Megan Dennis: growth

A College Life Update

October 28, 2019

I wish every week was fall break.

Unfortunately, it’s only this week, BUT I am so excited to sit down and talk to you guys. I realized that I’m halfway through my first semester of college (which is crazy) and I haven’t given you an update of how it’s going, so I thought I would do that today. Many people have been asking (and by many people I mean like 5) how I’m adjusting to this new lifestyle, so that’s what I’m going to be talking about in this post.

I had a rough start. I’m not going to candy coat any part of this because I want to be real. I sort of expected the change wouldn’t be easy, but those first few weeks I felt like I was being thrown into an unfamiliar ocean and had to figure out how to swim. Eventually I did figure it out, otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here telling you this. Needless to say, I had a very difficult time getting started. I wasn’t prepared for how much time I would spend on homework and how hard it would be to just find some sort of a balance between school, work, and having a social life.

This semester I am taking 15 credit hours, which I feel is about the average course load. The way my school does classes, there are 8-week classes and 16-week classes. It’s honestly all very confusing, but to sum it up, 8-week classes are basically 16-week classes done in 8 weeks, which also means twice the amount of homework. I would say I spend about 8-10 hours on homework a week, depending on how much work there is/what the assignments are. It’s very difficult to tell exactly how much time I spend on it because my days are full of other things. On top of sitting in class for 15 hours a week, I’ve also been working 15 and a half hours each week.

It’s a lot. That’s why I’m so happy I can slow down and breathe this week.

I actually don’t mind staying busy. I’ve developed a pretty consistent routine, which is what I lacked in the beginning. I’m the type of person who must follow their routines, otherwise I don’t know what to do with myself. Routines are a huge part of my life. It took me about a month and a half to develop a solid routine to accommodate my new busy schedule. I made a video on my YouTube channel where I show you what it’s like to be me for a day. You can check that video out here.

I think one of the biggest things that’s kept me on track (besides lots of coffee) is staying healthy, mentally and physically. I use the tips I talked about in my last post almost daily and I’m way less stressed when I have my life planned and organized. I’ve been doing my best to become a morning person (still working on that part of my new routine) so I can get up, go to the gym, and then come back and get some tasks knocked out before I have to go to class or work. I’ve also been trying to stay on a healthy diet. This isn’t easy because I don’t have a lot of time to make good healthy meals. I try not to eat out more than necessary, and I try to meal prep on Sundays so I can just grab and go during the week. I think for me, staying healthy is super important to being successful.

On the upside of things, I am truly thriving. I don’t mean that I’m happy all the time every day, but in general I’m at a good place in life. In college I feel like I’m actually getting somewhere; I feel like I’m one step closer to where I want to be and sometimes that’s the only motivation factor that keeps me going. When times get rough, I have to stop and think about how far I’ve come already and stay focused on my goals and what I have to do to get there. Sometimes it’s difficult to stay focused, sometimes I question what it is that I’m really working towards, and sometimes I just want to quit. When that happens, I remind myself how far I’ve come and that I’m on the right path to where I want to be.

No one ever said college is easy. Because it’s not. It’s hard, it’s stressful, and it’s honestly. just. exhausting. But I know that I’m doing the right thing and I’m grateful that I am even able to go get further education. I value education more than almost anything because I know it’s what will get me to where I want to be in life.

Thank you guys so much for following along with me throughout this journey and I’ll talk to you in my next post!

accomplishments

7 Ways to Make The Most of Your Day

October 14, 2019

#HowISurvivedHighSchool

#HowISurvivedHighSchool Part 6: A Promising Future

June 19, 2019

Welcome back!

Today I will be wrapping up my story on my high school experience. In case you’re new, I’ll drop the links for the previous parts here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Out of all the parts I’ve done, I think I’m most excited for this one. I wanted to spend this last part talking about the future. As you probably know, I’m a daydreamer and I love to dream about unrealistic scenarios most of the time. However, I’m going to try to be a little more down to earth and not get too out of hand here. I think it’s important to separate dreams from goals. I believe goals are things you set in your mind to do and you continue to work towards them. On the other hand, dreams are merely just things you wish for but for the most part are unrealistic.

