To Write With Passion

I know life doesn't change one day from the next or one week from the next. But I can at least say that life does change at least in small ways each day. The last week has been relatively better than the past few combined. I'm extremely grateful for the way this year has shaped out to be simply because everything that was thrown my way has impacted my growth moving forward. I can't say that life will be completely better from now on. I don't know that. I just know that I have to take small steps each day towards making that happen. I'm done dwelling on the past. Part of growing up is letting go of everything that's caused pain. And to do so, you need to forgive, forget and move on.  I'm not perfect. I'm not blaming anyone or anything. Shit happens. And this year has been a prime example of how making changes and taking risks can create an impact. Honestly, if someone had told me a year ago that I would have three new ear piercings, a hairstyle ch

For the longest time, I’ve tried to live up to standards and people’s expectations of what they want me to be. And it’s been a difficult journey. I’ve always been a model child in my parents eyes. I didn’t keep them up worrying late at night like my siblings because I didn’t party. Not that they were party animals. They were always just more social than me. I told myself I would never drink because I saw how much my mom worried when my brother drank. She didn’t allow me to find a job while in college so that I could finish school and get my degree. I didn’t go out. I studied. I helped my parents at their jobs while juggling schoolwork. I had a routine: school, homework, work. That’s all I could focus on. I appreciated the fact that my parents were supporting me and my dreams to finish college. But looking back, if I had it my way, things would have been slightly different. I didn’t even want to touch alcohol until I was the legal age of 21. When I finally did, I enjoyed i

Life is interesting. You never know what to expect. The past few days, I have struggled to write. I have struggled to figure out what to say. I've felt lost. Frankly, I've fallen back into the depths of darkness. The place I have been unable to bring myself out of. I know it will get easier over time. I just need to let go. I need to move forward and leave the past behind me. I need to leave everything that has hurt me and brought me pain behind. That's the only way to learn. And the only way to get over this. Right now, I don't understand why things happen the way they do. But one day, I might understand. I hope I will. It's hard to figure out where to go from here. It's hard to imagine the future sometimes. But I've managed so far. I'm starting to make some changes. It's all about me right now. It's about what I need for myself. As hard as it was to let go, I needed to do it for me. I couldn't move on while holding onto something that was

Time drifts away before we know it. Change is inevitable. We learn, we grow, and we find ourselves. Within this lifetime, we will come across people who will impact our lives in one way or another. We will create memories and begin new adventures. As we grow, we have to make difficult decisions. We have to focus on ourselves along the way and not let anyone or anything get in our way of bettering ourselves. Unfortunately, sometimes this means we need to distance ourselves from any sort of negativity that follows us. Whether it be an obstacle or a person that is getting in our way. I've learned a lot about myself over the past years and this year alone. I've learned about strength and perseverance. I'm sure there is still a lot left to learn, not just about myself, but about life itself. We will go through many obstacles that will test our strength. I firmly believe that we are only faced with battles that we can overcome and endure. It's up to us to decide how we wi

 It's amazing what you'll find when you immerse yourself in nature. I would love to go on more adventures and further explore all the great views. Sometimes a breath of fresh air is all we need. We need to realize that there is so much this world has to offer. One bump in the road can't knock us down. We just have to get back on track and admire the view while we can.

Roberts Regional Recreation Area  There are days where I get the sudden urge to write and all I wish to do is write. Last night I began working on an old story I recently revisited, thinking it would be left aside and never completed. Recently, I've been inspired by many things that made me want to go back and finish the story. All that was missing was something that made myself get hooked into continue writing it, fleshing it out and starting over while only keeping a few details. Sometimes it helps to take a step back from your work if you don't feel satisfied and then going back to it until something clicks. This picture will serve as my model as the story takes place in a forest. I feel like the toughest part about writing stories for me is staying focused on one idea and not getting tired of it or thinking it's too plain. But writing is all about revision and we must write until we feel satisfied with the stories we wish to tell. Storytelling is a never ending

