The Dark Days — Is that a dare?

“I’ve had this question for a real long time”

Posted on November 20, 2013 · 7 Comments

Okay, this post is going to be a bit wierd because it’s not starting off with inspiration or motivation…I’m actually really pissed off. Something good has come out of my anger, but i’ll get to that later.

So, I have to say I go out a lot on the weekends here, to a lot of different places. I’ve done the frat scene many of times along with going to my fair share of apparentments. I can’t blame the frat boys for all of this. And can I just say it is a TOUGH world out there for the women of Penn State. The amount of sleazy, disrespectful, and over-aggresive guys I’ve come in contact with here is a little scary. And don’t get me wrong, I know there are good guys out there in the sea of scum; but I haven’t met any yet. I’m a freshman, and I’m not looking for a husband or even a boyfriend, but I still don’t want to be hit on by slimy boys that don’t know how to make a girl feel good about herself.

I’m not angry that all of these guys are trying to “hit it and quit it” with the female population at PSU. Honestly I have no issues with that, we are all adults and are free to do as we please but atleast flirt well! Be some sort of respectful. A girl can have the same intentions as a boy here, but that doesn’t mean the girl doesn’t need finesse and more than a “Hey baby, wanna F***”.

Like come on. Let me give you some heart shattering examples.

I had one guy literally come up to me, comment on my chest (in words I refuse to say on here because they were just too vulger) and then stare at me expectantly, like I was going to jump his bones or something.

Another guy was hitting on me another night and thought it was a great idea to say that I , “look like the kind of person that would do well on LSD”

YEAH THAT REALLY MAKES ME WANT TO KISS YOU THANKS FOR THAT ENDEARING COMPLIMENT.

Or how about the guys that just slink over and grab your waist and pull you to them? NO. NO NO NO NO i’m sorry but in dark, shady places that’s the last thing I want to happen. We have a high assualt rate in PSU and I keep my mace and rape whistle on hand.

I’m not asking for roses and dinner, even though I really should be, i’m asking for guys to use their mouths for intelligent utterings instead of the foul, wierd, and overly sexual, things that have been said to me and that i’ve heard have been said to other girls.

I can’t even just blame the freshman boys for this behavior because most of my stories come from upperclassman guys.

I’m not even asking guys to be world class pick up artists. I get some guys are shy. Just be nice, and friendly then.

This has made me super bitter. But there is a shining light. It can’t get any worse right? ( PLEASE GOD DON’T LET IT GET WORSE , KNOCK ON WOOD). Or maybe some guys see other guys acting like that and want to be better? So, maybe it’ll get better, and that’s inspiring. A simple piece of hope.

Thanks for listening to me rant Dylan, Brian, and Matt. Hope you guys are better to the people you are interested in.

Thanks for making it this far here are some songs for you’re Ipod. Too cold to run? Transfer to the gym.

Head Band: B.O.B

The Drug in me is you: Falling in Reverse

Good girls Bad guys: Falling in Reverse

Crawling: Linkin Park

Satellite: Rise Against

Injection: Rise Agianst

Makeup- Escape the Fate

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: flirting, haley, passion, rcl, rcl1314, week 9

If you can hold on, hold on

Posted on November 8, 2013 · 96 Comments

This week was pretty devoid of inspiration. Nothing special happened, no glitter, no glitz, no rose colored classes, no nothing….sad I know but what can I say?

So lets talk about motivation, or my lack of motivation. It’s getting cold outside, and daylight hours are dwindling quickly. When it’s cold and dark I really don’t want to do anything except curl up under the covers and watch a good romantic comedy, too bad I have mountains of homework.

My motivation is food. Groundbreaking, I agree. It’s just that food works so well to motivate me to do everything. Everytime I decide going to class is not really worth it, I tell myself that I’m allowed to go buy a smoothie at The Mix if I go. Or when I want to go to sleep instead of studying for my big Criminology exam I promise myself chinese food after one hour of studying. I’m telling you it works….it makes me talk to myself more, but hey you’ve seen me at almost every english class right? Thank food.