So now that we’ve differentiated the two, I’m going to start with the realistic stuff. If you don’t know already, I plan to attend community college for two years and get my associates in business administration and from there hopefully I will transfer to a state university to get my master’s degree. I feel that education is one of the most valuable assets you can have in life; so when I was thinking about what I wanted my future life after high school to look like I knew I wanted to put my education before anything else.

Aside from going to college full time, I plan to keep working throughout the school year as well as continue my online profiles (blogging, YouTube.) I have no idea what my schedule will be like come the school year, but I plan to post regularly as much as I can. I’ve learned throughout these years that there’s no point in having a set schedule because I feel like it’s important to only put out work that you’re proud of and I just can’t be proud of something I was under time pressure. So I’ve thrown the idea of schedules out the window and I’ll post when I make something that I’m proud of; whether that be once a week or once a month.

Many people have asked me about my relationship status or when I’ll have a boyfriend, get married, etc. I just tell them all that will happen in God’s timing, not mine. Society has changed over the years and relationships seem to move so quickly these days. People are getting married and having a family before 25 (which isn’t a bad thing don’t get me wrong), whereas I want more time to live and enjoy being young without those commitments. So that’s where I’m at right now and I’m also in the midst of working through a lot of personal issues with myself that I have to fix before I can even allow myself to think about dating.

I’m thankful for all the friendships I’ve formed throughout high school, with both girls and boys. I’m fortunate to have girl friends that I know will always have my back and I theirs. Girls that I’m able to talk about things I would never talk about with anyone else. I’m also thankful for the friendships I’ve formed with males. I have guy friends that are almost like brothers to me, who show me how real men are supposed to treat girls (my only confidence that the entire male population is not totally screwed.) It’s been a blessing to get to know so many amazing people over the years and I’m excited to meet many more throughout my college years.

People always laugh when they ask what I want my future life to look like and I answer with “well honestly I just want to do what I love, have a healthy God-honoring relationship and raise a family. Oh and can’t forget the house with a picket fence.” It’s the classic American dream. Not anything fancy; I have no desire to be a millionaire or have expensive clothes and expensive cars. I really just want a low-key life. That’s all. I dream about it every single day. For right now, though, I’m content with the life I have now. I’m enjoying my time being young for as long as I possibly can before I’m supposed to grow up and have everything together.

As I wrap up this chapter of my life, my heart is filled with gratitude. I’m thankful for all the memories I’ve made, people I’ve met, and experiences I’ve been able to have in high school. Some of them are happy, fond memories; others not so much, but there’s not much I would change about any of it. In other words, I can confidently close this portion of my life. I’m filled with hope for my future and all the new experience I’ll be able to share with you. I’ve never been more inspired to create and share the memories of my life and I’m forever thankful for every single person I’ve been able to reach through my writings and videos. Thank you for everything.

#HowISurvivedHighSchool

#HowISurvivedHighSchool Part 5: Building the Foundation of Good Repuation

June 13, 2019

Hello and welcome back!

I’m so happy that you’re here to join me for part 5 of the #HowISurvivedHighSchool series. If you missed out on any of the previous parts, you can catch up here:

First and foremost, before I get started with today’s post I want to take a minute to say thank you for all the support I’ve received on my last post. It was not an easy thing for me to put out there, but I really believe God wanted me to share that message because I think it’s a message that’s important for the young people to hear in the midst of a world where everything is sexualized and there’s so much peer pressure. So I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the support and encouraging messages I received after last week’s post.

Today I want to talk about something that’s not only important in high school; but is something that will follow you for the rest of your life: your social reputation. Now I want to stress that this is not about caring what people think of you- that’s not it at all. What I mean is building a good reputation so you can earn respect from people around you. I’ve spent the last 4 years working on this particular aspect of life and let me tell you, having a good reputation will serve you very well in years to come. Basically you’re just doing yourself a favor now.

So what exactly does it mean to have a good reputation? Everyone has different definitions for what a good reputation is, but to me someone with a good reputation exhibits the following characteristics: holds themselves well in bad situations, has good time management skills, and acts maturely. You want to be known for having good characteristics, not bad ones. I can think of a few people I know who are just outstanding at what they do and people know them and love them for the good things they’ve done and their kindness. That is a good reputation. I also know a few people who fall into the opposite category. These people do not have the characteristics of a good reputation and are known only for the bad choices they’ve unfortunately made. That is not a good reputation.