Writing is not for everyone. But for those who enjoy it, it is everything. Unfortunately, I don't do enough of it. Sometimes just the sound of my fingers typing against the keyboard is enough to make me want to start brainstorming ideas and begin writing. And that's exactly what I'm intending to do. I'm fully intent on finally working on a book. I know what I want it to be about and I have some ideas of what I wish to include. But first, I want to establish myself. To do that, I have started a Facebook page in order to promote myself, slowly, but surely. Follow, like, or share: https://www.facebook.com/towritewithpassion/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel (Look at that self promo.) I find myself constantly coming up with excuses for why I haven't started writing or working on my book. The truth is that I'm honestly just lazy. I haven't been giving myself the time to write. When I do have time, I blame my lack of inspiration. As I get older, I realize that I'm

@photosbymonse "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light" -Albus Dumbledore Doing the right thing can sometimes be the most difficult thing to do. Life will throw things your way that you don't always expect or know what to do with. Part of life is learning from the past, correcting our mistakes and maturing as a person. We need water to grow and bloom just like flowers. We need light when all we see is darkness. Everything has a purpose. We may not always know it right away. But things fall into place in their time. Sometimes we just need a little push and encouragement, and most of all, caring and support.

"It is never too late or too soon. It is when it is supposed to be." -Mitch Albom. This quote is from a book I recently read, The Time Keeper. It resonates with me more now than before. We live in a time where we worry about time going too fast or too slow. We worry about not having enough time. The truth is that life is short. Rather than worry about how fast or slow something is going, we should focus on the present. Time is constantly ticking. And often we forget that we live once. We shouldn't focus on time itself. If we do, we get lost in it and miss out on many things that life has to offer. People will judge and criticize, but it's up to you to decide when you want to move forward.

The saying is true: "Good things come to those who wait." I used to think it was just a saying people went by without really believing in it. It was one of those things that I said to myself, and wanted to believe, but couldn't. I spent most of my childhood being afraid of opening up to people. Some people call it shyness. Doctors will call it social anxiety. I will simply call it letting fear get the best of me. This is not to dismiss my anxiety disorder or any type of disorder. But I don't want that to be how I define myself. I've spent most of my life wondering why I was different. Why I couldn't be as outgoing like all the other kids. Or why I couldn't make friends as easily. But I never stopped and wondered why I thought it was a bad thing. I guess it comes with the stigma that if something is wrong with you, then you're not normal. Whatever normal even means. I can't remember the moment I thought to myself, "I'm not crazy, I'm

What does it mean to write with passion? It all started one day when I was creating a tumblr page. I was trying to come up with a name for my page. My original attempt was "passionate writer." After that didn't work, I tried to come up with different variations of it such as, "passion writer" which was already taken so I tried "writing with passion," which was also taken. So I thought, "What about 'to write with passion.'' It worked. To be honest, at first, I didn't like the sound of it. It didn't seem right to start a title with the word "to." Being the English major that I am, it bothered me that I was starting the sentence with a conjunction. But, of course, English has taught me that you may break the rules and according to one website, it's recommended to start sentences with a conjunction in order to be a good writer. I'm digressing, but now that I look back, I feel as though this title not only suits my

Sometimes we go through things beyond our understanding. Life throws us in different directions. Many times, obstacles are put in front of us. We have to learn to overcome change, grief, fear, and challenges. We don't know why we are put here. We don't know why we meet people. Why we befriend them or fall in love. And why sometimes, things fall apart. People get taken away from us. But I'm a firm believer that there's a reason for everything. We have to go through the difficult times to learn to overcome them and know how to get through them the next time. People come into our lives to brighten them, to teach us things, to understand them better. We don't know when our time will come. But I believe it's up to us to make the most of our lives. To inspire. To hope that we brought something into the world. That we made a difference in someone's life. That even if tomorrow isn't promised, we made the most of today. And that's all matters. The ocean is