Seek Excitedly

Quite the trek, huh?? Well, this will be my journey on May 12. I will be heading up north for an internship during the summer! I will be living with my roommate from college in New Jersey and commuting to New York City each weekday. It’s such an exciting time in my life!

What is new and exciting for you? Maybe you have a new love interest (oo la la!) or maybe you just landed a job, too! Or maybe you’re thinking there really isn’t anything exciting happening for me right now…

There’s nothing wrong with remaining stagnant sometimes. Being static and still and thriving where you are is a good thing. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But if you are really wanting something more or something different, or maybe even just a change of scenery, don’t lose heart when you can’t seem to find something to match your wants.

At the beginning of this school year, I was pretty disheartened about my options for summer work. It seemed to me that every internship I applied to required that I know someone or somehow have a connection. I related to this comic on a spiritual level…

All jokes aside, the job market is tough. I understood that going in. I found myself texting, calling, and emailing anyone and everyone asking if they knew of any opportunities. Finally an option presented itself, and I am glad it did! It will be an exciting time to intern with this company in NYC.

I share my story to say that sometimes life is hard. Were there days I thought I would probably end up jobless? Sure. Did I want to just throw my hands up and quit sometimes? You know it. But I promise you this… If you fight those negative voices, good things can happen. Really, really good things. Things you weren’t even hoping for or expecting!

With all of this being said, I encourage you to seek excitedly something fantastic. Never sell your dreams short. Who knows where you may end up if you throw your whole heart into your journey to finding something new! 🙂

Finish Strong

It’s that time of year again – Spring! The sun is shining down upon us and warming our faces and hearts ❤ Flowers are in full bloom and everyone is in a jubilant mood. Spring is my favorite season… could you tell?

     This is my school during this time of year. Talk about pretty!

Speaking of school, this warmer weather makes it a little bit harder to focus on classes and homework assignments. This is really a shame considering it is the last month of school, and there is a lot to get accomplished in a short time. The beautiful nature that surrounds us beckons us to come and play frisbee, or lay by the pool, or start a game of beach volleyball… and all of those things are great! However, there is a time for work and a time for play.

Spring fever affects nearly 100% of students worldwide. To date, there is no cure. We just have to try our best to finish strong and keep our eyes on the end of the school year. Staying dedicated to academics is particularly difficult at this time for most students, all the way from kindergarteners to college seniors. Just remember You Can Do It!

Try making a few lists of things to do each week so that you stay on track with where you need to be academically. Doing this will not only help keep you on a nice schedule, but it will also help allow you to have a healthy work-life balance. You’ll be able to enjoy some down time with friends outside, but you will also be able to have a sense of accomplishment knowing full well that you are right on par with where you should be in your classes.

Good luck to everyone as we all finish up another year of studies!

Family (And Friends!)

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying time with loved ones on this special day. Speaking of loved ones, let talk about them in this week’s blog post.

(But first, here is a goofy Easter photo)

Easter has always been a fun time for me because I get to spend it with my family (or friends). I think our loved ones are just what makes days like today so special. Think about it. If you took away the people who matter most to you, all you would have is a bunch of crazy looking people finding rainbow eggs in their yards. Christmas without friends is simply the superficial opening of presents. It truly is the people who make a holiday a holiday.

American director John Lasseter said it best…

You can achieve all the things you want to do, but it’s much better to do it with loved ones around you; family and friends, people that you care about that can help you on the way and can celebrate you, and you can enjoy the journey.

This really hits at the root of my message to you. Maybe you do not see your family very often, or maybe you have no family at all. You do have a community of some kind though. Embrace your friends, your coworkers, your inner circles. They make life worth living.

When was the last time you told a loved one how much they mean to you? When was the last time a loved one told you how much you mean to them? If you can remember, didn’t that feel nice hearing that you mean something to someone? If you can’t remember, don’t you wish you could?

Today, go tell someone you love them. Maybe even add in a hug. Spread your love today 🙂 xx

Remember Why

What is life if we do not strive toward something? I can imagine nothing worse than simply going through the motions each day. I want each day to be an adventure, a window to new opportunities. The following quote says it best…

Don’t live the same day 75 years in a row and call it a life.

