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Why You Doin’ This?

Reason why I started a blog

So lately people around me have been writing blogs and starting Youtube channels, documenting their lives, thoughts, and challenges. The reason why I enjoy social media so much is because it serves as a platform for people to share whatever they want and gives the opportunity for others to relate. What better a platform than a blog? I have been considering doing this for a while now. The idea really stuck during summer but every time since the thought came up I pushed it away. I wasn’t even sure what exactly I would be writing about. But since I have basically nothing else to do right now and need some sort of creative outlet, it seems fitting. Writing is something I have always done; for some reason I’m drawn to it. It’s something no one really knows I do, until now. I remember in middle school having to write a book of poetry and though school projects were always the worst I didn’t mind that one. Even analyzing poetry and texts and listening to my interpretations compared with others has always and probably will always interest me. Bet that’s why I’m so good at overanalyzing.

I never really understood why I’ve been drawn to writing. Whenever someone caught me writing, I felt the need to hide. Writing this my dad walked by me and I felt the urge to switch to online shopping out of habit. It’s the things I’m most passionate about that make me the most nervous. Failure, not being good enough, even worse just being flat out terrible are all fears that make me the most anxious. When you’re bad at what you love to do, it can be disheartening. I used to rather never know than to know. Now I know better than that.

I didn’t realize until now, but I only have two goals in my life. The first is true happiness. Happiness is something different to everyone; maybe one day I’ll share what my happiness is. The second is to inspire. If anything I decide to share or have to say means something or makes a difference to even one person, I’d be on the road to being content. The problem is I’m not a good public speaker; it’s something I’m trying to better myself with. My shyness is something that developed from my experiences which is another reason a blog is more fitting for me. Another reason why I take advantage of social media.

With all of that said, my first piece of advice, a lesson I’ve learned, stop being afraid. Don’t be afraid to do what you love. Don’t be afraid to show it off and don’t be afraid of constructive criticism. It only makes you better. The nervousness and fear will dissipate with time. The fact that there is any nervousness or fear can even means it’s the right move depending on the situation. This idea has been floating through my mind for a long time but ideas mean nothing if you don’t act on them. People don’t know what you don’t say; you can’t inspire by staying silent. So, here’s what I have to say.

Just Do It

I know it’s been said countless times before, but I need the reminder so I’m going to say it again. And if you need a sign to start a task or make a lifestyle change in your life, this is the sign, and a reminder for you too.

I’ll start by repeating I love writing. Even though I share these posts, for the most part I write for myself. It is an outlet for me and my thoughts. I share them in case someone else needs to hear it as well. This blog is also a reminder for me to remember what I felt was important to share and to look back at the various places I have been in since writing. My point is that I thoroughly enjoy writing and this blog is something I’m proud of. Yet while knowing and feeling this way I still could not get myself to write a new post or edit my drafted ones. I am procrastinator at heart, but procrastinating something I actually enjoy, that is helpful for me, makes me ache out of guilt.

I kept asking myself why. Someone would bring up my blog and I’d say it had been a while since I have posted, but things are drafted. Still, I never made an effort to edit or post any of the drafts. The thought would cross my mind when I had some time to myself, and even then I was scared to come near it.

A part of this was the idea of perfection. I want to make sure what I am saying makes sense and that I fully stand behind what I am saying at the time I write it, and hopefully in the future. I want to make sure every word choice is intentional and my punctuation is correct. I read through the drafts over and over again thinking of more to add or what is over explained and needs to be cut down. The truth is that when you strive for perfection, and expect to actually grasp onto it versus making it a motivator, you are going to be working at it for a long while. This, like pretty much everything, is situational and may not always be a bad thing. In this case it was an obstacle. For me, striving for perfection was me making excuses for not writing and not posting because “it just wasn’t perfect or ready yet.”

The biggest reason I had been putting it off was that I sort of gave up on myself. I did not have the motivation because I convinced myself I was not sure how to word the things I wanted to say to effectively get my point across. Though that thought was valid, I let it dictate my reality in a way where I gave up before I even tried. I allowed myself to believe I would not be able to find the right words no matter if I tried or how hard I tried. That thought process led me to putting it off. I thought that the fitting words and phrases would magically appear in my brain and I’d write when I was ready. Now that I have made the discovery that I was lowkey giving up it’s brought me here again, putting in effort and making the first steps. And when you see this it’ll be a completed post.

So my message here is just do it. Nike has it as a slogan for a reason. It’s become cliche for a reason. It is so easy to get caught up in our own thoughts. It is so easy to make excuses for not doing what we say we want to do. It’s easy to be overly perfectionist that you end up wasting time. It can be so second nature that it becomes effortless and we don’t even realize we are talking ourselves out of what we want to do. We forget whatever it is we want to do is as simple as taking the first steps. I forgot going to the gym and exercising was as simple as stepping on an elliptical. I forgot reading was as facile as opening to the first page. I forgot writing was as uncomplicated as typing a couple of words. The rest follows and you can adjust on the way. This is your reminder, and mine, to just take the first steps in what we want and have planned. Just do it. You can do it.

