Finding Confidence Among Uncertainty

Today is my first college exam (shoutout to Econ 1) and in the process of studying for this horrendous seven chapter situation from hell, I'd like to quickly say that despite whatever my teacher says, this is not considered a quiz for normal people.

That's the thing about college. Everything is different... School is different, friendships are different, life is overall just different from how it is in high school. The only thing that makes being successful at the transition from high school to college is feeling confident and capable and making the most out of even extremely uncertain situations. Ever since I've been at school, I feel like my first reaction to everything has been to question if I'm doing something right, saying the right thing, wearing the right thing, etc. All this week I've been questioning if I'm studying the right way or studying the right material. At the end of the day, worrying about if I'm doing it all wrong would just be a waste of my time; being confident that I'm preparing myself in the best way possible, being confident that I'm doing okay at the college thing in general is what gets me through. 

When you're worried, you're focused on the future. When you're complacent and accepting of what you're doing and how you're doing it, you're focused on the present.

Focus on the present. Live in the moment. Feel confident in the decisions you make, and if that's not possible, make adjustments so you can reach that point. Feeling confident doesn't have to result from certainty that you're right, it just means faking it until you make it, or until you're at least comfortable with where you're at. The thing is, no one is perfect and there isn't one right way to do things. There definitely isn't an easy way to succeed when you're too worried about failing because making those mistakes and not being afraid to fail is how you ultimately finding the solution to uncertainty. 

The answers to questions reveal themselves in strange ways. It sounds backwards, but it makes sense.  It's like Thomas Edison figuring out the lightbulb! Try and try and try until you get it right, no matter how long or how many tries it takes to get somewhere. Never lose sight or lose confidence in yourself and the belief that eventually, you'll hit the point of success.

Fake it until you make it, be confident even when you're unsure of yourself, and good luck to everyone taking midterms!

xoxo

Staying on Track During the Holidays

As the holidays approach (seriously, how often have I found myself saying I can't believe ___ is already here?!), I am noticing that my list of things to cross off my to-do list is increasing, and my motivation is dwindling. When will I finally get the chance to sit by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and r-e-l-a-x?!

This past weekend was so low-key, and I'm kicking myself for not taking advantage of my super lazy Saturday and cranking out some work. Between AP classes, blog duties, the school newspaper and endless college $h!t, I accomplished a lot less this weekend then I should have. So, in lieu of that, today I am sharing a few of my favorite ways to crank out work when I'm loaded up with procrastination and I need a little motivation. I can't possible be the only one in this boat!

Make some tea and write a list // I am such a stress eater. It's bad. I will sit in my kitchen for an hour just thinking about everything I have to do and next thing I know I will have finished a whole pint of ice cream! I have found that making myself a cup of tea and taking it upstairs with me to my desk is the best way to go. Tea is meant to calm and soothe and destress your mind and body, and the taste curbs the urge for sugar! If I make a list and my mind is focused on my tasks rather than chocolate, I'll be so much more capable of checking those boxes. And, if you're like me and always cold, tea really can heat you up and make studying a lot more comfortable because you won't be shivering at your desk!

Put down your phone and get some sleep // These past few months I have taken huge advantage of my body's capability to function without a full eight hours of sleep, but this is definitely not a good thing. Just because some of us can make it through the day on five hours of sleep (or less!) does not mean we should. If you find yourself on your phone, getting distracted, or simply just not really accomplishing anything, then it is better to go to bed right away and give yourself some extra time in the AM to have a productive morning than to sacrifice sleep for unproductive time awake.

Schedule your time and make a plan // Write down everything you need to do for a day. Not specific assignments or tasks, but bigger things like "workout" or "service" or "appointment at 3 PM". Having a sense of the time that you actually are busy and occupied (don't forget to prioritize exercise... that should count as a scheduled block of time!) puts into perspective how much time you actually do have to accomplish all of the things you need to get done. Or, it might put into perspective that you really are busy and need to prioritize what must be accomplished at a particular time, and what can wait.

