Thoughts On Life Archives - Page 6

On Valentine’s Day, show some self-love

February 14, 2014 by Cassie

I’m going to make a political statement here: I like Valentine’s Day.

Big surprise—I have a built-in date with my boyfriend, with whom I also happen to be celebrating my five-year anniversary today. (Our first date was the week before V-Day, so we conveniently made it an official, easy-to-remember anniversary date.)

But honestly, even when I was single, I always enjoyed Valentine’s Day. It’s an excuse to wear bright red lipstick, eat cupcakes and tell someone you like—either romantically or not—that you think they’re pretty cool.

And whether you’re single, taken, or too busy dominating the world for labels, Valentine’s Day is also the perfect excuse to show a little self-love. That goes for all of you who would rather skip over this holiday entirely, too.

How can you show some self-love today?

Get some exercise. Today, I plan on either going for a nice hilly run or trying out the yoga studio up the street. (I bought a Groupon for 16 yoga classes for $55!) Get a little sweat going, and you’ll feel happy for the rest of the day.

Try something new. Take the scenic route home. Check out the coffee place that just opened down the street. Cook a new recipe you’ve been meaning to try. Spark your adventurous side.

Give yourself permission to veg. Hey, it’s Friday. It’s been a long week, amiright? Put on the sweatpants. Eat the Valentine’s Day candy. Binge-watch your favorite show on Netflix. Even if you have a dinner date planned, I recommend following it with this.

Treat yourself. To a book. A fresh basil plant. A new shade of nail polish. A bottle of wine (or two).

Stay off Facebook. Or don’t. But if you do log on, “like” a few mushy statuses like the generous person you are. Otherwise, no complaints when you come across those “best boyfriend everrrrr, no wait, I mean FIANCE! WE’RE ENGAGED!!! LOVE YOU POOKIE” statuses. Either stay offline completely or be happy for someone else’s (slightly obnoxious) love.

I’m taking a poll: Do you love or hate Valentine’s Day? What do you have planned? Finally—how are you gonna show some self-love today?

Filed Under: Thoughts on Life Tagged With: anniversary, date, exercise, Facebook, self love, single, taken, valentine's day

How to smash your fears

February 2, 2014 by Cassie

What are you most afraid of? Is it heights? Spiders? Failure? Death?

For Heather, it wasn’t just death she was afraid of—it was also the very real possibility of leaving her daughter without a mother. Eight years ago, Heather was diagnosed with mesothelioma and was told she had 15 months to live. She had just given birth to her daughter, Lily.

A couple weeks ago, I received an email from Heather’s husband Cameron, who told me his family’s story. Alive and well today, Heather is a seven-year cancer survivor who has been able to watch her daughter grow into a beautiful little girl. Each year, on the anniversary of the day her left lung was removed, Heather celebrates along with her friends and family, and they each write their biggest fears on plates—before smashing them in a bonfire.

Sounds cathartic, right? If I were standing in front of a bonfire with a few plates handy, I’d be able to think of a few things to write down and promptly smash. Namely, my fear of what might happen if I don’t land a job when I finish grad school. What that could mean money-wise. My constant fear of making the wrong decision. And then some.

This message from Cameron is a healthy reminder on how to reframe the way you look at your fears:

“What matters is whether we are able to overcome our fears and move forward. I may be lucky—I didn’t see another option when confronted with Heather’s mesothelioma diagnosis. I had to face my fears. Mostly I was afraid what the future would bring. I was afraid for Heather, Lily and myself. I was afraid of losing Heather and raising Lily on my own. I was afraid of failing as a father and husband. But there was no way to pause life. I continually had to live in the moment and look forward to whatever tomorrow would bring.

I remember living life from one doctor’s appointment to the next, not being able to make plans very far into the future. Once I realized what I had control over and what I did not, living with an uncertain future became easier. I also told myself to never look back and question any choices I had made. I would make the best decision with the information I had at the time and always move forward.”

And today for Heather, Cameron and Lily isn’t Super Bowl Sunday. It’s not Groundhog Day. It’s Lung Leavin’ Day, and it’s a celebration of life and a day to confront their fears. It’s a good day for the rest of us, too. If you don’t have a bonfire handy, you can virtually smash your fears on Heather’s site here.

So tell me, what’s your biggest fear? How are you going to face it today?

