This last week has been bittersweet. The final hours of college are upon me and I did not think I would be feeling a little sad about it. The journey has been a remarkable experience. I have met some wonderful people, learned from great people, and made some wonderful memories. While in class on Thursday I was inches away from tears when one of my professors was graciously giving us some goodbye advice and gifts. It was during this class period that I realized my life was about to change. A chapter in my life is coming to an end, but a new one is about to begin and I could not be more excited to see where life takes me. Thank you to everyone who has added a great amount of richness to my life. Congrats to all my fellow grads!
Achieving Happiness
The semester is almost over. Four years of my life have come and gone so fast it seems like a whirlwind. And yet, in the midst of papers and exams I find myself worrying about my future. What am I going to do with my life now. I have followed this path that has been laid out for me and it has reached an end. I am nervous, scared, and anxious all at once. While thinking about my near future I was trying to determine what it was that made me happy. What do I love doing? While reading on Oprah’s website I was interested to discover she had an article on this same topic: “How to Be Happy, Dammit”. It is here that she informs her readers of ways to achieve happiness.
I thought this was interesting. Life can be a bitch and it is not something that is easy. But, we all learn from the paths that we have traveled down and hopefully we are able to make the most out of our experiences, even if they were not the best ones. Because it is better to learn something, even from the bad ones, than walk away empty handed.
This concept is one that really hits home for me right now. I am so nervous about being done with school that my feelings are interfering with some of my daily tasks. I find myself thinking about what I am going to do, where I am going to go, and how I am going to get there… these thoughts consume me and distract me from tasks at hand. Perhaps I will know what I am supposed to do in a few weeks, when I actually am forced to make up my mind… when my I rope has come to an end. And, finally, another concept that seemed to make sense in my life right now is as follows:
Believe. Believe in you. Believe in your strengths, weaknesses, goals, and aspirations. Follow your heart. We can be, and do, anything we set our minds to. During these last few weeks of school I am trying to focus on the tasks at hand. I am going to try to believe in me more, follow and listen to my heart better and trust that once my rope is at the end I will know where I am supposed to go and what I am supposed to do with the next chapter of my life.
It’s tough having nothing to worry about
While reading the Onion I came across an article entitled, “Rich Guy Left Out of Recession”. I found it interesting to read this story because it is discussing the recession from a new angle. Just when you thought you had too much to worry about, imagine having nothing at all to worry about. The millionaire told reporters that he felt like he was being left out, and He is ready for the recession to end. He stated that right now he feels as if he has nothing in common with his fellow Americans. I think this story is important to think about because just when we think it would be better to have more money or fame, we are reminded that the grass is not always greener on the other side. I think that we need to take time to think about the positive things that exist in our everyday lives, not just the things we wish we had that could potentially make our lives better… because, as we hear here, that is not always the case.
The Blind Side
I recently found time to view the movie The Blindside, a heartwarming film that was extreamly inspirational. Sandra Bullock plays the lead role in this true story of Balitmore Ravens offensive left tackle, Michaek Oher. For those of you who have not seen the movie, it is one well worth your time. The movie follows Michael’s life closely, from his days of being homeless and part of a broken home with a drug addicted mother up until he was able drafted by the NFL.
When the movie came to an end I felt an overall sense of happiness. It was a very moving story. It opens the viewers eyes to how tough life can be, and just when we think we have reached rock bottom things can change- all it takes is one person to believe in you. My dad tought me growing up that it was important to help others and to treat others the way you would like to be treated. This mindset was something I have lived with much of my life, and I think it was really put into play throughout the movie. While viewing the movie I felt how important it was for people to look out for one another and to not take life, or the things we have, for granted. There are people out there, perhaps just on the other side of town like Michael was, who have nothing but keep on “keeping on”. By reaching out to people, even in little ways, one may have a huge impact on someone. There is something about helping others that makes me feel good about who I am, like I did my good semaritan deed. Just being able to make others smile is enough to make me feel good, and I think this is how Sandra Bullocks character is in this movie. It is a captivating, moving story that I will view again in the near future.
A Complaint Free World
Spring has Sprung! It is my favorite time of the year; waking up to the sun, birds, and often the smell of fresh rain. Everything seems so positive this time of the year. However, the Spring also marks the countdown to summer. With every passing day I find myself becoming more and more excited to graduate, and have discovered that I am complaining more than ever about having “senioritious”. Complaining about the problem, of course, gets me now where fast. While watching the news one day I heard about a campaign that directed at this problem of complaining. Apparently people are taking self vows to stop complaining for 21 days; a task that is often difficult for most to accomplish. NBC did a story about this challenge and reached surprising conclusions.
Many individuals spent months attempting to go 21 days without complaining! It seems like something that would be easy to accomplish. However, after I sat down and thought about it I decided that I would be a tough challenge and one that you must be driven to achieve. Do you have what it takes? What do you think?
I think that often times without thinking about it people complain. Things that may not really matter are talked about. Why does so much time and energy get focused in that direction. Shouldn’t we all be focusing more on being positive about ourselves, lives and world in general? Afterall life is more fun if you look on the sunny side 
Just in time for Easter…
This past week seemed to fly by welcoming April far too soon. It is hard to believe that a fourth of the year almost over! But due to the fact that last week was so busy I was not too sure what I was going to write about this week. However when I was watching the news early this week I heard them talking about how eating chocolate on a daily basis was supposed to be good for you. Scientists could not have concluded this at a better time, after all Easter is a holiday with a lot of chocolate involved. The story informs the public that by consuming chocolate in moderation daily can decrease one’s chance of a stroke by nearly 40%. I hope everyone enjoys their Easter a little more!