It even deters me from going out on Thursdays. I have a 9am class on Fridays and for a little while I just didn’t go because staying out until 3 am on Thursdays just seemed much more enticing, and lets be real you can see some really funny things when you’re out on a Thursday night. Everyone’s just so excited to be out, alive, and not in class. People go HARD.

So I started telling myself that if I stayed in and did all my homework, AND went to my Friday morning classses, I could eat as much candy as I pleased! (Probably not good for my skins health, but oh well what can ya do?) Maybe food works as an incentive for me because I love it so much…..I’m serious like here are some examples… Boys<Food Going out<Food Partying<Food Cute Kittens <….okay maybe I wouldn’t go that far on that last one, but you get the idea.

I’m telling you food totally works to get my ass out of bed in the mornings when it’s pitch black outside and i’m convinced that it should be a crime to make people go to class in the dark.

What kinds of food around campus might motivate you?

Smoothies from The Mix

Forreal Milkshakes from Good 2 Go

Cookies from Insomnia (you can get them delivered)

Chinese food- I prefer Fuji and Jade but you can order from anywhere

Hot chocolate/ coffe from The MIx (don’t use the cold as an excuse they have yummy hot drinks!!)

Redifer….all of their food <3

Any place that sells candy…..candy works best, plus the sugar will keep you bouncing off the walls! Win- Win you can be motivated and stay up and study

So what did we learn this week class? I’m lazy and use food as my motivation….but honestly you do what you gotta do to survive college, right? Right!!! So survive and promise yourself good food for everything you don’t want to do!

Well Folks, that’s all I got for this week, I hope this little motivation will help you even a little bit.

RUN WHILE YOU CAN IT’S GOING TO SNOW SOON

Miss Jackson- Panic at the Disco

The Dilemma- You Me at Six

Larry I’m made of wax, What are you made of?- A Day to Remember

All These Things that I’ve done- The Killers

The Pretender- The Foo Fighters

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: food, haley, motivation, passion, rcl, rcl1314, week8

I’m wasting my time

Posted on October 31, 2013 · 2 Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Bcb00PNqg

Appropriate song for this weeks post.

Tuesday I toured Houtzdale correctional institution with my criminology class (which is all male by the way). It was an interesting experience to say the least. If you ever get the chance to tour a jail I suggest you take advantage of that opportunity, if only to see what you are avoiding by being a good law abiding citizen.

The visit started out very intimidating, but that could be because I failed the metal detector walk-through about 4 times before they had to search me…

But anyways, the group and I all eventually passed the the initial security stop and we entered the strange world of the incarcerated, and yes it is a world all on its own. We started off at the education centered part of the prison where the classrooms were located.

In each room sat a small group of men laughing, looking bored, day dreaming, or sometimes listening intently. Each classroom had a different program going on. One program was for “batterers” , another taught the men how to prevent violence.

All of the inmates dawned ugly brown jackets with a white under shirt, and lose fitting brown pants. Every window we passed captivated the attention of the men. The amount of eyes on us as we passed by each window was daunting. Most of my group was made up of young women, I guess they haven’t seen women our age for a long time. They smiled and winked as we walked by.

Their cells were whitewashed, tiny, and cluttered rooms with beds bunked on top of each other. I felt the claws of claustrophobia tearing down my throat, releasing my oxygen just looking at the rooms.

We got to meet with six inmates in a small room and listen to them tell their stories. One prisoner had been on his way to a drug deal with his cousin but he ended up crashing his car and killing his cousin. Another man was an alcoholic that vaguely hinted that alcohol had lead to his long time incarceration for harming a close friend. They expressed that they all regretted their actions and that jail was a living Hell. Each tortured soul had lost almost everything. All of their relationships, their happiness, and their hope.

Each man had an equally sad story, not only sad for them but for their families and also the people they hurt.

