The Gate Keepers

Well... life can go in any direction and last week we talked about living in the moment. The picture above represents exactly that even if at first glance it may not seem like it does. When you look at this picture what do you see or think about?

Bright Colors?

Sunshine?

Warm Weather?

Smiles?

Joy?

I imagine those are all things that went through your head when seeing that picture because they are for me. My reason for pointing this out is huge. While we are learning to live in the moment we need to learn to be bright, warm, and full of smiles and joy. If we can see brightness and be bright at all times then the gloomy stuff won't bother us as much as it might now. If we fill ourselves with warmth then the people around us are more likely to feel welcomed and loved and desire to continue being around you. Plus, it will make you feel better on the inside not to be cold. Lastly, if we find joy in every aspect of the moment there is no chance of having a bad day because we will know everything is going to be okay. So we can cherish it. 

TIP: Open your eyes. They are the gate keeper of the good stuff :)


SIDE NOTE: I found another blogger on here that I think does a great job reaching out to people, similar to my blog. Her blog does have a slight different appeal, but overall it is absolutely wonderful! Take some time and search through and read some of her posts, I believe they will be very beneficial to you :)
Here's the link, I know hope you explore: Girls, God and The Good Life

Ain't No Time Like This Time

So my thoughts this week are short and sweet, but still oh so important. See, I have been engaging in countless conversations lately, thanks to the confidence theories we discovered a while back and I realized something. Too many of us, myself especially, take for granted the fact that we are alive. We just assume we are going to be here today, tomorrow, next month and even next year! We go along worrying about the future, which isn't guaranteed, and the past that we can't change. We make plans for life down the road but do not embrace the right here, right now.

The conclusion I came to is that we need to stop progressing and regressing but live in the moment. I mean that is all we are promised, right? I found some song lyrics from a Carrie Underwood song called "This Time" that personally encourages me with this idea.

It goes by so fast
Can't get it back
There ain't no time
Like this time...

But I wanna tell ya, that my heart is bustin' at the seams 

Yeah, and I can't wait another minute 

Oh, life is short 

Love is sweet 

Ain't no time like this time, baby 

TIP: Don't get carried away in any moment but this moment!

Trust the Hope

Okay, so I have been thinking a lot about last weeks topic. Over and over I kept repeating to myself to have hope. It got me thinking about how we not only need to have hope but we need to have trust. I can think of so many situations when I finally realized that there was hope for what I was going through but I did not trust myself or trust the hope presented before me. Therefore, by not trusting I learned my lessons the hard way. I learned that without trust it is easy to keep yourself wedged in between that rock and a hard place. Take a second to think. I know this is a very silly and dramatic picture I am about to have you imagine, but just go with me on this tangent for a moment.

Imagine for a moment that you were borrowing your friends favorite shirt to wear out on your first date with that one person you have had your eyes on for weeks. Everything is going great, your hair is doing what you want it to, your outfit is bangin' hot, and you could not be having more fun locking eyes with your dream date as you get deeply engaged in meaningful conversation. Then, out of pure accident a waiter walks by and drops a whole bowl of spaghetti on you. At this moment, you are covered in bright red tomato sauce and mounds of stringy noodles. The only thing going through your head at this moment is how embarrassed you are, how your date is going to completely change their mind on any interest they may have had in you and the fact that you now have to explain to your best friend why their shirt is ruined. 

In this situation it is natural to jump to those initial reactions of panic but this is an exact scenario where trust and hope should come into play. You need to have hope and trust that your date is going to know that the accident had nothing to do with a fault of your own that could tamper with the interest they have shown in you. Also, you have to trust that the spaghetti disaster taking over your best friends shirt right now will come off. That is why we have such machines as washers and dryers, right? If for some reason the disaster does not come out then you must trust that your best friend will see that it was pure accident and not hold you at fault. 

Even though I related to a situation like this, these two terms and ideas can also go for any situation. It may be about love or hate, good or bad, right or wrong and life or death, it does not matter. What I am trying to say I have learned is that you must have hope and trust incorporated into every and all scenarios to truly overcome something.

TIP: Trust yourself and trust the hope presented before you!

This Is Me

So here we are another week in. For some reason it is still on my heart that every person out there in the world on their own personal journey need to know that they matter. More importantly than needing to know they matter though, they need to know that there is hope. The kind of hope to know that you are beautiful, regardless of any opinion or set standard and that there is so much bigger of a picture for your life. I am learning that we can step into new situations freely. We can become comfortable, confident and put ourselves out there with that great big smile but behind the scenes of the outward journey if we do not learn to accept and love ourselves the rest almost seems of no value.

This is a song one of my best friends Breanna Biss wrote almost two years ago. The background of the song is that she met a girl who was lacking the hope that I was just explaining we all need. Brea felt lead to write this to show that girl the hope. "Princess" has now become a symbol of hope for hundreds of girls on this same walk. I challenge you to sit down in a quiet place and listen in on the words Breanna is saying.

TIP: Have faith in the beauty of yourself.

Make Yourself Matter

These song lyrics give me hope for continuing my walk in life, even if at times I am in an unknown place, with unfamiliar people and do not have any idea what to do with myself. I hope that it gives you inspiration!


