becoming selfless
Quote of the week- Growing up in today’s world is hard, especially being a teenager in today’s world. The quote, “Make improvements, not excuses. Seek respect, not attention.”- Roy T. Bennet sticks out to me a lot. When I saw this quote it made everything click, growing up with social media everything is about us, us, us. We think that the whole world revolves around us and quite honestly we are growing up to become extremely selfish people. When someone critiques us we defend ourselves, when we act on things we do it to impress the people around us rather than to meet our own standards and values. Instead of doing what needs to be done we make excuses and blame everyone but ourselves, when in reality we are in control of our lives and stories and no one is going to get the job done for us we have to do it ourselves.
So looking at this quote I am reminded to take a step back, evaluate myself, see what I need to do better on. Be aware of the people in my life that truly love and care about me. When I chose my paths in life to act on my own values rather than trying to gain the attention of other because in the long run the attention from others will run out and I will be left with myself, and if I chase the approval and attention from others I will never gain my own respect from the person who matters the most.
So looking at this quote I am reminded to take a step back, evaluate myself, see what I need to do better on. Be aware of the people in my life that truly love and care about me. When I chose my paths in life to act on my own values rather than trying to gain the attention of other because in the long run the attention from others will run out and I will be left with myself, and if I chase the approval and attention from others I will never gain my own respect from the person who matters the most.
forgive but don't forget
Forgiveness is a strange concept. You can truly want to forgive someone, but you can’t seem to get yourself to actually do it. There are many times when I find myself truly wanting to forgive someone, but I just can’t. When I was younger I was so quick to forgive everyone and let a lot of things slide, now that I have grown and I am older I have realized that allowing people to do harmful things to me and forgiving them right after made it seem like I was okay with it to them. Quickly, many people started walking all over me and continuing to hurt me because I was giving them the power to walk all over me. After going through this, I finally learned my lesson but this led to me putting up a huge wall. I started to push people away and if I was wronged once by someone I would push them away and never talk to them. After experiencing completely different ends of forgiveness I finally have found my perfect in between. I now know who to trust and who not to trust I forgive, but I certainly do not forget. I keep those who have been good to me close but I also keep those have messed a few times close as well. I make it clear that I am not okay with what they did but I also realize that holding grudges will not do me any good. I still remember what has happened and I don’t put all my trust in that person but I do realize that I have to move on and forgive but not forget.
change is beautiful (9-7-22)
Often times we create images and ideas in our head that things have to be perfect. We look at people and assume that they have this happy, perfect life that we often wish we had for ourselves. We compare ourselves to others and may wonder why our lives aren’t perfect. But there is a lot that we don’t see. Many people who are genuinely happy have not always felt this way. We don’t see what goes on behind the scenes and we don’t realize that in order to experience the good in life we are also going to have to face struggles and hardships as well. We tend to look past these tough times and focus on the perfect ambiance around us, but in reality those hard times are just as perfect and beautiful as the end result because every little thing that has happened in your life, good or bad leads up to where you are today. Your “beautiful” life would not be nearly as beautiful without all of the struggles you had to face. One of my favorite quotes goes “There is no rainbow without the rain.” Meaning there will be times where you feel like you will never be happy, but we have to remember that through the bad we find ourselves and create good. We bloom through challenges and good will come eventually you just have to wait for the storm to pass. We have to remind ourselves that are challenges are what help us grow and to embrace those times.
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selfless kindness (9-14-22)
In today's society we have trained our brains to think that we need some kind of reward when we do something good, when that should not be the case at all. We need to remember that being a good person means doing good things for others regardless of who is watching and if anyone is watching at all. We don’t need a reward or some kind of incentive to do the right thing because that is not what makes someone a good person. A good person wants to do good, or doesn’t even have to think about it they just do it. They show kindness wherever they go. We are told that good things happen to good people, which I do agree with but ultimately that shouldn’t be your motive behind doing good for others. Often times we get caught up in the idea of wondering if others think we are a good person as well but at the end of the day as long as you know you are doing the right thing that is all that matters and you don’t have to prove it to anyone. Together we need to train our minds that we don’t need others approval or reward to be a good person or make a difference. Once we all start to do this we will forget our selfish past and hopefully work toward a future where people are not only being more kind, but also a world where there are a lot more people spreading this kindness.