Happiness is a Choice?

My view on happiness (and emotions in general)

Every time I see or hear something that implies that happiness is a choice, I feel mixed emotions. I understand and agree with the logic behind it, but still a part of this belief makes me uneasy. I agree that if you actively choose to look at the positive instead of the negative, life becomes a little less of a struggle. Your mental outlook has a huge influence on how you interpret and live your life. Always being negative and self-deprecating will affect your demeanor whether you notice it or not. Deciding to be more positive can lighten your mood, and overall make being happy more achievable.

However, saying “happiness is a choice,” seems to imply that people who aren’t happy are actively and defiantly choosing not to be, when that’s not the reality of it all. Very few things are that simple. Generally speaking you can’t decide your initial, subliminal feelings. Emotions are a result of the chemicals in your brain, after all. The actions of yourself or others can influence your feelings, but in the end you can’t choose to feel a certain way about anything. All you can do is understand why you feel the way you do and react accordingly.

It can be difficult to be in control of your emotions and it takes time to train your mind to be stronger than and to reason with the way you feel. It’s okay to be happy just as it’s okay to be unhappy; what matters is how you react upon those emotions. You can’t fight what chemicals and how much of them are being produced (without external help or guidance) but you can decide “this isn’t how I want to feel… what can I do to modify this?”

Even more than that, happiness, along with every other emotion, is subjective. What makes you happy won’t necessarily make someone else happy. Happiness isn’t definitive either. There isn’t a clear cut way to make yourself or other people happy. Some days you just aren’t happy, just as other days you are. What once made you happy  won’t necessarily make you happy in the future. It is ever-changing. Happiness is fluid and intangible — never to be fully realized and possessed. Therefore, there is no secret key to maintaining a constant stream of happiness forever. Lastly, happiness is also influenced by things beyond our control. We can’t control other people and their actions and it takes time to create the type of life you want to live. It’s not helpful to tell someone to “look on the bright side of things” when they are constantly being bombarded on the daily from stressors.

So as a tip, moving into 2019 and beyond, don’t tell people they should, “just be happy,” to, “count their blessings,” or anything along those lines. Allow people to feel the way they do without judgement as you would want the same for yourself. As always, try your best not to make anyone feel any negative way. And lastly, take the initiative to train your own mind to be able to reason with the way you feel.

The Importance of Balance

Balance is so fucking important. It is one of the top three lessons I learned in 2017. Literally and figuratively, if you can’t maintain balance then you will fall apart. Even now, I need a reminder of its importance. In these past couple of weeks, balance has been the hardest thing for me to maintain. I’ve been working an average of five hours at least four times a week (realistically more because of taking on other shifts), interning for four hours three times a week, trying to maintain somewhat of a social life, volunteering with the Crisis Text Line whenever I can, and getting an adequate amount of sleep all in a 12ish hour day. Some would say, “Well you decided to do all of this, can you really complain?” Well, yes, it was my choice to take on all of these things, but that doesn’t make it any less of my reality. I still have to handle the consequences of my decisions, which were different than what I anticipated. It is too late to back out.

The thing about balance is that sometimes you can’t really tell how much is too much when you begin piling responsibilities on your plate. Lately I’ve been struggling to find balance between rest, work, and play. I thought the way I set everything up was going to be fine. But one day of with only five hours of sleep turned into a week of not getting the rest that was needed to maintain the amount of work I was doing. One week turned into two, and it wasn’t until I had to force myself to stay awake behind the wheel, or felt the urge to break down in tears at any minor inconvenience or the thought of fulfilling my responsibilities that I knew I was close to toppling over if I didn’t readjust my routine.

My struggle with balance happened to revolve around work, rest and having fun, however balance is an important quality in practically every aspect of life. Balance is so innate in the universe that nature has its own balanced system that keeps the world running smoothly. Think about the ecosystem and its predator and prey system, even the way rain works. Think about the balance between life and death and how living organisms die so others can be born. Think about how it is encouraged to have a balanced meal to ensure you get all the necessary nutrients. And how its best to balance between the positives and the negatives of life and any given situation. Too much of any one thing can do lasting damage.

Balance is like a spectrum. Understanding when you’ve gone too far in one direction and when you’re holding yourself back is vital. Balance is also like carrying a stack of building blocks. Knowing how much is too much to pile on is key. Everyone’s definition of balance is different, but it maintains the same basic and essential ideology. The most important thing is to figure out what balance looks like to you. Without first figuring out how much you can take on, without quivering under all of the weight, you risk cracking under the pressure. There’s nothing wrong with taking a step back to readjust your stack or moving another way along the spectrum. It’ll be worth it to prevent yourself from crumbling.

24 hours in a day

Priorities man

Hello! It’s been a couple months; I’ve been too busy to write and proofread, etc but since it’s summer, I have a little more time on my hands I’ll be posting as long as I got something to say. You haven’t seen the last of me yet.

