Living an Uncomplicated Life

I stumbled upon this and I love the simple reminders incorporated in here. So often we make situations and tasks much more complicated than they needed to be and we nearly run ourselves into the ground to complete them. I have found recently that even the smallest task seems to tire me. It is not the task that is actually tiring, but rather my mind making the task seem like life and death. I wanted to repost this list to not only share it, but to have it forever have it bookmarked for me personally. I also added a few notes in blue throughout the list. I think that the secret to living a fulfilling live could be embedded in this list somewhere. Here are 100 ways to uncomplicate your life. Enjoy!

1. Don’t try to read other people’s minds

2. Get up 30 minutes earlier so that you don’t rush/get a ticket while driving too fast/have to explain why   you’re late/get fired

3. Get 8 hours of sleep per night so that you think more clearly (LOVE!)

4. Stick to your budget

5. Start saving and investing every week, no matter how little you can spare

6. Balance your checkbook

7. Don’t try to be friends with everyone. Cultivate closer relationships with fewer people.

8. Don’t try to do business with everyone. Identify your target client and take very good care of them.

9. Before getting angry, ask yourself if it will really matter in 20 years

10. Focus on being a good person, not on pleasing others 

11. Stay home this Saturday, and finish off that nagging chore that you need to finish

12. Kiss and make up

13. Make a weekly menu, and shop for only those items at the market

14. Ask your grandparents the best way to uncomplicate life, and try it for a month

15. Fill up your gas tank when it’s half full

16. Don’t drink alcohol when you’re tired, sad or mad

17. Pay your bills on time

18. Get an annual physical examination

19. Say “I love you” to your significant other and to your children. Studies show that more marriages last, and fewer kids use drugs, when these words are spoken every day.

20. For just one day, imagine everyone’s intentions are good because most people’s are

21. Give away clothes that haven’t been worn in two years

22. Throw out clothes that are in disrepair, and can’t be mended

23. When you have a conflict with someone, talk it out. Don’t let it turn into more than it is.

24. Know what your priorities are in life, and act as if they are your priorities

25. Tell the truth

26. Don’t cheat

27. Don’t steal

28. If you’re holding on to a ridiculous grudge, let it go

29. Clean your house weekly, so that it doesn’t become too large a chore

30. Do your best at work, or at school

31. Don’t eat when you aren’t hungry

32. Eat when you are hungry

33. Be yourself

34. Say no unapologetically

35. Cook simple meals

36. Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses

37. Pay off your car before buying a new one

38. Organize your desk at the office

39. Change your smoke alarm batteries when the clocks spring forward, and again when they fall back

40. Organize your important paperwork

41. Take only half the clothes that you planned to take with you on holiday

42. Help your children with their homework every night, and have an open dialogue with their teachers

43. Have white sheets and white towels in children’s rooms/bathrooms, because they’re easily bleached

44. Spend your time with nice people

45. Avoid drama

46. Don’t text or talk on the phone while driving

47. Turn off the television/video games/computer; they’re time consumers

48. Don’t engage in office politics

49. Refuse to gossip, or talk behind other people’s backs

50. Do the dishes right after dinner

51. Never go to sleep angry

52. Ask nicely for what you need and want

53. Walk 10,000 steps per day to help your heart

54. Do 20 push-ups before speaking in anger (We'd have a lot of strong people in the world)

55. Leave work at work

56. Don’t befriend anyone that isn’t trustworthy

57. Don’t envy others

58. Have your oil changed

59. Take vitamin C BEFORE you catch a cold

60. Don’t work more than 8 hours per day

61. Weed your garden weekly

62. Wash your car weekly

63. Have a spring cleaning month every year, and do one room at a time

64. You don’t need to be best friends with work colleagues, but build respectful partnerships

65. Don’t drink and drive

66. Don’t look for reasons to be angry or sad, look for reasons to be happy. You’ll always be able to find plenty of each.