Why then is it important to build your reputation in high school? As I mentioned before, starting now will benefit you later, especially when it comes to getting decent jobs, applying for colleges, etc. People who start to drift off to the wrong direction in high school are more likely to have difficulty with those things down the road. I see this all the time in society and I’m sure you have too. People who are getting out of jail really struggle with getting back on their feet and living a decent life because their crimes are now glued to their name.

I did a blog post awhile back on temptation. Let me tell you, temptation is a devil in high school. However, if you can fight it then, it will be much easier to fight it in the future. I think the reason temptation is so present in high school in particular is because everyone is so easily influenced and it’s easy to give into peer pressure. I remember one time a few years ago I took a character development class and we had to fill out this paper and on it was a list of questions and we had to answer how likely we were to give into bad situations. I remember filling out that paper and checking all the boxes that said “not very likely to” and afterwards thinking “would I actually be able to say no?” I think sometimes we can be so naïve and think “if it’s just this one time it won’t hurt me.” I’ve learned over and over that no matter how big or small it may seem there’s always going to be consequences.

There will always be consequences to every action. No one likes to hear that and I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you, but hear me out because I’m trying to save you now. The worst part about being a good kid is watching others make the wrong choices and trying to be the one to tell them they don’t have to or shouldn’t do it. I’m tired of being the bystander to bad situations, witnessing things I wish I hadn’t seen, and hearing things I wish I had never heard. It’s hard. Especially when people are telling you “you’re so pure and boring, you don’t know how to have any fun.” But to me, five minutes of “fun” isn’t worth a lifetime of consequences. It just isn’t.

I’ve had people tell me before “it’s okay, sure I messed up but Jesus forgives me and still loves me.” As true as that statement is, it’s not a free pass to do stuff you know is wrong. We are lucky to serve a merciful, forgiving God but that is not an excuse to do whatever we want. Forgiveness does not erase the weight of our sin. Furthermore, we must confess and acknowledge our mistakes before we can even be forgiven. In Acts 3:19 it says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

If you gathered anything from this short message, I hope it will encourage you to stray from the temptations of high school and to not conform to the ways of this modern world. Sometimes it feels like you’re missing out on the fun you could be having now, but I promise in the long run you will be successful and the people who made the wrong choices will be the ones missing out on greater opportunities. It’s very rewarding, I promise you.

#HowISurvivedHighSchool

#HowISurvivedHighSchool Part 3: The Truth About Friends and Friendships

May 29, 2019

Hi there, welcome back to the blog!

Today I’m back with another part of #HowISurvivedHighSchool. I’d like to know, are you guys enjoying it? Is there anything specific you’d like me to talk about at some point during the series? Leave me a comment or connect with me on social media and let me know. Also, if you aren’t caught up with the first two parts, I’ll link them here:

As always, I’m going to copy and paste the “rules” I posted in the first post. It’s important for me to mention them every time because I don’t want anything I say here to be taken out of context.

1. This is a 6 week series and a new part will be posted each Wednesday (so mark your calendars.)

2. I am NOT here to call anyone out or speak poorly of anyone I’ve encountered throughout my High School career. That’s not my vibe and my intentions of writing these posts are to encourage; not to bring anyone down.

3. I will be talking about certain people I’ve encountered and things I’ve experienced, but please know that NO NAMES will be mentioned; if a name has to be used it will be changed.

4. All the things I am going to tell you are true and are my stories that I have a right to tell.

5. Please read/listen with open ears and hearts.

6. Some of the topics I will be discussing are mature and very series at times so if you can’t handle the intensity, please feel free to click out at any time.

So today I wanted to talk about a very important part of high school: friends. Friends play a very significant role in your life so I think it’s important to build ones that last. Unfortunately I’ve had very little luck with that, especially in high school, and I’ve learned that most people are going to come and go out of your life but there will always be those few people who come into your life and stay for a long time.

I remember at the end of 8^th grade I saw this post online and it said “the people you hang out with in middle school aren’t going to be around for all of high school” and now at the end of high school I can fully confirm that saying is 100% true. During high school everyone goes through so many changes and sometimes people don’t change with you. Furthermore, high school is vastly different from middle school; it’s almost like a totally different world. Everyone is basically trying to figure out themselves and who they are as a person. Sometimes this creates tension in your relationships.