Life is short…
Last weeks Spring Break seemed to go too fast. This seems to be a trend when you are enjoying something. When I reflect back on my week and think about how fast it went I found myself thinking about more than the past week of my life. Where did the past four years COLLEGE go?! I can hardly believe another chapter of my life is about to end begin. I do not know what I am going to do, where I am going to go, what to expect. I would be lying if I told you I was not scared, because I am terrified! Despite this fear I can not help but be excited. This FEAR anticipation is often distracting and makes me wonder how I am ever going to get these last few weeks over with. I was talking to a good friend of mine about this earlier this week and she told me that it was a scary thing. Shel, too was nervous, but she then offered me some advice that I thought was worth sharing. She told me that there are so many unknowns in life. We never know what tomorrow is going to bring, let alone the next six weeks. She continued to state that it is for this reason that we have to carve a path based off of what we do know. By thinking about life on a smaller scale it does not seem so scary. Although I am not sure where I will be at the end of the summer, I do know that I am going to finish college and want to live in Colorado following graduation. I have reflected on her advice for a couple of days and have really taken it to heart. Since these words I have felt a little more at ease as graduation draws nearer.
Hope for Haiti
While reading on NPR I came across an article that addressed how the children of Haiti were being helped during this time of need. It was in a form different than money, food, and shelter. It was in a more real form. One that money can not buy. It was through letters. But these letters were more than just words on a page. 
They were letters of hope, love and understanding from children their own age. A group of 5th grade students took the time to color, draw, and write about themselves and who they were with the hopes that they would inspire the children to remember that they too are still children. These letters brought smiles to hundreds of faces that may have forgotten what smiling felt like.
The letters allowed the children to think about something other than the disaster the January earthquake left them with. They were now able to think about how they were going to remain connected with these other children who were in a different country.
The children in Haiti responded to their newly found pen pales with letters and hand made toy cars. Children from both sides are benefiting. The young kids in California are able to see how privileged they are to be in school and living in a home. They are able to hear, from kids their own age, some extremly sad stories. For instance, one child read that her pen pal in Haiti is living on the streets. However, this does not get their spirits down because they are hearing hopeful responses in return. Things like “be strong” and “I am glad you are now in my life”. It is these little hopes of encouragment that can change a person’s outlook.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124236747
I think it is important to remember that what happened in Haiti is a tragedy, but there are positives in the situation as well. Little letters of encouragement are often the best things. Remembering the small things is important. Money and tangible objects can not buy happiness, but loving notes can bring a lot of joy! Have a great spring break!
Blogging… a waste of time?
This is the first time I have ever had to partake in any sort of online journal blog. I have never really gotten into this sort of thing before, I am not sure why. However, I did not realize how much actual time and effort goes into blogs. There are people who enjoy doing these. I am not one of these people. I found myself, once again, trying to come up with something to say. Something that would fulfill my requirement for the week. When I was searching the internet for any motivation I found a “demotivational” poster that I thought was funny. 
This form of internet communication is one that people either get really into or care little about. I know where I lie with the issue. However, social networking tools have become so popular in our generation. Perhaps people blog for various reasons: to keep in touch with family and friends, to share their knowledge about a particular product or company, or to simple express their feelings. I found this poster funny because when I think about blogging, as a community, I think about a select number of individuals. I personally do not know enough people willing to take time out of their day to keep a blog. However, once this notion of blogging caught more and more blogging sites were created. Individuals were able to now post anything and everything they wanted to say freely on their blogs. However, much of the shared information was of little importance. Another thing about blogs is that individual blogs are difficult to find if one is not certain what the URL is. Do people want others to read their information or do they simply want a place to express themselves?
Up until I found an article on Blogging and how helpful it can be in building ones careers and maintaining social networks I was not a fan. However the article opened my eyes to a new side of blogging I may have never seen or cared to look into. Nathaniel Whittemore published an article on the Change.org website detailing the importance of blogging. ( http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/blog/view/five_reasons_why_blogging_is_your_best_career_move
He stated that blogging allows us to learn and refine our passions. Something that I would not have thought too much about. But I think this makes sense. When we are expressing ourselves openly and honestly we are discovering new sides and feelings we may have not otherwise realized we had. We are able to voice our opinions and take a stance in the social world on issues that matter to us. This may assist us in finding our calling and determining what it is that we are all passionate about. By expressing yourself one may learn more about who they are as a person and where they wish to go in life. I thought this article put the positive spin on blogging that I was searching for. I hope this may help some of you who felt the same about blogging as I did at first. Have a good weekend!
Things are not as bad as they seem…
This week has been a whirlwind for me. I am glad it is Friday! Last weeks post about Denmark being the happiest place on earth got me thinking a lot about what makes me happy. Sometimes thinking about things like this is a challenge. Especially when the week is long and exams and papers seem to be never-ending. However, despite having a long week I did get a chance to see my brother. He came up from Durango to see his friends and visit me. I do not see him often so him coming up gave us a chance to relax and spend some time together. Something that makes me extremely happy. He knew I was having a long week, but I was shocked to learn that I had nothing to complain about after I heard his story and what all he had been going through. He has been dealing with a lot more than I had been and was dealing with the changes and downfalls pretty well, a lot better than I would have. After listening to my brother tell me about his month nothing in my world really seemed to matter much too much anymore. I had nothing to complain about. I was making mountains out of small hills. This is easy to do and I am notorious for stressing out about little things. Life is too short for us to sweat the small stuff and get caught up on negative feelings. I am not sure how my brother was able to simply let things go and trust it would all work out, but he was. He was trying to get over the problem and continue to live his life and just have fun. Sometimes I am not sure how he does it, but he always seems so cheerful and optimistic. I wish I could be more like that.