67. Be friendly with your neighbors

68. Return emails and phone messages promptly

69. Schedule in free time

70. Don’t procrastinate (Shoot.)

71. Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it

72. Be more flexible when you’re able to be

73. Forgive and forget. End of story.

74. Break the consumerism habit…put a three month moratorium in place on buying anything not deemed a necessity

75. Start your diet on September 1, rather than January 1, so that you won’t also have holiday pounds to lose

76. Take care of any health issues or concerns

77. Have your tires rotated

78. Have your brakes checked

79. Have your eyes checked (before you start driving your car again, please)

80. Don’t let your imagination run away with you (not sure if I agree with this 100%. In my opinion, part of the fun in life is having a great imagination.)

81. Let go of perfection in others

82. Let go of perfection in yourself

83. Don’t try to help those that refuse to help themselves

84. Find a way to reduce your commute to work

85. Have an allotted amount of worry time per day/week, that you strictly abide by (LOVE!)

86. Drink more water

87. Eat more salmon

88. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill

89. Wear your hair in a classic, easy to care for style

90. Finish what you start

91. Wear classic clothes and shoes that never go out of style

92. Create a daily routine

93. Have a 1, 5, 10 and 20 year plan for your financial and life goals

94. Slow down

95. Eat out less often

96. When you ask your husband which outfit looks best, thank him for his answer and wear the one he liked rather than focusing on why he didn’t like the other one

97. Allow your children to grow up

98. Clean out your garage, and donate anything that hasn’t been used in the past year

99. Stretch every day

100. If a relationship is over, let it go.

Afraid to Blink

For the past 2 weeks, I have refused to believe that my freshman year is over. It hadn't hit me and, in a way, I was hoping that it never would. Yet, here I am getting text messages from friends a year younger than me while they sit through graduation practice. The texts remind me of where I was a year ago and all that I had to look forward to: moving away from home, living in Athens, and experiencing everything that freshman year would offer to me. The past year doesn't seem real. It all happened so slowly while I was experiencing it, but I look back now and it's all a blur.
I remember being so excited to move in with my roommate. Kelsey was and is amazing! I know that my early bed times and random mood swings were annoying at times, but she bared them. We got to the point where we could guess what the other was thinking just by the look on her face and she could tell when I was upset, even if I was just sitting there. I remember decorating our room for her 18th birthday and still putting up the sign when she walked in. I remember taking our iPods to the showers and listening to song after song (and wasting so much water). I remember her texting me about our dorm winning the Green Cup. Most of all though, I will always remember laughing so hard we cried when we saw the "Burn, baby, burn" picture, watching all of the movies that she had never seen (especially How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days on our last night together in the dorms), and the countless hours that we studied in the SLC during finals Spring semester. They are memories for a lifetime and I can honestly say that I wouldn't have survived without my awesome roomie, Kelsey!
I remember giving Kelsey an "Oh, crap" look when our neighbors across the hall slammed their door on us on move in day. Savannah and Taylor, however, became two of my favorite people and my best friends. I will never forget the country music that you blasted whenever you were in your room (and even sometimes when you weren't in your room). You two were always there to help me get ready for my date nights and always listened when I got home that night. Taylor, I will always remember sitting with you studying for finals Fall semester and switching my relationship status as well as hanging out in my room talking about what we want to be when we grew up. Savannah, as weird as this is to say (and everyone on our hall knows that it is true), I will never forget how you never seemed to be wearing clothes. I remember when we learned that you slept walked. I will also remember
The 2nd floor guys.... oh what to remember. I remember Ackerman stealing a massive soda bottle top for me. I remember the corn conversations with John. I remember AJ somehow always being on the 4th floor when I was in my towel wrap and saying "belt it." I remember the look of shock and surprise on Alex's face when he went to Tacky Christmas with me. I remember playing football with Peters, Greg, and Hayden on our snow days and people jumping into bushes just to catch the ball. You guys were my comedic relief every day and especially when I needed it.
We were the Hill hall family and I can't believe that we are moved out and already getting ready for next year. I know that moving on and growing up is a part of life that everyone has to go through, but I never thought that it would be my turn to move on or my turn to grow up. Now, I'm sitting here researching study abroad programs for Summer 2012 and moving back into my childhood room (only to pack it up again in 2 months). As much as I am looking forward to my sophomore year, I am afraid to blink. I am afraid that if I do, I will suddenly be graduating college and asking people where the past four years went. So, for now, I am just going to remember the good times of freshman year and the amazing people that I was so fortunate to get to know.