Why do drug dealers, murderers, sex offenders, and more motivate me?

Isn’t it obvious, my boys? I never would want to end up like them. Told when to eat, when to sleep, when to talk, when to be silent, when to shower, when to pee, when to do everything and anything. I would never want to ruin others lives and spend my days staring up at the white washed ceiling of a tiny prison cell, counting every regret, and marking every day I spend in Hell. So, it motivates me to keep on the right path. It motivates me to hold on to my precious morals and turn away from the low road.

Not that I struggle with the law, and need to be shown what happens when you break it; but it’s nice to be reminded what you have. Also soon I’ll be a criminology major, so seeing and listening to those men tell stories of angst and immaturity motivates me to make the right choices and make sure that I can one day help others make the right choices, and deal with those who do not.

And I hope you are motivated to not kill someone. So there’s that.

Thanks for making it this far, to jail for those of you who didn’t!! Just kidding. Here are some songs to fuel your running fire…

It’s Been Awhile- Staind

Riot- Three days Grace

Let’s Go- Trick Daddy, Lil Jon, Busta Ryhmes

Only One- Yellowcard

Everlong- The Foo Fighters

Wasting My Time- Default

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: haley, inspiration, jail, passion, rcl, rcl1314, week8

This I Believe

Posted on October 23, 2013 · 238 Comments

The “This I Believe” essays are my favorite things to write. If you are not familiar with them here is the website to explain (http://thisibelieve.org/guidelines/). I think these essays are inherently inspirational, motivational, and moving. So for this week I thought I’d once again dip into the “This I Believe” world and write about what I believe in.

There is no one like my mother. My beautifully industrious single mother worked her butt off to give me every single thing I ever needed in life, without much help from anyone else. My grandparents offered her money to help lessen the cost of sleep away camp…and guitar lessons….and horseback riding lessons… and I can’t forget karate lessons. Most of the time she turned them away. She was determined to provide me with a good life all from her own hard work.

Even being a spoiled brat as a child, my vision wasn’t blurred enough not to see how amazing my mother was. We have never been rich. But my mom made sure to work her way out of living in the city and to move me into the suburbs where I could go to a nice school. When she would come home with an armful of new clothes, and I wailed because none of them were my color, I still secretly smiled knowing she thought about me during the day.

As I got older my mother never stopped pushing herself to make sure I was okay. After a while I needed a car. My mom just couldn’t drive me back and forth from my job anymore. My dad was no where to be found when we asked for help. But I didn’t fear, supermom was there. She bought my beloved silver civic all by herself. I was able to experience driving with my windows down with the wind in my hair, belting out the lyrics to every song on the radio because of her. After high school, I picked a college we couldn’t afford, but that didn’t stop her from picking up another job so that I could scream “WE ARE” with the other 43,000 students dawning blue and white forever.

It wasn’t always about money either.When others were whispering in my ear that I couldn’t do something, my mom was there to yell back that they were full of shit. When I slipped down a slippery slope of self doubt my mom was there to help me climb back up the mountain. With her constant words of praise and encouragement, to this day, I am convinced I can take on the world, maybe even without breaking a sweat. This determined woman has been my mom, my dad, my best friend, my closest confidant, and my biggest cheerleader. There is nothing I believe in more than the love of my mother.

She has been my umbrella on the rainiest of days, and my night light on the darkest of nights. If I want to find the answers to all of my questions and problems, I don’t have to look far…her room is right across the hall.

My motivation, inspiration, love, and everything in between comes from this awesome lady right here ^^^

~~In case~~ Because you made it this far here are some songs for your musical running journey,

Worth Dying For- Rise Against

Don’t Hold Back- The Sleeping

Keeping Secrets- Sound We Sleep

Headstrong- Trapt

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: family, haley, mom, passion, rcl, rcl1314, this i believe, week 6

“I’m down, down but definitely not out.”

