Best Friends

 

 

  

 "Dreams change, trends come and go but friendship never goes out of style."

 - Carrie Bradshaw 

 



I met Kendahl my junior year at college. We were on the same volleyball team and that's how it all began. We realized we both liked makeup, shopping, sports and Netflix. (Who doesn't like those?) We became best friends and nothing has changed to this day. We definitely know how to keep each other sane when problems come up. I think people look at us and think we are crazy because we are usually laughing or being really sarcastic to each other at times that might not be the most appropriate. Even though we live in different states we know that nothing will change from when we go home to when we see each other next. I am so grateful for having a friend who I look up to and is a great example to me.

 

Friendship is something that I think we take for granted when we are in high school. We have so many friends that we think when college comes we will have all of these friends to conquer the world with. This might be true for some people but for the most part after high school everyone moves to different states or they go to different schools and you find that you rarely talk to them anymore. College is where you meet your friends for life. I have had the opportunity to go to two different colleges and meet some pretty incredible people who I know will be lifelong friends. I believe it's important to have a best friend who you can talk to about problems, or just to go out to lunch and have a girls day with. Call up your best friend and tell them how grateful you are for them in your life. 

 

Feel free to share your stories about you and your best friend. I would love to hear them!  

 

 

Happy International Women's Day!

 

"The strongest actions for a woman is to love herself, be herself and shine amongst those who never believed she could." - Author Unknown

Margaret Fuller, Marie Curie, Katharine Hepburn, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Anne Frank, Audrey Hepburn, the list goes on and on of the most amazing women who have been influential to everyone. These women have had to go through adversity and trials throughout their life, yet they never stopped being themselves.

Anne Frank is the main one I want to focus on. Anne Frank had to hide out during the Holocaust so her and her family wouldn't have to go to a concentration camp. She spent two years in hiding and never came out from her room. After those two years her and her family were found and taken to a camp. They were tortured and separated from each other. Anne and her sister were transferred to another camp and eventually died from disease. Her dad found her diary a little while later and read what she had written. He turned it into a book and it was published as we now know it today as, "The Diary of Anne Frank."

 In the book, "The Traveler's Gift" by Andy Andrews it talks about this man meeting Anne Frank and having a conversation with her. While they are conversing two questions come up. Is being happy a choice? Can you decide what mood you are in? Anne Frank says you CAN decide what mood you are in. There were times when she was down and was questioning if her life really mattered, but she changed her mood and decided to be happy. She chose to be herself no matter the circumstances. I have so much respect for this girl. To stay in hiding for two years and not know what a new day could hold is hard for me to comprehend. It takes a person with a strong will to do what she had to do. Anne Frank will always be a role model in my life.

We all have trials and adversity that we have to go through. We have people telling us that we can't accomplish our goals and that we fail at life. Sometimes we think the best solution to this is to say that they are right and to conform to what they want us to be. I've had people in my life tell me that I shouldn't go for my dreams because I'm just going to fail and it is going to be a disappointment. You know what I say to them? Watch me prove you wrong. I have learned that being myself and loving every part of me and what I am has helped me accomplish my aspirations.

Don't change who you are to try and heed to the world's expectations. Stand out and shine. Love everything about yourself. You are on this earth for a reason. Go out and find that reason. Follow your dreams. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

 

I have had the opportunity to have amazing roommates throughout my college career. Bre, the girl in the picture, has become someone who inspires me to improve my talents and be a better person. I've always wanted to learn how to sing and coincidently she has the voice of an angel. I asked her one night if she could sit down with me and help me sing and she didn't even hesitate to say yes. We have had many late nights working on songs, hitting notes, and singing duets. She has helped me feel more confident in myself and make me want to enhance this talent. I have only sang in front of her for a few weeks and tonight she made me go sing in front of other people. I've played in volleyball tournaments for a gold medal and I've played in piano competitions in front of judges and other talented pianists. I can honestly say this was the most nerve racking thing I've done. We went and performed and I did pretty good for my first time singing in front of people. I am grateful that I was able to have a friend that got me out of my comfort zone and make me sing.

Brian Tracey said: "Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new."

This quote is applicable to everything we do. I definitely felt uncomfortable singing, but afterwards I did feel like I grew and now I don't feel as scared singing. I think we tend to hold back what we want to do sometimes because we are scared others might not like it and we don't want people to not like the things we do. In life we are going to get negative feedback at some point or another. This shouldn't mean we don't go follow what we want. We should never be scared to do something we are passionate about. Follow your dreams and improve your talents, then go show them off to the world. Be proud of who you are and the qualities you possess.

Whatever you are, be a good one.

Once a month I get to go to a class that's just for student athletes. Tonight my teacher gave a lesson about all the qualities we possess as athletes and how we can use those outside of sports. He then told us that our sports career will end and we will pursue other things that are important to us in life. He shared a quote by Abraham Lincoln that says, " Whatever you are, be a good one."

In that moment I asked myself what am I now that my role as an athlete is over? I know I am a student. Which that is also coming to an end and I will have to start finding more permanent jobs that offer a salary that will let me live on my own comfortably. When I started listing these things I told myself that I am constantly growing and changing. I can't expect my life to stand still in order for me to catch up. I have often found myself settling for things that I should never settle for. After reading this quote I knew that whatever I am, I am going to be the best! Finishing school I am going to be a great student and work hard to get the best grades I can. When I find a job I will push myself to be a good employee and a hard worker.

As women we often find ourselves comparing what we have or what we are to others. We measure our flaws to the great qualities of others. We try to fit in by buying the latest clothes to fit the latest trend or cut our hair because that's what so and so did and they look amazing. This is when we start to lose our identity and lose our originality.

In honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday I find it fitting to use one of his quotes. I come back to this quote every time I have a day where I feel like I am struggling with something about myself, whether it is my height or my appearance. The quote says, "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" We all have great qualities that are meant to be shared with the world and not hidden inside of us.

I challenge whoever is reading this to write down everything that you are or want to be and pick one to be good at. It can be a talent you want to perfect or it can be a quality that you possess that you want to strengthen. It can be whatever you want it to be. Stand out from the rest of the crowd and be yourself. We are all different and unique and we should use those as strengths. Never see them as weaknesses.

BE-YOU-tiful

 

I have struggled for many years trying to fit in to what media has told me to look like. I compared myself to every girl I saw in movies and in magazines and I became depressed thinking I could never look like that. I have always thought I was this chubby girl who won't ever be liked because I am not a size two. I have cried many nights in bed asking why I couldn't look like those girls. I went days without eating to try and feel skinny. I thought that by working out a lot and not eating much that I could get to where I wanted to be. Every date I went on I would make sure to wear looser shirts and suck in so I could look skinner. I was super self conscious all the time. I thought that if they didn't call me again to go out or if they didn't want to date that it was because I was not skinny or pretty enough.

Luckily I have had amazing friends who I could talk to about it and who have also struggled with the same thing. We have daily talks about how stupid we sound. The media is showing us photo shopped images of woman who have curves just like us. They use false advertising to make women feel bad about themselves and make us want to buy those diet pills or have eating disorders. Nothing about it is realistic. I say it's time to take a stand against the media and prove that all women are beautiful. No matter what size, shape, height, or ethnicity you are, you are beautiful.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

This blog is designed to prove that being yourself is the most beautiful thing a person can be.