Success Is Not For The Lazy

Success is not for the lazy.

I remember my first meeting with my initial university representative as a freshman. He had asked me, "Do you want to pursue a four-year or five-year graduation plan?" I was baffled - my major of English Education with a Communications emphasis seemed straightforward enough, and I didn't see how it would take more than 4 years to complete. I mentioned as such to him, and he laughed, stating, "Some people enjoy spending more time in college. It's not that you can't finish in four years, but some people like to take their time."

Not me. I completed my degree in exactly four years. Why waste a year of my life stretching out my coursework? I was adamant, keeping close watch on my credits and GPA so that I could finish on time and pursue the profession I wanted.

Hello October!

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." - L. M. Montgomery

Happy October 1st, my friends! I love October. It is my favorite month of the year. The crisp autumn air, the falling leaves, the explosion of color that only comes with the changing seasons. October is a time of transition into winter. It is a reminder to enjoy life in all its seasons and to have appreciation for things we so often take for granted.

What do you love most about your favorite season?

Can Music Save Your Mortal Soul?

Now do you believe in rock and roll, can music save your mortal soul, and can you teach me how to dance real slow? - Don McLean

I was recently at Barnes & Noble (yes, I know, big shocker there) and thanks to my current nonfiction reading interest, I picked up a new title: This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of A Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin. I am just starting it (book review to come in a few weeks), but it is making me reflect on my own musical upbringing. I figured, what a unique and different topic for Certainly Candid! So here I am writing to you today. As I know I have many musically inclined readers out there as well, I present my own background:

A Case Study, or, Can Music Save Your Mortal Soul?

Music has always been a big part of my life. While I played many instruments, piano has always been my first love since I started private lessons at the age of seven. It is a versatile instrument that can shine as a solo or accompany others. In high school, I would spend my study hall time down in the music department. I knew which practice rooms held the pianos that were out of tune, or had sticky keys, or the coveted new replacements for ones that had finally broken down. Nine times out of ten, I could be found in front of the black and white keys with my sheet music.

It did not matter what I played. It often depended on my mood. Sometimes it would be the rigorous classical pieces my piano instructor had assigned. Sometimes it would be jazzy Broadway tunes. If I was in a contemplative mood, it would often be Lorie Line arrangements.

The Mad Ones

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars." - Jack Kerouac

I have interesting conversations with a lot of different people wherever I go. My friends and family are included in this, yes, but so are the random discussions I have with people I've never met before. People like the elderly lady who asks for a second opinion on which brand of frosting to purchase at the grocery store. The funny cashier who never fails to make me laugh when I pick up my morning Starbucks. The bookseller at Barnes & Noble who suggests new novels to read. 

These conversations are ones that stick with me over the years. Call it fate, divine intervention, whatever you like, but I firmly believe that these interactions help us in our everyday lives.

Just a Different Kind of Confidence

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." -Neale Donald Walsch

The word confidence has roots in Latin and French. From the Latin root "fidere" meaning to trust, the word confidence is certainly a loaded word. It is defined as "belief in oneself and the power of one's abilities."

People often forget that confidence comes in many forms. We cannot simply wrap up a person's qualities in a box, tie it with a bow, and put them in a certain category. It does not work that way at all.

If not now, then when?

When I started this blog in April of 2013, I had big plans for it. I saw it as an opportunity to take a baby step back into something I love: writing. Eventually, however, my timeline and goals pertaining to this blog fell through with my justification that I would do it "someday." 

We always say that "someday" we're going to get something done or accomplish that dream. I am no exception to this. Someday, I am going to write a novel. Someday, I am going to get my graduate degree. Someday, I am going to take a road trip on Route 66.

You get the idea. 

Cowboy Boots vs. Vans Sneakers

It is a life post again, fellow bloggers! Today's post has an education focus, because I'm a teacher who is currently having teaching withdrawals. I hope you aren't getting too bored of my ramblings about nerds and Zumba class. Never fear though, for today is about neither! Today I am going to write about [wait for it]...

...shoes!

Now just hear me out. I swear this is not some materialistic post about shoe shopping. If I'm being completely honest, I dislike shopping for shoes. I have difficulty finding anything comfy, or cute, or that actually fits my feet without giving me blisters.

Nerdhood? Nerdom? What DO you call it?

Normally I use this blog to write about culture, books, and general insights. I'm going to switch gears a bit. Today I'm going to write about... [insert dramatic theme music of your choice here]

...my life.

Exciting, I know! You can hear about all my crazy adventures and daring escapes from death! I'm like a regular Sherlock Holmes, out saving the world and all that jazz!

Just kidding. And yes, I really did just use the phrase "all that jazz." What of it?

Come As You Are

"You've got nothing to prove."

"Be yourself."

"It's your personality that really matters."

Sound familiar? We all know that these things are easier said that done. It's as though someone has flipped a switch in our brain to tell us, "Well, you can be yourself, BUT..." or "You've got nothing to prove, BUT...".

When it comes to who we are as individual people, it's easy to want to be 2.0 versions of ourselves. The simple truth of the matter is we are human. We are not made to be perfect, so why do we strive to be? That ingrained "but" clause negates anything that comes before it; i.e. we have difficulty simply "being ourselves" without adding anything on the end. For example: