How They Do It: Gina

How They Do It is an ongoing series in which I interview creatives, bloggers, students and freelancers about their productivity and time management strategies for creating awesomeness. Today, we'll hear some thoughts from Gina, student, blogger, creative mind and travel dreamer.

1. How would you describe the work that you do (whether it's an actual job or around the house or hobbies)?

I’m all about seeing people’s stories come alive through creativity. As a college student, I dabble in many different areas in my major, strategic communications, but I focus on web design, graphic design and interactive media. On the side, I run a blog and I’m in the process of opening design services for bloggers, too.

2. Would you (briefly) describe a typical work day for you? 

There’s never a typical day for me in college, but my day–specifically a Thursday (my favorite day of the week)–goes a little bit like this:

8:30am : Wake up and relax in bed, checking my phone for social media updates, emails and the news.
9:30am : Eat breakfast and get ready for the day.
10:30am: First class of the day!
12pm : End class and walk back to my apartment to make lunch.
1pm : Work on school work for my classes and send emails to professors and/or bloggers and classmates
2pm : Second class of the day.
4pm : Class ends and I usually go back to my apartment and unwind by checking emails or social media. Or I clean up the apartment and do laundry.
5:30pm : Go to Zumba class, one of my favorite exercise routines.
7pm : Rush out of Zumba to grab a quick dinner on campus and go home to shower.
8pm : Attend a meeting for an organization or a class project.
10:30pm : Finish up schoolwork for the night and review my to-do list.
11:30pm : Catch up on my favorite TV show or Youtube channels before going to sleep.
12:30: Time for bed!

3. What's your workspace like?

My usual workspace is my desk in my room, complete with some flowers, my favorite pens and a notepad handy for to-do lists and reminders. I also like keeping some of my favorite journals nearby, which contain much of my blogging inspiration. When I’m not working at my desk, I choose the couch in the living room of my apartment, because it is a bright and sunny area!

4. When you are working, what is your biggest struggle as far as staying motivated and focused?

The hardest part for me is getting the courage and motivation to start a creative project (whether that is a paper for class, a design for a client or a blog post). I struggle with viewing work as huge projects and it’s sometimes hard for me to break it down into smaller pieces in order to be productive. Also, staying focused with social media at our fingertips is a skill in itself!

5. When you feel drained, what inspires you or pushes you to keep doing what you do?

I think it’s so important to have a creative community to inspire you and lift you up. My friends in my major and the bloggers I connect with have been major sources of motivation for me! Also, I love taking a break to refresh by working out or reading some of my inspiration journals that contain blog post ideas.

6. Do you have any favorite resources for organizing your work and time?

My planner! I found a planner at Target this year, and it has become my favorite planner of all time. I’ve used it more often than any planner in the past. I discovered I like the planners with the professional layout, organized by hours, rather than the academic setup in planners. My second go-to tool is Google Drive. It has become so helpful this year with organizing my classes, group projects, collab posts and blogging activities.

7. How do you refuel your soul after a long day?

I love to talk to my roommates and my friends after a long day and catch up with their lives. Also, I love journaling and reading at night, some of my favorite things.

Lastly, just for fun, would you list a few songs that you listen to while you work (or while you're not working!)?

I listen to the American Authors station and the Bad Suns station on Pandora, and lately I’ve been loving the song “Parachute Heart” by Aaron and Andrew, as well as many of their other songs.

Big thanks for Gina for sharing on the blog today! Do any of you use the same methods as Gina to stay focused and creative? Don't forget to say hi on Gina's blog!

3 Questions to Help You Plan For 2015

Part of me really, really loves New Year's Resolutions. I'm a lover of fresh starts, rules and making dream-filled goals. Naturally, I love New Year's Resolutions. But as I've been making them, year after year after year, I've noticed something funny. New Year's Resolutions just don't work. Not for me anyways, and I'm guessing, not for a lot of you. Even if you have good intentions, it's hard to set a goal that will be your every-dang-day goal for the next year. We get overambitious. We don't think things out. We make the wrong goals. We set ourselves up to fail. 