But since we’re on the topic of busyness, and this is the trend right about now, let me just say my unpopular opinion. I don’t 100% agree that you can make time for everything and every person you love the way I used to. I agree with it on some degree because neglecting the activities and people you love will cause a strain. That’s what happens when there’s distance. Eventually you have to shave in some time.  But I would also like to point out, there is only 24 hours in a day.

About three to nine hours of that goes towards sleep, about four to nine hours goes towards making money, which is a total seven to eighteen hours of your day gone depending on your lifestyle. Then there’s the extra stuff: the errands, the classes, the volunteering, internships, the other job(s), your responsibilities at home, etc. And on top of all of that, you also have to take into account the availability of the other people involved; everyone knows how frustrating conflicting schedules are. Of course people make time for the things they want, but it’s unfair and such a huge pet peeve of mine, when people say “If you really wanted xyz that bad then you’d make time for it.”

I’m not saying they’re completely wrong,  but nothing is that basic. People are constantly prioritizing what they do and who they spend time with whether actively or not. Just because you aren’t their top priority at the moment you want to be one doesn’t mean you aren’t a priority. Just because you haven’t gotten to a certain project by a certain timeline doesn’t mean it’s not a priority. There’s only so much people can balance in a day and it’s different person by person. Just because you think you can do it all or make the time doesn’t mean someone else can. Don’t let people guilt you for being busy or convince you that you don’t care about something because of where your priorities lie.

Self-Discovery & Self-Love

The move for 2018 and beyond

If you haven’t noticed by now, I blog about my fears and insecurities. I feel like these aren’t normalized enough in our society. Most of us agree that no one’s perfect. Most people know everyone has at least one thing that they’re scared of; and at least one thing that they’d change about themselves. But when it comes down to openly sharing, few do. Internet access and social media have their negative effects, but I also feel like people don’t give it enough credit. Yes, people show off their seemingly wonderful lives, that from the outside looking in, appear to be perfect. But don’t forget when people are willing to share, large social media platforms can remind people they aren’t alone in feeling a certain way, or experiencing something that they thought no one would understand. Our fears and insecurities are closely tied to our mental health and by explaining and normalizing these ideas there is a possibility we can have a better understanding of mental health.

People underestimate the power of mental health. Any sort of nondestructive release of our pent-up emotions is beneficial. Mental health is stigmatized in such a way that some people are scared to admit when their mind seems to be working against them. You can’t move passed any mental health blocks without addressing your problems. Once you know the issues are there, finding ways to compensate and cope are the only ways to keep you sane. I share some of my fears and insecurities, because I know others can relate, have related, or will relate to them. No one should ever feel alone, especially when it comes to their deep or personal thoughts and feelings. My hope is that what I have to say will spark some motivation, hope, courage, self-love, and the like within yourself. So first I will talk about something I noticed within myself, and how it pushed me to enter a self-discovery and self-love journey, and then I’ll go over some tips to help guide you on your own journey.

Ever since I can remember, I have hated being alone. I didn’t want to stay home by myself. I rarely went out anyplace I wasn’t planning on meeting up with someone else, not even to the grocery store. I was a “pact” person. No matter if I was at summer camp, school, or volunteering, I always needed to have a friend there with me. And if I didn’t start with a friend, I would have made one by the end of the week. Within the last year or two, I realized that I had this subconscious, underlying fear of being alone. It wasn’t until recently that I recognized that I didn’t like to be alone because I wasn’t comfortable or content with myself. I didn’t know who I was without the people in my life. I was using the relationships to make me whole, without knowing that was what I was doing. I let the people around me dictate who I was. This is not to say that those relationships weren’t genuine; I’m blessed enough to have had, both in my past and present, influential and caring people. However, a lesson I learned was that, by always being herded with others and always needing someone to lean on, it meant that I would be lost when they flocked. I didn’t love or believe in myself enough to think or trust that I could stand on my own. I was wrong. If you feel this way, I guarantee that you’re wrong too.

Self-love was something that I saw being preached on my social media timelines, but I never really grasped. I saw things like, “do it because it’s fun,” “love yourself,” “learn to say no,” along with seeing people who were just so confident and sure of themselves. Nothing anyone said could phase them. Though I agreed with the messages, I couldn’t figure out how they applied to my life. I can’t explain how, I don’t know if it has to do with the challenges of the last six months, but suddenly the light clicked on and every inspirational, “cliche” self-love quote that I read, started to really resonate with me. It’s a lot like when you’re in love and all the songs start making sense, you know? I became self-aware of my past and present actions, how they were similar, and how they made me who I am. I took note of how I handled situations and why I did things the way that I did. Compliments given to me by others I finally began to see within in myself. There’s nothing like a hardship to push your limits and test you to see how much you can handle. “You learn a lot about yourself through your struggles,” is now a phrase that I completely understand and agree with. Knowing who you are as a person, without materialistic things or other people to define you, is something that seems obvious and self-explanatory, but it isn’t.  It’s something a lot of people haven’t figure out yet. Trust me.

