A Dynamic Mentality

Hi friends! I know I’ve been a little MIA, but I hope all of you are doing fantastic and are getting a move on your goals. My winter break has been filled with working, hanging out with friends and looking for some inspiration, wherever I can find it! I’m super excited to be back on and sharing with all of you.

For this particular blog post, I wanted to take a moment to share with all of you not only the things that I’ve learned to live by, but why I live by them (to this day), along with where these life lessons/moral laws came from. I hope you enjoy what I have for you today and– hey, maybe you’ll relate to what I have to say on some level!

So let’s get started!

“You Don’t Have To Be Anyone, but Yourself”

The recurrent theme in my life was the theme of identity. I grew up in a town that was really diverse and only very few kids applied themselves in school. I was a part of the few who believed in achieving. From time to time, I would often stop and think, who am I?

Amidst the identity crisis I was having, my mom had told me the quote listed above. Quite frankly, I didn’t know what to say. I was at a point in my adolescence where I was growing up in the age of social media and I didn’t know what I stood for or what aligned with my values.

When I finally got to high school, I remember having distinct memories of when I decided to be myself and when I did, amazing things came out of doing so.

I found friends that aligned with my values, experiences that were worthwhile, the amazing support of people who love me for me and I eventually grew to love myself for all that I am. It’s what lead me to being who I am today.

Remember: We are Humble in Our Victories and Remain Hopeful in defeat?

This quote goes back to my time in band. Before you ask, no I did not play an instrument, I was in color guard, so I played the flag haha. The only reason why I have a question mark at the end is because I don’t really remember what that second part of the quote was, but to the best of my memory it has to do with being positive or hopeful in the face of defeat.

Before every competition and football game, the band director would always say the words listed above.

Humility is something I learned in high school and something I still try to live up to–a humble life–to this day. I’m humble in my accomplishments and always hopeful for other parties, because I don’t view life as a competition anymore. I view life as a collective journey that we’re all on–together. If people are chosen to lead great/ successful lives, then I have no other choice than to look up to that and reach for success.

Case in point: my college journey. All of the people that I went to high school with are either done with school, settled into their professional lives, or they’re in grad school, making the most of their dreams.

Truthfully, I’m happy, because I’ve learned that life isn’t a contest to see who gets there first, but rather it’s a celebration of successes. It’s remaining humble and hopeful for the people around you, knowing that one day, you’ll be achieving similar goals.

I’ve learned that my journey, just as well as anyone else’s, is still worth sharing.

Accept the situation and find joy in it

Now this is a tape recording that’s been going off in my head from the moment I heard it. I was venting to a friend about how certain things weren’t working out, despite all of my efforts.

And I remember feeling stuck. My friend basically said these words beautifully, after of course, telling me that there are going to be certain things that are not in my control.

If you don’t know me, I’m someone who tries to control the situation and when that happens, it obviously doesn’t end up working out the way I intend for it to happen, which evidently drives me up a wall.

So with that being said, my friend calmly said these words, and consequently, I ended up writing this quote on a sticky and stuck it onto my calendar, haha.

But anytime I find myself in a situation that I know I can’t control, I remember to tell myself to accept the situation and find joy in it. Once you begin to accept the situation for what it is, a temporary solution is to find joy in it. Find what you can do to make the most of the situation.

I was at a Christmas party once and I saw someone who I hadn’t seen after a falling out with them. I remember being caught off-guard and wanting to control the situation (by leaving, haha).

When I realized the words that my friend said, I stayed and tried to make most of the situation in any way I could and I ended up having a lot of fun at the party.

Many times in our lives, we run into undesirable situations that teach us that a) it’s temporary and b) how can we make the most of it, without going crazy?

Accept the situation and find joy in it, friends!

You can start over and begin anew

A huge thing in my depression was the fear of starting over. The fear of learning things all over again. That’s hard.

I remember being fresh out of withdrawing from the school I went to and starting a new journey, in a new town and in a new area of study. That terrified me to my core and made me go into depression again.

It wasn’t until my dad and other people in my life told me that it is okay to start over and begin from a clean slate. This is yet another saying that I had inculcated to my mindset.

Through starting over, I’d been able to find out more about myself and be more at peace with the things that never worked out for me, all for good reasons.

Sending all the love and light your way,