Why Failure is the BEST thing!

Before you read this, I kindly ask that you click "play" and listen to this song as background music as you read the following words written on your computer screen. 

Geronimo - Sheppard

For those of you who do not know, I have decided to further my education and go on into graduate school. While I listened to everyone's advice that grad school is much different then undergrad, I expected that I would be able to adjust well. I always believed myself to be quite adaptable. Here is the thing I've learned about us humans, we may be adaptable, but not as much as we think. When we are hit with a failure, or a "roadblock" as I much rather call it, we sometimes get stuck. It doesn't have to be a large roadblock, it could be small, and even the smallest roadblock can have a significant effect on us. The other day, I hit my first (of which I'm sure many) roadblock. I found myself doubting my ability, my intelligence, and my path in life. I begin to doubt everything around me and wonder what would happen if I don't succeed on the path I imagined for myself. Here's the thing I discovered, it is OKAY. Our biggest goal in life, shouldn't be to be this perfect, error-free human, but rather to wake up every morning with a genuine smile and take the day as it comes. A failure doesn't mean you are not good enough, but rather it is a roadblock and it is your job, to find another way around. Others may doubt your capability, you may doubt your capability, but at the end of the day the thing that matters most is not whether or not you have jumped over a hurdle or not, but rather did you do your best to be the best you. Hurdles and obstacles will always be in our life, everything is going according to our plan and then BAM roadblock. What we choose to do with this roadblock defines what comes next in our life. Do you give up and sit down? Staring at the only, one way street you have always known? Or do you look around and see the endless paths you can also take, some of these paths may lead you to more roadblocks, some of these paths may lead you to exactly where you need to be, but as long as you keep moving forward and realize that sometimes a step back, is actually a step forward in the right direction, then you are doing something correct in this world. Just because someone tells me "no", doesn't mean I have to listen to them. I do my best to keep moving forward, and keeping trying to get where I need to be, no matter how many times others may doubt myself. The only person that needs to believe in me is myself. As my most recent Wednesday inspiration quote text said:

"Believe you can and you're halfway there" - Theodore Roosevelt

What ever is going on in your life right now, don't give up!

XO - Christina

Unsolicited Advice: How To Not Be Stressed Out!

Welcome to the first ever installment of "Unsolicited Advice", every so often I will impart my ever growing twentysomethingyearold knowledge on you in the hopes that it will either help or get a giggle out of you #TheMoreYouKnow

So being a human being it is common to be stressed out throughout this journey called life. And even though it would be totally awesome to have a montage video of us overcoming our trials and tribulations like Hercules and every other movie character has done, it's not possible. Sometimes instead we gotta take it as it is, but whenever times get to rough these are my 10 stress reduction go to activities!

1. Send inspirational quotes to others

Most recently (like the other day) I decided that I was going to send out inspirational texts to my friends every Wednesday to help everybody get over the hump! Getting back those happy texts from people truthfully help make my day, and get whatever is on my mind off it for a few moments! And it does bring some inspiration and encouragement as you search the Internet for quotes better than the kitty on the rope saying, "hang in there!"

2. DANCE

I cannot stress this enough, if you are finding yourself frustrated and yelling over how Spanish conjugations make no sense to you, take a step back, breathe, and take a note from my girl T. Swift and "Shake It Off" 

I even included it right here (SHAKE IT!) so that you can take five minutes to spaz it out on your homemade dance floor!

3. Work Out

While dancing for a couple of minutes burns a couple of calories (or so I like to think), it is important to keep those endorphins going and actually shake out all your stress. So even if you don't have an at home gym or access to one, get yourself on Pinterest and find those quick 30 minute workouts. As I always say "30 minutes of sweat, gets you to where you want to get" (Disclaimer: I don't always say that...)