Each day, we follow a routine. Routine is great, and structure is necessarily for productivity. But I encourage you not to get so wound up in following a regimen that you lose sight of your goals.

Each day, you get up for work. Do you remember why you took this job, though?

Each day, you ride the public transportation system. Do you remember why you chose to commute?

Keeping your eye on the goal is key. As soon as you forget why you’re doing what you’re doing, you’ve lost your purpose. Remind yourself daily.

When you forget what your motivation is, you begin to stop feeling an urgency to try, to strive, to push. This trying and striving and pushing is what makes us people who have drive. We cannot forget why we do what we do. The very moment we do, we begin to lose the spark. We as human need that spark to keep life exciting and interesting.

I think Michael Jordan summed this idea up pretty well in his short article called “I Can’t Accept Not Trying.”  (I encourage you to take five minutes and give it a read.)

Chanel your inner MJ today. Visualize where you want to be. Focus on getting there. 🙂

Hindsight is Always 20/20

Reflecting on our past experiences is healthy and beneficial in innumerable ways. But sometimes we choose to second guess our decisions and the ways we chose to handle situations. I think reflection is wonderful. But I also think that the moment reflection turns to regret, we enter dangerous territory.

As humans, we are not all-knowing beings. We have limited sight in our lives. We can try to forsee outcomes of each action we take in our lives, but sometimes things do not go according to our plans. Sometimes, when we look at our pasts, we begin thinking what if i had done X here, or not said X there, or had acted X way in that moment?

It has been my personal experience that regret is completely and utterly useless. Instead of constantly asking what if and feeling remorse over our decisions, let us try instead to learn from them. Turn those questions into statements. Next time I will do X here, or next time I will say X instead there, or next time I will act X way in that moment.

Feeling deep regret will simply make our hearts heavy. Everyone experiences tinges of what if’s in their lives. It is a perfectly natural and normal feeling. But I encourage you to consider renovating your way of thinking. Reflect. But please, do not regret. You have one life. Enjoy it, and learn from your past.

Conforming

Adolescents are constantly told to fit inside the mold. Think inside the box. Stick to the status quo. Be un-unique. Conform.

Let’s now think about what the world would be like if it encouraged exactly the opposite. Break the mold. Think outside the box. Challenge the status quo. Be unique. Don’t conform.

I kind of like what I see when I picture that kind of world. Of course we are all slightly different, but each day, society tells us to be more and more like one another. I think our unique traits and quirks make us interesting. I always find conversations with those who are dissimilar to me to be the most interesting conversations. I usually get more from those relationships, too.

How can we expect ourselves to grow and develop as intelligent, experienced people if we do not expose ourselves to people with different views and attitudes from our own? Coming into contact with people whose personalities vary from ours will challenge us. It will make us stop and think why do I think and feel what I do? If that won’t make you evaluate yourself and your views, helping sharpen your reasons for believing what you do, I’m not sure what will.

Now, this clip serves as an excellent example of conformity (and how we all do it!).

🙂

Take time today to celebrate our differences. It’s what keeps life interesting.

Balance

We’ve all heard about work-life balance. Before you start listening to what I have to say, watch this short video of Dave Caperton sharing his thoughts on the topic.

Dave explains the difference between good stress and bad stress, and why we ought not burn ourselves out in the workplace. I wholeheartedly agree with what he has to say on this issue. All of us have been under a heavy workload at some point in time. It really isn’t too fun! But he suggests that, instead of trying to balance our at-home stress and our at-work stress in two separate worlds, we avoid the bad stress altogether in both of these areas.

Another insightful man had some good thoughts on balancing, too.

Dr. Seuss has a point. Let’s try to integrate what he says with what Dave says. Dave says we ought to avoid distressful situations. Dr. Seuss says we should act with great care and with great tact in order to maintain balance in our lives. Would your life change if you decided to stop letting little annoyances not be so annoying to you anymore? Would you find yourself smiling a little bit more often? Maybe you wouldn’t bring your negative workplace experience home with you at the end of the day (because it wouldn’t be so negative anymore).

While life is indeed a balancing act, we ought not make it more difficult than it is. Be careful. Be tactful. Avoid stress. It takes practice, but it will pay off in the long run 🙂

Catchin’ some Zzz’s

Sleep is one of my favorite things. Last night, I got 11 hours of it! But like many college students, I often find myself only getting a few hours of sleep due to late nights spent doing homework or cramming for a big test. We’re all told that sleep is important, but just how important is it?

Here’s a few facts about sleep deprivation to get us started:
Teens lacking appropriate amounts of sleep (7-8 hours per night) have an increased likelihood to use drugs.
Sleepiness takes an extreme toll on our abilities to effectively make decisions.
Drowsy driving looks very similar to drunk driving.
Sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes.

WOWZERS! Now that I’ve scared you, let’s talk about how we can avoid all that madness.

(But first, here is a sleepy kitty that some of you can probably relate to)

How can we sleep better at night? There’s a few different ways… maintaining a regular sleep schedule, getting anxiety and stress under control, and exercising and eating right can all help. I’m going to focus primarily on getting a grip on anxiety and stress. However, if you are interested in reading more about maintaining a regular sleep schedule or exercising and eating right, click the links!

Stress is necessary in life to get us out of bed and accomplishing things! But too much stress can be a bad thing. Try one of these different relaxation techniques at bed time to get it in check. These are some great starter videos:

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation
• Deep Breathing Meditation
• Peaceful Visualization

If these don’t seem to work for you, you can always use my favorite technique… listening to the most relaxing song ever (yes, there was actually a scientific study done to verify this!). Until next time… happy sleeping, friends!

Let’s Grub

I love food. LOVE. I eat lots. All the time. I can eat just about anything. But remember… with great hunger comes great responsibility.

When you have a big appetite, it very quickly becomes easy to snack on unhealthy treats. Kayla Itsines has a lot to say about what to and not to eat. A little bit about her: Kayla is an Australian personal trainer, and I love following her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@Kayla_Itsines).

She posts all sorts of cool stuff, from daily struggles every girl like myself understands…

Who HASN’T thought this before???

To super encouraging posts to inspire and excite…

It kind of makes you want to be a better person, right?

She also sells her own workout and nutrition Guides. I’m working through her first workout guide, and I love it! It’s definitely something worth looking into if that appeals to you 🙂 This pretty much sums up what her company is all about:

When I was young, I always said: “I don’t know what I want to be. I just want to help people.” Fitness has become my passion, and I now get to help women around the world every single day. I hope to inspire you to be the best you can be.

Basically, Kayla knows her stuff when it comes to nutrition and physical fitness. She recently posted a recipe for Raw Energy Bars, and I decided to test it out. Let me tell you… you definitely want to give them a try. They’re a great source of protein and a nice snack to grab instead of junk food. Go ahead and test it out and enjoy a yummy, healthy treat! XX

Run, Forest, Run

Running. What a fun way to get outside and enjoy the beautiful world around us!
Now, there were probably two different reactions to that first sentence: 1) YES RUNNING IS WONDERFUL, or 2) ARE YOU INSANE

I can relate to both responses. In high school, I was the kid who cried during the timed mile, all the while thinking when will this pain end????  I came to college in the Fall of 2012. I decided to make a new name for myself and become a runner. I joined my university’s running club, and I signed up for a half marathon that would happen 3 months later. I called my mother to tell her my exciting news, and she laughed at me! (I don’t blame her; I wouldn’t have believed me either)

My newfound determination quickly turned to regret and exhaustion as training started. The first day of practice, my coach told us to run 2-5 miles at our own comfortable pace. Two miles?? Is she crazy?? I could barely walk here without losing my breath! 30 minutes and several achey muscles later, I finished my first 2 mile run. As I headed home, the sense of accomplishment I felt made me think this just might be worth it.

After 3 months of training, I ran my first race ever – a half marathon! I finished in 2 hours, at a pace of 9:00/mile. My dad and friends came to support me, and I have been hooked ever since. I share my personal story to say that everyone can be a runner. I never in a million years would have thought that I could do a 13.1 mile race. But I did! And I have now completed 3 of these races, and I have never once regretted my decision to run.

It is possible to run with a smile on your face, I promise 🙂

Running can be a great way to destress. It gives you time to think and reflect on your day and present circumstances. Running has been scientifically proven to have positive psychological benefits. However, at the end of a race, I channel my inner Forest Gump and happily say “I think I’ll go home now.”