Posted on October 17, 2013 · 4 Comments

I love slam poetry. It is amazing to watch people take poetry to a whole other level. A poetry slam is when people enter original work into a competition and preform their own work. It breathes life into poetry, it gives the words a face and visual emotion. Most of the poetry entered into slams tend to be high on emotion and moving. In high school my teacher introduced my class to “Louder Than a Bomb.” Louder Than a Bomb is a documentary of a poetry slam and its participants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81hXGdFF6TQ (this is the trailer…it is worth watching….I promise)

I honestly adore this documentary. The students followed in this documentary all have interesting, heart wrenching stories. But the documentary isn’t just about sad stories . We all have a sad story. This documentary is about students taking their pain and turning it into poetry, so that they can rise above hardship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXIjF0ERvYY (This is ADAM GOTTLIEB an amazing slam poet from the documentary that I think you’ll love)

Slam poetry is inspiring because it proves that we all have thoughts worth speaking. And we have ways of speaking that are penetrating and important.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t7UsbvF4qY (NOT louder than a bomb. This one is from “Brave New Voices” another poetry slam)

Okay so the one above is one of my favorites. It’s called “That Girl”. The girl performing is talking about a guy who uses her for sex and keeps their relationship a secret. I like this one because it inspires me to be a strong girl. It’s easy to get lost in a bad relationship, and to stay quiet when you are being mistreated or used. Girls get a lot of flack for becoming “that girl”. In other words a slut, or the girl that knows her boyfriend is cheating on her but doesn’t do anything about it, or the girl he sleeps with but won’t acknowledge in front of his friends, that girl takes on a lot of roles.

This girl doesn’t stay quiet. She turns a dirty topic only spoken in harsh whispers, into a conversation every girl needs to have with herself. And I think voicing the hurt, and anger many girls go through in this situation is inspiring because it makes staying quiet about that hurt and anger almost a sin. This girl radiates strength, enough strength to pass on to her audience.

The words skank, whore, hoe, and slut are thrown around so superficially. But there is always a story behind those words. This poetry also acts as motivation to abide by the age old idea “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

MAKE NO MISTAKE SLAM POETRY IS NOT JUST ABOUT SADNESS OR PAIN. We all know poetry includes every emotion, love, happiness, you name it. Louder than a bomb, and brave new voices happen to highlight kids dealing with the worlds grievances. So if you avoid slam poetry because you think you must be depressed to do it well, you are wrong.

I WANT TO INSPIRE YOU TO WRITE AT LEAST ONE POEM IN YOUR LIFE TIME AND READ IT OUT LOUD. You don’t need an audience if you don’t want one. Write about your dog, write about losing your virginity, write about your best friend Steve. It doesn’t matter. Just turn your written words into crazy hand motions and yelling. Breath real life into whispered thoughts and written memories.

I WANT TO INSPIRE YOU TO FIND NEW WAY TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES. Speaking about your hurdles is more cathartic than you think.

I WANT TO INSPIRE YOU TO WATCH MORE POETRY SLAMS. I guarantee at least one of you will be motivated to write, and speak.

If you ask me who I am, one of my first answers will be I am a writer. There is a power and energy in the written word that blows me away. It’s one thing letting my thoughts leak out onto the paper where no one will ever see them, but it’s another thing to turn ink into sound and emotion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgZAb3eWIG0 (For you passionate writers out there)

In case you made it this far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SONGS FOR YOUR WORKOUT PLAYLIST (I HOPE YOU ARE DOWNLOADING ;p )

Underdog- You Me at Six (PERSONAL FAVORITE)

45- The Gaslight Anthem

Believe Me- Fort Minor

Pretty Girl- Sugarcult (appropriate for “That Girl”)

Get Me Bodied- Beyonce

HAPPY RUNNING> GET MOTIVATED.

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: haley, passion, poetry, Poetryslams, rcl, rcl314, thatgirl, week6

I keep on wondering if I sleep too long will I even wake up again, or something.

