Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable

So often when I'm faced with a new situation, whether it be a new job, a new apartment, or even as small as going on a first date, I get very nervous. Each time I would have an inner dialogue going on about how ridiculous I am for being nervous. "Look around, does anyone else seem nervous," I'd ask myself. More often than not the answer was always "no". "So then, why be nervous? You'll be fine. Take a hint from the greatest band to ever exist and Let It Be". However, calling on the Beatles, relaxing, and facing the new situation with a victorious mindset is much more difficult to do than to say. Luckily, I've come to learn that, despite what my inner voice says, I'm not alone in this struggle. Oh yes, we all face it.

Before I jumped on a plane all by myself and moved to Florida from Michigan, my home state, I was freaking out. I kept telling my sister, the chauffeur to my presumable doom, that she shouldn't drive too far too fast once we said goodbye, for I was most likely going to back out. Beyond my verbal hysterics I was, of course, a physical hysteric too. A flood of tears and involuntary shaking paralyzed my typically lively spirit imprisoning me in the belief that I simply could not get on a plane and move to Florida all by myself. Thankfully my sister, being the dear that she is, pulled over to the side of the road and gave me a cup she had made herself, (apparently she knew my reluctancy may occur). On the cup she had written, "On particularly rough days, when I'm sure I can't possible endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through the bad days so far is 100% and that's pretty good!"

Now I have no idea if she came up with that, or she found the quote from someone else, but I love it so much! I clung to that cup all throughout the airport. Even when my sister had to come back because I forgot my ID in her car and I wanted to use that as an excuse, nay, a sign, that I shouldn't be going, I clung to that cup and believed what it said. And you know what? It was exactly right! I got on that plane, and I've now been living down in Florida for 9 months and will living here for much longer. If I had let my trepidation get in the way of my journey I never would have met so many of my friends, or had most of the experiences I have had. I would probably be in a bed somewhere, crawled up in a ball never wanting to leave.

Here I am now however, about to start another new chapter in my life, and the nerves are back. Change is a part of life I tell myself. Reminding myself that if everything stayed the same how much I would loath life, and how dull the colors of my life's palette would be. So now I look back at all the times I've had to go through transitions in my life and remember my sister's quote and it's accuracy on my success rate: 100%. From each success I have learned, I have grown, and I have thickened the breadth of my life's story.

Therefore, I encourage you, no matter what struggle or challenge you are facing, to remind yourself what your success rate is for overcoming...100%.  It may be hard, and change is hard, no one denies that, but change is also good. I believe in you!

What are some comforting words of wisdom you have you been told during your life's transitions?

XOXO

Girl--->WorldOPEN

My Prequel

This is my prequel. Why a prequel? Because if you don’t look back and see where you’ve come from, how can you know where you are going?

So how does one go from an small town American country girl to a freethinking Christian feminist ready to change the world? Well that’s exactly what I’m about to show you.

When I was around the age of 8 I was called a feminist by my very loving father. I had been complaining about getting yelled at for having to help my mother clean up dinner while my brother got to continue to watch the football game blaring in our living room. Between the clanging of the dishes and the slamming of the refrigerator I cried about the unfair treatment my brother and I received solely due to our sex. My father, between bouts of laughter, said that I am being prepared for my future and this is the woman’s task. Seething, I put down the dishes, quit touching the half wrapped turkey and yelled, “I will never marry a man who doesn’t help clean the kitchen and put away dinner”.

At this my father really began to laugh, the type of laugh that comes from somewhere deep within a person’s soul and shakes their entire body. But it was here, as his laughter lessened, in a moment barely tangible, my father uttered the infamous word that has since changed my life completely: “feminist”.

Of course at 8 years old and barely in the 3^rd grade I had no idea what the word meant and, much to my dismay now, yelled back at my father for calling me such a thing. A few hours later I was told by one of my older siblings that it meant “equal rights for women” and at that moment, in all solemnity, I swore myself to be a feminist for the rest of my life.

