A compilation of freshly brewed reads curated for twenty + thirty somethings.

+ Lately, I’ve been somewhere that I pray I won’t stay in for too much longer. I’ve lost focus of things I once deemed important, or perhaps have just lost interest in lieu of other things coming into the picture, I find myself desiring more and more to dive into my art and passions wholly, continue work on “Love Notes”, work on photography, finish my book. Responsibilities make that difficult. Responsibilities drain my energy, demand my attention, diminish my spirit – not entirely, but enough to where my wings feel too heavy for me to actually take flight. // Continue Reading, Half Alive

+ Just to be a girl, content with her thoughts. A lofty but worthy aspiration. // Continue Reading, On Being a Plain Jane, a Late Bloomer and an Underachiever

+ Am I the only one who feels some type of way when I see people landing ‘writing’ gigs with no proof of prior experience? I feel like I did everything right. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 16-years-old. I went to school, got my degree in communications, I was active with my alma mater’s school paper, had a few editorial assistant positions and I have my own site. I’ve never been too sure about the direction of this site, but it’s my site nonetheless. // Continue Reading, Say No To Exposure

+ I remember the days where I would validate my beauty against other’s comments. I remember being able to count on my hands and toes how many times a boyfriend complimented my appearance and so on. I remember the stress of avoiding mirrors and not feeling confident in what I saw in the mirror. And then oddly enough… I got over it. I can’t actually pinpoint the moment where I fell in love with my face or when I stopped caring if I received a compliment or not, but it happened and we thank God for that. // Continue Reading, You Don’t Need Validation For Your Beauty

+ There comes a time when you just have to stop trying to be cool. There’s a shift. Fitting in doesn’t matter so much. Who you are to yourself becomes more important than who you are to other people. You find out that chasing approval is endlessly unsatisfying. Trying to be perfect is exhausting and vulnerability is refreshing. When this shift occurs, you begin to care more about feeding your spirit than feeding your ego. // Continue Reading, What Feels So Good That It’s Embarrassing to Admit?

+ Things have been hectic, y’all. But before I get into the bad, let’s start with the good as I live up to my role as an eternal optimist. As I mentioned in my last post, A New Chapter, I recently accepted a new job. It’s a great opportunity to work in my field while supporting my passion–education. I knew this new position would challenge me out of my comfort zone, so in preparation, I decided to take an entire week off of life. Unplug. Disconnect. // Continue Reading, The Time I Took A Week Off Of Life

+ As you’re reading this, I’m more than likely on a flight to Germany. // Continue Reading, My Dreams Are Turning Into Reality

+ I’m not feeling very strong right now so I decided to write to you. Maybe you need someone to think of you today and reach out. Sometimes quiet acknowledgement is the best kind. A reminder, a nudge, a glimpse of a soul. Don’t forget to look for me. I’ll be the quiet one standing on the edge of everything. Feeling more than I can handle, noticing way too much. Feeling hopelessly human, both liberated and shackled by my intense way of being. Solitude is my air. The sea is my world. // Continue Reading, An Open Letter to Soulful Women Who Live to Love

+ So, I brushed aside my anxiety and unnerving thoughts, dressed up and showed up with my networking basics – a smile, no defenses, a DSLR camera and business cards. I put myself out there. // Continue Reading, Are You Really Out There? (Fear)

+ Here are three ways to apply the story of The Tortoise and the Hare to your 2014 New Year’s resolutions. If you look deeper, you’ll realize that Aesop’s turtle and rabbit fable isn’t about rushing at all. In fact, the hare doesn’t rush things. Because his opponent is so slow, the rabbit figures he can take his time and nap. For the purpose of this meditation, however, we’ll first take this story at face value. // Continue Reading, Slow & Steady

+ I’ve tossed his words around my mind since yesterday, contemplating the implications of what it means to be young, female and hungry in our world. I’ve thought about what it means to be an amalgamation of minority statuses, because of your age, sex and overall motivation in a sea of mediocrity. // Continue Reading, Young Female And Driven As All Hell

+ Depending on who you ask, I’ve always been on the fast track in life. Now, if you ask some of the people closest to me, they might tell you that I’m a flat-out idiot and they aren’t sure how I sustain life every day. So, for the intents and purposes of this blog post, don’t ask them. // Continue Reading, Complacency Frightens Me

+ It seems the days, the weeks, the months go by a lot faster the older I get. As a child the year was never ending. But now I blink and its a new month. I’m trying to remember to make each day count. I wake up and get to work and say to myself, “there will never ever be another April 22, 2014, make this good.” It helps me to remember to smile & laugh more. To not let my patients stress me out. I never want to remember a day as one in which I spent the majority of it being irritated or upset about something that means nothing. // Continue Reading, Give Us This Day

+ Usually, when I visit my hairdresser, my mind roams at a million miles per hour (I guess the fact that I don’t talk too much unless I know you well – I suppose it’s attributed to my being an introvert). Whenever I am in my zone or my element, I am usually thinking about a million things at once, from aspirations to goals I would like to achieve, or I usually use those moments in between washing and styling my hair to reflect. // Continue Reading, The Importance of Starting Somewhere

+ Everything you want is coming. Relax and let the universe pick up the timing and the way. You just need to trust that what you want is coming, and watch how fast it comes. // Continue Reading, Let This Space Inspire You To Simply BE Love

+ Creating the life you want can be an extremely rewarding experience, yet there are times when you find yourself stuck in a place where you’re questioning yourself, your abilities, your competence, your gifts, and the list goes on. You wonder if the hard work and sacrifice is really worth it or if it’s best to just count your losses, and quit. I really don’t think that you can ever lose by betting on yourself, and giving everything you’ve got to seeing your vision for your life manifested. However, practical issues call for practical solutions: // Continue Reading, 13 Ways to Get Motivated on Days You Want to Quit

+ I had my “a-ha” moment at Bible study last Thursday night. Let me back up a few steps. I, like most of you, have a list of lofty goals I would like to achieve. In order to be on track to achieving those goals, I must be intentional (my motto for this year) and plan AND execute daily tasks. But my 9-5 has been kicking my butt lately. Yes, I sit at a computer for a large portion of the day, but the workload and stress is mentally exhausting and leaves me with just enough energy to take a shower, cook dinner and walk my dog (sometimes I only accomplish 2 out of the 3 *gasp). // Continue Reading, Team No Sleep, Or Nah

+ Twenty-Something & Still Haven’t Taken A Trip Oversees? Here’s // Continue Reading, How I Traveled To Machu Picchu in 8 Steps