Filed Under: Thoughts on Life Tagged With: cancer survivor, facing your fears, failure, fear, heather von st. james, Lung Leavin' Day, mesothelioma

What kind of creative are you?

January 28, 2014 by Cassie

Chances are, you’ve taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test to see which of the fun acronyms best describes your personality.

Are you a quiet, serious ISTJ? An outspoken, fast-paced ENTP? Or maybe an ambitious, idealist INFP? (That’s me!) Your personality type has a lot to do with your creativity—how it’s inspired, fostered, carried out and even suppressed. Some people think they’re not creative because they’re terrible drawers or don’t like writing, but each of the 16 personalities has qualities that are linked to creativity.

That said, I’m a writer, and to harness my creativity to be more productive, efficient and, ultimately, satisfied, it’s important to understand just what kind of a creative I am—what motivates, inspires and helps me to get the creative juices flowing.

Why? As an INFP, I tend to get a little… distracted. I occasionally suffer from what’s known as Shiny Object Syndrome (“S.O.S.” for short, appropriately), often getting excited about multiple ideas with the best of intentions and never seeing them through.

Maybe you have the same problem, or another problem that’s holding your creativity back. In any case, here are some questions to ask yourself to help narrow down what makes you tick and what gets you off track (and if you haven’t already taken the Myers-Briggs personality test, you can take it here):

What is the intention behind your creativity? Doing good in the world? Living an authentic and purposeful life? Expressing yourself in a way others will appreciate and relate to?

What motivates you? Money? Recognition and acknowledgement? Achievement (whether it involves money and recognition or not)?

What kind of environment inspires you? Do you prefer to be home surrounded by familiar and comfortable things? Or out exploring nature? Or surrounded by people in a social environment?

The answers to these questions might seem simple, but they’re key to setting the foundation for understanding your purpose and needs for being creative. Thinking about what energizes you and what you see in the big picture can help you get clear on how you best operate. (It often helps me to write these things down on paper—something I turn to when I’m losing creative steam on the computer.) And it’s not a crime if money is a motivating factor—creative types need to make money too, and working on a rewards system is one of many effective ways to get things done.

When you’ve answered these questions, look to your personality type for more clues about your strengths and weaknesses. If you’re anything like me, you might struggle with time management, being decisive and avoiding burnout. Or maybe you have a hard time being flexible, taking criticism or are over-analytical. Rather than beating yourself up for your downfalls, get into problem-solving mode and cater to your strengths. An app I recently discovered called Commit is great for keeping you accountable for goals you set. And as I begin my second semester of grad school, I’ve begun mapping out a routine and schedule for work and play (this blog falls somewhere in between!) to keep me on track.

So I’d like to know: What kind of creative are you? What are your strengths and weaknesses, and how do you embrace them?

Filed Under: Thoughts on Life Tagged With: Commit app, creative types, creativity, harnessing your creativity, INFP, inspiration, motivation, myers-briggs, personality test, routine, shiny object syndrome, strengths and weaknesses

It’s been quiet

January 14, 2014 by Cassie

You know that feeling you get when nothing’s wrong per se, but something’s not quite right, either? Like when you try on your old favorite pair of pants and they still fit fine, but they’re just not your style anymore?

That’s how I’ve been feeling lately. About my blogging mentality, in particular. Witty Title Here is my home on the Internet. It’s a respite, a labor of love, a curated version of my identity (as blogs tend to be) and so much more. There’s a lot here of which I’m incredibly proud. But to be honest, I’ve struggled with something I can’t quite put my finger on.

Which is why in 2014, I plan on changing things up—just a little bit—to rejuvenate my enthusiasm and hopefully get you excited, too. I haven’t quite yet figured out the details, but the big picture is becoming clearer. And I think it’s gonna be a good change.

Here’s what I do know.

I want WTH to be more helpful. I want it to be a place where you can find interesting people doing awesome things on the Internet. I want it to be less about me and more about you. Because you, dear reader/listener/lurker/friend, are why I’m here, writing and sharing, week after week.

Am I taking myself out of it—becoming less personal? Definitely not. It’s my voice, my story, my perspective I’ve shared all along, and that will never go away. In a sea of millions of blogs, personality, I’ve learned, is very important. But as a writer, I’d like to grow beyond talking about me, me, me. This is not an autobiography. Because really, aside from moving across the country, my life isn’t nearly interesting enough for all that. But the people I meet and the place I live? They’re fascinating.