At that age I had no idea where, if anywhere, feminism would lead me. If you had told me I would make it my life’s work, I probably would have speechlessly dropped my jaw. But alas, 11 years later in my freshman media class the word “feminist” came full circle and hit me square in between my eyes.

I was studying at university to be a documentary film director and as a prerequisite had to take TC 100: The Information Society. TC 100 focused on the trends, services, and policies around every form of media. Around the sixth week of class we began to focus on media’s effects on women and, if you can imagine life as a game show, this was the moment I pressed the big red button, bells and whistles sounded from every direction and Bob Barker was shouting “that is the correct answer!” In other words, I had hit the sweet spot in my education and wanted to continue to learn about this subject matter for the rest of my education. Only problem: “Media’s Effects on Women” wasn’t a degree.

I spent the next year and half developing my own major titled, fittingly so, “Media’s Effects on Women”.  Now I digress for a moment to say it wasn’t something normal at my university for students to go around developing their own major, in fact I’m only the second person at my university to have done so. I say this not to bring myself accolades but rather to express the sheer magnitude of my passion to learn about this subject matter.

With the ability to develop my own major came the blessing to pick, out of all the thousands of classes offered, which classes I wanted to take, as long as I could prove to the university that all of them combined could relate to one narrowly focused educational outcome. That being said, the university was my oyster.

Choosing classes from English 431C: Studies in Film and Gender, to Psychology 339: Psychology of Women, every class was a new and eye opening experience that only deepened my love and passion for my chosen field of interest. Seeing the need all around me I began to utilize every morsel of my learning in the real world by mentoring sixty plus females as a Resident Assistant within my university’s dorms, writing articles and creating campus-wide programs as an inter at my university’s Women’s Resource Center, and even volunteering as a media specialist at a summer camp for underprivileged inner-city children.

As graduation sped closer I was able to look back and see how much my life had been changed by that one simple word “feminist” 14 years earlier. Even since my freshman TC 100 class, I had become exposed to a subject matter much more vast than just media’s negative representation of women. No longer could I ignore the many triggers of rape culture our society perpetrates, sex slavery, the acid violence against Bangladeshi women, or even the simple words and stereotypes we use that continues to proliferate the gender disparity. Looking toward the future I search for a career that encompasses all of this thus continuing the revolution my feminist sisters started over a hundred years to help forge the gender equal future they imagined.

Alas, as every good prequel must, we’ve come to the end of our story, or really the beginning of my story. Here I am, I freshly graduated 20-something with only a degree in one hand and an ambition in the other to take me into my future. Yes, you could say then that I’m just like every other college graduate: naive, penniless, and a dreamer. To quote from John Lennon, “but I’m not the only one” (“Imagine”). 

Infinite X's and O's,

Girl--->WorldOPEN

A Letter to the Bullied

You’re always going to have haters. People who tell you, you are wrong for thinking, believing, or even looking as you choose to. They will always exist so you must learn to accept them and move on. Don’t take my forwardness as ignorance of reality, for I know what’s real. What’s real is the pain their words and actions make you feel at night as you replay them for the hundredth time like a broken jukebox repeating your least favorite song.

Your pain is valid. Their words are cruel and unfair. However, staying in a state of pain by focusing on it will get you nowhere. They will think they have won and continue their vicious cycle of making you feel worthless, incapable, and insufficient. Listen to me right now, and repeat these words every moment of every day: You are worthy, you are capable, and you are sufficient.

 I wish haters didn’t exist, I wish we all accepted one another just as we are and focused on the more important matters. But, this just isn’t reality so there is no point in wishing away our lives. Instead try and make something good out of their cruelty. Refocus your energy and use their gifts in a positive way. Tell them thank you.

Thank you for reminding me why I need to be nice to people, why I should help others even when I don’t feel like it, and why I should think twice before I speak or act. If it weren’t for their daily torments you wouldn’t know what it feels like to be judged or stereotyped and why it’s important not to do so in reverse. Above all, you wouldn’t know how to recognize others being bullied and you wouldn’t feel a desire to stop it. There’s a reason for your pain, use it to make the world better.