So in high school there are these things called “cliques.” What that is essentially is a group of people that gravitate towards each other in large groups. In a sociology class I took a while back, we learned that people with similar personalities tend to form these cliques. However, from what I’ve seen, cliques are just another way to stereotype. You’ll see where this information comes into play when it comes to friendships in a moment.

Something I haven’t talked about much on here is my experience at co-op. Some of you probably don’t know what it is, so I’ll explain quickly. What it is basically is a group of homeschool families that meets weekly to have classes like art, science, and drama, in addition to the work at home. I was involved in my co-op for 8 years. Looking back, there were a few pleasant memories made, but for me it was just not a good environment for me to grow up in. Out of all the people that were there and friends I made, on this current day I am not in contact with any of them. I’ll get to why in a bit.

In my grade there were 3 cliques. The first one was made up of the “popular” kids, if you will. The second group was the kids who were the quiet, more introverted ones and the last group were the kids with disabilities. It sounds so stereotypical, but for the purpose of this post you need to know. As the years went on and we got older, it only became more stereotypical. In the beginning it was easy to do group activities because everyone talked to everyone, but the “popular group” only became more distant from everyone else.

You might be wondering where I fit into these groups. To be honest, I really didn’t fit into any of them; I just bounced around between all three because I really tried to get along with everyone. My longtime best friend was in the popular group so I spent a lot of time with them, but I didn’t really fit in with them and was often left out or in the back of the group. No big deal at first, I still hung around the other groups.

Then something happened in summer of 2014 that changed the course of my friendships with these people. I’m not going to take the time to explain what happened, but long story short me and one of the populars had a very public falling out on social media. It resulted in most people taking sides, and everyone pretty much took this other girl’s side. The situation itself is not significant anymore but the tension never left. Life went on though, this girl and I never reconciled (even after I made 2 attempts) but everyone else seemed to get along just fine.

There were some big problems with these people. The popular ones. There is a reason I eventually chose to distance myself from them. At co-op they were constantly having attitudes, making unkind remarks to other students, and just flat out acting stuck-up. There is no better word for it. There were major bullying issues and the adults did next to nothing about it. Some of them even contributed to the problems. People were skipping out of gym because the teacher always favorited the populars and the other kids weren’t treated fairly. Some of the behavior I witnessed from these kids makes me sick to my stomach to this day whenever I think about it. One time, one of the said popular kids said to my friend (and I quote) “I’m better than you.” I’m.better.than.you. No other context, just “I’m better than you.” I will never be able to erase that from my mind. And her attitude that came with it, her parents should be ashamed.

One thing I’ve learned after all these years is that sometimes you don’t realize how badly you’re being treated until that person is out of your life. The way things ended with these people was far from good terms, but I’m so happy they are out of my life because I have people in my life now that made me realize how bad these people were for me. I haven’t spoken to these people in two years. However, I have ran into them a few times in public since then and I have to say, for people who proudly call themselves “Christians”, their behavior towards me was far from Christian like. Little or no eye contact, pretending I’m not even there at all, not even a wave or smile. It’s really hard to believe they were what I once called my best friends.

After going through a very, very dark and scary period of my life in 2017, things finally started to look up. I wasn’t feeling depressed anymore, I actually wanted to leave my house, and I met some new amazing people who have changed my life. People who genuinely care about me, make time to spend with me, and aren’t ashamed to be seen with me. They helped me get to a better place in my life and allow me to be myself. I thank God for giving me the strength to let the bad ones go and for bringing better people into my life.

There’s a quote by Alexander Graham Bell that I think beautifully illustrate this: “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” I like to remind myself of this whenever a relationship ends or an opportunity falls through. There is always a reason and most of the time it’s because God is making room for bigger and better things. So if things aren’t going well right now, just remember that it could be a sign that there are better things coming.

I want to be completely honest with you for a moment. I recently celebrated my graduation (which I’ll be talking about in an upcoming post) and I had three friends show up. Now I had plenty of other people too, but my point is, you can have all the friends in the world but out of all those there will only be a few real ones. I didn’t even think about the people who didn’t come because I’m thankful I have three really good friends that took the time to celebrate my graduation with me. I’d take that over having many fake friends any day.

