Tis the Season!

It's finally the season for warm fires, dark lips, hot coffee, cuddly puppies, cozy sweaters, the cutest decorations ever, late night shopping, spending time with loved ones, gift wrapping, and beautiful Christmas lights on the tree!

I'm dreaming of Maui since that's where I'll be spending my December :) 

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

10 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me in High School

I have been pushed in every different direction in the past 4 years since I graduated from high school. Now I've made it into my early twenties and I am happy to say that I survived the transitional years from teenager to adult. I can say with complete confidence that I was in no way prepared for life after mandatory class attendance and easily obtained 4.0 GPAs, but like fine wine, we all get better with age right? Instead of listing all the ways I was so very very unprepared, undecided, and just plain uninformed before graduating from high school, I will just make a handy little list of some things I wish someone would have told me. This way, maybe we can pass one or two of these ideas onto someone who may need them.

1) Don't feel pressured to run off to a university your freshman year. Go to community college for the first two years. It's my personal opinion to save your money on the cheap credits.

2) Take time to explore career options if you are not die-hard passionate about a certain field of study. Your mind set and ideals can change so much within the first few years post-high school and you should be open to new passions and interests.

3) Even if you think you are die-hard passionate about a specific field of study, explore some other classes anyways.

4) There are so many fields of study/careers/occupations that you don't even know about yet. Do tons of research on career options and study programs.

5) Really think about a classroom environment that will work best for you before throwing yourself into a program. Some people prefer all online programs, some prefer technical schools with hands-on class work, some like big classes and lecture halls, and some prefer small intimate classes. Try a little bit of everything out and search colleges and programs that suit your learning style.

6) Don't force yourself into a field just because you think you have to! I sincerely wish someone would've told me to just take some time to figure out what I want to do...4 years of college and 6+ changes of my major later and I still have little to no clue what I want to do with my schooling and career. Yes, I wish I could be graduating with all my friends this June & I have enough credits to do it, but the credits are spread so thin across several different majors that they don't amount to anything (except a lot of simple knowledge in many different fields packed into my brain).

7) Attendance won't be mandatory in college, but if you want a decent grade then yes, it is mandatory.

8) Go on to ratemyprofessors.com and sign up for courses based on the teacher's ratings.

9) You literally have a second chance at being exactly who you want to be! Don't fret if you don't like your high school image because college/post-high school years are where you really find yourself and redesign your ideologies.

10) There should be a class on money management in general. What different bank accounts do, interest, loans, etc. I still know very little about money management compared to what I should know as an adult that lives out on her own. If there is a class that teaches this sort of thing, take it!

What's something you wish someone had told you in high school?

Good luck and as always, I will end this post with some inspiration!

Being Happy While on the "Pursuit of Happiness"

I think it's safe to say that college students have a lot on their plates at all times. Being an intern, an employee, and a student, the stress is all too real and my plate is definitely full 7 days a week. I am not a superhuman by any means. If I didn't take certain measures to make sure I am enjoying the ride, I would surely crack under the pressure.
As we get older, life passes us by at a much faster speed it seems. The weeks, days, months all fly by in the blink of an eye. Next thing I know, I am turning a year older without even taking a solid breath since my last birthday. I have learned to cope with my life moving so quickly a few different ways. I'm here to pay it forward and pass it on to you because one time, this one guy said something that turned into an annoying cultural phenomenon...

So here are some things I make sure to do so that I can enjoy life while I'm extremely busy trying to build one:

• Take a day to sit on the couch and watch episodes of your favorite shows on Netflix (I typically do this on Spring Break or get my homework done extra early one week so that I have a full day off)
• Take a night off. Go have a drink with friends. Go to a movie by yourself. Do WHATEVER you want with your night. I like to get drinks with my boyfriend and friends and we have a blast.
• Listen to music while you get ready in the morning-there is nothing better then rocking out in the shower and while you straighten your hair. Sets you up for a great day, every time!
• Paint your nails (ladies specifically, but guys feel free?!) I always feel so much better about my appearance when I have nice nails. I feel like I'm ready for anything and nail polish is the one beauty item that you don't have to re-apply daily.
• Don't do your hair on the days you don't have to. If you aren't going somewhere that requires professional dress, just don't do your hair. Save the time, energy, effort, and the damage to your hair for another day. 
• Take care of yourself. On the days you don't have to leave your house, put your hair in a hair masque (I use coconut oil) and put an exfoliate on your face and show yourself some TLC.
• Put on lipstick (again, ladies!). You will look as sexy as you feel and it takes about 10 seconds.
• Get your tasks done early. I know as college students we are the Kings & Queens of procrastination, but I'm telling you that if you get in the habit of doing your tasks early in the week, you will find your stress level significantly lower.
• Write a list of goals/ambitions/priorities. This makes you feel good as you watch yourself achieve your short term goals and make progress towards your long term ones.
• Sleep. Go to sleep early. Sleep in on the days you can. You aren't missing anything late at night. If you did what I mentioned previously and have your assignments done early, you won't need to pull all nighters right?
• Get distracted and sit on Pinterest, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, Wanelo, or any of those good sites that show you beautiful things. 
• Ignore social media. There's a high chance that the annoying people you went to high school with are still annoying. Enjoy the people right in front of you. Why would you take attention from them to give it to people on social media? 
• Take a second to acknowledge someone that loves you. Stare at your dog, cat, children, spouse, anyone. Appreciate their love and the fact that they choose to love you. Don't be too busy to let something you love take away your stress and remind you that no matter what you're feeling, there is a living creature that loves you unconditionally.
• Walk through life knowing that everyone you meet is fighting a great battle of their own. If we were able to see what every other person is going thru, we would realize that our own problems aren't so bad.

Here's the view of my dog while I try to do pilates. How could you not just stop and enjoy that face of love?