4. Make lists on lists on lists

This one is simple, studies have actually shown people who make lists with pencil and paper are actually more organized and are bosses because they get stuff down...I bet you Beyonce has lots of list...even if she does wake up FLAWLESS

5.Turn off the TV, FB, Insta, Twitter and any other forms of social media

Now because I am a twentysomethingyearold this one is especially difficult for my generation and I get it, trust me! It's most likely the reason why you have to pull an all-nighter, not because you were partying, but because that five minute break you took to go on Facebook ended up reminding you that you hadn't checked your Twitter in twenty minutes, so you go on over to Twitter. And all of a sudden you see a picture of your best friend and the link goes to her Instagram so you head on over there. That's when you realize you should really check that funny article you saw earlier on Buzzfeed and 3 hours later you're sitting on your couch, updating your status, tweeting out, taking a typical twentysomethingyearold "coffee, pen, notebook, book" artistic pictures about how hard you are studying. Somewhere along the lines of life, it became more important to get more likes on your Instagram photo than to get an A on your research paper. It's a distraction and not a good one, power it down and wherever you get the itch to go on Facebook, do your best to study for 10 extra minutes. They even have APPS to keep you off of certain websites, so if you really feel that you cannot subdue the urge, do a bit of research and find which productivity APPS best suit you :) 

6. Pamper Yourself

Now this one may seem quite obvious, but majority of the time when we are in this "go go go" mindset, we forget to take care of ourselves. So every two to three weeks set a part some time to relax. I usually take a bath with these wonderful heavenly creations called "bath bombs" from a store called LUSH! In addition I use a mask called "blue corn 3 in 1 deep cleansing mask" that I bought from The Body Shop (side note: it does smell a bit like a nice old granny, but it really works wonders on your face)! All it takes is a little time to yourself to keep you energized for the next two to three weeks! Spending a little time on yourself, is always worth it!

7. Go For A Walk Outside

It is always best to get a change in scenery every once in a while, so if you find yourself stuck in doors for many hours at a time, take a quick walk to the coffee shop down the street, or just a nice walk outside with your dog around the neighborhood. A little bit of fresh air does wonders for productivity! 

8. Sleep

This one seems obvious, but I can't stress this enough. If you are tired...GO TO BED! I know sometimes it hard and might even stress you out even more because you feel that you have so much to do and sleep SEEMS like a waste of time. Honestly, though it isn't, sleep is the best thing possible for when you are busy, so listen to your body and do as it says and get some rest! Treat your body as Beyonce treats her!

9. Eat

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't especially guilty of this one, sometimes I go hours on top of hours without eating, not only is that bad for your metabolism, but it does nothing to keep you energized. Make sure that when you do eat though, you aren't going to some fast food restaurant down the street, do your best to eat healthy and making healthy snacks is a great way to relax and get a bit of a break from your work! My recommendation is to make a nice feta cheese, avocado, and garbanzo bean salad. Just add a bit of salt, cilantro, and extra virgin olive oil, throw it in the fridge for a bit and you have a nice, light, healthy snack!

10. Drink lots of water

Probably the most important one of them all, drink water! Not only will it do wonders for keeping your face in tip top shape, but it'll also help keep you more energized than caffeine (sometimes). Drinking lots of water though will help keep you on track and if you're like me and it's hard to sit down and drink water, use a straw. I promise you it helps get a lot more water in your system! If the straw still doesn't help try imaging Beyonce singing "I've been drankin'" and maybe it'll help motivate you to stay hydrated!

That's all the unsolicited advice I have for the day, but just remember at the end of the day you need to take care of yourself, so make sure you're good before trying to please others in this world!

XO - Christina

100 Seconds of Summer

So this past summer, I decided to film one second per day of my 100 day summer vacation. I didn't travel or do much this summer, but it was the little things, like spending time with my family or laughing with my friends that made this summer a memorable one. I highly suggest everyone trying to do a project like this, because not only does it make you appreciate the little things, but it also gives you the motivation to go outside your comfort zone and go explore your backyard. Summer may be officially over, but I have these wonderful memories to remind myself of the beautiful people I am surrounded by! I hope you enjoy and are inspired to do the same!

XO - Christina