To be honest, self-discovery and self-love wasn’t something I thought too much about until recently. Yet, I spent so much time wondering why I wasn’t growing, why I was so insecure and unsure of myself, and waiting for it all to change. This process starts with your mindset and your actions. If you’re interested in going through a self-discovery and self-love journey, I want to help with ten tips.

Tip One: Become Self-Aware. Figure Out Who You Are.

Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I sat in a room with a white board, connecting memories and events in my life with red string and used those to draw conclusions about myself. It’s just that once I became self-aware, living life actively instead of being stuck on autopilot, anything I did that was similar to something in my past, I naturally connected. Generally, I now know without hesitation who I am and can acknowledge both my strengths and weaknesses without fixating too much on either. Whether the qualities I found within myself are good or bad will always be subjective, but they are some of the qualities that make me who I am, and I love all of me.

Becoming self-aware is all about asking yourself questions. It is going the extra step and explaining to yourself why you do one thing over another. It’s knowing what you like and what you don’t like and the reasoning behind it. Knowing you don’t like baseball means something different when you realize you don’t like baseball because it means investing a lot of time in something that’s not fast paced. Knowing you don’t like lemons is different than knowing you don’t like most citrus fruit. Knowing people come to you for advice is different than understanding that you’re supportive and a good listener. I’m not saying you have to look at everything that in depth, but if you never question who you are, how do you expect to know yourself? How do you expect to grow?

Tip Two: Be Unapologetically Yourself.

We’ve sort of been taught not to compliment ourselves nor put ourselves down. If I call myself beautiful, I run the risk of someone telling me I’m conceited. If I say I’m opinionated, I run the risk of someone telling me I’m too difficult. Don’t let others dictate how you feel about yourself because people will always have something to say. In people’s minds, there are qualities seen as positive and those seen as negative. But some things are just so. Being unapologetically yourself means thinking something along the lines of I am who I am. I love who I am. If one day I look in the mirror and decide I don’t like what I see anymore, I’ll change and adapt accordingly.

I’m not one hundred percent here yet, but my goal is to be so sure of myself that there is no room for doubt, no matter what anyone says. I’m working towards being so confident that I don’t feel the need to explain myself to anyone but myself because I know my truth. I won’t feel the need to convince anyone how amazing I am, because I know how amazing I am. It won’t matter how other people feel about me, because I know my own worth and making them see it, is no longer a concern of mine. Some people may think this is self-absorbing but the truth is, it’s freeing. I strive to be this free. I feel closer everyday.

Side-note: Don’t use this tip as an excuse to continue behavior you know harms yourself or others whether emotionally, physically, or mentally. A part of self love is self-reflection which gives you the space to acknowledge your own toxic tendencies. Take advantage of this self-reflection and strive to do and be better, whatever that means to you.

Tip Three: Acknowledge Your Emotions- the Good and the Bad.

There’s this misconception that “negative” emotions like anger, jealousy, and sadness should be covered up. But ignoring them doesn’t make them go away. If anything, they’ll build up until you’re overwhelmed. This build-up of emotions is essentially a build-up of pressure and eventually it will lead you to explode. During this outburst you may say or do things you wouldn’t have done if you were in a better head space to think things through more. I’ve seen people speak out of outrage or pour their hearts out just to regret everything they’ve said. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t communicate with others on how you feel. However, you should have an understanding of what you feel and why instead of blurting it all out before you’ve even confronted it yourself. Self-awareness, communication and adaptive coping mechanisms can help you deal with the way you feel.

Tip Four: Vent. Learn to Cope.

You don’t even have to vent to another person. Writing it all down helps too. Anyway you can get the words and thoughts somewhere other than your brain is the goal. Don’t keep it all in your head; you can’t cope that way, especially if your mindset and thoughts are what are hurting you. It’s important to get to the root of how you’re feeling. Venting can help you achieve this. Letting in another perspective, getting advice, hearing yourself say it out loud, and just getting the words out is beneficial in the long run. It may not be a fix, but it sure is a release. It also makes others aware of what’s going. If you want to talk but don’t want people around you to know just yet, you can also text the Crisis Text Hotline at 741-741. Along with venting, find a way to cope that works for you that’s not destructive. Leaning on your hobbies and past times is a good place to start. It’s trial and error to find a way to cope that works for you, but it’s worth it in the end.

Tip Five: Drop or Compensate for Your Stressors.

Leaving the job you hate and cutting people off isn’t ruthless. Don’t let anyone or anything guilt you into staying when you know there is no benefit and all it’s doing is stressing you out. Leaving my job was probably the best decision I made last semester and three weeks later I was offered a new one that I appreciated ten times more. Some doors really do open when you close others. Cutting ties and limiting conversations in relationships that weren’t going anywhere, that ultimately stressed more than benefited me, took so much weight off my shoulders. I didn’t realize how much they weighed me down in the first place. Not all your stressors can be dropped though; this is compensated through making time for yourself and the things you love. For example, things like classes can be out of your control, but you can compensate with that by spending time with friends, taking a hot bath, or using other healthy coping mechanisms. Unfortunately, a stress-free life is unrealistic and not everything can be changed, but balancing stress with fun or relaxation can make the stressors of life more manageable.