But I can't just give up my New Year's planning + dreaming ritual. So I set off to come up with alternatives, ways to prepare myself to succeed in the next year without being unrealistic or locking myself into something that doesn't really put me on the path to where I want to be. And I've come up with a few questions to help you brainstorm. I can't promise these will work; I've never done them. But I'm always up for trying something new, especially if what I'm doing isn't working (amen?!).

To go along with these questions, I've made a quick + simple worksheet to help you work through it. I seriously recommend that you write out your answers and put them in a place where you can see them often.

And also? Don't tell yourself that it only takes 21 days to form a habit and then switch into autopilot. New studies show it takes at least 66 days to form a habit, and it's still ridiculously easy to break it.

What kind of person do you want to become? / Obviously, we can't totally change our personalities and brain wirings, but there's a part within all of us, oftentimes a better part, that can be let out if we make a point of it. Once you know what kind of person you want to be, it's much easier to run your decisions through that idea and know what to do. In 2015, my goal is to be bolder, more confident and more forgiving. These are things that I know are totally already in me--I don't need to change who I am deep down to be those things, ya know? But if I just think about that when I make decisions, I think I'll see some changes.

What habits will get me to where I want to be? / So usually New Year's Resolutions make you think about how cute you'd look if you were a little skinnier or more toned or things like that. Naturally, it's easy to just write down that your goal for 2015 is to get more fit. But if you really want to make positive steps towards your dream, you've got to know what the steps are. Instead of planning to get fit for example, plan to take ten minutes on Sunday afternoon and plan when you will work out that week + then stick to it. Instead of planning to 'get out of debt', choose to replace your morning Starbucks with a cup at home. Make sense?

I've got a couple resources for ideas for good habits here, here, here and here. 

How can I learn from my mistakes? / A few years ago, I made the goal to read through the entire Bible in the year, a little bit everyday. I was committed, I had a plan, blah blah blah. But sometime in February or March, I was sick and busy and then just forgot and before I knew it, I had gone like a week without doing my readings. But you know what? That's really actually sort of totally okay. I gave up after that + I still to this day (years later!) haven't completed that goal.

That's the wrong response to making mistakes. Instead of giving up, I should have considered why I missed so many days. Did I forget why I wanted that goal in the first place? What I prioritizing my time wrong? Or did I forget to leave margins in my goal? That last one is a big one. We're human and it's hard to have a do-everyday goal if there's no forgiveness for missing a day here or there.

I'd love to hear from you! What are your answers to these questions?! 

Curated Weekly / 7

What a wonderful, whirlwind of a week! Two hours after I published the Curated post last week, I went in for my wisdom tooth removal surgery + successfully got all four removed. I've been anxious about it, I kid you not, for almost a year and I'm so glad to have it done with. Compared to what I was expecting, it was a breeze. I don't remember anything until I got home + then I felt totally mentally alert, which was great since I was dreading the uncertainty of coming off anesthesia. I actually (tried to) do a sudoku as soon as I got home! I didn't get that far though haha!

So mentally, the recovery was great, but the pain is still here though I've weaned myself off the medication. A big thank you to all of you for being patient while I went MIA. :)

Other than that, it was just a normal, happy Christmas. My grandmother always spends it at our house + it's nice to have all the siblings back together. We play card games and bake and eat so much sugar, it's ridiculous. 

Early early early this morning (this post is scheduled), my family left for Michigan where we have family and friends. I'll be there for the next week, spending time with friends and hopefully seeing some snow before I go back to Florida for classes. What's going on in your world?

+ A foolproof guide to getting things done

+ A 90-day goal planning worksheet

+ "Every Day Matters"--an inspiring planner for 2015

+ 12 spiritually uplifting rituals to try

+ Beautiful botanical-themed desktop wallpapers (I love ferns!!)

+ A minimalist holiday tradition

+ How to build a capsule wardrobe--have any of you tried this?

+ How to forever cure your lack of motivation

+ A 10-minute workout that's totally doable (even on Christmas...not that I did it)

+ 7 reasons why you don't start until it's too late

+ 10 cult classic novels you should read (in 2015?!)

Okay, I'm sorryyyy, but I have more Christmasish music. I've been finding some sort of eclectic holiday/wintery songs and I just don't want them to end. I mean, these are mostly winter-themed so I still think it's okay. My favorite on this playlist is the first song--Blood Oranges in the Snow by Over the Rhine. But the new rendition of Auld Lang Syne is really beautiful and festive sounding too. In case you didn't know, Auld Lang Syne is actually traditionally a New Year's song, sung at midnight to say farewell to the past year. I never knew that! Thanks, Wikipedia. Anyways, listen to the playlist.

