Six Quotes To Fuel My Thursday

Have you ever been scrolling through your Twitter or Pinterest feeds and repeatedly seen quotes or tweets that fit your life perfectly? O.K. who subtweeted me...I don't even know this person, you're thinking. God has quite the sense of humor and I like to think this is one of His ways of reaching out to us. Maybe that's crazy. Well, I've been told I am. 

Here are six quotes that pretty much sum up my life at the moment. 

Images via Pinterest

Which quotes are fueling your Thursday?

Benefits Of Being Alone

After spending my first official holiday by myself, I can attest to the fact that spending time alone can be both healthy and enjoyable. Being in college, I am constantly around people, from my friend group to my teachers and classmates to the 20-something handing me my fries on a midnight McDonalds run (yeah that happens). Human beings are designed to be social but it's easy to get so caught up in attending every school event, going to every meal with a buddy and "doing homework" with a "study companion" (let's be real, not a whole lot of homework actually gets done). 

Here are four reasons why I think flying solo every once in a while can be beneficial. 

1. You can do whatever you want. There are no demands from others or appointments to make or plans to keep. If what you want is to watch 8+ hours of Netflix, then you're free to do just that & no one will judge you or interrupt unless you let them. 

2. You learn to be more independent. When no one is there to do things for you or influence decisions you need to make, you learn to trust your instinct & do what is best for you. The bowl that is now dirty from the cereal you ate before bed? Yep, you will need to clean that because no one else is going to do it for you. Laundry, vacuuming & keeping a strict eating & sleeping schedule are the same way. The more you practice this, the less lazy you will be & you will also learn to trust yourself more which is what we all want, right?

3. You appreciate family & friends more. FaceTiming my whole family on Easter Sunday & finally seeing my roommate again after five days apart made me realize how much I tend to take them for granted. Always having someone around & not giving it much thought is comforting, but if we get so used to them being there, it diminishes their worth & leads us to rely on them way too much. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" is cliché but true. 

4. You learn to be content with yourself. The constant opinions and comments from others on every little aspect of our lives can be helpful but harmful. Again, it makes us rely on them and what they think is best. It's important to have a solid group of friends who truly want what is best for you & who will do whatever it takes to make you better, but it is easy to start trusting the wrong people and believe everything that everyone tells you. Taking some time to isolate yourself from constant socialization forces you to reflect on yourself & your own actions. It is a great time to journal & even go to the chapel & spend some quiet time in prayer or meditation. 

Being alone and learning to be O.K. with it is a necessary & natural part of growing up. One cannot face their demons if they never give themselves the opportunity. Focusing on doing what is best for you will make you feel more in touch with yourself & if you're struggling with knowing who you are or staying true to yourself, taking this time is pertinent. It can also help your relationships with others, as contradicting as that seems. Knowing who you are & being happy with it is attractive to others & adds an element of maturity & stability to friendships and relationships. 

Being a fairly outgoing and talkative person, I often get comments from my friends or family asking if I'm okay when I'm quiet or "anti-social". I don't blame them at all, seeing as it is my primary personality to be social, but sometimes I recognize that I need to remove myself, either physically, verbally or both in order to get back in touch with myself & calm myself down. I'm learning to be O.K. with being alone, but it is still a slim line to balance on between being alone & being lonely. 

What are your tips for spending time alone? Do you find it to be beneficial to you?

What I Ate

For some, Easter Break means going on holiday with family or taking a road trip with roommates. This year I'm spending my Easter weekend doing things for me. And while I do miss my family & friends, time to myself, to do exactly what I want is healthy & a necessary part of growing up. 

The cafeteria isn't open 24/7 like usual during these breaks, so while I have the option of walking over anytime from 11 A.M. and 6 P.M. I've been content making some meager meals for myself right in my own room. I'm a relatively simple person when it comes down to it. 

Every day starts with coffee, & I kept it simple this morning with just a little creamer. 

Around 2:30 P.M. I was hungry, so I whipped up a super easy tuna salad sandwich, which has been my go-to lately. A little scoop of mayo, a spoonful of relish, some salt & pepper & I'm good to go. I piled the salad onto some whole wheat bread. Simple & filling, not to mention healthy. 

