Inspiration: Pass It On

Inspiration: the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

This semester, through a series of events I've really been learning about the importance of inspiration and what drives people to do what they do, or where they get their ideas and where their creativity spouts from.

For me, a lot of my inspiration comes from people around me that I live with - girls on the hall, my RA, girls on my team, my LAC, my mentors, etc - and how they maybe are living their lives differently from me, how I'd like to be more like them, and how I'd NOT like to be more like them.

Just a few examples:

I love watching the enjoyment that people get before and after running here, and I've picked up running again. (I ran a half marathon once, but that's another story).

Watching other girls get serious about their devotional time, even in college when their time is their own has encouraged me to do the same.

Hearing about how different people find solace and fulfillment in finding a home church at college has inspired me to find one myself. I have by the the way, and I love attending every Sunday.

Watching girls constantly panic and worry about what they're eating has shown me what an unhealthy relationship with food looks like, and how to avoid it. (Another post about my stance on this coming later).

I also (shallow, but there's a lot of creativity out there) get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest! Looking at what other people are doing in the world of DIY and fashion inspires me to get out there in that field as well.

The point is, I draw a lot of inspiration from a lot of different places. But, I've also found a giant blessing in being an inspiration to other girls in my life. I started blogging to be able to communicate to family and friends back home and because I like to write and I saw what other people were doing that I loved, so I thought I'd try it out. But, I've found that I've provided the same forum of inspiration for other girls here at APU! Check out "A Thousand Gifts", a blog done by one of my great friends at APU who started her blog after looking at mine!

My note here is not to brag about myself, but rather to encourage you readers and to serve as a reminder. One, I encourage you to be an inspiration to others around you. Two, in order to do that, do something you love, do something spectacular. Three, remember that people are watching what you do. Not in a creepy way, but be thinking about what kind of example you are being to those around you. Are you a light? An inspiration of how to live, what to do, what and how to create? Or are you one of those who is inspiring negatively? Inspiration: Pass it on.

Easy Dorm Decorations

We all have them - magazines from the plane rides home and back for Thanksgiving. Cut out a heart shape from a large notecard. Let's be serious, as a college student you should have those. Then grab a Sharpie and find cute patterns to cut out! Little tip: I traced the heart on the backside of the page I wanted to use so the sharpie wouldn't be on the image. Then tape then anywhere! I did 9 for a 3x3 pattern, but have creative reign!

Mutual Weirdness

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”

A note on weirdness: I love it. I am the weirdest person that I know.

I love cats. 

Star Wars is my favorite saga. 

When the newest Star Trek movie came out, I watched it almost every day for 2 weeks.

The new Avengers movie...I can't even.

I am a total nerd - I love school.

I love anything that is awkward.

Other than a turtle or a cat, my favorite animal is a mudskipper. Shout out to AP Bio 2012. 

I don't like Nutella - which I'm finding out is a staple in nutrition and is probably a large cause for concern for freshmen. 

I think you get it, I'm super weird. But, I like who I am and I boast in that. Without my little quirks and little pieces of weirdness, I wouldn't be who God intended me to be. 

And now, I'm so blessed to have a hall that (mostly) emulates these values like I do - maybe not to the same extent. My hall is all so different, but our differences are what allow us to get along and to have a fun, silly time together and to live well together. Because of this melding of weirdness, we have adopted this quote as our own for the hall. 

So this post is a shout out to one of my favorite people I've been blessed to get to know and one of the first people I met at Azusa - Meika Folkerts, my RA. She has facilitated this attitude and this mutual weirdness on my hall and is just so dandy and I am so thankful to have her.  

Love you Meiks! 

A Long Time Coming

Well...we (me and my multiple personalities) made some big decisions in the last couple of weeks. If you are my mom, my roommates, my RA, or in the LAC, you basically know how much I've been contemplating and deciding this thing that's been whirling around in my head. So, now that I've made a pseudo-concrete decision, I'll let you all in on it as well.

First some background: I love journalism, have loved journalism, and probably will love journalism for the rest of my life. I like hearing/reading about/watching news. I've said I wanted to be a journalist since I was four, says my mother. And, since I'm pretty stubborn, it stuck because no one (including myself sometimes) can change my mind.

So I spent my growing up years in high school focused on that goal. I started working on the paper freshman year and worked my way up to Editor-In-Chief by junior year, and continued that position senior year. I also joined the broadcast lab junior year and loved being on set as an anchor as well.

This last February, I also had an incredibly special opportunity to go the the Detroit Red Wings High School Journalist Day where I got to be a part of a press conference interviewing the CEO of the Red Wings, the head coach, 3 players, the media, and the public relations specialists that work for the Red Wings. While I was there, I really felt that I was supposed to work in media, in updating people with information and events, and I loved writing and asking questions. So for me, that was the day that solidified, "Yes, this is really what I'm supposed to be doing."

...And then I came to Azusa. And I suddenly felt really bored with the prospect of just writing about events and information for potentially the rest of my life. I wanted to be the one planning those events and involved in them! This is usually a common problem for me anyway because I'm a serial over-commiter and in high school I was involved in a lot of things that were worthy of being reported on.

Then joining the LAC (Living Area Council), I realized how great my strengths are in event planning and communicating with people. And then it hit me...what career joins forces with journalism and event planning and working/communicating with people? PUBLIC RELATIONS.

Once I realized what I really wanted, it was an easy switch to completely change life goals, which for me, is a huge deal. So now, I am still a journalism major (as public relations courses are part of the journalism major here at APU) and a marketing minor.

Just today I got to talk to Alexa Hinds, the Community Relations coordinator for the Detroit Red Wings, and just how she described her typical day (her job is essentially to provide volunteer opportunities for the Red Wings players while being able to get their name out), it sounded exactly like something I would love to do. Essentially, I'm pretty darn excited about the change.

So, that's about it. That's my big news of the day! Prayers in this new direction would be awesome too! Let me know what you think about the decision!