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Memories of a lifetime
My favorite place to travel would be to San Luis Opispo and Santa Barbara. I enjoy going to these two places because the past two summers I have gone there and made a tremendous amount of memories that will last me a lifetime. Every summer for the past two years me, my grandma, and my mom have gone to places like solvang, Santa Monica, Avila beach, and Pismo. By far my favorite places that we went to were San Luis Opispo and Santa Barbara. I think I enjoyed these two places the most because they had a large variety of things that I personally like to do. For example, I absolutely love to shop, get coffee, and go to the beach and those two destinations have not only the best shops, cafes, and beaches but also have the friendliest people and compared to the other places I have been the atmosphere is more laid back. The streets are clean, the people are nice, and these places just have the perfect vibe that I am looking for. I also think a huge reason that I enjoy these places the most is because some of my best memories have been made there. Endless laughs that were equivalent to a thirty minute ab workout to staying up late and eating so much sugar. We had such a fun time and those crazy, goofy, happy memories we made are one of the main reasons why those two places will hold such a special place in my heart.
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9/28/22
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9/28/22
Accountability is key
We live in a world where things tend to get overlooked and instead of holding people accountable to their actions we make things acceptable that should not be accepted. Personally, I believe that it would be okay if we drug tested athletes every week. I feel this way because when you play sports for your school you are ultimately representing everything that your high school stands for, you are a role model, and should be set at a higher standard. When you are making bad choices you should be held accountable for your actions especially when your name ties back to your high school sport. Not only do I think that it would be okay for players to be drug tested because who would fail that drug test should be held accountable I also believe that these drug tests would help those athletes who are struggling with making the right decisions to make smart choices. If you love the sport you play and know that you won’t be able to participate if you fail a drug test there is a higher chance that the kid will make the right decision, but when not being held accountable the player will choose to do whatever they please believing there won’t be any punishment. Drug testing athletes will help them stay in check and also maybe help the kids who aren’t able to be mentored or disciplined by their own parents, I would hope that the coaches would care for those who aren’t making right decisions and help guide and love them.
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10/5/22
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10/5/22
Small but meaningful
The life cycle of a t-shirt. A simple t-shirt, something that you wear every single day, something so basic. It never crossed my mind how much a t-shirt could effect things. How much water the t-shirt is taking up, the chemicals it takes to make a t-shirt, how bad making a t-shirt is for the environment, and the terrible working conditions that the people making these t-shirts go through. A daily necessity causes so much damage to our world. After watching this ted talk I was blown away because I have never thought about just how one tiny thing that we look upon could make such a negative impact and then I started to wonder how many other things we don’t even think about probably make a negative impact on the world which brought me into the thought of words and how are words can impact others. An extremely simple thing, like a t-shirt, speaking is used daily and words are said every second, but do we realize the insane impact a simple word can have on the world. Complimenting someone could save someones life, saying something mean to someone can change their whole entire mood for as little as a couple minutes or as long as their whole life. Just how we never would stop and think about the impact the clothes we are wearing have, we never stop to think about the impact of our words. Our words can heal and our words can hurt, so let’s try to be mindful of the impact something so little can have on everyone around us.
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10/12/22
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10/12/22
Nice guys
From the “wise” words of MarMar Oso “Nice guys always finish last should've known that.” It is an infamous saying that many boys say all the time, implying that when they treat a girl right or they are nice they don’t end up with the girl, instead it’s always the guys who don’t treat the girl right or don’t have their lives together that get the girl according to them. Personally, I don’t agree with this statement even though I could see how it would seem like it sometimes. For me I have always seemed to be drawn to nicer people in general and people who have their lives together, but I do know a lot of girls who don’t feel this way and they often follow the so called “bad guy” way. But even with this being said I still do not believe that “Nice guys finish last.” It may seem like it in highschool, but in the end the nice guys and ones that have their lives together usually tend to end up in a healthy relationship, with a good job, and ultimately are extremely successful. They may win in short term but in the long term theres no winning and it will probably be really far from that because no one likes mean people, trust me. So no I don’t think that nice guys finish last it may seem like it in highschool or when you are younger, but stay strong nice guys I swear things will turn up!
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10/19/22
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10/19/22
i love taylor swift
Taylor swifts Folklore Album inspires me to do so much better in life and all around be a better version of myself. Now you might be wondering how a song or album could possibly inspire one to be better, but when I am feeling down or just simply not in a good mood, I turn on Taylor Swift and her music takes me to a place where I want to be productive and I want to get all my work done. I honestly couldn’t quite explain to you exactly why I feel a sense of emotions pass over me that make me want to do better, but I just do. When listening to good music I quickly feel good and when I feel good I am so much happier and such a better version of myself. Taylor Swift truly makes me happy and her Folklore album really makes me happy, so when her music makes me happy and I am overall happy I want to push myself to be better because I am feeling better. Music can lift spirits and make people feel so many types of emotions when you are feeling down or not like yourself try to listen to music that will change your mood and mindset, turn on something that will make you feel happy because once your mood changes you will feel better. This is truly a life hack that is looked upon but should be used more often because who wouldn’t want to be in a good mood. So thank you Taylor Swift and Thank you Folklore for making me feel better.