 

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I've been craving my fresh greens again. While I initially didn't like the taste of this juice, it's grown on me & it's not only chock full of vitamins, but it's refreshing & has no sugar or artificial anything. 

I finally caved & trekked to the caf (which was actually a lovely walk since it's 60° outside) to get some vegetables and iced tea. I opted for spinach, hard boiled eggs, a little bacon, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, carrots & some cottage cheese. 

I finished off with some vanilla yogurt (which may have been a bad idea...after sitting out all day it was room temperature. Gross.) I topped it off with some granola, dried cranberries & almonds. 

What did you eat today?

Hooked On...

This quote: The school year is drawing to a close & I am finding it harder & harder to stay concentrated & motivated. The laziness & lack of drive surrounding me doesn't make it any less difficult. It's important now, more than ever, that I stay focused and do whatever it takes to keep my goals in mind. 
This product: OGX is my favorite brand for hair products, & this is my favorite "scent family." I have extremely dry & damaged hair so the blend of kelp & algae help bring it back to life. I can't even begin to explain the scent...it just makes me feel some kind of way. I spray this product all over my damp hair when I get out of the shower and let it air dry before styling or throwing it into a braid. 
This ring: So, I've wanted one of these rings for as long as I can remember. My oldest sister always had one & I remember wishing I was cool enough to wear one too. I didn't know the entire meaning behind the ring until recently when I noticed that a lot of my friends wear them. So I did my research. The Claddagh Ring is a traditional Irish wedding ring that contains a heart held by two hands & topped with a crown. The way in which the ring is worn conveys the wearer's relationship status. Worn on the right hand & with the heart facing outward means that the wearer is single & that their heart is "open". Worn on the right & with the heart facing inward signifies that the wearer is in a committed relationship & that their heart belongs to someone. Worn on the left hand signifies that the wearer is engaged or married. I found a ring box with a little note on my desk yesterday with this ring inside. One of my friends had bought it for me as an early birthday gift. I am in love. 
This smoothie: As someone hailing from California, it's never been a problem finding a smoothie & juice shop on nearly every corner (that's actually not entirely inaccurate). In North Dakota, especially in Bismarck, these shops are few & far between. With summer getting closer, I've been craving fresh fruits & vegetables like no other, and smoothies are pretty much my favorite way to consume them. This isn't the best smoothie I've ever had, but in a pinch, it did the job and it was very insta-worthy, so that's all that matters, right?
These frockets: While I love The Fraternity Collection, they do seem to be a bit pricey, especially for broke college students like myself where anything over $10 is basically your whole bank account. Luckily, I've found a less expensive way to satisfy my frocket obsession...United Tees. They don't have quite as many patterns, but they're about half the price of The Frat Collection, and last week they had a 40% off sale on all their pockets, sooooooooo...yeah. 
This no-makeup look: While it may take some sun and moisturizing magic to get my face looking a little more alive, I've been working on being more confident in my natural skin and embracing my flaws, so go me. 
This show: I honestly have no words. That sounded so white girl but I'm sorry. I've binge-watched 6+ hours of this darn show for the past three days & I am so embarrassingly addicted. Olivia Pope is basically everything I aspire to be, minus the Monica Lewinsky-ish tendencies. Political drama, dark thriller & dry humor...yes. 
This polish: I've been pretty obsessed with nude & white polishes lately. There's just something about them that make nails look so clean & fresh. This color has been one that I've been reapplying about every other week. It lasts about a week without chipping, as long as there's a top coat & isn't streaky or goopy. I usually apply two coats & then a top coat for the best color. 
This pick-me-up: If I count correctly, I had the equivalent of roughly seven cups of iced coffee the other day. SEVEN FREAKING CUPS. Is this why I'm basically a midget? because it's totally worth it. I've always loved my coffee piping hot, but lately iced coffee has been appealing to me as well. I don't really care where it's from or even if I make it myself as long as there's no limit and a bathroom near by. (I'm still working on that whole training-the-body-to-tolerate-caffeine-thing.)
Anything new you're hooked on?