Words to Live By

I've always loved words.

Whether in books or songs or quotes, I am certainly a lexophile. I think my "Beautiful Words" board is the most active on my Pinterest- I'm amazed at the impact words and letters can make. Isn't it crazy... 26 symbols, pieced together in different ways, have the ability to make or break any given day or moment.

Lately, I've been digging into my Bible. It's full of words that really are meaningful and educational. In my reading, I came across my new favorite verse: Ephesians 4:29. When I read it, it was exactly what I wanted and needed to hear. Not that I was struggling with gossip or using kind words, but because it was a revelation of sorts.

I thought for a long time about how powerful words are to myself. My mood is strongly affected by the words that I hear from both myself and others. I'm not the only person who operates like that; from a young age we were told that "sticks and stones may break our bones but words will never hurt us", which is the biggest lie since words are a form of communication that, when selected, may be remembered and dwelled on. This verse puts it all perfectly. If others' words can make or break me, then my words have the ability to make or break my peers, and my goal should be to lift them up. I should strive to make sure those I care about- and everyone else, for that matter- know that they are great and beautiful and important to me.

This summer will be a lot of catching up and telling stories about college. I'm going to work to make sure that I am speaking in ways that build myself and others up, rather than the opposite. It's all about making my words count.

2014: The Year of Positivity

It's no secret that I can be hard on myself and others around me. If there's such thing as chronic high-expectations, I think that would describe me perfectly. And towards the end of the year, the pressure I put on myself started to catch up to me- I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd done wrong or why I hadn't planned better. I struggled with being vulnerable- that my vulnerability had been taken advantage of and hurt me. I closed myself back up, which was taking steps back from the progress I'd made this past semester.

And I realized how much I dwell on the bad in life. I'm not a pessimist, but I am certainly a realist when it comes to expecting the expected- nothing more or less. And it's my low expectations of life and high expectations of myself that results in me getting disappointed and feeling down. So, I'm going to change that.

I'm never really one for "resolutions", but I like the idea of giving a year a title. 2014 is now officially my year of positivity. Towards myself. Towards others. I want to smile more and worry less. Give more complements and be less judgmental. 

And to remember that life doesn't have hills without the valleys. Happy New Year!