Again, haters will always exist. They are there when you are young and don’t understand what you have done wrong. They are there as you get older and realize it’s nothing you’ve done. Haters morph from being just another schoolmate to being your co-workers, your boss’s, and even your best friends. Therefore you must live your life exactly as you believe is right for you and under no circumstances change that for anyone except yourself.

So everyone has the new Michael Kors purse and your getting made fun of for just having a hand-me-down clutch? You rock that clutch like it’s what’s up and coming and they are a part of yesterday’s trend! So you got straight A’s and everyone is calling you a teacher’s pet, boring, or nerd? Remember that education is the path to success and the key to a positive future. If nothing else, remember that doing well in a school means you’re more likely to be their boss in the future and then oh, how the tables will turn. So you’ve stood up for your beliefs that women deserve equal rights and now your being called a Femi Nazi and getting uninvited to social engagements? Even for the greatest of leaders opening people’s minds has never been an easy task that doesn’t mean your opinion is wrong, you’re just a leader for those who are too scared yet to speak. Don’t let one non-invite disturb your focus on helping achieve a positive joyful change for an entire world.

See it is not haters you must be worried about, but your own self. If you let them be your focus you will forget who you believe yourself to be and will become who they say you are. They will try and make you in to nothing, but you are here for a reason. You have two eyes, two ears, two legs, two arms, and one brain to think about what you see, what you hear, where you go, and what/whom you hold. You alone make the choices. Think them through thoroughly, than make them fully and completely. Own them. Let not a sole damper your choices for only then can you say you have won.

You won. No matter what they say, and no matter how they have made you feel, you have completely stood up for yourself by making your own life choices and thus being exactly who you are.** You have projected yourself out in to the universe as a new light, a unique light, a light that no matter how are they have tried they have been unsuccessful in darkening. Congratulations, and keep shining through the darkness.

**There will come a time when you may not be happy with your choices. Only you have the power to change them. Sometimes you will not feel capable of it and at this time the bully will reside in your own head. Repeat to them just as you repeated to the haters in world, you make the choices for your life. You choose. 

XOXO

Girl--->WorldOPEN

Quit Apologizing!

One of the hardest things I've had to overcome is the need to prove to others why I am the way I am. I've had to realize that when people disapprove of how you define yourself they don't literally say, "I disapprove of you" instead they say it through their mannerisms, their actions, and their forms of speech. They may ask you, "how can you be a Christian AND a Feminist?" but their not asking for understanding sake and keeping an open mind about who you are, instead their closed off and searching for an argument to correct your "bad lifestyle choice". Now this isn't all people in life, clearly. Some people accept you for exactly who you are, no questions asked. Those people I'd like to call friends. Best friends. However, I've encountered far too many of the negative sort of people in every aspect of life to believe that it's just a phase of life, certain people, or just the rare few of us deal with it.

As I've grown up I've learned that I'm very hard to put in to a box. Some people may be able to, (awesome, go ahead and be my guest) but I have a million scattered edges with landmarks of personality displaced all over the globe. For instance, I'm a complete Directioner, but gain breath through indie-folk. I'm a Christian, but a complete and total feminist. I'm small in stature but loud in voice and fast in walk. I'm a pop-culture junkie but devote my self to educating people on how it effects them. And I wear makeup almost every day, but I know how beautiful people are without it.

Now most days I've felt compelled to hide either one side or another of my seemingly contradictory existence simply to please other people, but I'm tired of fighting who I am. I've learned that to lie to yourself is one of the greatest injuries you can to do yourself. You have to find your own truth because you are the only person who lives with yourself, every moment of every day. You don't owe anyone an explanation. So quit apologizing for being you.

On the reverse side though, people are going to act in ways that you disapprove of, keep an open mind and let them be who they are. This doesn't mean you have to like them, but you should respect them for who they choose to be especially if you ever hope for the same in return.

