Tag Archives: life

24 Things Life Is Too Short For

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Today, I’m turning 24 (…I know… twenty-four!). Every year around my birthday, I try to write down a number of fun things to commemorate the day – kind of like random things I might’ve wanted to know for this age a decade ago. It’s a fun way for me to reflect without getting too deep, while also thinking back on lessons I’m thankful for learning.

This year, I thought it’d be cool to think about things that life is too short for. The answer is probably “everything”, but since I’m turning 24, here are 24 things on just that.

Life’s too short to…

  1. …not trust God. This is something I have been and am learning daily, but it’s a beautiful journey, and one that we should encourage each other in.

  2. …not learn some Bible verses. These come in very handy when you need instant encouragement. It helps to have God’s word ready to go with anything that comes your way.

  3. …not make some goals. Life goals, man. It’s worth it for the direction and motivation.

  4. …not be accountable. Find that family member or friend who can help you reach those life goals.

  5. …not have good friend-mentors. I totally made up this phrase, but it’s what I consider a trustworthy, good friend that can offer you solid direction when you need it. You will need it. Continue reading →

Hair & The Art of Letting Go

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When I was younger, I used to be really attached to my hair. Not in a crazy obsessive way, but whenever I’d get trims, I may or may not have shed some tears (but let’s be honest, when the hairdresser says “I’ll give you a trim,” we all know they really mean “haircut”!). Since those days, my hair has radically transformed in so many ways, as has my attitude toward it. I’ve been on a “natural hair” kick for over three years now, and with the sometimes tedious wash days (yes… wash days), it’s been one of the best lessons in patience and perseverance I’ve had. But recently, it has also been a great teacher on the art of letting go.

About a month and a half ago, I stared in the mirror at my head of hair and huffed in annoyance. It was incredibly tangled, super dry, difficult to style, and always looked slightly matted to my eyes (thanks, dryness). I wasn’t sure what was going on… should I deep condition longer? Did I need to keep trying different hair moisturizers? I was frustrated – hair products are expensive, and nothing out of the multiple ones I had tried seemed to be working.

So I did a little research. Continue reading →

Identity

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This morning, I read a blog post written by an undergrad who’d been accused of plagiarism by her professor. She wrote on the obstacles she faces as a first-generation college student and U.S. citizen, and how superiors in her field of academia don’t expect her to be capable of achieving above and beyond the many accomplishments she’d already worked incredibly hard for. They assume she isn’t smart enough to grasp complex ideas, or to write scholarly and engagingly enough for her class assignments. This is, of course, a systemic problem with deep roots. But what struck me the most about her post was the fact that she felt “invalidated.”

How many of us have ever doubted “ourselves, our abilities, and our aspirations” based on other people’s opinions, as she did? I would guess that the number would include all of us. It is so ridiculously easy to let other voices infiltrate our emotions and influence our thought processes. We hear opinions from all sides, all the time: from friends, co-workers, employers, family, peers, society, media, and perhaps from what could be worst of all – ourselves. We allow the resulting doubt to fester in our minds until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We wonder, Wait… can I really do that? Am I really that capable? Do I really have that talent? Is this really what I’m supposed to do? Continue reading →

Rest Time

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“Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength… It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.” – Charles Spurgeon

I read this quote about a week or so ago during my morning quiet time, and the concept of doing more by doing less struck me greatly. But like many things, I thought to myself, Huh, that’s an interesting paradox, and that was that.

However, I’ve been slightly under the weather this past week; being holed up under my blanket on my couch keeping warm (I guess I should turn my heater higher!) forced me to take a break from my normal, which reminded me of this quote and its importance. We tend to equate busyness with meaningful purpose. I know for a serial list-maker like me, this is especially true: sitting down at the end of the day, checking off all the tasks I’ve managed to accomplish feels great! But it can also be a trap. It’s so easy to chalk up one’s purposefulness to the number of errands completed. The truth of the matter is that completing tasks do not necessarily equal a meaningful life. Sometimes, life requires periods of rest (however forced this rest is… read: sickness) that allow us to gear up to be more productive down the line. In taking time out for rest and rejuvenation, we’re actually taking time to do more, by sometimes doing less.