Be Your Own Biggest Supporter

We all have those days and weeks where everything just seems too much. You know, those weeks where your job makes you miserable, your house is a mess, and the to-do list just seems never-ending, no matter how much you cross off it. That was my past week, and it was horrible. Luckily, I have the most amazing friends and support system to get me through everything, but truth be told, when the going gets tough, you shouldn't look to everyone else to fix it for you. You've got to depend on you. You should depend on you.

This past week has had me questioning a lot, but one thing I didn't question was myself, and I want to help other people to be the same. I know thousands of people have made a post just like this, but I don't think there can ever be too many like it. You are your own best friend and you should be your own biggest supporter no matter what.

When I was younger, I had a hard time with this. I wanted to blame everything bad on an external source and I wanted to bask in my own misery and blame everyone for all of my mistakes and heartaches and mishaps. But I've learned to do otherwise. I've learned to look at myself and to be the person I always pretended to be: positive, supportive, loving, and focused on humility. Not just to others, but to myself. It was a long hard road, but I've gotten there--I'm still getting there--and with help from my amazing friends, I've done what I've needed to do to make it out okay.

So I guess the question is: how do you become your own biggest supporter?

Well, root for you. Be a little selfish. Focus on your values. Pay attention to your wants. Most importantly, listen to yourself. I know, it's all easier said than done, but you'd be surprised how far that one simple task can go. And once you're happy with yourself, it's much easier to be happy with your choices. People can think what they want to, but if you've done everything you need to for you, then who else is there to impress? At the end of the day, if you like you for you--if you can look at your actions from that day and stand behind every one of them--then that's all that matters. I wish there were some simple steps, but unfortunately, all I can do is give you these cliches and hope that you take them for what they're worth.

And now, I will leave you with the quotes that I go back to time and time again to make myself feel better about whatever is upsetting me. I hope you can get something out of them, too.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Don't be trapped by dogma--which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.... Stay hungry. Stay foolish." -Steve Jobs

"Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it." -Lewis Carroll

"She said she knew she was able to fly because when she came down she always had dust on her fingers from touching the light bulbs." -J.D. Salinger

"...It's never too late or... too early to be whoever you want to be.... I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find you're not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again." Eric Roth

"One should... be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope you find the courage to do what you need to do for yourself, no matter how scary, life-changing, vast, or permanent. I hope you look to yourself to be your number one fan. I hope you do everything for you. You deserve nothing less.

xxx

My Spring & Summer To-Do List

Once you graduate from college, summer stops being three months of freedom and starts being just another season. The beautiful, sunny weather is still there, but the time to take advantage of it isn't. So I've taken decided to write down everything fun I want to do this spring and summer and put it into a list that I can cross off as it's all done. After all, to-do lists shouldn't just be for boring tasks; you've gotta make time for fun, too.

There are some big ticket items on the list and some small, but they're all activities I really want to make sure I take the time for. Maybe you'll wanna do the same.

• Have a picnic
• Visit New York
• Visit Tampa
• Attend the last Vans Warped Tour (hear my Emo heart shatter)
• Have a beach day
• Visit DC
• Go to more museums
• Visit Camp

Don't let work and a busy schedule get in the way of whatever makes you happy. Make the time for it. It's like the quote from The Shining: "All work and no play makes [insert name] a dull boy [or girl]." Have some fun. Go make some memories. It's important.

xxx

Podcasts, Podcasts, Podcasts

Podcasts are in. It feels like everyone I know lately is either working on one or talking about one, and there are a lot out there. If you're not familiar with podcasts, they're pretty diverse; there's one for everyone: politics, humor, sports. You name it, there's probably a podcast about it or pertaining to it. So I wanted to jump on board and share my three favorites with you guys. I like funny ones, so they're all perfect for a good laugh, and they're all similar and different at the same time. They're my most played as of recent, and whenever I want to hear a different take on something or someone, I turn to these three. Maybe you guys will, too.

Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

I've been subscribed to Not Too Deep since its first season in 2014 or 2015. Basically, Grace takes the classic let's-interview-a-celebrity-about-themselves podcast format and flips it on its head: she bases the content on humor, and as the title outright says, doesn't allow it to get too emotional or too deep. The questions are silly, and I always find myself laughing out loud for the entire hour long segment. Her guests are almost always Internet celebrities or content creators (AKA people I'm very interested in) and her producer/director Jack Ferry often chimes into the conversations, providing educated information (coined "Jack checking") to the hilarious interviews.

Each season has evolved slightly so that the content doesn't get boring or outdated, but Grace always keeps to her original idea of surface fun and enjoyment. For every new guest, Grace asks the same two questions at the end of her interview segment. Then she takes questions from people who have Tweeted, commented, etc. directed at the episode's guest and allows conversations to stem from those. It's fantastic. If you're looking for some light-hearted laughter, definitely check this one out.

Popcorn with Mitchell Davis & Jack Ferry

I found Popcorn through Not Too Deep, and it's quickly become a favorite. Mitchell Davis has grown with the Internet, creating YouTube content since MySpace days, and Jack Ferry is an accomplished director and producer of a variety of different projects. Together, they invite guests on to review and discuss movies. So far, they've been older movies we've all mostly seen as kids, but the show is only in its second season, so who knows where they'll go with it.

I'm loving the setup they have now, though. Have you ever watched a childhood movie, or a movie that came out years ago, from an adult perspective? They're so different! And Jack, Mitchell, and their guest literally have me crying with laughter while they dissect the scenes of so many movies I've forgotten about. The movie buff (or just someone who likes nostalgic things) will like this one, I have no doubt about it.

Entry Level with Brooks Wheelan

I'm still new to this podcast, but Brooks is hilarious, and so are first jobs, so it's quickly put itself up there on my list. Maybe it's because I'm going through the job search right now and haven't gotten to my dream job yet, but either way, it's relatable and I'm loving it thus far.

The concept is simple: Brooks talks to people in different creative fields about the jobs they held before they got to the one they're in now. They share stories and anecdotes, and some people's first jobs are interesting, to say the least. I love hearing the different perspectives of the jobs and the different experiences everyone's had.

Let me know what podcasts you guys like to listen to!

xxx

My New App Obsession

A couple of weeks ago I was listening to a podcast which mentioned an app that makes your pictures look like they were taken on a disposable camera. I know that sounds silly: to use your smartphone--something that's boasted amazing quality pictures in the past few years--to take pictures with terrible quality, but the thing is, I love pictures that come from disposable cameras. I'm just too lazy to ever go and get the pictures developed, especially now that we have like two places that will develop them, and the last time I did so, it cost me like $25 or something I deemed ridiculous. So when I heard Mitchell Davis mention the app, I had to find it.

If I got the correct one, it's called Huji. It's free on the app store, and thank God it is because I've become instantly obsessed. You can't zoom in. All you can do is flip the camera to forward facing, time stamp the image if you want to (your options are today's date or today's date in 1998), and turn off the random light effects, but why would you want to do that? It's half the fun. I haven't gotten too many amazing images with it so far, but I've had fun nonetheless and I want to share it with all of you anyway because I think it's an app worth knowing about. For this post, I left all of the pictures unedited so that you guys could see them all in their original form, so sorry if the lighting is off in some (but that is characteristic of a disposable camera, isn't it?)!

I tried to include pictures with all of the different effects I've experienced so far, and it just so happens that most of them are pictures of animals. Sue me. I was having fun. I especially like that the pictures have to "develop" so you can't see them until about five seconds after you snap the picture, giving animals plenty of time to move around and blur the picture or mess with the effects somehow. It's a little exciting, the anticipation of whether it's a good picture or not.

I've also found that I like taking pictures mostly outside with this app because the effects are the best, but I have gotten a few nice photos inside and the flash works pretty well (and isn't obnoxiously bright)! Street lights are pretty much just a no-go if you want a usable image (but hey, prove me wrong). Maybe with more practice, I'll be able to get a nice one on late night city streets.

Let me know your guys' favorite photo apps and if you enjoyed this post at all!

xxx