What are some things about yourself you always seem to have to apologize for?

What are the most difficult barriers of being yourself you've had to overcome?

XOXO

Girl--->WorldOPEN

Writing what I know: People change

I spent most of my early life homeschooled. When I finally went to public school I was unknowingly headed in to the so dubbed "worst years" aka, middle school. Going literally day to day from having tons of friends to having zero friends wreaked havoc through my tiny twelve-year-old self. Looking back I'm not sure I would have believed anyone if they had told me that it was all because hormones were running astray, even the "popular girls" were a ball of awkwardness, zits, and emotions, or more shortly, I wasn't alone. Those days I felt most alone of all.

As I entered high school I found my group of friends and we made some of the best memories I still look back on fondly. Like the time we went to our local mall on Halloween instead of trick-or-treating and did barrel races down the mall's west wing. Simply put, my friends and I got each other, we saved each other, and we made high school fun. But this doesn't mean I was unaware of the girls who backstabbed one another to get ahead, or the students who got their parents involved in everything so they would get the leadership position, get a higher grade, or get on Homecoming Court. What it does mean is I could look at these people and be glad I wasn't them, and had a reason to be excited to graduate.

I can still remember the last night before I left for Florida, the final night of summer post-graduation. I was sitting in my parents driveway with my best friend Nick and we just talked for hours about what the future held for everyone; our friends, ourselves, and our classmates. It was the ever-scary, ever-exciting intersection in life where our pasts and our futures meet and all you can do is wonder. I was so excited for each of my friends as we all got accepted to colleges all over the state and country. We were going to do things with our lives while it seemed everyone else from school was staying in the exact same place and going to the local community college.

Well it's been just over five years since that day and all I can say is, people change. My friends did graduate from their respected college's, got great jobs, and some are even headed to grad school! But the truth is, we lost touch. Whether this was due to purpose or distance will always be a question, but either way, we did. We each came into our own in college and learned more about ourselves and these selves were fairly different from our high school selves.

Sometimes I look back on those high school days and think about what our high school selves would say about where we and our classmates ended up. Our classmates whom changed as much as we did. The girls who said they hate fat people gained weight. The class hottie became a dad shortly after graduation. The girls who judged people who got pregnant, got pregnant. Some are trying their hands at rapping, some are working on film degrees, and some are still just hanging out in the area, living at home and going to community college. I think my friend's high school selves and I would laugh.

Laugh, not because we were surely as judgmental as everyone else, but because it all really didn't matter. All the emphasis we put on single moments, even in present time, our moments are fleeting yet we tell ourselves they are either life or death. Like sand held too tight and falling away too quickly, not a moment we are given will last. So the girl told you you're stupid and made everyone laugh, or you didn't get into your dream college, another moment will come and it will be different. And everyone will your given will either make you or break you, but ultimately it's up to you. Recognize the moments change, as do people, and it's up to you to decide whether you want that moment and those people to make you or break you.

I'm happy for each of my old friends and where they made it and who've they've become. Even though our lives are far from one another I will still hold on to those memories and enjoy them. As for those classmates, I'm not laughing, because I'm not my high school self, and instead I understand. Change, it's inevitable.

 

And that's what I know.

 

XOXO

 

Girl--->WorldOpen

 

What are changes you've noticed?

 

What are some big ways you have let change affect you?

Thriving from College to Career

Very recently I've learned about Arianna Huffington's Third Metric movement. If you haven't yet heard about this movement you may have heard the word "THRIVE" going around a lot, and this word sums up most of what Arianna's movement is about. Too often we get caught up in our work, our jobs, the daily little nuances in our lives and forget to really be in the moments. We push harder, work longer, and run faster just to reach the top. It's not a bad thing to want to be reach the top but the way we are going about it is burning us out before we even get there, and that is a bad thing.

The Third Metric movement is about taking the time out of our days to key into our inner-self and check on our wellbeing. If you're not a spiritual person (not in the religious sense, but in the soul-focused sense) then this can all seem quite hogwash. But let's take a beat and think about work, under today's society really means. 