Tip Six: Do What You Want. Don’t Do What You Don’t.

Do what you gotta do that will make you happy, if it won’t harm anyone else or yourself. I know some activities you have to do even if you don’t want to, like working or studying, but these aren’t the types of things I’m referring to. I mean all the other activities, hobbies and events that aren’t necessary but you have piled onto your plate. For example, I joined a sorority because I wanted to. Though I wasn’t present this semester, (and was shaky on my presence spring semester for various reasons), I’ve met some amazing people who do incredible things, all while raising money for great causes. I still believe that by the time I graduate, this decision will have benefited me. It already has. I honestly doubt I would be writing this if I hadn’t joined. On the flip side, a huge chunk of my stress was from taking on too much at once, including little favors that I knew I didn’t have time for or I didn’t even want to do. Please know that generally people who get mad at you for saying no don’t respect you. Yes, it is important to be there for others, but you shouldn’t have to constantly put them above yourself, especially if they don’t do the same in return. Also, you don’t always have to justify why you do things and don’t do others. Sometimes, “I don’t want to,” or, “I want to,” are the only reasons. Don’t feel guilty for choosing yourself.

Tip Seven: Make Time for Yourself. Do the Things you Love.

Choose yourself! Treat Yo’ Self. Take a Nap. Take a Bath. Listen to music. Read a Book. Cry. Exercise. Draw. Whatever it is that you do that helps you decompress, make time for it. I know it can be hard with the constant demands of life, but even twenty minutes a week for yourself to unwind can help you feel refreshed. You are more than your responsibilities. Just as neglecting your relationships can damage them, neglecting yourself can ruin your mindset.

Tip Eight: Surround Yourself with Good People.

Humans are social by nature. Even people who claim they generally hate people have exceptions to that. Who you surround yourself with influences who you are. We subconsciously pick up on our family’s and friend’s phrases and mannerisms. Can you picture how the people in your life have affected your mindset? Did you realize that they had? When we surround ourselves with people who strive for greatness, we are more likely to be determined to do the same. Likewise, being surrounded with positive people has the potential to make you more positive, just as surrounding yourself with negative people can make you more negative. Not only that, but it’s important to have supportive people in your life who you can lean on and can remind you how great you are.  Make sure the people in your life make you feel better about yourself, not worse. Make sure that they’ll call you on your bullshit but still support most of your decisions. A good person will lift you up when you’re feeling down and encourage you to be a better you without the intention of changing you to fit their mold. Don’t mistake your wants and dreams for those around you.

Tip Nine: Take Control of Your Life. Take Accountability.

I wrote a post about this one because it’s the one I have seen the most neglected. A lot of people go through life thinking everything happens to them. This ideology can be broken down into internal locus of control and external locus of control. If you have an internal locus of control, you believe you internally have some control over yourself, environments and situations. If you have external locus of control, you believe the external world controls and acts on you, with you having no say. In psychiatry, individuals who have an external locuses of control, have more mental and physical health problems. An external locus of control includes thinking you’re unlucky, putting the blame on others, blaming the circumstances, and neglecting your own role in the situations you are in. Clearly, there are aspects of life you can’t control. You don’t choose where you were born or the financial situation you enter into. Sometimes you’re on the wrong end of bias and sometimes you’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless, you’re the driver not the passenger.

Take accountability. Recognize when you’ve made a mistake or negatively impacted someone’s life. Own up to your final decisions. Own up to your fears and your worries, but don’t fixate. Worries and fears are just an obstacle, not a barrier. Sometimes you have to take to a couple steps back to see the bigger picture and help yourself move forward. Own up to your accomplishments. So many people I know do great things and forget to pat themselves on the back. They forget to look at how far they’ve come. They forget all the work they pushed through to get where they are. Invest in yourself and the direction you’re going. Reinvest if it no longer interests you. Don’t trick yourself into thinking you have to go down a certain path or be a certain person. You’re not stuck. Not every single life decision you make has to make sense for your future. You may think it does but that’s something society or the way you were raised has tricked you into thinking because we are so future oriented. For example, I’m going to college because of the supposed weight a degree carries for future employment, not because I love taking classes, but I still recognize that I can have fun along the way and make the best of the situation. I can get a tattoo because I want it, splurge on concert tickets, and join some school organizations although they may ultimately have no obvious impact on my future. If you want to wait for things to happen, that’s cool, but you will be waiting much longer than if you grab hold of the reigns and determine your own direction.

Tip Ten: Perfection Doesn’t Exist. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others.

