Coping

Does it ever seems like you find yourself in awkward situations or situations you just don't want to tolerate?

Well join the club. It's a part of life - to be uncomfortable. There's not much anyone can do about. Eventually the feeling subsides or the situation fixes itself and all is well.

I'm only 20-years-old and I've found myself in those kinds of instances. The one piece of advice I can give is to accept it and move on. Don't dwell on what you can't fix, it will only upset you. Just realize it happens and get on with life.

Too many times, we are blinded by our anger that we aren't able to see when something good happens. Adopting this new approach to life will give you better days and less stress. I don't know anyone who wouldn't like that. :))

This Is Our Time

It’s about time. What took us so long? Yesterday was probably the greatest moment in our nation’s history and it took forever to get there.

The fact that President Obama is African-American is great (it’s really great), but the fact that my generation finally stood up for what they believe is great as well.

Did we really need to wait for a historical election to allow our voices to be heard? Did it have to take a man who could talk to us like we were his own friends?
The answer to those questions should be “no”. However, we don’t like in a perfect world, do we? For years the youth vote has been ignored because we’ve been too lazy to stand up for what we believe in. We’ve sat back and allowed people into the white house who only wanted the job for show, when all along we should have made them listen to us by exercising the rights we have.

Speak up young people; speak up when it’s about more than history. Speak up when the economy is doing well, when we aren’t fighting any wars and when our lives seems to be doing O.K. Don’t let it be eight years from now and you call it quits. Stand up and say: “This is our time! We are America’s future, so listen to us today!” :))


Photo courtesy of Yahoo Images

Change Has Come

On the eve of the most historical presidential inauguration I find myself getting more emotional by the minute. Since Nov. 5 I’ve constantly told myself and others that having the first African-American president isn’t something I never imagined would happen. Personally speaking I’ve always imagined the first African-American president to be me.





However, I believe in this time and this place, President-Elect Obama is the perfect choice. He is the poster-child (so to speak) for change. I can’t picture anyone better fit for the job. In his speeches and in his heart I can feel his sincerity and his hope for a better America.

I don’t have a life lesson for today, I only have hope. I have hope that we, as Americans, will stand together on tomorrow and accept change. I hope that the coming months will prove to be great triumph over the damages of the last eight years. I hope that President-Elect Obama is not the last face of change for this country. We are truly one nation under God and it’s time we start acting like it. And tomorrow we will begin to act like it.

It Will All Be Worth It

Financial Guru Suze Orman is on the money - literally. On an episode of Oprah, she gave millions of people financial advice to get them back on track in 2009. I, like many people, am trying to live by her words of wisdom. Each day gets tougher and tougher and I don't know how I am going to make it.

Today I turned down a dinner outing because of Orman. In the back of my head I kept hearing her words inspiring and her 2009 action plan. She said 2009 is when we pay for everything that happened in 2008 and she's right. So she wrote a great book: "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound" (I recommend for all) that has become my personal financial consultant. This is the year of financial freedom and Independence among other things.

I know that its going to be a difficult 12 months but they are 12 months that will produce the most good. I want to make sure that 2010 is a better than the past year. Therefore, whenn I say no to guilty pleasures I know that it's all worth with it in the end. :))

Life Has to Suck

Last week I was watching ABC's "Brothers and Sisters" when Sarah Walker (Rachel Griffin) said something that really hit home and has stuck with me all week. She told her younger brother that sometimes life has to suck.

What she meant by that statement was that before things could be great they have to be bad. I find myself learning that as well. Each day I strive to achieve my goals and get to that perfect point in life where I can honestly say I'm satisfied however, the journey is long.

It seems like when things go well, something always has to interfere. That's natural and it also proves that life has to suck. But when I get to that perfect place I'll be able to look back and be thankful for all the times that life sucked because I'll understand what it's like for life to be great. :))

As Time Goes By

Yesterday I stepped outside and the air was warm. It made me jump out of my winter coat and proclaim how hot it was. Today, I looked outside and the sun is shinning ever so bright.

I feel like taking a walk and perhaps I will. It will be the first walk I've taken in a long time. I don't get the opportunity to that as often as I'd like; I don't think anyone does.

We go through life as if it's a race. We fail, we succeed, we hurt, we love, we laugh, we cry and we don't realize the simple pleasures our lives hold. Isn't it amazing the time we are given here on Earth? Some 80-90 years is all we have to get it right and there is no going back. When I think about it, it doesn't have to be that complicated.

When will we ever take time to enjoy the fresh air and just be? I think I'll take that walk now because before I know time will have passed me by. :))

Speaking Without Words

"Let the works that you do speak for yourself," are the words that enter my mind more often than not. I first heard them from my sister who quoted the first lady of our church. At the time they didn't mean that much to me but now I don't take those words lightly.

Over the past few years I've made movements to achieving certain goals in life. Along the way I've met and inspired a few young women. Of course I was unaware of my influence on others, I just thought I was living the life of Kristin. It wasn't until I was approached by a mother that I knew that what I had done.

The woman is a member of my church and someone I've known all my life. She told me her daughter imitated everything I did. She'd walk the same way, talk the same way and repeat the same sayings. I thought it was cute and I was flattered in the beginning but then I realized I was impacting this girl's life.

She looked up to me and wanted to travel a similar road as me. I knew in that moment that whatever I did it had to be positive for this young girl. I didn't want to ruin her and I wanted her to continue believing in me.

It's true that no matter what you do or where you go there is always someone watching you. They are looking at you in every way possible. Oddly enough the same people who look up to you have a reverse effect. Now each time I go to church I look for that girl because she inspires me. She inspires me to do better and reach new heights. If I fail she might give up on me and that isn't something I want. Because I know she's watching so closely I always let the work that I do speak for myself. :))