Posted on October 11, 2013 · 9 Comments

This week I spent most of my time holed up in my dorm as the rain came down, cuddled under the covers, watching romantic comedies. Name a better way to spend your time….YOU CAN’T. Romantic comedies are gods gift to single women. S0, anyways one of my favorite RomComs is Bridget Jones’s Diary. If you haven’t seen it shame on you! Watch it online right now!

If you have seen it then you probably know why I ~~love~~ am SUPER OBSESSED with this movie. Okay so it’s tough being a super weird/clumsy/notsized0 kind of person. In Bridget Jones’s Diary (BJD) Bridget is far from perfect. She is over thirty and she smokes and drinks to excess. Bridget lacks a filter and lacks real confidence. She is the best romantic comedy character to ever exist.

I hate all the movies where the star character is a super model women pretending to be a clumsy idiot. Bridget seems more like a real girl and I can identify with her more because I to am clumsy, quirky, and….lack a filter. This movie may not exactly be real life where two extremely hot men are fighting over an odd women who can’t formulate one non-embarrassing sentence. But i still love the plot of this movie.

HOW IS THIS MOVIE MOTIVATING????

What isn’t inspiring/motivating? It gives hope (even if it is fiction so sush) to less than perfect women (WHICH IS EVERY WOMAN IF YOU MUST KNOW) that no matter how weird you are there is someone out there for you.

In the movie Bridget tries to change herself to appear sexier, cooler, wiser. But all her efforts fail because the man she is trying to impress still cheats on her despite her efforts. But when she returns back to her old ways another man steps up and tells her he loves her just the way she is (INSERT SWOONING HERE)

DIRTY CHEATER

LOVES HER FOR HER

It’s motivating because you shouldn’t have to change who you are to please someone else. Because why would you want them anyway if you be who you are and enjoy who you are. This movie is trying to encourage originality and loving the person for their personality and actions not how they look. And it turns out the two men may be good looking and cool but Bridget’s more awesome than both of the combined. She’s funny and always has good intentions, and whats not awesome about that?

The motivation is in that there is someone out there for everyone….no matter how freakin strange you are!!! And that’s comforting because i’m so weird it’s painful sometimes -_-

HERE’S TO HOPING ADAM LEVINE IS INTO WEIRD CHICKS AND WILL SOMEDAY MARRY ME.

But really what’s not to love????

So now i’m feeling very motivated not to give up on love just yet (not that im furiously looking do not worry )……..and i’m also motivated to pursue Adam Levine for the rest of my life.

SO IN CASE YOU MADE IT THIS FAR (THANK YOU BY THE WAY ) HERE IS SOME MUSIC FOR YOUR RUNNING HABITS.

DIARY OF JANE– BREAKING BENJAMIN

FOREVER- PAPA ROACH

PAPER TONGUES- TRINITY (REALLY GOOD SONG SERIOUSLY YOU’LL LOVE IT. AND IT IS REALLY INSPIRING)

BRING EM OUT- T.I

and two song just because i really love Cat Stevens

Wild World

Sitting

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: bridget jones diary, haley, music, passion, rcl, rcl1314, romantic comedy, week6

If anyone asks tell them I’ve been licking coconut skins.

Posted on October 4, 2013 · 5 Comments

Hey my three boys/faithful readers/slaves forced to read this blog for credit…just kidding !

Okay so there may have been a little bit of a lack of inspiration in the beginning of this week because I may have been a miserable little monster due to some annoying roommate issues that got me down in the dumps.

But then something awesome happened that got me really motivated to try to be positive. My home friends really came through! As soon as I told one friend I was upset i got at least 10 other texts from my family of friends and it was amazing. They were all so supportive and they have all been calling and texting me, so that I keep them updated on my situation and so I have them to talk to and to lean on.

So my loving friends made me think of a book I recently read…. not exactly the most inspiring book but none the less…..if you read it I think you’d understand why i think it is worthy of writing about. The book is about (or at least I think it’s about) the loyalty in friendship, and how far one is willing to go for a friend. I think it’s also about learning from mistakes, regrets, and lapses in moral judgments.