Work means:

1. Waking up early and working AT LEAST 8 hours (typically more)
2. Checking e-mail constantly
3. Lists of tasks (all work-related) running through the mind like a never ending receipt at the check-out counter
4. At least 4 cups of coffee just to keep the energy up
5. Having Friday be the most exciting day of the week so you can do what you really want on the weekend
6. Not being happy when Sunday comes to a close
7. Hating Monday's
8. Tight, suffocating work attire
9. Fake smiles, fake joy, and fake excitement
10. Consistent exhaustion from lack of sleep

When you look at this list you can understand why any college graduate, like myself, would want to stay in college forever and never get a grown-up job. Being a person who is continuously joyful, loves passionate conversation, and has a internal demand for 8 hours of sleep, I hated the thought of going into the working environment. The thought of being surrounded by drone zombies all week wasting away their lives until Friday seemed depressing at best, and life-crushing at worst. The truth is, we spend most of our lives at work than anywhere else and with anyone else in our lives, so we must be able to find our joy there too, not just an income. And this, right here, is why I'm so excited for Arianna Huffington's Third Metric movement. 

There are four elements to the Third Metric movement that are describe in more detail by Arianna herself below**, but here is a quick summary. 

One, we need to prioritize our health and wellbeing. This goes without question. If we are not healthy, both physically and mentally, we cannot contribute to this world like we were born to. We do have a destiny, and exciting, liberating, and passionate one, but if we are not well, then we will not reach our calling, so we must take the time and check in with ourselves. 

Second, we need to tap into our wisdom, strength, and peace more often. Typically it is in trying times that we are able to tap into this finite resources of ours. We do it out of necessity, and it helps us trudge through the garbage life has handed us. If we could tap into this more often we would be able to unfold worlds we never imagined, with an eye seeing a holistic picture of a better tomorrow. It takes time to learn to cultivate this "sixth sense" into a regular practice, so buy some mindfulness books. Practice yoga. Talk to a therapist. For us to reach a better future, we must find our center.

Third, we need to give ourselves permission to wonder about the world. If you look at a child who is at a place they've never been before, you can see in their eyes this great sense of wonder, excitement, and possibilities. As we grow older it's as if the world has gone gray to us, we find much less to wonder about and a lot more to worry about. It's true, there is a lot to worry about, but worry solves nothing, but wonder may solve it all. 

The fourth and final element of the Third Metric is our need to give back. As Arianna Huffington talks about in her speech I attached below, people who give back have at a greater state of health and wellbeing. But giving back shouldn't be for selfish reasons, for then that would accomplish nothing. Instead, the importance of giving back strengthening other's wellbeing and health and giving them a platform to start rolling a new ball of health, wellbeing, strength, wonder, and giving. As cliche as it may sound, it all starts with one act. One act, and this world can change for the better. 

I cannot tell you how much I believe in this movement and am exciting to follow it and be apart of it in any way possible. I do believe we are in a time of transition and we can all do our part. So stop working, and start thriving! 

What are some changes you are making in your life today to start thriving? 

Identity Crisis, Inner Beauty

Hey everyone! 

I've been asked a few time about how I can be passionate about finding inner beauty and loving your natural self and yet still be into make-up and fashion. Well I'm here to say it certainly took me a while to understand how those things could be related but as I talk about in my vlog below, I've come to find out they can be surely knit perfectly together.  Hope you like it!

What are some ways you find inner beauty?

Much love,

Hayley Kaye :)

Marshall's, Ulta, Meijer Haul!

Hey everyone!

I was able to go shopping recently at a few different stores so I thought I'd show you what I got. Sorry I haven't been posting more posts lately, nothing too exciting or mind-turning has been happening. I really want to keep this blog for twenty-something discoveries. Since I'll be going to DC in less than 3 weeks, I'm sure something will come up then. Can't wait to go and I'll make sure to keep you up to date! As for now, check out my video and don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT!

