Youthful Life: X

The 20s are all about surviving your most difficult days. It is a real wonder how we make it through some of the things that we endure. Every single day we are challenged by obstacles, tasks, and people. There's so much to do and so little time to do it. Sometimes it seems like the world asks too much of us. People want or need to much of us. We make mistakes; we say the wrong things; and we fail. We fall. We lose. We break down. But that's the way the world works, you survive. You do what you have to to be okay. You do just enough to make it through. You get shipwrecked but eventually someone saves you or you save yourself. "Courage, dear heart" - C.S. Lewis   One of my all-time favorite icebreaker questions is "if you were on a desert island what three items could you not live without?" People are always surprised my answer because it's not what you usually expect. Often times people say quite superficial things or they go to the extremes of wh...

The 20s are all about finding your inner light. I believe that inside each and every one of us lies a spark, glimmer or flash of light. That light is the best part of who we are. It's the most pure, light-hearted and kind portion that we have to offer to the world. I believe that there are no such things as "good or bad" people, just people doing good or bad things. We tend to write people off and do not testify to their light, whether bright, dim or barely flickering. Our light can only be extinguished by death itself. Until then, no matter what, we have some "good" in us. Light it up! Judgementalism is both a practice of protection but also one of bias of alienation. We use what we've learned about the world, the good, and all the "big bads" (Klaus from the Originals and Slade on Arrow ) chart a course. Who is "safe" to interact with and who to avoid as potential dangers. The thing is those fail-safes are based on arbitrary things...

Being a teenager is all about staying true to yourself. It's about morality, integrity, and preserving your innocence. Honesty is what keeps us real. When we are not honest, or we lie, we lose sight of who we are and what we believe in. Withholding the truth is the same as lying. When we're not honest with other people it's reflection on who've we become, and when we're not honest with ourselves, we deny the changes (good or bad) that have made us distinguishable . One word can mean everything, Veritas. There's something about honesty that makes it so unique. When you tell the truth, people respect you for it (if it's in the right context). Sometimes people tell the truth to purposely hurt someone and it's done with spite and malice. Honesty, truth, and integrity bring clarity. It allows people to see the bigger picture of what's going on in this world. When you do the right thing, you uphold your integrity and display your inner nobility. Colleg...

Being a teenager is all about making a fresh start. It's about laying a solid foundation, and having a sturdy base (Bring It On pyramid). If your very foundation is shaky, sketchy and a little shady, you can't even think about moving onwards and upwards. It's just like kindergarten (Gabriela Montez) where all you had were lettered cubes to construct magnificent imaginative towers of wonder. Go back to those basic fundamentals. These are the building blocks. Relationships . What a trivial thing? Who even knows how they actually work? Is there like a rulebook somewhere that I'm just not reading. It's like I'm socially smart, but I haven't had all the training necessary for this kind of thing. It's like those ridiculous commercials where the old people have fallen and they can't get up. (I hate those commercials). Sometimes you just fall behind and you have to make do. But, there's always time and room for you to grow and learn. College is the p...

Being a teenager is all about doing you, and that means always being on the outlook to improve yourself. College is one of those special places because almost every single day pushes you and challenges the very fabric of your being. Things come up, things happen, and you're forced to adapt, change, or stand your ground (all while trying to stay true to yourself). All kinds of craziness gets thrown at you, and you've got to be prepared when it comes to braving the elements. Braving the elements means armoring up, getting ready, and being secure in yourself to tackle any obstacle that comes your way. College literally gets you to think about things that you probably never even considered in ways no one could have ever predicted. It makes you question your very existence, your morals, values, and convictions. If you're not ready for what might come your way, then the elements can overrun you and you'll end up a different person than you ever wanted to be. For me, it...