Google Thyself

Yep, that is what the Career Development man said to my Business Communications class this past Friday. At first I was a little confused, he wants us to stalk ourselves on Google? But then he went on to explain that when you "google thyself" you see where you show up on the grid. Are you under a headline for sports, student government, or getting in trouble. He calls it finding your brand. Are you proud of what you show up under? What is the first thing people see about you under results? This got me to thinking and I believe it is a good thing to ponder in your everyday life. How am I representing myself to people who don't even know me and is that what I want them to see? Now this concept is different than WWJD because this is all about the outcomes of your actions and how you begins to portray yourself as one thing or another. As a junior this starts to become a big issue when thinking about applying for jobs or moving outside the college bubble. So I challenge you to "Google Thyself" and see what happens....you might be surprised.

Great Expectations

It's so frustrating being in a relationship. It doesn't matter how long you have been dating or even how much you care about the other person. It is all about the stress. Like as a couple do we look good, does my boyfriend/girlfriend do cool things like play a sport or hold a student govt position, do we hang out the right amount of time, do we act the right way in public, and most importantly do we write on each others walls enough on Facebook. The list goes on and on. So many times fights occur because of people caring about what others think. People should not worry about that kind of stuff is easier said than done. None of these things are usually in the front of your mind but they can always be discovered in the back lurking over your shoulder.

Why can't people do things just because they want to? I mean they can but who does? No matter what you are always trying to keep up with the rest of the people your age and be like them enough to be cool but not enough to copy them obviously. It is so annoying. Even for people not dating, how often do we choose things not because we think it is right but instead because we know that is what everyone else would choose. You think this stuff ends in high school but oh no that is the very beginning.

It is said that "imitation is form of flattery" but only sometimes. Other times it is because we are expected to want to be like the popular crowd or the "it" crowd if you will. So much emphasis is put on being unique that it ends up being like everyone else trying to be their own person. Either way you can't win. Truly the only way you can win is by doing what you want to do and what God wants you to do with that and hope it turns out all right.

So don't try to be your own person and don't try to be like all the other cool couples/people who post pics of themselves every other day on Facebook to show how awesome their lives are. Instead do what you want, be happy with who you are, and stop trying to fill all these requirements you think you have to fulfill to have a successful relationship/life. Truth is, normal people like us are the majority. "Being perfect" isn't really as fun as it seems, it is too much hard work for something that is superficial. We are never going to be as perfect as others look. So...let's be content in our imperfectness and have fun with it. I know its a lot to ask but in the future I think you will be glad that you did.

So Much to Say, So Little Space?

I know that's kinda an oxi moron cuz on a blog I have as much space as I want...at least i think so. But anyway, that's how my brain feels. All these thoughts and feelings spilling out of everywhere. It's exhausting!    

Like last night for example. Wednesdays are a busy day so my bf is always really good about going the extra step to make me feel good. So, when he went off to work I stayed at his apartment and washed the dishes. Here's my first thought* Girls cant win* No matter what we do its not what we are supposed to do. At first guys said our place is the home/kitchen, well feminists didn't like that so now we are allowed to play sports and own businesses and stuff. Great...now what. We wash dishes/do laundry and girls say don't do that for guys they can do it on their own. We play sports and own businesses and guys say this is a man's world and we are better at it. GUESS WHAT! You're both right. Girls don't have to do stuff for guys. They can do their own laundry and dishes. Guys are better at sports. Girls will never be as fast as guys. Guys should be in leadership positions at companies. 

No wonder girls and guys are soo confused nowadays. Girls are being told you can do anything and don't be stuck under the guys' thumb. Guys are being shown as idiots on sitcoms and are being knocked out of their niche in the workplace. Why can't we just be assigned jobs and roles like in Lois Lowry's "The Giver." Then life would be so much easier...or would it? In the real world no matter what you are going to be made fun of for what you do, whether its the "right" or "wrong" thing for you to do. That's why you gotta make sure you know who you are before you get the job or get the guy/girl. If you don't, if that guy/girl or job changes your entire life comes crashing down. That makes everything even more miserable.

Moral of the Story: Be happy with you, not who you make yourself into cuz that's not the real you. The real you is what is left when you strip away the position, the friends, the job, the significant other, and anything else that you think makes you, you. 

Sorry that took a while to say but there were a lot of thoughts I had to get out.

Life is like a....

 Life is kind of like a class, if you will. We start to fall behind when we forget to read the textbook and talk to the Teacher.       - Dan Barr

I like it Dan. I hope you don't mind that I just took your words but I think everyone should benefit from this.

This concept has been coming up alot. As Christians if we don't get our dose of Jesus or our "Daily Bread" if you will then we start going off track. The strength that we find in Him starts fading. The syllabus that we got at the beginning is there for a reason. God gave us what we need to become more like His son. Now it's our turn to complete the assignments and participate in class so that our faith doesn't wilter like some of our grades do mid-semester. So like Dan said, talk to the Teacher and make sure you stay in tune with whats going on in this chapter of your life. Don't think you can copy someone else's homework either because in this class no one's homework is the same :)

Spring Flowers

Finally, proof of spring! I found these at Messiah during Spring Break and rushed to take a picture before the ground swallowed them back up. A week and a half later it snowed there...go figure.

That's kinda been like life lately. So many plans for the future; whether they be for this summer or for a few years from now. But then reality hits, oh yea I have to finish all this work before I can get to my next weekend let alone my next sweet escape from reality. I'm glad God gives me my own little patches of flowers during the rough times. Sometimes they are in disguise and sometimes they smack me in the face. It's like He's saying stop worrying, I'm here for you and I know when you need your flowers to peek out of the snow. Thanks God, I love flowers, nice work.