Youthful Life: X

"A friend is one who knows you and love you just the same." Elbert Hubbard Our ability to recall some version of our most devastating life moments is one of the hallmarks of the human experience. The speed with which I can be transported back to all the awkwardness, embarrassment, and rejection is uncanny. I always feel like I have moved past things that have long happened, and yet all it takes is a reminder from someone in the present. I have come to realize that much of my life has been dictated by this incessant need to be perfect, to show up perfectly, to be perfect for other people. Even in my friendships perfectionism has reared its ugly head. I feel like I have to win. I have to be the best - friend who ever did live. I have to be amazing - to go above and beyond. I have to be everything, and good at it all. Why do I still feel like I am constantly trying to prove my worth to my friends? Why do I see myself still as the awkward social outcast that didn't qui...

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama The start to a new year means inevitably the promising of resolutions that will most likely not be kept. The idea behind the tradition is noble but in practice rarely goes according to plan. Maybe it's because the declaration is arbitrary, or because its easier to fall into old habits than it is to make new ones. There's still merit to resolutions though but the most effective ones often are limited in their scope, or else involved a mindset shift. It's the difference between committing to a paradigm shift versus a one-off goal. One of mine this year is to be more mindful about my time and how I spent it. This is the year I reclaim my time. Time might be a social construct but it's one that guides the parameters of our realities and how we experience said reality. Where we spend in time is ...

"The fundamental job of a toddler is to rule the universe" Lawrence Kutner Kids are truly awe-inspiring people . There's something about them and their fresh perspectives on the world that adults just don't quite get. The ways they understand or at least approach understanding the world has just as much nuance as it does randomness. When we take the time to pay attention there is much to be learned. I had the opportunity to spend a few a days taking care of two year-old nephew, affectionately referred to as the Little Prince by me, myself, and I. In that time I took so much from spending time with him, other than reaffirming how truly phenomenal he is as a person, just the applicable things he's learning/being taught and their implications for my life is an adult-in-progress. Patience, patience, patience. In a world where I am constantly moving, zooming, speeding, to an fro I had to adjust to his pace. The few moments I found myself getting frustrated with ...

Truth - Looking back is critical to helping us look forward. 2016. What a year. Let's let that statement marinate just a little bit. Who would have thought a year that brought us a flurry of amazing musical achievements in album form would pretty much be garbage in every other way possible. I kid, I kid. Perspective really is everything, and hyperbolizing about an abstract concept doesn't do anything to change it. It's when we stop, take a look around, and learn from our surroundings, with a little bit of review, that we know what to do next or at the very least what not to do.   "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama Can we please have a small discussion about the ways in which this year, namely 2016 aka the year the of our Lord's departure from this Earthly purgatory, has taken on its own persona and been anthropomorphized ...

The 20s are all about looking to the future. The future, what a concept. It's a pronouncement of time that is relative to that which I exist in at this present moment. It's something that fills me with joy and hope in addition to fear and anxiety. The funny thing about it is that it will be before I know it and at the same time it won't. The future will arrive and is also unattainable. It's a mind warp all wrapped the conceptualization of tomorrow. Everyone's big question is where are you now?   "You cannot plan for life, life just ... happens"   The year is 2040. It's been 25 years since I graduated college and my life is drastically different. I've received my masters and Ed.D in higher education. I've worked at 6 different instutions, and most recently served as a vice provost for student affairs for George Washington University in DC. I've done some educational policy work, published a successful series of books based on my c...

The 20s are all about moving forward. There are so many things we do and say that hold us back. What are we afraid of ? What do we have to lose? What do we have to do to be better? My generation is one that wants to try it all out, experience everything, document it, and look good doing it too. There's been so much talk about what our limitations are, what we do wrong, and how we can improve, but it's all from those not part of our millennial generation. My generation will define itself. FOMO , an abbreviation for fear of missing out. Quite possibly one my generation's biggest contention points. Personally, am I nothing more than a classic case of FOMO. It is pretty much the entire essence of my being. It's the reason that I partake in six clubs & organizations, people upload pictures and didn't invite me, and nearly am incapable of saying no. I want it all. I want to be part of everything. I want to be noticed and featured. The fear of missing out truly is a...

Being a teenager is all about recentering yourself and getting your life back in order. It's so easy to get off the path and stray from the plan in college. You end up spending time or doing something that you hadn't initially intended. Sometimes it's great, but there are instances where deviation can lead to chaos or failure. When you've changed the course you can either right the ship and get back on track or continue until your sea liner crashes. Roll it back and reign it on in, this is dialing it down. Since I'm super busy like pretending to be a student or something (wait I go to class? It makes me laugh thinking about it because think about the shows like 90210 where they're all underage and drink excessively, PLL they never go to class or Vampire Diaries - who even remembers they're still in high school?) I can't really write you a lengthy post. This YouTube video will have to suffice, enjoy! Comment if you want more vlogs - next time I'l...