Looking Back

I should be sleeping right now, but I am still trying to get off of college time and back onto normal person time. I should also be writing about my freshman year experience, but I am still in denial so that is going to have to wait. I've been trying to get tired, so I have been searching the net and checking out people's blogs and I came across one that my best friend wrote about all of the friend drama that I experienced. I called her crying and she was there, even after we had drifted apart throughout our freshman year. She was the person that was first on my speed dial and couldn't go 15 minutes without texting, calling, or seeing. She was the sister I never had and, even though she has three sisters, made me feel like I was her sister too. I love her to this day for all of the amazing things that she has done and will continue to do in my life.
It was a weird day. Two of my three best friends from high school and I went back to the old stomping grounds to see old teachers and friends. It was a hard situation to wrap my head around while it was happening. Here I was officially a sophomore in college and I was walking through my old high school like a new born. I wasn't lost, but it felt different. It wasn't mine. I had moved on and so had the students and teachers that I spoke with. We all grow up and change. I know that I have grown up (my parents beg to differ), but I still expected my favorite freshman from last year to be a freshman. Now, he is taller than I am, driving, and almost an upperclassman. When did that happen?
What was even weirder was going back to the place that brought my best friends and I so close together. I refuse to say that we have grown apart, because I know that I can still call them in the middle of the night if I need to and they will be there for me. However, we have all had very different experiences our freshman year and have definitely come into our own. We've grown up and matured and seen many things that we wished we would not have. We danced with strangers and stayed out too late. We’ve grown close to other people and regret doing some things. We have different life goals than a year ago, but still strive to be the best women that we can. We’re different, but still all the same and I love that about them.

"Leaver" vs. "Left"

My friends know that I am slightly addicted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and, while I am intrigued by their investigations and love the suspense of the show, I have become aware of how alone the "bad guys" are. I am not sticking up for people who commit crimes, but rather am advocating that you never do anything that would make you wind up in jail. In one episode, Detective Stabler is so caught up in a victim's traumatizing past that he decides to put himself in "the hole" for three days. The cameras follow his 72 hour experience and it is mentally agonizing to watch. This is a weird way to begin a post, but I have recently found myself feeling like Stabler in the hole: alone and unsure what to do.
Throughout my life, I have been unquestionably blessed with amazing friends. While some of those friendships have fizzled out and others have become more distant, I like to think of myself as a fairly good friend. I'm not perfect, no one is, but I do try extremely hard to always be a shoulder to cry on and a person to laugh at jokes. While I believe that no one should have any regrets and that regrets should be turned into lessons, I've made mistakes and I do regret some of them.
I regret having been the "leaver" in relationships. It's not that I necessarily was upset with a friend, but we were either not in the same class anymore or we were just growing apart. I have never felt like the person who was left in a friendship, until just recently. I have already written about my biffles from high school and how I felt as though I had lost them. I am determined though to reconcile and rebuild those relationships because, I have discovered, that I cannot live without the Fab Four. Now, it is a new set of friendships that has me confused. (If it's not one, it's the other. Right?)
The friends that I had in my dorm this first year of college I considered to be some of my dearest friends. Recently, however I don't even feel comfortable in my dorm (aka home for the time being). I just do not understand. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out if I did something or said something and, time and time again, I cannot think of anything. It's like I'm stuck in this shattered environment that I can only escape with time. That time, however, is ticking away at a snails pace. While I am not ready to move away from the best location on campus and I am not ready to leave my roomie, I am ready to leave the awkwardness and confusion that is surrounding me. All I can think of it that this is the ultimate lesson: I will never be the "leaver" in a relationship again. Now, seeing how the "left" feels, I could never purposely put someone through that kind of pain. I never want someone to experience how I feel now. Lesson learned.

Book vs. Movie

We had a discussion today in my English class about whether books are better than their movie adaptations.... Well, in my humble opinion, books are usually better than their movie adaptations.  Just ask any Harry Potter fan and they will launch into an unending discussion with themselves about how many details from the books the movies leaves out. As a general rule of thumb, I don’t bring up Harry Potter with others to avoid this one-sided discussion. I did not read the series, so I believe that the movies are well animated and put together, even if the acting is a little shaky. This is one of the few exceptions to the rule for me.