I've just begun it, but I'm inspired by a book that my mom gave me called The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst. It's a Christian book, but I seriously recommend it to anyone regardless of faith. Like I said, I've only just started reading the book, but the general premise is that our culture today glorifies being busy and "doing it all" but when we say yes to everything--even good things--we aren't able to say yes to the best things. I'll talk way more about this in the future, I can already tell. But as a lover of busyness, it's a lesson I'm seriously thinking on. 

A week from today, I will be seriously in the throes of preparing for the semester--revising my schedule, ordering textbooks, packing my life into two suitcases. Between now and then, my goal is to seriously relax, but also look forward to the semester. I'm taking on a lot of new things this semester, from a big research project, to working on my fitness instructor certification, to a BIG announcement coming in the next few weeks, not to mention tough classes (omg genetics)!. I want to set plans for how I'll manage it all + do some serious work on getting what I can done now so that I'm less stressed once classes start.

Oh, and I'm only halfway through one book of my two book goal for the Christmas break. Poop. 

Relax. Plan. Read. (Doesn't sound half bad!)

What does your upcoming week contain?! I hope your Christmas (or just the day, if you don't celebrate it) was lovely!

The Best of Call Me Sassafras in 2014

Well it's been a big year! (But then again, aren't they all?!) Call Me Sassafras is just over a year and a half old and it has been such an exciting hobby of mine. In 2014, I wrote 134 posts (so far! I'm not done yet ;) even with the few weeks I took off this fall. Let's recap a little, shall we? (Or you can read the Best of 2013.)

In January, I wrote one of my very first productivity posts ever--4 ways to have a productive day off. It was something I had never considered writing about, but as soon as I started, I knew it'd be a regular topic on the blog. I also listened to a whole lot of Elvis, shared how to make a better playlist in iTunes, and shared some of my favorite design work. 

In February, I shared some of my all time favorite productivity apps. I don't share tutorials very often, but making patterned text in Photoshop is such a quick and easy skill so I wrote about that. I also started practicing gratitude journaling and I shared 10 prompts for easy gratitude journaling. I also shared one of my most popular posts ever, Easy Peasy SEO Tips for Blogger.

In March and April, I wrote more about starting a journaling habit and then shared where I find my inspiration for blog posts. Aaand, I posted just a little bit about science, my true love ;) It was pretty quiet around here in May, but I did have time to share another tutorial on creating an ikat pattern in photoshop. 

In June, I shared a little about my morning routine in the summer and some thoughts about fitting into a blogging niche. I also shared my top ten resources for free, high quality fonts. In July, I designed the first edition of the color files, a series (that I'll be picking pack up soon!) that explores color. And in case you've never tried, here's an easy way to make a font from your own handwriting!

August brought my favorite podcast for music fans and a few thoughts on supporting other bloggers. In September, I took a break from blogging + came back with the newly branded Call Me Sassafras. This was loads of fun for me and I feel way more at home in this space now that I've adjusted my plans + goals for this space.

In November, I got a little more settled into the new groove and started the new weekly series Curated Weekly, where I share my favorite links, music, inspiration and goals from the week. I also shared a couple posts that I'm really proud of, like 5 ways to kickstart an unproductive day and a couple more entertaining podcasts you should listen to.

And now December. It's not over quite yet, but I shared my favorite apps for beginner meditation and a video that seriously changed the way I view stress.

The more I review this past year, the more thankful I am for the blog community and all the people who have helped me build this space. Among the most important people that worked with me to create the new Call Me Sassafras are Amber from Ember & March and my boyfriend H. But of course there were so many more!

If you'd like to follow along with Call Me Sassafras for another fun year, I'd love if you'd join me on bloglovin or elsewhere on your favorite social media (my links are in the right sidebar!).

