" The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." 

4 Totally Random Things I Am Learning About!

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While I so rarely get the opportunity to sit down and write about things of my own interest, it is officially Spring Break so I am taking the time to write here about things that are of particular interest to me. Right now I am incredibly blessed to be spinning the plates of 5 different writing clients plus teaching plus studying, so writing here on ye olde blog takes the lowest rung on the priority ladder, but! here we are making a list (which is what we just LOVE.)

1. Self-discipline. Can you imagine?! Me? Self-disciplined? Well as the years creep up I'm hoping that I count as more mature than I used to be and a bit more committed to growth with every passing year. So self-discipline is slowly but surely making its way into my life. I'm beginning to be a more thoughtful eater. (My personal trainer's words ringing in my ears: "Do you WANT it or do you NEED it?") I'm committing to making sweating a priority since part of my career depends in large part upon physical fitness. In addition! I'm finding great success using the Pomodoro Technique when it comes to getting shtuff done. If I can knock out a shorter item off my list in the 25 minutes or less I feel like a warrior.

2. SEO. Do you even know what this is?! Full disclosure: I didn't know what it was until a year-ish ago. But it is a huge, huge integral part of making any sort of money by spending time on the internet. Messages on web sites with a little strategy can be optimized for maximum potential. Aka: the people who are searching for your product find it because it's popped up towards the top of their google search. Man, this is so key for world wide web work (alliteration!) and I'm finally GETTING it! Feels good. Feels a little tedious too. (But good.)

3. How to write a thesis. Oh man. A lot of the master's thesis stuff is straight up BORING but the good news is, you get to decide what you write about. Lucky for me I figured out a way to cover two things I'm über passionate about: social media and the BROADway! As Sophia Grace and Rosie would say, "IT'S SO GOOD!" The whole kit and kaboodle should be completed by December. I will keep you posted. But, spoiler alert: it's gonna be awesome.

4. Cooking! Again, can you even believe?! With the advent of the boyfriend's move to the Hill City (yes my name is Hil and I live in the Hill City.) I have the motivation to cook some solid meals. One of my new year's resolutions was to learn how to cook 3 new meals and I think I have done just that! Thanks Real Simple, Pinterest, Sister and Mom!

So tell me...what are you learning about?

7 months later thoughts. :)

Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I haven’t blogged in 7 months. 

And it’s kind of an awkward place to begin. Well, it’s awkward to try and figure out what to write.

Here are things that I’ve been thinking/have been going on. 

Illustration by Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co.

After a solid year of long distance somehow I get to live near my boyfriend now. It’s magical and warm and fuzzy and an adjustment--in the best way. I love having him to hang around with. He is so sweet and supportive and what-you-see-is-what-you-get. His presence in my life makes me a better person. For sure. It starts with just illuminating the parts of me that need to grow. 

I’ve never been so cognizant of my own need for growth. Don’t confuse that for self-loathing or something. This is an accurate, unemotional knowledge that my natural, first inclination is to do whatever I like. And sometimes--no, maybe all the time--the most rewarding, best, most honorable thing to do is the total opposite. And it might even make you happier than you thought the thing you so wanted to do did. This is stuff I’m chewing on these days...

It’s been a year and a half since I performed in a musical really, really. I miss it so. What’s wrooong with me? Most people stop doing that by age 12 and don’t miss it. Why does soaring music and touching storytelling mean so much to me? Why do I so passionately love something that I will probably never make a decent living doing? What then, bright-eyed millenials?!

I’m still in love with the internet. Maybe more than ever. I think I could qualify as a Twitter evangelist. Never in the history of the world have we been privy to so much knowledge at our fingertips. You there, with your computer, can learn about virtually anything you want today, with that. That’s inSANE. What kind of privilege/responsibility is that?! Aren’t we supposed to be doing something remarkable and world-changing with this kind of tool?

What am I doing to leave the world better than I found it? 

2012 is off to an unusual start. I think this will be a great year. A year of growth, maturity, goals being reached, milestones achieved, celebrations, and love. 

Don’t forget: you’re living your story.