As the semester is nearing it's end, it may seem as though "it is just too late." Too late to turn in that over-due homework assignment, too late to earn a better grade in the class you wish you put more effort into, and too late change your attendance in that class you wish you had not missed so many times.
As college students(and everyone else)we live our lives inextricably tied to schedules, deadlines, calendars, datebooks, Palm Pilots, Blackberries, alarms, and reminders. As dates and times pass it seems as though time is always running out and when an important deadline, meeting, or opportunity is missed we feel as though we can never repair the damage it causes. It may be true that some opportunities may never show up again on the calendar once it has gone by, and maybe it is too late to change your grade on an assignment or in a class, but for the things in life that truly matter, it is never too late, according to one very inspiring little book called, "It's Never Too Late...172 Acts to Change Your Life" by Patrick Lindsay.
"It's Never Too Late" is a tiny book, not much bigger than an index card, but the advice and insight it holds is enormous. It is the kind of book which one can turn to any page and begin to read and gain inspiration and a more positive outlook, even in the most trying of times. When I am stressing over class-work, grades, relationships, the ever-present "what I am doing with my life" question, or financial woes, a quick read of just a few pages always helps me center myself and look toward my future with hope and confidence.
"It's Never Too Late" is an inexpensive book and I hope you will pick up a copy for yourself. Until then, here is a small sample of what Lindsay has to offer:
It's never too late:
~To make plans~
Looking ahead takes you out of the daily grind.
Planning ahead brings hope.
Small plans first with realistic goals.
Build confidence.
Then make bigger plans with bigger goals.
Always have plans.
~To say sorry~
It takes courage.
It releases you.
It enriches the other person.
In ennobles you.
It gives you both a new beginning.
~To have a happy childhood~
Draw a line.
Accept the past as a lesson for the future.
Use that strength.
Look ahead and smile with anticipation.
~To get a life~
Slow down.
Look around.
Feel your heart.
Find the people and things that you love.
Care for them.
~To start again~
Look at nature.
Nothing stays the same.
Why should you?
Use change wisely.
Like a sporting champion, change a losing game.
Keep the things that matter.
Lose the things that don't.
Set some goals.
Start afresh.
~To start a new career~
Your career is not you.
It's not your life-
it's your job.
You can always expand your horizons
or change direction.
Remain positive.
Find a new work challenge-
one that inspires you.
Explore it.
Chase it with passion.
~To laugh at yourself~
Life is too short to take it too seriously.
It's easy to laugh at others-
much harder to laugh at ourselves.
But it's more rewarding.
It lightens our lives.
It brightens others lives.
It builds self-confidence and self-worth.
It endears us to others.
~To share wisdom~
It's rewarding.
It brings benefits to both giver and receiver.
Pass on hard-won experience.
Especially where it can stop suffering or pain.
Hand out knowledge generously.
It will be repaid ten-fold.
Lindsay inspired me to think of my own "it's never too late"-
~It is never to late to stand still~
Just for a moment.
Don't look back.
Don't look ahead.
Just be.
Congratulate yourself-
being who you are
right now
right here
is one of the greatest accomplishments you will ever make.
Take it in.
Before it's too late.
LM.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Trying to "go green" is making me see red...
My minor is in business management with a concentration in ethics and social responsibility. With only one class left to fulfill my program requirements I have become well-schooled in just how humans, especially Americans, are generally evil leaches on the environment and the communities around the world. It has become hard not feel guilty for almost everything I do, use, consume, buy, drive, and throw out.
In an effort to become a conscientious consumer I am trying to make many changes to the way I live. This is difficult and sometimes exhausting. I have almost eliminated that big-box juggernaut-of-destruction, whose name cannot be mentioned, but starts with a W and ends in forced labor, environmental devastation, and community ruin. As a poor college student this is hard at times but I just can't feel good about purchasing something that I know contributes to all of that. As I learn more and more about the products that I use I find out just how much harm it all causes.
As if trying not to cause harm to the planet is not a hard enough task, I recently started reading "The Green Beauty Guide" by Julie Gabriel, and now I am learning about all of the harm I am doing to myself.
Gabriel illuminates just how many hazardous chemicals are in almost all of the products many people use. Not only are widely-used products full of carcinogens but also chemicals that cause neurological damage among many other things. For example, most deodorants are aluminum chloride based. Aluminum chloride has been linked to skin and breast cancers and Alzheimer's disease. So, in an effort not to stink and offend people, we may be slowly killing ourselves?
