Keep walking

Keep walking.

 No one's going to carry you. 

Keep walking, even if you hate each step you have take. Keep walking. 

One day you'll see, you've arrived.

August Arrives

August sneaks up on you like a kitten in the grass, eyeing a butterfly that has perched itself onto a fully blossomed flower whose leaves are beginning to show signs of age.

Like the butterfly, resting peaceful in the sun, you are suddenly shaken as a tiny innocent paw reaches out to touch you.

 August means no harm, but it appears out of nowhere forcing you to look back on the time you had and the time you have left.

You scan your summer to-do list, still hopeful. It's only August. September hasn't made it's way around yet.

 Like the butterfly, you swiftly move off to another corner of  the garden, locating another resting place to feel what is left of summer on your wings.

August doesn't let you fully rest. Your insides are fluttering with all you still wish to accomplish.

 I will leave my sun on you a little while longer, Autumn says. I will grant you a little more time.

 Like the sweet playful kitten, Autumn moves back to a quiet corner, watching you, reminding you that it is only a matter of time before there is no more time left.

Dress:Yesstyle//Belt:Yesstyle//Shoes:Thrift Store//Tights:Ardene

So Test Me June

Life is full of tests isn't it? Minor ones, major ones, some you can prepare for and others you never saw coming.

It feels good, doesn't it, to pass life's challenges I mean. But what if you know you're failing. It is possible to feel like a complete failure at some of the tests life throws at you. Or to feel tired of the constant preparation for the next big hurdle.

Take a deep breath. 

That's what I tell myself. As I stand outside watching the world change into a beauty of flora, I breathe in summer. I breathe in life.

 There are days when I want life to give me a break. Stop testing me I plead. I need time to just be, to breathe.

 But then I remember everyone shares this story. Everyone is being tested. And without a life's challenges how would I know what I was capable of. Would I love summer as much if I never endured winter?

 The hardships of life can be in there own way, rewarding. They draw out your strength. They help you get creative, assertive, aware.

With each test I come into a kind of summer, a self blossoming. And despite knowing there is another test just around the corner I take the time to breathe, to be proud of myself, and to reassure myself "I can do it"

 So if you must June, test me. Bring on your thunder storms and cloudy days. I won't begrudge you. Bring me rains for my garden. Help me blossom.

Hat:thrifted//Top:amyflyingakite//Pants:Jacobs//Ring:JuliesJewelryStore

Popping Out Procrastination

I read somewhere that one way to get rid of procrastination is to give yourself more to do. I questioned this at first, thinking about how I tend to do next to nothing when I have so much to do. But I was curious to see if it might work.

I'm generally a "busy" person. I have school work, employment work, friends to meet, appointments to keep, stuff to do. I'm also someone that doesn't put things off for too long. If I have an assignment due at the end of the month,you can bet that it will be in by the second last week at the latest. But I noticed I tend to drag my feet at times, doing nothing for days or making minor attempts at being productive. It's not that I wanted to be more busy, but I did want the feeling of getting something done each and every day. Therefore, I took the article's advice and gave myself more to do.

I started another blog, took another course, made more plans with my friends.

At first, I felt the same feeling of being overwhlemed and thus doing nothing. I also got very sick and couldn't do anything. With more on my plate, this only put me further behind making me feel stressed.

 But somehow, without my notice, I was doing more and doing better at the things I was doing. I was too busy to put it off for another day. The strangest part was, I didn't feel exhausted. Tired, perhaps, but not dead from the weight of all the things I had to do.

I was puzzeled considering I was always busy. I always had things to do. I was always telling myself to get things done, making lists of task and forcing myself to get things done. There's no force now. I'm simply doing things.

I still don't know why it works, but it does. It's not as if I'm rushing around trying to do 10 things in a day, I'm doing maybe 5 and getting them done without complaining or dread, even tasks I hate. It's as if I pop the procrastination bubble before it gets too large and makes me lag for days.