Any good product's your excited about lately? What are your Fourth of July Plans?

Girl--->WorldOPEN

:)

10 Things College Taught Me

Today I wanted to reflect about a few things that college taught me. This may be relatable for those of you who just graduated college, and it may be helpful for those of you about to attend or are attending currently. Either way, this is few of what college taught me in a nutshell:

1. I have people!!!

A lot of time when growing up you live in a smaller-ish town and feel like that is the world. Everyone you are surrounded by is a representation of how the world thinks, feels, acts, and exists. This is very disheartening when you don't feel like you fit in with this "world". But once I got to college I realized your town is not the world, just a small ameba attached to the world. There are actually people just like you who are interested in things you are in, passionate about what you are passionate about, and want to change what you want to change. And once you find these people, it's like heaven!

2. How to stand out

It's great having people in your life who understand you, but at the same time you don't want to conform to the little differences that do exist between you. To really make it in this world, you have to stand out. I learned in college that to stand out means to hold your ground about what you believe even if it's different than your friends. Maybe joining organizations, or creating your own regarding those beliefs. For example, I'm very passionate about women's issues, particularly in regards to body image and media's portrayal of women. Though my friends are very supportive of me, this isn't their passion (and that's okay!). Following my passion, I became an intern at the Women's Resource Center on my campus and even developed a weeklong program with events all focused toward loving your body. I was able to stand out from my friends and follow my passions, without letting my friends different interests hold me back.

3. How to stand up for what I want

Before college I would typically let things slide, things that were important to me that I really should have been fighting for. When in college I learned that if I wanted to make it any where in this world I had to stand up for what I wanted (and deserved) or else I'll be getting run over my entire life. Particular example of this is my grades. There were many times when my professors gave me one grade on paper and another in the grading book. I would recognize this when it came down to the end of the semester and the grade I calculated and they calculated didn't match up. I would speak to them during their office hours or through email and ask them to please check over my grade again because I believe there had been a mistake. I was never rude about this, or trying to get a grade higher than what I really deserved, I simply trying to get the right grade I already got placed into the grading book. A lot of the time this took extra work and more time than I care to share, but in the end I always got the grades I knew I rightfully deserved. Because of this I'm able to stand up for what I believe is right and not let anyone push me around.

4. Be kind... even to the "little people"

First off, I don't believe there are "little people", or people who have small, menial, unimportant, jobs in this world. Sincerely, every job is important and without them the "big jobs" wouldn't be possible. While at college I would notice how people would constantly be trying to network and get into the good graces of their professors, the university president, and other "big time" people on the college campus, then they would act rudely to the janitor's, the food staff, and the ground's keepers. To me, you have no idea who these people are, who they know, and why they are doing the job they are. People tend to think these are the people who have no education and are stuck in "pointless" jobs. But this is entirely not true! Everyone deserves kindness, for everyone places a certain role in life that is important, and without it, the entire picture you see before you would be different (and not in a good way).

5. How NOT to cook...

I spent my entire 4 years at college living in the dorms. My first two years I was just a regular resident and my last two years I was a Resident Assistant. I LOVED living in the dorms. My friends were always just a step down the hallway, and food was available at all hours of the day. However, this did not help me develop skills in the cooking world. Mind due, I'm not a terrible cook, but I certainly do not know how to come up with a  meal plan for a week, or put ingredients together. Most of the time I'll just cook up some frozen pizza or pasta and call that good. This is not a good way to step into life. For this reason, if you are still in college, I HIGHLY recommend living at least 1 year off so that you can build up these skills before you have to take on all the aspects of being a responsible adult.

6. Political debates do not have to foster screaming fights and severed relationships

Growing up all the adults around me, including the nightly news, was filled with political debates. Quickly I learned that both people think they are entirely correct and the other is a lunatic basket case who doesn't have a brain (not fair, but honest). This led me to hating politics and avoiding any type conversation that politics may be introduced. When I got to college however, this was a rather hard subject to avoid. Thankfully, I learned you can have a discussion about politics where you can gently agree to disagree. This I found to be such a relief. Through this experience I was able to learn much more about the world, consider new ideas, and embrace that not everyone thinks the same (and thank God for that!).