This book is definitely geared toward girls, but the lessons that come out of it are significant for everyone.

I won’t spoil this book completely in case someone actually decides to read it but the I’ll just give the basis of it. A girl is found drowned in a lake of a rich country club, and it just so happens everyone living at the club knows who killed her….but not one person is willing to speak up to law enforcement. Money and power mean more to the citizens living in the area more than any moral code or ethical act. So four friends of the victim, with four very different motives/agendas, band together to avenge the girls death.

Most of the girls start off with less than altruistic motives for getting justice for Willa (the girl who drowned) and I think that is the most interesting part of this book. Somewhere in the process of seeking revenge for their fallen friend each girl remembers why she loved Willa, and that Willa was a kind soul that thought of others before herself, something each girl has not done in a very long time.

So when I first read this book, especially the beginning I was so annoyed that no one (not even the adults) who knew the identity of the girl’s killer refused to speak up to the police.

They didn’t want to stir the pot, so I think the first inspirational happening of this book is that even though the girls were too cowardly to take what they knew to the law, they loved this girl enough to care about even getting her justice. (And they might do this by using dirty, illegal methods…but still it was sort of heart warming in a twisted way 🙂 )

SPOILER ALERT

The end was the most inspirational part of the book. At first I was super angry with the end. The killer turned out to be a rich young man who is the grand son of the most powerful man at the country club. The girls do not get complete justice because the grand father sort of black mails one of the four girls so that his empire of money doesn’t completely come crashing down and so that his grand son doesn’t suffer the full extent of the law. At first i was angry the the girl being blackmailed succumbed to the evil old man, but in the end the girls put up a blog telling the entire story of Willa’s death, her killer, and about the lack of punishment. The blog goes viral and girls all over read the blog and share their own stories and vow to never let him get away with the murder by spreading his name and actions to everyone they know. I don’t think i’m explaining the ending that great , it wasn’t the most articulate or mature book but the end I really do think it is worth reading.

SO WHAT IS INSPIRATIONAL ABOUT A GIRL DYING AND HER FRIENDS SEEKING REVENGE?

Well, how about people coming together to fix a wrong and to save others from the same fate their poor friend did?

And the transformation each girl went through from being a selfish person…to someone more willing to do things for others.

Or the bonds of friendship that live on through death.

OKAY IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR….I HAVE MORE MUSIC FOR YOUR WORKOUT PLAY LIST

Place for my head: Linkin Park (feeling particularly angry? Go with this one)

Coconut Skins:Damien Rice (one of my favorite songs)

Wasting Time: Default

There’s a class for this: Cute is what we aim for

P.S i always think music is inspirational..and i have an obsession with the voice, and the x factor…so here a cool video audition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM1a2LrCLVo

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: books, friendship, haley, passion, rcl1314, week4

100% Reason to Remember the Name

Posted on September 26, 2013 · 3 Comments

Okay, so trolling youtube one day I found this series of videos called “My Last Days”. My Last Days is a series of videos following the lives of people struggling with terminal illnesses. I watched many of the videos, and every single one made me cry so hard my mom came to investigate why I was making so much noise. I’m not going to lie…..just watching the videos was so difficult. Sometimes I had to pause, regroup, take a deep breath, and then hit play. But I am so glad I found this amazing documentary series. There is nothing more inspiring then watching people that have so much more reason than I do to give up, yet they chose to seize life and keep going until their last breath. One video in particular tugged the hardest on my heart strings.

My Last Days: Meet Zach

(Warning this video is long and sad, but i recommend you suck it up and watch)

Zach’s light and airy spirit in the video is so incredible, and to me unfathomable. Every time he smiled I was in awe, and every time he sang i broke into tears. He spent his last days loving his friends and family with every ounce of his being, and I am so impressed. Zach had character that i only dream of having. He did not revert to a dark and dingy basement waiting to die, he gave the people he loved the best memories that they would never forget. Zach’s loved ones impressed me too. Their support, drive, love, faith, passion…all of it was truly staggering.