            Following the rule are books such as the Twilight series, The Blind Side, and Eat, Pray, Love. If I may sound like a Harry Potter fanatic for a moment, the movie adaptations of these three books leave out so much information!  No matter the novel, it is virtually impossible to convey every minute detail on the big screen. This is no ones fault. If a director was to make a tribute to every page in the novel, the movie would be hours long and audiences would not pay to see it.

            Another problem with making a book into a movie is the point of view that the book is told in. Eat, Pray, Love, for example, is told in first person. Elizabeth Gilbert, the author, describes her experiences on her yearlong trip to different countries. Many of her experiences are inner, spiritual changes that can only described, not seen. How, then, is a director supposed to convey these changes, which are central to Gilbert’s story, on screen? He could lay cheesy narration over scenes to explain what is happening, but narration can sometimes interrupt the movie and confuse the audience. So what should the director do? More often than not, the director cuts out these scenes or adds new ones that were not in the book in order to help the movie flow and keep the audience’s interest.

            Arguably, the largest problem with movie adaptations is character identification. I know that writers argue about the literary quality of Twilight, but I love the books and the movies provide the perfect example for character identification. When I originally read the books, I created imaginary faces and vocal characteristics for each of the characters. However, Robert Patterson, who plays Edward Cullen from the books, was not what I envisioned Edward to look or sound like. This can be good or bad. Whether or not the person playing the character is similar to your imagined version, can dictate whether or not you like the movie adaptation of a book. So while I would like to group all books together and shun their movie adaptations, I cannot. To keep my distance from the Harry Potter fans, I am going to respect different individual’s ideas and preferences and conclude with this: how well a person likes the movie adaptation of a book is based solely on individual preferences.

Turn Off Your Blinker

I just finished watching a music video and the lead singer gave me an idea for a post... pet peeves. We all have them and, as much as some of them drive me insane, I think that they are totally funny. So, you know what I always say... When in doubt, blog it out. (Ok, I've never said that, but it rhymes!)
My Top 5 Pet Peeves
1) Leaving your blinker on even after you change lanes (Hint: meaning behind this post's title)
2) When a person sneezes, and their friend, who definitely heard the sneeze, doesn't say "bless you."
3) When a person dyes their hair, but not their eyebrows. So, they have bleach blonde hair and brown eyebrows. (Hint: lead singer in the music video that I just watch)
4) When people finish their sentences with a high inflection. It leaves you hanging for more, even if the speaker has nothing else to say.
5) When people leave dishes out for more than 24 hours... Just take a minute to clean up your stuff.

A "Need A Hug" Moment

Have you ever had a lot on your mind and been in the middle of something when, all of the sudden, it hits your that the one thing that will make you feel better is a hug? I'm in one of those ruts right now and it seems awkward to walk up to someone and say, "I have a favor, will you hug me?" Even if they agree and give you a hug, it will not be the deep, comforting hug that you need. Call me crazy, but I truly only feel better after my mom or dad give me a hug. (It has to be a parenting secret.) I think that the worst part about being in a "need a hug" mood, is when you aren't 100% sure why or what put you in that mood. 

For me, I was and still am to a certain degree feeling a little alone in the world. I haven't seen my parents in awhile; I saw my brother yesterday, but he was with his friends, so it was an awkward hug/hello as I passed by; I am still trying to figure out who my dearest friends are, so you could say that I am a little lost. I feel as though I am being prepared for something. I can feel God's presence in my life every day (which I am eternally grateful for), and I can feel him trying to tell me something, but I am distracted by the hustle and bustle of our busy world. So, until I am able to decipher what the Lord is trying to call me to do, I am going to stick to prayers and hugs. 

My mind has also been wondering a lot this week, and I cannot figure out why. I have been easily distracted and have been having a hard time concentrating on even the simplest of tasks. I keep blaming it on the medicine that I am taking, but I feel that it is something more. I am restless. I feel as though my mind is getting aggravated with me because I am having a hard time hearing the Lord. I don't blame my mind, my entire being is getting frustrated. So, what do I do? Sit here until I am called upon? Well, if there is one thing that I know about myself, I cannot sit still for an extended period of time. So, I am going to keep living my life and trying to follow the Lord's light and, of course, keep on praying and getting hugs.