What was your favorite part of 2014? If you've written a recap post for your blog, let me know so I can read it :)

Curated Weekly / 6

The best part of this week for me is that I'm HOME! For the first time since August. I have to say, it is quite lovely! I've never appreciated two-ply toilet paper so much. H and I took a little day trip to see some family and Christmas lights and then had a fancy dinner together on Wednesday. It's so good to see him without a deadline so close, you know? The last few times I've seen him, it's only been for the day or for a weekend. But now I've got him for a few weeks!

But unfortunately, today (10:45!!) I have to get my wisdom teeth out and I'm scared out of my pants. I'm not really sure, but I'm guessing I'll be totally out of commission for at least a few days + I'm scared to plan on blogging while on the pain medication. I'd probably just post a selfie of my squirrel cheeks or something and we don't want that. So I'm going to schedule a post for next Tuesday + I doubt I'll really be responding to comments much because I'd probably say something really dumb or be like this girl and be convinced I go to Hogwarts. 

+ Beautiful new designs from Heart and Arrow.

+ 20 time savers for early mornings

+ "I threw my scale in the trash and I've never felt better."

+ Memory keeping + documenting life's adventures.

+ An illustration that teaches you to water your house plants.

+ The June Letters shop has the cutest paper goods around.

+ How to positively reflect on the year.

+ Make a statement wall with paint pens.

+ Just for fun--pinata inspiration.

A few days ago, I found this amazing folksy Christmas playlist and I've been playing it constantly! It's a great mix of old and new songs done in indie folk style. Also, I love this 50s Christmas playlist that I made a few years ago. Makes me want to dance around the kitchen!

Kind of oddly, I'm loving all sorts of winter imagery (maybe that's not odd). Especially living in Florida these days, I just get such enjoyment out of seeing pictures of snow and trees and classic Christmas scenes! I grew up in Minnesota + I still spend my New Year's in the Midwest, so these pictures feel very familiar to me. 

Also, I'll shamelessly add, that if you enjoy things like that, you can follow me on Pinterest straight from the sidebar.

Also also, for obvious reasons (aka I'll be on pain drugs for the next week), I'm not setting any goals this week. We'll pick up next week!

What's going on with you this week?!

3 Apps for Beginner Meditation

I'll be honest, meditation is a weird thing. It sort of makes me think of foreign movies with monks chanting and whatnot. And I'll admit, I am not the expert on meditation. I meditate maybe three times a week, if that. So it would seem like I am not the person to be telling you about meditation, but I've started practicing it and I think it's worth a try, even if it feels totally weird at first. I just want to show you that meditation is easy + doesn't need to be something that only woo-woo hippies and monks and life coaches do. 

I could do a quick google search and I'm sure find many benefits of meditation on all parts of your life, but I'll just tell you my experience. Meditation helps me chill the heck out. I'm not a huge worrier but I do get anxious sometimes (which is actually very different). Meditation is great for calming down if you are a worrier or if you're like me, just a better way of maintaining your peace.

I like to meditate when I get up in the morning, before bed and in the middle of a busy day. It doesn't have to be a long time--I usually only take 5-10 minutes. I really like apps that offer guided meditation because let's be honest, meditation is a really weird concept and it's always helpful to have someone tell you what to do. Here are my favorites:

Stop, Breathe and Think / I especially love this app because before you start, the app asks you to take a moment and assess your emotions--are you concerned, content, distracted? Then it offers meditation tracks based on what you report. The only con of this app is there aren't many different tracks to choose from (maybe 10-15). But it's totally free, so it's still a great option.

Buddhify 2 / This is the only paid app on this list and at $3, I think it's worth it. The cool thing about buddhify is it aims to have you practicing mindfulness throughout your day. You choose from activities like traveling, walking in the city, in nature, and for when you can't sleep (and a bunch more). There are lots of options in this app + it always helps me connect with my day.

Deep Relax / This is not exactly a meditation app because it doesn't offer any sort of voiceover telling you what to do. Instead, it's just natural sounds and white noise that can be used as a background for your meditation. I have a saved mix of crackling fire, rain, waves, quiet frog croaking and a quiet buzz in the background that I use for meditation. This is also great for yoga and falling asleep! I swear I sleep better with rain noise in the background.

Do you meditate?! Do you have any tools that help you incorporate meditation in your daily life?