7. College is short, and so is life. Forget the assignments you have due, and enjoy the ride.

During my time at college I was very dedicated to my studies. But I learned quickly that this wasn't going to bring me any joy and isn't the complete point of college. College is an amazing time to further your education, focus on what you are interested in, meet people from around the world, and learn about who you are. The last of these you can't do hiding in away in your dorm room studying. Yes, there are times when you need to study and focus. But there are also many times when you need to forget all the assignments you have to complete, or how much sleep you are being deprived of and have a crazy experience with the amazing people around you. Moments like these will be gone before you know it, and you may never get them back.

8. You can do all your laundry in one load if you put them on cold. 

It's true! Nothing will blend and they'll still be clean. Plus, it saves you lots of money and time!

9. Differences doesn't mean bad. It simply means different.

Growing up I was taught that if anyone thought different than you, believed different things, or even walked to a different drum they were different and that was bad. How sorely mistaken I was. I'm so glad to have learned that just because someone sees the world differently, grew up in a different manner, or believes different things does not mean their difference is a bad difference. In one of my classes which discussed gender issues globally, I learned about the women of Bangladesh. I learned about all the ways they were being discriminated against and they started devising ways to seek their freedom. It was incredible what they did. So much so that global missions would come in and do news stories on them. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the way the Bangladeshi women felt they were being discriminated against, the news interpreted their different way of living as discriminatory. This wasn't true. They loved their way of life and culture, but their was ways in which they were being treated that were not okay, under anyone's standards. It's sad to think people will hate on another person just because they didn't think, act, or believe the same things in the same way someone else would. This prevents growth, and stunts humanity. 

10. If you put your needs into the universe, the universe will bring you what you ask

This can be tricky, but from my own experience, this is 100% true. Now, if the desire is One Million Dollars, yes this might not occur. However, if you search for what you want, let other's know of your needs, and are aware of your surroundings, you would be amazed at the wonderful things the world will bring to you. 

So there you have it, 10 things I learned during college. I hope you guys could relate!

What is something you learned, or hope to learn, during college?

Girl--->WorldOPEN

:)

35 Facts About Me

Hey everyone! I saw a bunch of "Facts About Me" video's going around and I figured I would join the bandwagon. Hope you all get to know about me a little better. I'd love to get to know you guys better too, so feel free to leave some facts about you in the comments below. Or even make your own "Facts About Me" video in response!

What's your favorite fact about yourself?

Girl---> WorldOPEN

Travel!!

This summer, not even joking, ALL of my friends seem to be traveling off to great and far places before their "real lives" begin. I'm insanely jealous. Unfortunately I do not have the finances to go anywhere, and this is a major reason why I am super excited to be getting flown out by NBC to New York City! But the point is, during your time in college, save money for traveling post-graduation. Even if it's just a few dollars a week, save save save!! It will be so great to start off your journey into the world by truly journeying into the world. Here are a few images of my friends in their worldly travels:

Leah in the Pyrenees Mountains in France.

Tanner at the Louvre in France 

Apa in the Philippines 

Rita at the Colosseum in Rome  

If you could go any where in the world, where would you go?

Girl--->WorldOPEN

Thift Store Haul

Hey everyone! Just a few days ago my friend Josh and I went to our local town's festival. It was filled with dog showing, carnival games, rides, farmer's market, and lots of people selling things. We got a bit bored after awhile and decided to check out our local thift stores. I haven't been to them in quite awhile so it was nice to be able to see all the new products they've gotten in. With that being said I decided to do a Thift Store Haul showing you the few products I got. Some of the products in particular I am quite excited about (you'll see which one in the video). So hope you watch it and like it!

What are some awesome things you've found in your local thrift store?

Girl--->WorldOPEN

<3