So if you take away anything from this post, here’s three main points I want you to remember. First, don’t hangout where you know you don’t fit in. Second, let go of those unhealthy relationships in your life! Remember, when a door closes another one opens. Third, value your close friends. They are the ones that are going to be around for a long time.

#HowISurvivedHighSchool

#HowISurvivedHighSchool Part 1: 7 Myths About Homeschoolers

May 15, 2019

Hi there, welcome back to the blog!

Today I am coming at you with a very special post/announcement: there is going to be a new series on this blog and guess what? It starts TODAY. My apologies for the short notice but I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a thing or not. I had this idea awhile back when I was contemplating on what kind of post I wanted to do in spirit of me graduating this year. I came up with a couple ideas and finally decided that there were too many things I wanted to talk about and it just wouldn’t all fit in one blog post (or it’d be so long that you all would be sleeping by halfway through it.)

So thus was born the #HowISurvivedHighSchool series. And yes, the dramatic title was indeed my own original creation. I'm super excited and also very nervous to share these next few posts with you. I feel like for the last year or so I’ve been a very private person and just haven’t shared much with you guys so I’m really going to try to be as much as an open book as possible which sounds totally scary if I’m being honest.

Before I get started with part one, I want to make a few general points about this particular series:

1. This is a 6 week series and a new part will be posted each Wednesday (so mark your calendars.)

3. I will be talking about certain people I’ve encountered and things I’ve experienced, but please know that NO NAMES will be mentioned; if a name has to be used it will be changed.

4. All the things I am going to tell you are true and are my stories that I have a right to tell.

5. Please read/listen with open ears and hearts.

6. Some of the topics I will be discussing are mature and very series at times so if you can’t handle the intensity, please feel free to click out at any time.

Okay so with all that out of the way, I want to jump straight in to part one. I want to spend this first part telling you guys exactly what I do all day: aka “Behind the Scenes of a Homeschooler.” I feel like there are a lot of misconceptions of homeschooling in general and I want to take some time to tell you guys exactly what is and isn’t true about us “weird kids.”

1. Homeschoolers don’t actually study, we just sit around and watch Netflix in our pjs

This is definitely not true in my case. I can only speak for myself, of course, so there may be kids out there that do this but I try to be as productive as possible each day. Now there are definitely some days where I’m just lazy but for the most part I like to wake up and get things done. As you know, I do have a part time job along with blogging and doing YouTube as hobbies so I definitely try to balance all of that throughout my week.

Being homeschooled definitely teaches you a lot about time management. There’s no bell to signal the start and end of the school day or the pressure to complete assignments by a certain time. You have to decide all this for yourself; which is good and bad for some cases. It took me almost my whole High School career to finally develop a good routine that works for me.

2. You don’t have a social life

This is one of the biggest myths of homeschooling. People automatically assume that because we stay at home for school that we never leave the house. If only. No, for me it’s been quite the opposite: I have too much of a social life. Okay so I have to admit, I’m not a very social person to begin with. At events you can usually catch me in the corner, probably eating. So having a social life has never been an issue for me but again, it could be different for others.

I’ve had people my age who aren’t homeschooled tell me “I would love to be homeschooled but I would miss the social part of school.” People who attend public school definitely have the advantage when it comes to extracurricular activities. Most school districts won’t allow homeschoolers to be on their football team, join Latin club, etc. I would like to see that change but that’s a whole other blog post.

I really think there are plenty of opportunities out there for homeschoolers. I’ve been an active 4-H member for 6 years; I’ve been a part of several Youth Groups, as well as activities at my local library. So for me, socializing has never been an issue. There are many activities to get involved in; it just may require looking a little harder.

3. You don’t have friends

This goes along with the previous assumption but I wanted to quickly address this on its own. I’m going to talk about friendship in an upcoming part to this series, but as far as making friends as a homeschooler I really don’t think it’s that hard. As long as you put yourself out there (ex. Youth Groups, 4-H, book clubs), it’s not much different than how everyone else makes friends. The only difference is you don’t go to school with them every day and sometimes I think that’s a good thing.

4. There’s no drama

FALSE. I literally have to restrain myself from laughing whenever people say they think there’s no drama when you’re homeschooled. We live in a drama-prone world where no matter where you are there’s going to be some type of drama- unless of course you live under a rock.