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10/26/22
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10/26/22
Allow yourself to be bored
I believe in our generation we don’t allow ourselves to be bored and it is not necessarily a good thing. We often go on our phones, watch TV, or play video games to occupy ourselves but living in the moment and allowing ourselves to just do nothing should happen more often. When we are bored we probably have things that we could and should be doing, but we distract ourselves and occupy ourselves with electronics which will just stress us out in the long run. If we truly have nothing to do though it is okay to be in the moment and just be bored. We spend so much time trying to do all of these things, but when do we get that time to just relax and simply be. I have also noticed that a lot of the time when I try to occupy myself with social media because I am bored I become even more bored. The things that are keeping me from being bored have become extremely boring to me and I do not even know why I continue to scroll and scroll for hours when I definitely could do something a lot more productive with my life. With this being said, I think it is extremely important to just be in the moment and allow yourself to be bored I know it may be hard at first, but relaxing is very important for your mental health and it will probably make you a lot happier. Even though it might feel weird and awkward, just try it.
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11/28/22
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11/28/22
True friends
"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." -Oprah Winfrey This quote by Oprah really resonated with me and I think it could be an extremely relatable quote to others as well because it is so hard to find true friends and those who want to be your friend when it's not easy to be your friend. There will be many people in your life who will be your friend when you are at your highest point or when you have the fanciest things, but who will be there for you when you have nothing. Growing up as a girl making the right friends who truly have your back is extremely hard but you have to remember that people who don't have your back and are only there for you when it is convenient for them are not your true friends, or your friends at all for that matter. You are not losing a friend if they were never even your friend in the first place, and I promise you you would rather have no friends than friends that do not even care about you or your success. It is important to find your true friends and it will take trial and error, but also remember if you want a friend you have to be a friend so make sure you are being someone that treats everyone with kindness as well.
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12/7/22
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12/7/22
does college define success
I do believe that College is good for some people, but I also do not think that college defines success whatsoever. Personally, I do want to go to college and I am excited for that next chapter in my life but I don't like all of the pressure that is put onto teens to go to the best, top tier, prestigious college in the United States. I think that as a society there is an insane amount of pressure that is put on us about our future and we are shamed if we do not get into a good college, but in reality most people who grow up wish they could go back to high school and we should be taught to work hard but also live in the moment and know that it is not the end of the world if we don't get into Harvard. Some of the most successful people in the world never even went to college at all, like Elon Musk. College is definitely a fit for some people, but for others it is simply not and that is okay. I also believe that Junior colleges are looked down upon in our society when in reality they may be a better choice than going to a big college at first. Junior colleges save you money and have many other benefits but unfortunately, they are looked down upon. With all of this being said I think we need to take it easier on the younger generation, have goals for them but make sure those goals are reasonable and remember that all students are different.
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12/14/22
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12/14/22
The best sandwich in the world
The best meal I have ever had in my whole entire life would 100% be a BGT from Austins coffee in Ripon with no tomato, crispy bacon, on a plain bagel, and cut in half. If I could eat one thing for the rest of my life, without a doubt it would be this lovely meal. Everything about it is just perfect and to top it all off it is fairly healthy. This sandwich consists of the most perfect crunch, great seasoning, precise dry to moist ratio, not too much spinach, and not too much bacon. I could probably talk about this sandwich for hours and hours on end. Oh, and if I wanted to make this meal even better I would add a trouble maker coffee on the side. Which is great to clean my palette and refresh myself with the best caramel iced coffee to ever exist. Although this may definitely be pricey for just a coffee and sandwich it is without a doubt so incredibly worth every penny spent. Made from scratch, cut and baked right in front of you, you know exactly what is being put on your sandwich and know you are eating clean and healthy which really does make it that much better. Not only is the meal fantastic but the experience of walking into the cute little coffee shop is one of the best feeling in the world. The ambiance of Austins coffee makes it seem like all your worries have gone away and there is nothing else to worry about in the world besides how your going to need to eat this sandwich slow to savor every bite of it.