Good Deed: Compliment a Stranger

Every once in awhile, I'll be scrolling around on facebook (i.e. procrastinating) and I'll come across some sweet status from a friend about how someone paid for their Chick-fil-A that day or said something really encouraging. And I love that! I love when someone does something little and it impacts someone's entire day. If you knew you could make someone's day in just a few minutes, wouldn't you do that thing?

And so with that idea, I've come up with a new idea for a sort of miniseries in which we'll talk about + share ideas for little things we can do for people in our lives (or strangers!) that will make everyone a little bit happier. These will be short posts because I want to focus on doing good deeds, not just writing about them.

This week, I challenged myself to compliment a stranger. A month or so ago, I was waiting at a bus stop and this girl walking just stopped and told me my glasses were adorable. And you better believe it made my day! So I made that my goal. Since I live on a college campus, I'm around strangers all the time. But surprisingly, this was way hard. Every time I saw someone and wanted to compliment their eyes or their shirt or whatever, they were either walking right past me or had headphones in or something like that.

Finally, I did. There was a girl sitting across from me on the bus who had oxford shoes on that we covered in gold glitter (I know, I want them). After a few minutes of riding in deliberation, I finally just told her, "Your shoes are really cute." She smiled and said thank you but I have no idea if it meant anything to her. Maybe it didn't, but that's okay. It's a start!

Now it's up to you! Compliment a stranger (or at least a non-friend, non-family person) this week. What other little good deeds can we do to make other people's days better?

Curated Weekly / 5

This week has been an infinite improvement on last week even though finals are starting and I'm still kind of sick. I had my plant science final on Tuesday and I'm not sure I did as well as I wanted to keep my A-. Sad. I also finished a big paper on blueberry breeding and commercial production in Florida and I'm happy to have that finished!

At my college, we get Thursday and Friday off for "reading days" so I've pretty much been studying all day. My church and small group both had Christmas parties on Wednesday night and last night, some friends and I had a late-night pancake party. Yay college. 

But I'm so excited to be heading home to NC in a few days. I miss H and my family and my friends! I still keep up with a couple of my high school friends and I haven't seen some of them since June. Also, H and I have lots of fun dates planned to celebrate our 1000 day anniversary, including a fun little day trip. Can you tell we like any excuse to celebrate?!

+ A gift guide for your ultra-cool, but elegant bff. (I would love half of these things!) [Cup of Jo]

+ How to be a happier, healthier, more productive person. [Lifehack]

+ Keeping up with friends when you lead busy lives. [A Little Opulent]

+ 10 ways to forgive yourself and let go of the past. [MindBodyGreen]

+ 4 beautiful brush fonts. [Noor AlQahtani]

+ An app that helps you journal your emotions--with emojis. 

+ Beautiful and festive desktop wallpapers (I love #10, #11 and #15!). [Brit + Co]

+ 36 prompts to help you plan an Awesome 2015. 

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In / The 5th Dimension

Dream Lover / Bobby Darin

Downtown / Petula Clark

Get Together / The Youngbloods

Wedding Bell Blues / The 5th Dimension

Look of Love / Sergio Mendes

I am sooo close to being done with the semester. I have three more exams and then I'll be home! Unfortunately, I'll be getting my wisdom teeth out on Friday (I'm terrified!) and I'll be pretty out of commission for a good bit of my break. I just hope I'm all up to snuff by Christmas! 

I'm aiming to read at least two books over Christmas break, so my goal this week is to pick out a book to read and start it! Since I know you all have recommendations on what I should read, please leave me some comments! I have hardly been reading since school started so I don't even have much of a list going! 

So! What are you reading (book-wise and blog-wise)? What's going on with you lovely people?

Getting Back into Your Life After Being Sick

The last week and a half (along with all the stress that finals week brings), I've had a nasty bout of flu/cold/sore throat/ridiculously loud and socially inconvenient cough. There's no other way to say it, being sick just sucks. And when you're sick, sometimes the only way to handle it is to baby yourself a bit. Let yourself lounge in bed, watching Netflix. Take up friends on their offers to go get food for you. Let work just wait a little while.

But what about when you're feeling better? I think that how you treat yourself when you're getting back into the swing of things matters just as much as how you treat yourself while you're sick. Here are my little goals as I recover and get back to class + work.