You’re never going to be 100 % perfect. Once you stop striving for perfection I guarantee life will get easier. Perfection doesn’t even exist; it’s entirely subjective. Plus, the way people are, nothing will ever be enough. I bet if you reached your version of perfect you would still find something wrong. We’re harsher on ourselves than on other people, which is why learning to compliment ourselves can go such a long way. That being said, stop comparing yourself to others in a way that damages your own self esteem. Though we are innately similar, our experiences, genes, beliefs, and all affect the way we look, think, and cope. Some people can handle things that you can’t. Some people have better opportunities. Some people are prettier. That doesn’t make you any less of a person. That doesn’t make you any less worthy. You’ll get where you want to go as long as you’re putting in the effort. Looking around to see what everyone else is doing won’t help you get there.

Something to Remember…

A bad day or bad moment doesn’t mean you’re off track. You will probably slip up, go through a period of self-doubt, compare yourself, or not make time for yourself. That’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up over it. What matters is that you’re trying and you’ll veer yourself back towards the path once you are ready.  Actively noticing you’ve gone back to an old habit you’re trying to kick means you’re on the right track. This goes back to being self-aware. Acknowledge your harmful and helpful actions. Remember, at first changing your actions and thought processes must be active decisions. You can’t will to change something or feel differently without taking the initiative to change it. This may mean stopping yourself after a negative, intrusive thought and correcting it. It might mean dropping a class, changing a major. Maybe you go out this weekend or make time for yourself to relax. Perhaps you start a journal. Whatever it is, you have to start and keep with it for it to turn into a habit.

In the words of J. Cole, “Love yourself…or nobody will.” Everyone’s guilty in looking for validation in other people, but flexing for others should not be the only or majority of the time you feel validated. Work towards being more than enough for yourself because hypothetically, as cliché as it sounds, you really only have yourself. You are the only one in your head. You are the only one experiencing your life and interpreting it the way that you are. People come and go. They say and do hurtful things. They have their own lives. If you aren’t content with yourself, it’s easier to take what people say to heart. It’s human nature to only focus on the negative and suddenly you find yourself believing you’re the worst when the reality is you’ve gone underappreciated. Don’t allow anyone to take control of you or your confidence because that means they can also take it away from you. Self-love is about getting out of your own way, getting out of your own head. It’s knowing you aren’t perfect and you’ll never be perfect, but still being content. It’s acknowledging your self-destructive behavior and working towards bettering yourself. It’s holding yourself accountable for the good and the bad. It’s knowing your worth and what you deserve and not settling for anything less.

Food For Thought

Topic: Time

Time is an illusion. It’s a human notion constructed to make our messy lives a little bit more organized. Knowing what time it is can be helpful in some ways. For example, we are supposed to sleep during the late pms and early ams. With time it is easier to be on the same page when meeting up with others, when clocking in and out of work to collect a paycheck, and when tracking how long someone’s been alive. No wonder we live by it as if we haven’t molded it! Time is more than numbers on a clock, though. It’s an extensive span of moments, cycles, and seasons. The more I think about time in this sense, the more I wonder how time has affected our lives.

We need time because it helps us heal and grow. For example, when we break a bone, we keep it in a cast to give it time to heal. Getting over a situation or a person takes a while of distracting yourself with your responsibilities and joys, until one day you realize you haven’t thought about it in while. That comes with time and trust me, it’ll happen as long as you give yourself the space. Time will tell how strong your relationships, romantic or not, are. Nothing is created overnight. Forgiving someone who has wronged you means coming to terms with betrayal. Whether you think it is worth forgiveness or not comes with time. Learning who you are, what can you tolerate and what you believe in takes time. Anything that requires any sort of healing or growth comes with time; nothing changes overnight. Some things are a process. Some things you really do have to wait for.

Still, time harms us. It causes us to wait until we hit those major age marks, where we tell ourselves we can start dating, start driving, start college, start drinking, and rent a car. Then we wonder what it is that is supposed to come next. Some people feel so lost and unsatisfied that they enter midlife crises. It causes us to frequently think about what  we will do next, instead of giving ourselves the space to look around and be content with where we are. It makes us feel as if we are too far behind socially, financially, academically, and career-wise, making some feel as if it is too late for them. The funny things is we never seem to worry about if we are moving too fast.

Time makes us move with a sense of urgency. We’re worrying if we can get it all done by the time expect, even though we fathomed this deadline from thin air. We stress over getting enough job and life experience, telling ourselves we will take a break when we’re dead. We forget that not everything we do has to have a justifiable reason other than the fact that we simply enjoy doing so.

Time is in short supply. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who can say with 100% sincerity and no hesitation that they have enough time in the day, or even their lifetime, to do all the things they want to do. People even have bucket lists to serve as a reminder of all the things they just have to do before they die. This is connected to how we prioritize the things in life. Because if you were to die tomorrow, I guarantee you would reevaluate how you spent your time today. As we focus a lot of our time on achieving our personal, academic, and career goals, we neglect all the things we say or think we want to do. We tell ourselves we don’t have enough time, and that we will get to it once the free time comes. And surprise!…it rarely does. When it does, it is short lived. Look  at New Year resolutions. We create these at the end of the year as rules to live by for the next year and get sidetracked way before the sixth month mark comes. Why do we wait so long when deciding to better ourselves or try out a new hobby just to abandon them three months later?