I remember when I was younger and I had just started middle school. I had such high hopes and I thought once you got to middle school that life would be so much fun and it would be like in the movies where I’d hang out with friends all the time, go on fun trips together, etc. I really can’t explain what my expectations were but I never thought it would actually be completely different than my vision.

Looking back, I have a lot of regrets of things I wish I hadn’t done, people I wish I never would have spoken to, and all the different ways things could have gone better. Every day I think about how I wish people from middle school could see me now and see how far I’ve come. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, though, it’s that the best thing to do is let go and move on. It’s a hard principle to learn but you’ll gain so much if you apply it to your life.

5. You never leave the house

Once there was a week where it felt like I was only home to sleep. However, people seem to think that we don’t have any kind of life outside of school which is not true at all. Honestly your life is what you make out of it so there’s always the option to never leave the house but I would probably lose my sanity if I stayed home all the time. I think it’s important to put yourself out there in the outside world because there will definitely come a day where you absolutely can’t be in your room all day long.

6. People are homeschooled because they got expelled

This assumption comes straight from what someone said to me just the other day. We were talking and they said “I think some people are homeschooled because they got expelled from school.” What?!?! I have yet to meet anyone who is homeschooled due to that reason but I suppose it’s always possible. I had never even thought of that before, which is why I wanted to include it. So now I’m going to be insecure when I tell people I was homeschooled because what if people assume that?

7. That homeschoolers don’t get to go to college

Again this is something someone said to me awhile back but I’ll never forget it. If homeschoolers didn’t go to college, how would they get jobs? Our economy would literally be failing if for instance everyone was homeschooled but we couldn't go to college. Surprisingly, homeschoolers are more often accepted into colleges than schooled applicants. Why? Because homeschooled students spend more time studying what they are interested in rather than being forced to study the same things as everyone else.

So yes, we do get to go to college.

Well that wraps up this post! I hope maybe this provides you with a better understanding of what being homeschooled is like and that we’re not all the weirdos some people make us out to be. Make sure to stay tuned for next Wednesday for part 2 of #HowISurvivedHighSchool.

exercise

8 Healthy Habits to Master In 2019

January 21, 2019

8 Healthy Habits to Master In 2019

Welcome back, beautiful people!

Guys. I haven’t posted since LAST YEAR. How crazy is that? Well as you probably know by now, it’s a new year and let me tell you, I’m super stoked for 2019. Exciting things are going to happen and it’s going to be a fantastic year.

In my last post, I talked about my 2018 New Year’s resolutions and if I followed through with them or not. I thought this would be a good follow up to that post because I’m going to be talking about some ideas for your 2019 New Year’s Resolutions. I hope this inspires you to make some of these your goals for this year because I know I’m going to try really hard to master them this year and I hope you’ll consider joining me.

1. Drink more water

You’d be surprised at the many things water can do for you. Not only does it keep you hydrated, it helps regulate blood pressure, improves skin quality, relieves stress, and boosts energy. I used to be terrible about drinking water (I’d drink maybe 2 glasses a day), but I’ve noticed a huge change to my overall health since I started drinking more water last year. The average person should drink about 8 (8 oz) cups (about 2 liters.) I recommend investing in a large water bottle because it helps you stay on track when you don’t have to keep refilling your cup throughout the day. So this year, give up the sugary drinks and sodas and stick to water.

2. MOVE!

You guys are probably tired of hearing me talk about how important exercise is but I cannot stress it enough. It’s so important to not only your physical health, but your mental health as well. I like to workout especially when I’m having a bad day or feeling down. Getting out the energy helps release all the bad feelings and gives your brain something else to focus on. Exercising doesn’t have to be about losing or gaining weight, it’s about staying healthy and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Even if it’s just an hour a week, get out and move! You don’t have to go to a gym to do that either. A home workout is just as effective and so is going for a walk/run, biking, and swimming. Whatever it is, find a way to keep your body moving this year.

3. Cut out negativity

This is harder than it sounds because it took me years to actually do it. By cutting out negativity I mean any negative people, places, or influences in your life. These are the things/people that are preventing you from being your best self and living your life to the fullest. Only keep the people/things that are encouraging you and helping you become the best version of yourself. It shouldn’t be hard to determine who/what needs to go because subconsciously you probably already know. It’s the people/things you get that “gut feeling” about. The hardest part will be cutting them out, but it will ultimately make you so much happier- even if it takes you awhile to realize it. I can promise you that this is one of the best decisions you will ever make.