The message of this video is the forever cliche, live life to the fullest. From my own life and this video I have learned that, that saying is far from cliche. In tenth grade one of my closest friends was killed, and of course I was devastated, lost, broken. Every one who loved her was. For a little while I think I truly believed that the sun would never shine again……and for some time it really didn’t. Everything went back to the question Why? But of course I never got an answer. I really loved my friend more than I could ever say with words, she was family. Her death taught me that under no circumstances is it okay to waste life away. It’s so damn precious and short, we only have 100 years and for most of us less. I am inspired every day just thinking about my friend. I want to do great things in this world to honor her memory and make my life worth something.

Okay so i don’t want to leave you guys depressed so i have one more inspiring video for you…

TOUGH MUDDER

I WILL DO THIS ONE DAY….when I am ready to run more than 2 miles without passing out.

IN CASE YOU MADE IT THIS FAR

one song not really for running but I love it, y’all know it…it’s inspiring.

Simple Man : Lynyrd Skynyrd

Four songs for running

Can’t be Saved: Senses Fail

The Fire: Senses Fail

Guilty Pleasure: Cobra Starship

Remember the Name: Fort Minor

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: death, haley, inspiration, life, music, passion, rcl, rcl1314, toughmudder, week3

What Words can do

Posted on September 18, 2013 · 3 Comments

Since I am still in the “life is freakin hard” phase of my life I wanted to stay on the topic of things that help me through…well everything.

You wouldn’t know it from the numerous grammatical errors in my sentences, but I like to call myself a writer. There is nothing more inspiring to me than sitting down with a pencil and paper, closing my eyes, and letting my ideas run wild. Everything I want to, or can’t say out loud because it’s just to crazy for the general public I write down….and that’s a lot. Writing everything that pops into your head may not seem so motivating but for me it’s a chance to sort through my ~~shit~~ emotions (we writers are very emotional you see) and find out what I really want or need to do. My own words aren’t the only writing that inspires me, that would just be narcissistic! I absolutely LOVE inspirational quotes. From the bad ass quotes that make me want to go climb a mountain or take on the world, to the soft quotes meant to help everyone get through life’s devastation, they get my blood buzzing…is that weird?

The point is if I read that a character in a book swam across the Atlantic Ocean in one breath(and the author is very convincing of that fact) I would probably think I could t0o, or at least I would be inspired to try.

I want to share some of my favorite quotes with you and why they matter to me. FROM THE MOUTH TO PAPER…so here goes nothing 🙂

So if you didn’t guess from this blog’s wall paper….this is one of my all time favorite quotes. It’s simply an awesome quote. There is no hidden meaning, it’s simple and perfect. Whenever I am going through something this is the first thing that pops into my head. Don’t ever fall down and stay down. What ever it is you are facing there is a way to stand up and keep moving. This quote isn’t saying that life is pure shine, glitz, and love because lets be real it isn’t. Its simply saying if you think you are stuck in the flames, walk through them. I try to live my life by this quote…which is a funny quote to live by but for me it works. I think a lot of people should put this in their inspiration bank because sometimes i think a lot of people believe they are weaker than they really are. In my opinion if you put your heart,mind, and soul into just putting one foot in front of the other, nothing can stand in your way. I fully believe the human spirit in unbreakable even in the face of the most horrific happenings, we still find a way to rise from the ashes and dust ourselves off.

“It’s hard to dance with a devil on your back”- Florence and the Machine (Shake it out)

This quote is different than my last one. To me it is saying that if you let all the bad things from your past or present weigh you down you can never be happy…or dance. Even though I tend to be a bit (okay, more than a bit) dramatic I understand that i can’t let every darkness engulf me. So the message that inspires me in this catchy lyric is that at some point you must release what’s holding you down so that you are light enough to dance and smile. There is nothing better in life than being just happy, it’s a feeling no one can truly describe, but happiness is worth every struggle.