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1/25/23
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1/25/23
Celebrating our differences
Personally, I believe that the message of this episode is that we all have different perceptions of different types of things in our lives and we are all aloud to look at things differently than others. While some people are aloud to say certain words, some people will be unable to say those things but no matter what we believe and what our perspective may be on certain things there is no always a specific answer and the way we all are taught affects our actions. It is okay to be raised differently than other people and this is episode is a great reminder of that. Just because one person isn’t allowed to do something does not mean that they are wrong. We live in a strange world and everyone is just trying to get a long the best way they can, and for certain people and families that means they are not allowed to say things because their personal views and beliefs believe it is not right while others may see absolutely nothing wrong with it and that is completely okay. Although things may be confusing or we may not always 100% agree with other peoples views we should always show those around us grace and understand that we are all different and that is truly what makes our world so amazing. It would be very boring if we were all the same so lets embrace those differences between one another and celebrate how unique and amazing we each individually are.
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2/1/23
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2/1/23
Inspirational women
Clara Barton has made a huge impact on the world and did many great things for America and our society as a whole. Clara did not just make one significant change in our world, but instead Clara was a hero in several different categories and she should be recognized and remembered more for all of the amazing ways she impacted us and helped change our world for the better. We can learn several things from Clara one thing that I personally take away after reading her story and life is that you are going to be kicked down and not taken seriously by those around you more often than you will be recognized for your accomplish but no matter who is saying what about you never let the worlds of others effect you. People are going to say things no matter what you are doing, so it is important that you continue to keep up the good work and fight for what you believe in and know is right whether others believe in you as well or not. This is a common pattern in successful women all around the world and every time I read a story about these life changing I remember how truly important it is to fight for what you know is right and by continuing to knowledge my self on different types of women like Clara Burton I will be able to acknowledge these success’ more often and share with others the amazing things that I now know and the changes these women have made.
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2/15/23
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2/15/23
Everything falls into place
I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and I could probably talk for hours and hours on end about this topic because my opinions are so strong when it come to this infamous quote. I have many struggles that I have faced throughout my life. Some of these struggles were big dilemmas while others were just little silly problems, but no matter what the problem I would often find myself thinking “why?” “Why is this happening to me?” I could never wrap my brain around why I was being tested and why I was having to deal with these things. Then finally things started looking up and I started thanking God that things did happen to me because sometimes you can not see what is best for you and when those people or things get taken out of your life that you thought were the best option for you, you start to realize that they were far from the best. I started realizing that if those bad things would have never happened I would have never been able to experience some of the best things in my life. Sometimes it is hard for us to look at the bigger picture and see what we are missing and what needs to be done. So naturally the world takes our focus away from certain things so we are able to shape into the person we are meant to be and that is why I will always live by “Everything happens for a reason.”
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3/1/23
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3/1/23
The importance of sleep
On Sunday morning I woke up at 11 o’clock thinking to myself, “Wow, I didn’t know I was that tired.” Until I was quickly informed that we had lost an hour due to daylight savings. I was extremely upset knowing that I lost an hour of my precious sleep but thankfully it was a weekend. Then Monday came around and I pressed snooze on my alarm clock well over five times, woke up at 7:50, and rushed out the door at 8:10 barely making it to school on time. Barely keeping my eyes open, I complained about daylight savings and how dumb I think it is. Which I do believe it is a stupid concept, but why? Is it because I don’t believe we should change the time or is because I am just mad I lost an hour of sleep? In the moment, I believed it was the dumbest idea known to man kind and I just didn’t understand why we had to change the clock because I felt it was unnecessary. But now.. Well, to be honest I don’t really get it and I do feel like it is unnecessary, but I will say when we gain that hour my opinion is completely different. When we gain an hour of sleep I could not be more thankful that we still participate in daylight savings. With that being said I don’t think I really care that much whether we change the clocks but I definitely do care when it means we are losing an hour of sleep.
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3/15/23
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3/15/23
The butterfly
One of the coolest things about the butterfly and the thing that draws our attention so much about this species is the fact that they start off as a caterpillar but then transform into a beautiful butterfly. This change is so fascinating to us, but what we don’t see is all the struggles and adversities that these insects face because of something we find so amazing. If butterflies are touched when they are in the cocoon they will lose the ability to fly and the butterfly faces many hard changes in their habitats due to metamorphosis. How is it that something we find so beautiful can also be so scary to someone. Just like the butterfly, we too face challenges and hardships in our lives that some may never know but from the outside everything looks so great and some may even dream of the life we live. Maybe we assume that someone is living the perfect life so we are quick to throw out a snarky comment, but do we really know what is occurring in their lives. How did that comment effect them? Who knew we could relate more to the butterfly than we thought, as a matter of fact we can actually learn a lot from the butterfly. So the next time you find yourself wishing you were living someone else's life or assuming why that girl is always mad think of the butterfly and remember life is not always what it seems and adversity and change is necessary in everyone's lives.
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