Plan positively / It's easy to feel like I'm so far behind because of the time I took off from being sick but focusing on all that I have left to do isn't productive. When you write down all that you have to do, try to remember to prioritize + really--I know it's hard--but try not to stress yourself out too much.

Be realistic / Your first day back (wherever back is) you won't be able to do anything, most likely. Maybe you need to take a mid-day nap, or opt out of some non-essential plans you had made for the day. Ease yourself back into things.

Treat yourself kindly /  I like this as a rule of thumb for myself all the time but especially after an illness. I've been trying to listen to my body a little more closely since I know I'm not still 100%. My throat's still a bit sore, so I'm not scarfing down raw veggies, I'm still eating oatmeal and soft foods. The first few days after a cold, you're probably tired. Let yourself sleep early instead of going out. Listen to your body and give it what it needs.

How are you handling flu season? Are any of you babies about being sick like I am? (No? Just me?)

Curated Weekly / 4

Hey y'all. It's been a doozy of a week and I'm glad it's over. Of course, Thanksgiving was lovely but coming back to school was not. I had three exams between Monday and Tuesday, both of which were just bad days all around. On Wednesday, I woke up with a gross sore throat, fluey type bug that still has not gone away. So as I watch my to-do list get longer and longer, I've pretty much just been in bed. But enough about my boring week! How has your week been? 

+ 9 easy ways to start living a simpler, more intentional life. [Into Mind]

+ 8 ways a simple notebook can change your life. [The Week]

+ Fitness classes to try at the gym. [A Little Opulent]

+ An end-of-year blogger checklist. [Ember & March]

+ Making the most of a new month. [Tara Victoria]

+ How to deal with disappointment. [Camille Styles] 

+ 25 things to do tonight for a healthier tomorrow. [PopSugar]

+ Do's and don'ts for a good night's sleep. [No. 21]

+ Helpful links for planning your 2015. [Betty Red Design]

(Leila Courey, as best I can tell)

Sloop John B / The Beach Brothers
Downtown / Petula Clark
I Got You Babe / Sonny & Cher
I Saw Her Again / The Mamas & the Papas
Blowin' in the Wind / Peter, Paul and Mary
Ruby Tuesday / The Rolling Stones
No Reply / The Beatles
Where Have All the Flowers Gone / Joan Baez

This week, I have a few more classes and then Thursday and Friday off. Totally boring (I know), but my main goal is to create detailed, time-based study plans for each of my classes + then get started on them.

What do you have going on this week? Any favorite blog posts or articles to share?

A Better Way to Respond to Stress

Wow, what a week. Right after I posted on Tuesday, I came down with a gross flu sort of thing that has had me in bed way more than I'd like for the last few days. Luckily, this is really the only couple day stretch where my schedule isn't jam-packed. After this weekend, I start my finals. So I'm just glad that I should be on the up and up before then!

Since I know a lot of you are students and the next two weeks are probably the most stressful time of the year, I thought I'd share this TEDTalk about stress and a healthy way to manage it. H showed me this a few weeks ago when I was stressed out of my mind and I loved it! 

What do you think of this video? Do you have any other methods for tackling stress?

Checking In

(source unknown)

To say it plainly, this is a short post to let you know that your regular Tuesday post is not happening today.

Last night, I got a piece of bad news. In the grand scheme of things, everything is fine. But the truth is, I'm hurting right now, over something that I don't even want to care about. But that's just the way things are--rejection comes.

So this is just a short note to say that if you are hurting, wherever you are, for whatever reason, I'm thinking of you today. Sending a mental hug, so to speak, if you are the hugging type.

Have a happy Monday, you guys. Take care of yourselves. 

3 Ways to Foster a Habit of Gratitude

I love my church. I don't talk about my faith much on this blog just because I generally view religion as a private thing (but not a secret!). I go to a very small (think 50 people) Lutheran church twice a week, once for a service and brunch and once for community with other college students. If you're not familiar with churches, specifically Christian churches, the reverend or pastor will give a short message (at my church, it's about 15-20 minutes) using verses from the Bible. Sometimes, it's theological teaching, but other times it's simply practical tips on living better. Last week, in preparation for Thanksgiving, our priest talked about three habits you can make to practice gratitude and, as he said, change your life. 