I WAS HERE
By Lady Antebellum


You will notice me
I'll be leaving my mark like initials carved
In an old oak tree, you wait and see

Maybe I'll write like Twain wrote
Maybe I'll paint like Van Gogh
Cure the common cold, I don't know
But I'm ready start 'cause I know in my heart

I wanna do something that matters, say something different
Something that sets the whole world on its ear
I wanna do something better with the time I've been given
I wanna try to touch a few hearts in this life
Leave nothing less than something that says, "I was here"

I will prove you wrong
If you think I'm all talk, you're in for a shock
'Cause this dream's too strong and before too long

Maybe I'll compose symphonies
Maybe I'll fight for world peace
'Cause I know it's my destiny
To leave more than a trace of myself in this place!

I wanna do something that matters, say something different
Something that sets the whole world on its ear
I wanna do something better with the time I've been given
I wanna try to touch a few hearts in this life
And leave nothing less than something that says, "I was here"

And I know that I, I will do more than just pass through this life
I'll leave nothing less than something that says, "I was here"
I was here


TIP: Never think less of yourself. You are here for a reason!

Dressing It Up

If you are already with me on this ride then get yourself ready for more wonderful news, and if you are just joining this journey for the first time strap yourself in it is about to be great.

Now that we are in communication with others I think it is important to add on to the things people see as they discover us. Growing up you may have heard that it is not about what is on the outside that matters but it is what is on the inside that counts. This statement is very true but sometimes we like to play with the concept of dressing up because the world provides us with so many wardrobe opportunities. What I have learned is that even though clothing is not important it can however benefit us on the inside. So, for this one time only I am going to analyze how to take the outside and connect it with the inside through a list.

Shirt - Find a size that is not too big or small, but hugs your body just right. This says I am not trying to over show or hide aspects of myself but am comfortable with the body I have been given. 

Bottoms - This can be anything from pants to shorts. You want to pick something again that hugs your physique just right. You want to be sure they are something you can sit, stand and walk in because if you can complete those tasks successfully then you are more likely to move through your day relaxed. It will be one less worry if you do not have to think about holding the bottoms up or about them popping open from being too small.

Shoes - Again, make sure they fit your foot specifically. If they are too small you risk hopping around in pain from sore muscles and blisters. If they are too big you most likely will not be able to walk proper and could chance running behind or slipping up.

Accessories - The point of an accessory is to add to the main focus not be the main focus. Keep it simple yet noticeable. Look in a mirror while wearing your main attraction with your accessory, if the first thing your eyes jump to is the accessory then it is too much. You want it to be something that can turn into a side compliment throughout your encounter with someone.

If you take all of these aspects into consideration to form one solid outfit, you are golden. You can easily become the comfortable, confident and approachable person you hope to be every time you put yourself together to explore the world. If you feel great about what you are in then you can spend more time focusing on the conversation you are going to engage in.

TIP: Look great. Feel Great. Be Great.

From the Hello to the Heart

So, there I was standing face to face with the idea of being in the unknown. The pressure was on to make a name for myself here and establish new friendships. Without those friendships college would be an awfully lonely place and lonely is not what any of us signed up for in the whole college agreement. The more I pondered the idea that it is on me alone to complete these tasks the more I panicked. Luckily for you though I panicked myself into a solution to accomplish this. Take a second to think about the following situation.

You have a mandatory meeting for an organization but this is the first one of the year and nobody knows each other yet. Minute by minute more people keep piling into the room. They all have blank facial expression and then one person walks in smiling from ear to ear. Which person would you more likely want to talk to?

I am assuming you would choose the smiling person, because that is exactly who I would want to introduce myself to. This is the solution I came across. When someone walks around smiling, others cannot help but notice because it intrigues you to want to know what made them so happy. So if you walk around always sharing your smile people are likely going to approach you over others. Once they approach you the seed for a friendship has been planted. Now, with that smile you have made it past the hello step and can begin watering the seed so it grows into discovering the heart of each other. Then, BAM.. you totally kicked out the lonely option from the college agreement that we all worry about.

So far this has worked marvelous for me on a personal level and I can now walk around the unknown arm in arm with people who are more than just a hello. As I water these seeds I challenge you to get planting.

TIP: Share your smile with everyone, especially the people you have yet to meet.

Entering Into the Unknown

At some point in life each of us has venture off into the real world. It's the one place we hear about every day but never really know what it is like until it smacks us right in the face. Nineteen days ago I loaded up everything that ever meant anything to me into my jeep and began the next page of my journey. This next step is known to last four years, is categorized as some of the best years of your life and goes by the name of college.

The college I picked is located seven hours away from the last place I called home. It is in an area I have never seen with people I have never met but you know what? That is perfectly fine with me. We need to fly the coop and spread our wings. Each and every one of us needs to start discovering our own likes, dislikes, morals, goals and most importantly our identity. They say college is where all that takes place, so instead of fearing the unknown I am making it a point to embrace it. Hopefully, all of you will continue this journey with me, so I can send my joys of life in your direction.

TIP: Don't ever be scared. The world is limitless and free. Explore!