I say it’s because more often than we think we use time as an excuse. We use it to avoid beginning or doing things we subconsciously are either too scared to do, don’t want to do or don’t know how to start. We prolong our distress by telling ourselves ‘time will tell’, or, ‘it’ll come with time’ as if time can really fix our problems. One example of this is when we give second chances to those who have wronged us or say we’ll give them a little extra time to see if anything has changed. It makes me wonder how many distresses in our lives could have been avoided or shortened by taking action instead of waiting for the “right” moment or seeing how things will turn out. But didn’t you just say time will tell? Well yes, in some situations, time will tell, but in others time won’t make a difference. Let’s say you need to have a serious conversation but have been putting it off. The conversation won’t change whether you have it today or tomorrow, it will still be had either way. Whether I work on this assignment today or tomorrow won’t change the fact it still has to be done. Not doing it just keeps it on the to do list, and keeps you anxious and stressed.

Also, consider time has already told you and you’re choosing to ignore all the signs. The outcome and the answers you are so desperately looking for are there in front of you but you’re too busy wearing your rose colored glasses to see those red flags waving. This leads me to actively take a step back from situations I’m skeptical about to look at the bigger picture. Things look different from up close; things look different with rose colored glasses. Our stubbornness, determination, fear, and hope prolongs circumstances that we don’t want to be in anymore, that we ultimately want to change. It makes us wait to go to the gym, or cut our hair, end or start a relationship, find a new job, read that book, or start to volunteer when there truly is no point in waiting or putting it off.

And think about what could be created by taking action instead of waiting! Time gives opportunity. “Good things come to those who wait,” promotes the virtue of patience. Though many things require patience, if you think about it this phrase taken out of the appropriate context really just keeps you where you are. Entrepreneurs and public speakers will tell you the same thing; they have told me. You can’t lose or gain weight without putting in work. You can’t learn to play piano or learn to speak Spanish without lessons. You can’t grow or change by waiting for your goals to happen to you—none of those wishes will just magically appear one day. You have to put in the planning, the effort, and the self-reflection. Few things come to you without you seeking them out first. Don’t let fear hold you back.

People fail to recognize that time is loosely another word for experience. The longer we live, the more we experience. Experiences bring lessons that can help us learn about others, ourselves, and the world. In some contexts, when people say “time will tell,” and,
“you’ll know with time,” it really means you need more experience to fully grasp the concept.  And some experiences require work and dedication. Some you have to actively seek out in order to learn. Some you’ve already experienced but choose not to learn from. Waiting with time doesn’t have to literally mean waiting around in hopes something good will comes.

You see, time can be wasted. Procrastination (though entirely understandable) is just wasted time. We all know why we procrastinate assignments. They’re irritating and a lot of work and research that none of us want to think about. Assignments aren’t the only thing we procrastinate though. Overdue conversations, hobbies, exercising and bettering ones self are things we neglect, saying it’ll come with time, once you have time. Now if it’s something you don’t need or want to do, stop trying to convince yourself you want to. That’s an unneeded layer of stress and anxiety you put on yourself. If it’s something you really want to do but don’t think you have time for, write it down and come back to it when you have time. However, that thing people say about “making time for the things you really want,” is true. If it’s something that really interests you, you’ll make time for it even if it’s just once a year. I understand that life and your goals take up a lot of your day, but just think of the possibility that when you say you don’t have time you are really making an excuse. There’s nothing wrong with making excuses for unwanted experiences, as long as you own up to it. Again, if it’s something that would be cool to know or experience but you don’t actually want to do, stop pressuring yourself to do it. If it’s something you think you should do due to others expectations, stop pressuring yourself to do it. We’re are hard on ourselves as it is. No one needs that unnecessary added pressure.

When it comes to being unsure of how to start something you say you don’t have time for, you only need to know the first step or two, maybe even just have a rough idea. This is one of those circumstances where time will tell , but time will only  lead you to an answer once you actually start the process. It’s like driving a car. The car won’t move until you put the key in the ignition and step on the gas. Until you put things into motion, you will be sitting there until you take some sort of action. Once you do, you start moving and the longer you keep your foot on the pedal, the more distance you travel. The more you drive the closer you get to your destination and the farther you get from where you were.

Time is valuable. The honest truth is that we don’t know how much time we have. We don’t know how much time those we love have. That’s why it’s important to say what you need to say, and do what you need to do before its too late. It’s important to remind those we love how we feel. It’s of the utmost important to make time for ourselves. Ensure our contentment. Do what we want to do and not do what we don’t. Don’t allow anyone to waste your time, including yourself. Its our biggest commodity.
It’s crazy how something seemingly so simple is so complex.On the one hand we need time; we would be so lost without it. But on the other we let something that doesn’t actually exist outside of human minds make our own lives complicated.  Time does and means so many different things to different people. What matters is that it aids you instead of hinders you. That you feel like you’re using your time the way you want, and learning from the experiences.