My friends who aren't procrastinators, I notice have very busy scheduals. They usually have full plates and are juggling multiple day to day routines. They work, attend class, have several hobbies, volunteer and make time for their loved ones. It's as if the body gets programed to get up and moving when the mind keeps prompting it with more tasks. You find yourself completeling things you used to put off for days.

I'm not sure if it will work for everyone. I'm still surprised it worked for me. But if you tend to procrastinate, try giving yourself a few more things to do. This is not to say you should overload yourself. That isn't healthy. But within reason, add one of two more things to your things to do list. You may find yourself getting more done.

Moments from my day

There are times when I don't feel like compromising or waiting for a better day. Today was one of those days. I had an idea in mind of what I wanted from my day and decided to bring it forth. Sometimes your day dictates to you and sometimes you need to dictate to your day "this is how it's going to be!" My day listened.

I started by telling my day I wanted a thrifted mini backpack. My sister was kind enough to drive me out to the store and low and behold a Derek Alexander leather mini backpack was waiting for me. It was a steal at only 2 dollars. I also bought a long button down vest for $2.50. And my sister found a large stylish carpet bag for $4.00. Needless to say it was a good thrifting day.

I also decided today I was going to eat Mcdonalds. Without giving a care to nutrition or fat content, I indugled and felt very pleased about it. But while smiling at my meal, strawberry punch poured in my sister's car landing on my favorite trench. I guess it was my day's way of saying, "you can't have it all perfect." No bother. I'm too happy about the comment my professor left on my final paper to mind any spills and mishaps.

In fact I am posting her comment here, because I may never see a pleasant review of a graded work again. That and it may motivate me the next time I stress about a paper.

Dear Adelaide,


This is an excellent paper and a pleasure to read. I have pointed to certain sreas that could use more careful thinking and questioning; however, you have pulled together key contexts in evaluating the issue of individual rights and freedoms and the controls in place.


Best of luck in your future endeavours.

Romita

Why playing it safe isn’t always best

It makes sense to avoid the risks involved with hazardous things, like jumping off a cliff without a parachute. However, when it comes to getting out of an unfulfilling relationship or job those same cautious instincts can backfire.

Because change seems, scary we believe that it posses a greater risk than sticking with the status quo. However, we often fail to factor in how not taking a risk can lead to an unfulfilling life. As well as all the things we could be missing out on. Consider the following if you are on of the many that play it safe.

Get out of your comfort zone
Many people don’t like to “rock the boat” especially once they obtain some level of success. The downside of this is that you no longer “play to win” instead, you “play to lose”. Experts confirm that this approach of hesitation and second guessing rarely lead you to the desired outcome. Because what you are doing is subconsciously scaling back our efforts and robing yourself of chances to flourish.

In order to “play to win” you have to acknowledge your fear of the unknown in a proactive way. If you are scared of setting up starting your own business or going after that promotion at your company, list your hesitation and ask yourself how you’d handle the worst case scenario. By looking at specific what ifs, you can evaporate some fears and give yourself the confidence boost to get back in the game.

 Stop waiting for the right moment
A lot of us put of doing things we dream of, like taking that dream vacation or starting our own business, because we are holding out for the best conditions possible. What we forget is by waiting for the right moment we may never accomplish these things. Iris Songivliano, a clinical psychologist in New York City said it best when he said “In order to be dealt a winning hand, you have to be in the game.

Rather than waiting around for the right moment, go after what you want. Create your opportunities by setting tiny yet, specific goals. If you always wanted to start your business, you can start by doing some research, figure out what it would take by drafting a business plan. Same goes if you always wanted to visit Germany. Decide which season you would like to go and then read a travel book on the city.

Since the brain interprets small everyday goals as easier to tackle then big lifelong goals, you’ll jump start a stalled mind-set to propel you toward reaching your ultimate outcome.

Don’t dwell on past disappointments
You, like many others, may allow only the negative memories or our past failures to impact your future decision-making. By doing this, you ignore all the positive things you’ve learned from earlier experiences. But the more you see the broader the picture surrounding life challenges, the faster and easier the trail to triumph will shift into focus.