you have to work for what you want.
this ones a real downer: nothing will come easy in this life of ours. thankful my parents set this example up for me ever since i was a little girl. but, living under their roof for the last eighteen years of my life, i haven't really been left to fend for myself all that much. man, have times changed folks. i'll be living in my very own apartment this year & paying my very own bills for the first time in my life. i've never been good with my finances, i'll be the first to admit that. i tend to see things in the moment when it comes to my money. for example: this shirt looks super cute right now. i need this shirt right now. today i have to see it like this: this shirt looks cute now, but it won't look cute in two weeks when you don't have any money to make yourself some dinner. i learned that money does in fact look better in the bank. it's been rewarding watching my savings account grow for the first time in my life. spending more time working & making money doesn't suck all that much when you realize you actually have money to do the things you want. & the best part? you earned it yourself.
fill your life with positives.
i'm talking about positive people, positive environments, & positive attitudes. i think this truth finds itself forgotten about because most of the time we don't believe we have a way out. it's almost like we think we're stuck in the job we hate, or the relationship that you know there is no future to build on, or people that you find slowly starting to bring you down. this summer i realized many times this isn't the case. if you're not doing something that brings positive outcomes in your life, cut your losses & move on. there are so many other people & opportunites that will do nothing but make you better & lift you up. it's our job to keep looking until we find them.
take a nap when you're tired.
this one might actually be the most important truth of them all. i spent many late nights working this summer & because of that my body never found itself a regular sleep schedule. i also started to donate plasma to help sustain my (lack of) college student budget & i found myself feeling nothing but drained afterwards. i'm a very strong advocate for power naps. sometimes you need to lay down, put your phone on silent, & recharge your body for twenty minutes. you'll wake up feeling refreshed & ready to tackle the rest of your day. only allow yourself twenty minutes, though. anything longer than that you'll be late for work & even more exhausted than when you laid down in the first place.
enjoy the moment.
i struggle with this truth a lot. i've never been one to be able to just sit & enjoy what is happening in my life today. my mind likes to do this thing where she goes to worrying about tomorrow, & the day after that. i've been more conscious about working on this & when i actually allow myself to enjoy the sun that is shining now, i feel so much peace. as my grandmother's alzheimer's is starting progress itself daily, i've seen that this truth is actually so important. when we go to get ice cream she's as happy as can be. we know she will forget about our treat a couple hours later, but in that moment with a spoon in her hand she is so delighted. you've got to focus on & picture that bowl of carmel cashew in every aspect of your life.
be your own best friend.
i don't mean for this truth to sound selfish. but when it comes to taking care of yourself i believe there is no choice but to be. a lot of people my age aren't in tune to their own bodies. they don't know what their minds need. it took me awhile, but i know myself more than anyone else in my life. this comes with treating yourself with respect in every area of your life. respect what you put in your body & allow yourself a couple days a week to strengthen yourself by staying active. respect yourself by only surrounding yourself with people who are your biggest fans. don't allow time to think negative thoughts about the people who aren't rooting for you. respect your own thoughts & know that it's okay to not have everything together at all times. have faith in something. pray to whoever you need to pray to when things aren't okay. for me, prayer has given me something to lean when things aren't crystal clear. god will always be the one constant in my life. with this truth it's vital to know you're the advocate for your own life. you have the power to decide where you go & how you'll handle the unexpected moments when they come your way.
it's no secret i don't have everything figured out. i've got so much left to learn in this life of mine. but one thing i know for sure is that there will always be truths that sneak their way to us when we need them the most. some will be nice & easy. others, not so much. both kinds of truths are necessary & will always leave us stronger than before. there will be many more truths that will work their way into my life someday, but i know the future holds things that are too incredible to even picture right now. i'm so ready to see what the universe will throw at me as i enter the next chapter of my life!
i'm headed to bed with a grateful heart.
xoxo. lauren.