The last quote I heard from an audition on Britain’s the X factor. I believe it’s originally from a different song..but the way this guy sang it touched me..hell his whole song gives me chills.

“Forgive us for what we have done, we’re young”

As young people, we will make mistakes, we will have regrets, we will do the wrong things, but we are young. We do what we feel, and sometimes we get lost in feelings. That’s okay. We all have time to make changes, to make things better, to do the right thing. Mistakes only stay mistakes if you don’t learn from them.This motivates me to take my mistakes and make them a part of me because in a way mistakes define me, but in a good way because I can learn from what they teach me.

Here’s the link to this amazing man’s audition, every word speaks to me.

James Arthur: We’re Young

AND JUST IN CASE YOU MADE IT THIS FAR IN MY BLOG HERE ARE FOUR MORE SONGS TO ADD TO YOUR IPOD (RUN!)

When I get home you’re so dead: Mayday Parade

The Anthem: Pitbull ft Lil Jon

Sail: Awolnation

Strength to Stay: Go radio (one of my favorite songs)

Enjoy, happy running.

-Emily

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: haley, inspiration, passion, quotes, rcl, rcl1314, week 2, writing

Nike said it best, Just Do it.

Posted on September 9, 2013 · 7 Comments

Running. It’s never been my thing. I get winded too fast, and my steps are too slow. I count every crack in the uneven pavement to make time go by quicker, but it never works. And there is a huge fear of tripping and falling on my face, that I always need to consider……considering I’m a very clumsy person.

The “Physical Fitness Test” given in gym every year was my mortal enemy. Just writing the words physical fitness test is making me profusely sweat. I knew I was out of shape, I didn’t need to run a mile at school for my gym teacher to tell me I was below the “national average” in fitness. Yelling out my nine minute mile time to the entire class was just rubbing it in my face.

But lately jogging (note I said jogging NOT ~~running~~) has been sort of a savior for me. This past week at Penn State has had its ups and downs. Sometimes, I want to throw in the white flag. I even consider packing my bags and just going home. But, I would never ever give up on myself that easily. I made it this far, and I worked my butt off in high school to go to college. To really live, I understand that we all have to leave our comfort zone sometimes and dive into new experiences. Every time I feel like I’m spinning out of control, or losing my motivation to be here, I jog. That simple. In jogging all that matters is the pounding of your feet on the ground, the slow and steady inhale/exhale of your breath, and the incessant thought of just keep going blaring in your mind.

Sometimes life can get a little too hard. So, for the dark days when you’re a split second away from losing your sh**, and by that I mean the endless stream of tears (accompanied by the embarrassing hiccups or heaves) and the draining of every ounce of sanity left inside you; go on a jog. When you’re only focused on getting farther down the street, nothing can hurt you. I love jogging because nothing can rip me out of the zone, and all my problems seem to disappear…if only for an evanescent period of time.

I think everyone should at least go on one jog this semester. And believe me, I know jogging isn’t the most fun activity in the world or the easiest….especially if you’re me and contemplating passing out after two minutes (no I’m not exaggerating, after only two minutes I’m struggling). So here are some of my favorite jogging songs that keep me going, even when the ground starts to blur and there is no more oxygen left in my lungs. ADD THEM TO YOUR IPOD.

The Foo Fighters- The Best of You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYVHxM-IXEE

Paramore- Looking Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEvMSZpGJlk

You Me at Six- Bite My Tongue http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH-qFCMaW_I

Rise Against- The Good Left Undone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRmbcqp5Dbc

(P.S I don’t know internet law, but I own NO RIGHTS, not one right, to these videos if you were wondering)

And so for this week I’ll leave you with an inspirational quote:

“Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, ‘Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?’

-Peter Maher

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: haley, inspiration, jogging, passion, rcl, rcl1314, week 1