What are your tips to stay on track during the holidays?

xoxo

Lessons from #LiveSmartNYC

By now you're probably beyond sick of hearing me talk, tweet, and blog about the #LiveSmartNYC conference, buuuut I'm not quite done. Today I'm sharing the lessons I learned from a few of the amazing speakers we heard from over the course of the conference weekend. From CEO's to dietitians to bloggers and everyone in between, it's safe to say that some of the coolest people I've ever met were at that conference, and they shared amazing stories with us.

I brought my laptop to the conference (best decision ever, even if I didn't like carrying it around at the time...) and somehow wound up with over 20 pages of notes. So, bear with me, this could get lengthy.

1 | Potential, Passion, Purpose

The first day of the conference opened up with a meditation by Maggie DiPasquale. This really set the tone for the rest of the conference... you can accomplish anything if you set yourself up in the right direction. Realize your potential... Ask yourself, "what am I good at?". Define your passion; "what do I love to do?". And finally, once you've realize what you're good at and you've become aware of what you love, figure out how you can combine those, define your purpose by answering "what does the world need me to do?" and then go out and do that. Make a list. Set goals. Realize your skills, your potential, your passions that lie at the core of who you are, and achieve your purpose.

2 | Attitude + Actions

Having the right attitude about achieving your goals is key to reaching them. Elaine Pouliot illustrated this perfectly by saying, "I could’ve gotten up and said I’m only a receptionist. Instead I told my friends I’m in the communications department at IBM and I dressed like I was the president".  Basically, everyone has to start somewhere. Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle, and don't think that everyone takes the same highway on their road trip. Everyone wants to be their best self, but not everyone's best self is the same, and not everyone is going to put in the work to achieve their best self. Have a positive attitude; take risks; dress for what you want, not what you have, both literally and figuratively. And when it comes to acting out your best self, present yourself with a good attitude and act how you want people to remember you. You never know what person has a connection with someone else that could open a door for you. Statistics show that women want to keep everything to themselves; they don’t want to share. But, it's important to treat other how you want to be treated. Don't hold in all of your knowledge; be helpful and ask for help in return. What you give away, you get back ten-fold, and you can always ask others to collaborate with you on similar ideas.

3 | Appreciation

Stephanie Ruhle was one of my favorite speakers last year at the conference and didn't fail to win me over again this year during her keynote. Something that I love about Stephanie Ruhle is that she's so real but also the seemingly ideal person, and a lot of what she talked about had to do with appreciating all of her opportunities she's been given. Think about it this way... everyday we wake up in America (sorry if you're an international reader!), a country where every single day we can wake up and start over and make the most of our lives. We have the opportunity every single day to tackle our goals and achieve what we set out to achieve, and it's important to appreciate that and take advantage of that. Why waste the gift of freedom when others would kill to have it? And, appreciate the people around you too. Find the value you in every person you know and meet and aim to make more than a contact out of them. For example, it doesn't matter how many people's phone numbers you have if you can't send them a text or give them a call. Aim to make some sort of a relationship with every person you meet. Make the most out of people, make the most out of everything life presents to you. Everyday, find something, and say: What am I going to get to do with this? and work with what you've got to achieve that.

4 | Do It For You

If there's one thing everyone has in common, it's that we are all taking our own path to find happiness. No one (at least that I know) goes out of there way to be unhappy or to make themselves a life that they don't want. So, when it boils down to it, everything you do should be for you. Work hard, figure out what you want, and do everything for you. Make yourself the person you want to be. Be your best self for you. How you deal with challenges will make you successful. Find out what you love and find a creative way to make it a part of your life; be able to figure out who you are. For example, make a list of 5-10 that you love about yourself and if you didn’t have any issues (time, money, etc.), what would you be doing? Find a way to do that. Be happy right now with what you’re doing; don’t say “oh in 20 years, I’ll be happy when this happens”; be happy and fulfilled with right now, and if you can’t do that, make your life so you can be. It’s okay to change your mind. What’s important is that you figure out what you want to do and make sure you get there. You can choose who you spend your time with, and spend your time wisely. Break up with any expectations that others have of you… you are the creator of your world.

Overall, the Smart Girls Group conference this year was an incredible learning opportunity filled with amazing girls who all really wanted to be there to hear from even more fabulous speakers! I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to attend and I hope you all learned a little something from this post!

xoxo