4. Get a planner and use It

This doesn’t even have to be anything fancy; it can just be a notebook or pad of paper. Whatever it is, find something to write down all of your appointments, tests, meetings, etc. Having a place to write down all your events will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Having a planner will make it easy to organize your life as well as prevent bad scheduling. Take time at the end of the week to go over your plans for the upcoming week and make a schedule for your appointments and tasks. This will help you manage your time wisely and if you follow your schedule, you will go to bed each night feeling satisfied with your days.

5. Make a sleeping schedule and stick to it

I think one of the most important factors in having good, productive days is the amount of sleep you get each night. I used to be one of those people who would completely waste their day by sleeping/being lazy and waiting until nighttime to start any projects I had to do. Let me tell you, you will be 100 times happier AND productive if you have a good sleep routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day (yes, even on weekends.) It may be a little hard to adjust to at first, but eventually your body will get into the habit of falling asleep and waking up at the same time every day on its own. Also, try to avoid taking naps throughout the day and eating within an hour of going to bed. These things will interfere with your sleeping routine and make it harder to go to sleep at night. So, make it a habit to get into a good sleep routine and I guarantee you will be feel rested and energized each day which will allow you to be more productive.

6. Practice self-care

Do you ever feel like you’re so overwhelmed with school or work or things going on in your life? Do you work extra hard to please someone and make them happy? I think we’ve all been there and maybe you feel like that all the time, so that’s why I’m challenging you to make it a goal in 2019 to take better care of yourself. You’re probably wondering “well how do I do that?” The answer is that it’s different for everyone. Moreover, it doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive. Maybe it’s just taking ten minutes out of your day to journal or draw, or taking time to do your makeup. Treat yourself every once in a while. For me, I spend the last few minutes of my day meditating, letting go of stress and forgetting my worries of the day. I also attend a weekly yoga class. I understand that maybe the things I mentioned aren’t for you, but this year I encourage you to take some time each day or each week and practice some form of self-care.

7. Build your relationships

This is one of my biggest goals for this year and I hope it will be one of yours too. Instead of giving up and ignoring the problems in your relationships, learn to work through them. The best way to build strong, healthy relationships with people in your life is to communicate. By communication I don’t mean texting them once in a while or sending them memes on social media. Make it a point to set aside time in your schedule to spend time with the people in your life. Communication is one of the most important elements in your relationship with your family, friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc. So this year try to focus on taking time out of your week and work on building those relationships with the most important people in your life.

8. Be positive

Again, another thing that is easier said than done. But I think what you’ll realize is that if you are already doing the other things I mentioned above, this one will become much easier. It makes me so sad and unhappy when there are people who always choose to see the worst in every situation or let small irrelevant things get the better of them. So this year, really try to focus on seeing the good in even the worst situations. You’ve probably heard this before, but you attract what you are. If you’re down all the time, let’s be real, no one wants to be around that. However, if you make it an effort to stay positive and uplifting, you’ll be the type of person others desire to be around.

I think we all know at least one person that’s happy all the time. How do they do it? Well I can assure you almost 100% that there is no one who is happy ALL THE TIME. However, if you do all of the things I listed above, you will be a changed person. It all comes down to how you’re choosing to live your life. If you fill it with negative influences and toxic relationships, you’re bound to have trouble. On the other hand, if you fill your life with positivity, you’re already on your way to happiness. In the end, then, it all comes down to lifestyle choices. If you want to change your life, change your lifestyle. The results may be slow, but I can promise you that they will change you and make you the best person you will ever be.

I hope you will join me in mastering these goals in 2019. I believe these are the things that are important for building a happy and healthy life. So let’s do this together and make 2019 the best year ever!

Pages

A College Life Update

7 Ways to Make The Most of Your Day

#HowISurvivedHighSchool Part 6: A Promising Future

#HowISurvivedHighSchool Part 5: Building the Foundation of Good Repuation

#HowISurvivedHighSchool Part 3: The Truth About Friends and Friendships

#HowISurvivedHighSchool Part 1: 7 Myths About Homeschoolers

8 Healthy Habits to Master In 2019

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