiences and understand others perspectives. One thing that you could follow that Airbenders do is to get to the root of an issue, isolate it, and remove it as to avoid any unnecessary fights or arguments. If fights do happen to break out, handle it calmly with a swift hand.

That’s all I have for you at the moment.

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

P.S. Thank you to Gabrielle Copeland, Gabby Baniqued and Bernardo Ortega for their contributions to this article. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the pictures used in this article. Many of them come from tumblr. Okay, all of them come from tumblr.