And so, very quickly, since I want to get back to my family (and hello, the food!), I wanted to share these three practices with you.

Testimony of thankfulness // Testimony is sort of a church word (or an infomercial word!) but it really just means a story of how someone has affected you. I challenge you to write a short testimony (but at least a paragraph or two) about someone who has positively affected you in your life. Then, (this is the tough part) you have to call up that person, meet with them in person if possible and read it to them.

Blessing Bowl // Find a spot on your desk or bathroom counter and place a bowl/bottle/jar and blank slips of paper. Every time you pass by the bowl, you must write down something you're thankful for and place the slip in the jar. 

Use a gratitude app // There's a huge variety of options out there, but my favorite so far is called Day One. Or, you can be a little more minimalist and either keep an ongoing list in your notes app of your phone. Finally, if you like pen and paper (like me!), you can set an alarm each day and write in a gratitude journal. Sometimes I also just journal right when I get up or before I go to bed.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!! Have a wonderful day with your family and don't be in too big of a rush for it to be over so Black Friday can be here! :)

How do you stay thankful? 

Quotes to Inspire Your Passion

Something that I knew I wanted to focus on when I rebranded my blog a few weeks ago was passion. For awhile, I worked really hard trying to figure out how I could identify with people reading my blog. After some thought, I realized that it comes down to passion. I might not have the same history or interests as you...but as soon as you let out what you are passionate about, I can identify with you since I know what it's like to be passionate. 

I'm passionate about living the best life possible and helping other people do the same. I'm passionate about agriculture and plants and the intensely complex world that I study. I'm passionate about being fearless and bold and becoming a better, happier version of myself every day.

And so, to inspire your passion, here are a few quotes that remind me to bring more excitement and fun and enthusiasm into my life.

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you." -Oprah Winfrey

"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow." -Anthony D'Angelo

"There is no passion to be found playing small--in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." -Nelson Mandela>

"You can't fake passion." -Barbara Corcoran

What are you passionate about? 

Curated / 3

This week, I've had three GREAT pieces of news. First off, last week I mentioned that I've decided to get a French minor + I took a placement test to see how much (if any!) French I remembered. Turns out, I scored well enough to skip 10 credits of French! Which, at least at my school, is two or three courses. So that's awesome. 

Second, I got a research position! I had to interview a professor for a class project + at the end we were chatting about the work that he does and he offered me a position! It's in the plant pathology department and I'll largely be working on a fungus called Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (I linked to a picture in case you're interested!). So that's a big deal for me! 

And last, I recently auditioned for a course in fitness instruction at my school, and was accepted! We auditioned in a practical doing different group fitness routines and an interview and they ended up accepting only about twenty out of ninety five applicants! Basically, this means I get to go through the training process and then work as a group fitness instructor at our gyms (think kickboxing, yoga, conditioning). 

So I've had a pretty lovely week. How about yours?

+ Make a statement wall with paint pens.

+ What to do when you feel overwhelmed by work.

+ Delicious natural home scents (citrus basil? yes please!).

+ A guide to Reykjavik (I've always wanted to go to Iceland!)

+ How to befriend anyone even if you're an introvert

+ How technology is sabotaging your sleep (even though you already know)

+ 5 tips for being positive even when you're exhausted

+ 10 online tools for better attention and focus

+ A new resource for learning a new language

+ 29 Tumblr posts that will make you laugh every time

I'm really just counting down the days until Christmas music is acceptable (seven days!!!) so this is the last bit of normal music. This Christmas I'm planning on expanding to different "genres" within Christmas music. I've always loved 50s Christmas music but I'm gonna look around for some other genres. If you know of any cool Christmas songs, let me know!!

But what have I been listening to in the meantime? The Frozen soundtrack. Freaking over and over. It's wonderful. And NO it is not Christmas music. Gosh. 

Anyways, you can listen to it on Spotify here. 

In case you ever doubted that food can be art, look around the @julieskitchen instagram!

This week, I'm repeating my goal from last week because it's a good habit I need to work on--being proactive about schoolwork. I'm fairly good about not procrastinating but I feel even better when I start thing early and am on top of things. Over Thanksgiving this week, I plan to squeeze in some time to get ready for finals. They'll be here before I know it! What are your goals for the week?