Here’s what I’d like to know.

I’d like to know more about you. What you’re working on. Who or what you’d like to share with the world. The things that piss you off and the things that get you excited. (So we can commiserate about and celebrate them respectively.) I think we could get some fantastic discussions going on in this space.

What does all of this mean?

It means that I’m feeling pumped about my blog again. That I’ll be trying out some new things—and will be eager to hear your feedback. That I’ll hopefully stick to a more regular posting schedule. (I have every intention to do so but reserve the right to cut back when I’m feeling the heat at school. My education does, after all, take priority.) And when I find out you’re doing something awesome that should be shared with the world, I’ll shine the spotlight on you.

My sincere hope is that WTH becomes a more valuable place for you.

Sound good? I can’t wait. Stay tuned, friends.

Filed Under: Thoughts on Life Tagged With: blogging, change, goals, new year, witty title here, writing

The best year of my life

December 31, 2013 by Cassie

2013 was my most life-changing year to date.

It was exciting and uncertain and adventurous and anxiety-ridden. And it was hard. While 2013 has truly been the best year of my life so far, it has also been the most challenging. Logistically, emotionally and physically challenging. Looking back? I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because if it had been a piece of cake, nothing would have changed. Nothing would have been accomplished. I wouldn’t have moved across the country to pursue my life’s biggest goals and dreams.

And so, I’d like to give this year a proper goodbye with a review of its biggest highlights, featuring the best of WTH:

In January, I experimented with my new camera, launched a guest post series, applied to a handful of graduate programs, and wrote about momentum.

February, like the months to follow, was full of anxiety over my uncertain future. Writing about the worst that could happen was a much-needed dose of acceptance, perspective and catharsis.

March was exhilarating. I revealed a brand new design here at WTH, which was the result of weeks of planning, coding and perfecting. I couldn’t share the news then, but March was also when I was accepted into USC for grad school. That month, I wrote about the kind of friend I want and how I planned to change my story.

In April, I thought a lot about sisterhood, shared words of wisdom from a rock goddess girl crush, and wrote a list of things I’d like to learn how to do.

By May, I was FINALLY able to share the news that I was moving to California with John. That’s when things kicked into high gear and the reality of it all hit me. I bought a brand new car and put in my notice at work. Shit, you might say, was getting real.

June was a whirlwind. John released his fourth album, which I sang on. I made a few confessions, realized there’s no such thing as certainty, and talked to a handful of Los Angeles transplants. The last day of the month was my last day as a full-time employee.

In July, I celebrated my newfound independence and packed up my things. John and I said our goodbyes to family and hit the road for the biggest adventure of my life to date. We stopped in Asheville, Nashville, Memphis, Amarillo, Santa Fe, Sedona, Mt. Zion National Park and Las Vegas en route to Los Angeles.

August was the mad scramble to find an apartment before I started school. We ended up finding the perfect spot in Silver Lake, and soon after, I began working toward my graduate degree in Journalism.

USC

In September, I developed the film from my cross-country road trip, shared the soundtrack to my summer, and reflected on how all the big changes I was going through made me stronger. I also interviewed Slash. So that was awesome.

October marked my 24th year on this planet—and my first birthday spent in California. I began sharing adventures in my new city, like the secret stairs and a Brewery Art Walk. I also wrote about how to be a good person, because self-improvement, y’all.

Last month, in November, I stepped out of my comfort zone, talked about money, shared a few personal details, and celebrated Thanksgiving with you kind folks.

And now, here we are in December. This month, I wrapped up my first semester as a grad student with a final project I was really proud of. I wrote about what I learned in school and how much I was anticipating visiting home for the first time.

I got to hug my family and friends again, celebrated four Christmases and the one-year anniversary of my 5 Year Diary, and chopped off a good 10 inches of hair. There’s something about new hair in transitional times that seems to have a magical effect.

And next year? It’s only gonna get better.

2014 will be crazy and exhilarating and challenging in its own ways, and I can’t wait to see what it has in store for me. And I would love to know: What do you hope 2014 has planned for you? What do you have planned for 2014? Whatever it may be for all of us, I hope it brings progress, peace and personal fulfillment.

Cheers to a New Year, y’all. It’s gonna be a good one.

Filed Under: Life in Los Angeles, Photography, Thoughts on Life Tagged With: 2013, change, life in Los Angeles, New Year's Eve, photography, transition, year in review