See, I believe time’s an illusion, a human notion constructed to make our messy lives a little bit more organized. Time harms and accelerates us. Every once and a while time gives us answers, but more often than not, it doesn’t give you what you want to see or hear. We always use time as an excuse, whether valid or not. We waste our own time and we waste others. It holds us back and makes us anxious and fearful, though we don’t even know it. Yet, it’s probably the most valuable thing we have. Do what you will with it, but respect how fleeting it is.

Optimistically Realistic

My new mantra

Life has lead me to expect a version of the worst. It’s not that I consider myself pessimistic, but I can wholeheartedly say there is very little that is worse than being super excited and ending up disappointed. Or than doing all the “right” things and coming up short. Or finally getting what you want, just to have it all taken away from you. This goes hand in hand with the fact that I’m annoyingly empathetic. Sometimes I may come across as not genuine. But the more you get to know me, the more you know that I mean every single heartwarming and encouraging thing I say, even if we aren’t best friends, even if I barely know you. This empathy makes me feel the need to try and fix everything, including things and people that don’t deserve the help or aren’t ready for it. My empathy and excitability leave me heartbroken when I think I finally made it on the right track just to realize I was wrong. Unfortunately, some things can’t be fixed. Unfortunately, you don’t always get what you hope or expect.

To cope with this, my new mantra is to be optimistically realistic. Positivity does wonders for your mindset and your mental health. I’m all here for supporting, promoting, and spreading positivity. But if you’re excitable and empathetic like me, if you’ve become adjusted to things not working out no matter how hard you try, being positive all the time can lead to let down after let down. I’ve broken my own heart one too many times by being super positive without considering the possibility that things don’t work out the way we hope all the time. Eventually I learned that sometimes things don’t work out and sometimes that has nothing to do with you.

Living life is essentially a series of your responses to the shit it constantly throws your way. Sometimes it feels like one of those games where the levels get harder and harder the farther along you get. Positivity sure does make it easier to push through each level, but it also has the potential to knock you down because you weren’t being realistic, leaving you unprepared to deal with the fallout and the possibility of another hardship. This might sound cynical as hell but let me give you a hypothetical example.

Let’s assume you like long walks on beach. So, you’re walking on a beach, the sun is shining, the sound of the waves is soothing. You’re humming to your favorite song, and are now wondering how life could get any better than this. And then out of nowhere it starts raining. That’s no big deal though because you like the rain and you were feeling a little dry as it is. So, you’re singing in the rain and the further along the beach you walk, the more the wind starts to pick up. It was tolerable at first, but soon becomes a problem because now you’re freezing your ass off and the sand’s sticking to your feet. You keep pushing through, and eventually the storm passes. The waves have calmed, and the sun is shining once again. Now you’re back on cloud 9. Once again nothing can phase you. Not much time passes until it starts to storm all over again, but this time the winds are a little stronger and the rain is a little heavier. You stay positive, telling yourself it’ll be over soon, knowing your strong enough to get through it all. You were right. You get yourself through it and once again return back on cloud 9, feeling justifiably untouchable and indestructible. And then it pours for the third time! The wind is so strong you can barely move forward. Each drop dampens your clothing so it’s clinging to your skin. You’re trekking your way along this damned beach, completely soaked from head to toe, shivering from the cold winds, wondering why in the hell you didn’t invest in some rain boots and a coat after the first storm.

Let me break this down. In the metaphor, the rain boots and the raincoat serve as the realistic portion of an optimistically realistic mindset. Yes, it was your positivity that got you through the pouring rain, but by being realistic and preparing for the possibility of a storm, you’re better prepared for when the next storm hits. You are being realistic by acknowledging that rain might or will happen again. But then you ask, “what if a storm never comes? Then I’m stuck carrying around those boots and jacket, bracing myself for the worst.” I feel what you’re saying. In a way, depending on how you use it, realism can hold you back. But let’s be honest. This is life we’re talking about. A hardship, similar to the storm, will come in some way, shape, or form into your life again. Life throws little challenges your way on daily basis whether you notice it or not. If you don’t notice it, you’re lucky.

By being realistic, I’m allowing myself room for the idea that not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Shit happens whether you brought it about or not. It happens even when you are a kind and innocent person who doesn’t deserve the pain life can bring. By being optimistic, I’m encouraging myself. I’m giving myself room to breathe and room to believe. Because sometimes things do work out. Sometimes you get the results you’re looking for. The problem with being overwhelmingly positive to me, is that it has the potential to take me higher and higher so that the day I get let down, I end up falling from a farther distance than I would’ve if I had thought realistically. That’s what tends to happen when you’re ridiculously excitable, reactive and empathetic. Don’t get me wrong; it is possible to reach the same levels of height by being realistic. Whether you do or don’t depends on how you use realism. See, by being optimistically realistic, I look at the whole scope of the situation instead of just what I want or hope to see. Being overwhelmingly optimistic can be blinding. Realism is my version of sunglasses.