When I decided to go to a out of State for college, I was scared. It was new and unknown and I was unsure if I had made the right decision. Looking back on it now I am thankful that I decided to take the leap. Besides missing my parents constantly I longed for my friends back home. As it stands to reason when distance is put between any relationship there is going to be some growing apart. But true friends find a way to make it work.
I’ve lost many of my friends back home through distance. But there is one in particular that has pushed through. My friendship with Kaylee will never be one I take for granted. We all say that our best friend is your other half, she just completes you. Mine is no different. It was and still is the hardest goodbye I ever have to say. But you know what is special about a friendship that never ceases? Nothing has changed when we are reunited. We still have the ability to talk till 4 in the morning and veg out watching HGTV. I don’t have to put on makeup around her and she knows my most embarrassing stories, partially because she is in them. So why has our friendship lasted over others? I like to believe that it’s because we understand and respect each other and put in the effort. We both live busy lives and don’t expect much from the other, other than the occasion phone call to catch up and talk about the latest gossip. They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and while for the most part that doesn't seem true, some truth does remain. Sometimes it just takes a little separation to make you realize what you truly have, even if you don't take it for granted. Don't get me wrong, the distance has sucked, as well as the time difference, but I wouldn't change either of our paths, because this journey has done nothing to our friendship but strengthen it. So I challenge you to maybe reach out to a friend you maybe lost along the way and try to re kindle it.
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When I first decided to study abroad in Ireland last summer, I was ecstatic. I had always wanted to go and explore the country where my grandparents came from. It would also be my first time going to Europe. In all honesty I had such high expectations for this trip that I started to fear that it wasn't going to be all I wanted.
It wasn't. It was so much more than I could have ever imagined. From wandering around the streets of Dublin, to sipping coffee at a cafe in cork, immersing myself in another countries culture gave me peace. Watching all the different people that passed by I wondered what their stories were, where they were going, who they were meeting. Walking down the streets of Dublin and feeling like I finally belonged somewhere. There's just something in the air in that city that made me smile, made me feel so deep. I can't explain it, but I am forever grateful to it. I learned many things about myself and traveling through this adventure. Here are some of the things you may want to know: I learned that traveling to a different place every three days is absolutely amazing. You will see things and learn things that you never imagined you'd experience. But you'll get exhausted and you'll wish your mom was with you. That's OK. One of the most important parts of going abroad is allowing yourself to feel homesick. Culture shock is real, but it's not necessarily a bad thing; you must let yourself feel it to be able to get over it and enjoy your time abroad. Company is the huge part of traveling. You will always want someone who is far away to be right by your side so you can share your amazing experiences with them. Exploring on your own will make you learn a lot about yourself that you never even knew. Honestly, studying abroad helped me discover how amazing being independent can be. Being able to get up and do something on your own is one of the best feelings, but yes, it can sometimes get lonely. Don't let that stop you though; sometimes being lonely is good to discover new things about yourself. When traveling so much, sometimes your heart will yearn to go back to one specific place. Don't listen to it. Believe me, seeing all of those new places pays off, and soon enough you'll be back where you belong. I realized that you can feel nostalgia even for something that hasn't passed yet. You will be dreading leaving from the moment your feet touch the foreign ground. To be honest I can't say I regret anything from studying abroad. I got the love I needed from a city, something I never thought was possible. I fell in love in every single small town, train, street, and bus stops. I will never forget all the journeys I took and for once felt what it was like to be a wanderer. I will never forget what I learned from every adventure that I took. So, yes, I had the highest expectations for Ireland, but God, did I find so much more than I expected. I found myself and where I belong, and in all honesty I'll never quite be the same until I go back. Studying abroad opened all these doors for me and helped me discover what I wanted. Unfortunately, my time studying abroad in Ireland couldn't last forever and I found myself having to pack up my stuff and leave. But I know for sure I'll be back because when the heart yearns for a place to call home there is only so much time you can ignore before it finds its own way back to where it belongs. "You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you." - Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth If you haven’t read "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale, you should go pick up a copy and get started on it today. This article is based solely on the first chapter, and if you ask me, gaining this much insight on life from one chapter of a book is pretty damn great. I love reading, but ever since the first quarter of college started, all the assigned textbook readings left me with no time to read the books that I actually want too. So as I sat at my desk, planning studying for finals, I found myself slowly gaining more and more stress. I looked over to the six books I brought to college with me that have been sitting on my desk since move-in day. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale seemed to be just what I needed in that moment. So I picked it up and decided to take a break from my studying and read the first chapter. Amazingly, the first chapter made a HUGE difference in my attitude already. And here are some things that I got from it: The reason why we have feelings of defeat is because we have fear of defeat occupying our minds out of habit. We need to get rid of this habit and fill our minds with positive thinking. For Peale says, “Practice confidence and faith and your fears and insecurities will soon have no power over you.”
There will come a time in your life where you find yourself wondering who you are and how things could be so far from where you want them to be. For me, this moment came eight months ago when my boyfriend and I of nearly three years ended things. It was a breakup that none of our friends had seen coming. There was no big argument or fight, no one cheated or lied, we just realized that we were no longer the people who we wanted to be. We needed to find ourselves and love ourselves first again before we could love anyone else. Within the relationship, I had forgotten to love myself first and do the things that made me who I am. I had become someone I didn’t like and ultimately didn't want to be. I lost myself along the way, forgetting to do the things that make me smile and confident in myself. I’ve come a long way from that girl, she’s who I’ve been fighting for everyday since. She taught me to love myself and to commit to myself. She gave me the determination to fight for what I still have, to fight for who is still with me, and to fight so hard for my happiness. In order to love others, you must first love yourself and know your own self-worth. If there is one thing you should know is how important it is to love yourself! Here are just a few reasons why: Each and every person is worthy of love, worthy of investment. Self-worth is something so many people struggle with. But I am here to say that you are so worth loving, and if you do not think so, remember that you are here for a reason, and you may be imperfect, but that is the point. You do not have to be perfect. The world would be pretty boring if we were all happy and perfect 24/7. Be yourself. Love yourself.
Positive Thinking, noun I to be optimistic, concentrate on the good rather than the bad. It is a mental attitude in wich you expect good and favorable results. In other words, positive thinking is the process of creating thoughts that create and transform energy into reality. A positive mind waits for happiness, health and a happy ending in any situation.
Within the last few years I have endured many life changing events, from transferring colleges in the middle of academic career, moving to a state where I knew absolutely no one, the death of a best friend, to the divorce of my parents it feels as if I have been through it all. For some, a continuation of life altering events, may cause them to have an unappreciated outlook on life I have tried to do the opposite, to continue and try to keep a positive outlook on the cards that I have been dealt and realize that this is only making me stronger. The purpose of this blog, is not to tell you that no matter what you have to stay positive, but to enlighten and empower my readers to be confident, think positive, and love life, because it the end it’s the only one we have. I want to start a conversation about the daily struggles we all endure and how to turn the struggles into strengths. |
AuthorI am a Public Relation and Advertising student and I spend my days working on finishing my degree from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Archives |