I will admit, when I read this my first thought was to throw out my deodorant immediately. But my second and more powerful thought was "not until I get a deodorant without aluminum chloride in it." I would rather put a dangerous chemical on my body than smell a little until I got to the store? Perhaps the possible neurological damage has already begun to set in.
The deodorant example is just one of hundreds in Gabriel's very well-researched and cited book. I discovered that just about every product I have in my house is full of chemicals which are all defined and the hazards are clearly laid out in glaring black and white in this book. I would share more with you but since it has essentially ruined life as I knew it when a trip to the store only meant finding good food I could afford and beauty products that worked, I will let you find out more on your own.
The other day, armed with all of my new found knowledge, I grabbed my reusable shopping bags and drove my toxin-emitting car to the supermarket with a fairly short shopping list. I felt empowered by all that I have learned and I was ready to make a difference in the world and my body just by making ethical and socially responsible purchases without toxic chemicals in them. Well, this turned out to be far less of an enjoyable experience than I had anticipated.
My first stop was in the peanut butter isle. I spent about fifteen minutes in the peanut butter isle. Why does it take fifteen minutes to pick out a peanut butter you ask? Because regular peanut butter contains preservatives that have been linked to cancer. OK, so you may think "just pick an all natural peanut butter and move on." I wish it were that simple. Just because it is labeled "natural" doesn't mean it is organic, and just because it is labeled "organic" doesn't mean that it is "certified organic". And when I finally found an all-natural-certified-organic peanut butter my wallet caught on fire BECAUSE IT COSTS $7.00!!!!! I am all for "going green" and saving the planet and saving myself, but $7.00 for peanut butter??
After I settled for an "all-natural-organic-but-possibly-not-certified-organic" peanut butter for $4.50 that I am probably going to go to hell for buying I moved on to the coffee isle. Trying to be ethical and green when choosing a coffee is like trying to decide if one would rather jump off of a bridge or be run over by a truck.
Not only should coffee be "certified organic" but also fair-trade and packaged in recyclable containers. I am sorry to all of the coffee-addicts who read this and would rather not know but oftentimes coffee is processed with chemicals similar to anti-freeze. And, because it is not an actual "ingredient" but a "precessing agent" coffee manufacturers do not have to list it as an ingredient. In addition, if you are not buying fair-trade coffee then you are contributing to forced labor. I don't know about anyone else but I don't want to drink my morning thunder with a side of anti-freeze and I don't want to have nightmares about five-year-old children picking coffee beans.
Needless to say, I spent about thirty-minutes in the coffee isle. If I found a fair-trade option, it wasn't "certified organic". If I found a fair-trade coffee, it was only "organic". When I finally found one with all of my criteria it was almost $10.00 for one-half-pound!!!! I AM A POOR COLLEGE STUDENT ONE WEEK FROM FINALS WHO CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT HER COFFEE!!! I guiltily chose a coffee that was organic but it was not labeled fair-trade for about $5.00 for a pound. I am a terrible person and someone suffered for my caffeine addiction. But, if I don't have my coffee everyone I come into contact with is going to suffer.
I spent my ride home in my planet-killing car feeling defeated, guilty, and stressed-out. I have decided that when I graduate I am going to take my degree, which I am sure is printed with with toxic ink on acid-laden paper, and fold it into a paper airplane and launch it into the nearest landfill. Then I am going to move to Bermuda, live in a hut made from certified-organic, fair-trade mud and find a way to manufacture chemical-free, nutritious, and fair-trade Twinkies, and give all of the profits to the local community. And yes, I am fully aware that I will have to walk to the coast and then swim to Bermuda so that I do not damage the environment by driving and flying on a plane to get there.
In an effort to become a conscientious consumer I am trying to make many changes to the way I live. This is difficult and sometimes exhausting. I have almost eliminated that big-box juggernaut-of-destruction, whose name cannot be mentioned, but starts with a W and ends in forced labor, environmental devastation, and community ruin. As a poor college student this is hard at times but I just can't feel good about purchasing something that I know contributes to all of that. As I learn more and more about the products that I use I find out just how much harm it all causes.
As if trying not to cause harm to the planet is not a hard enough task, I recently started reading "The Green Beauty Guide" by Julie Gabriel, and now I am learning about all of the harm I am doing to myself.
Gabriel illuminates just how many hazardous chemicals are in almost all of the products many people use. Not only are widely-used products full of carcinogens but also chemicals that cause neurological damage among many other things. For example, most deodorants are aluminum chloride based. Aluminum chloride has been linked to skin and breast cancers and Alzheimer's disease. So, in an effort not to stink and offend people, we may be slowly killing ourselves?
I will admit, when I read this my first thought was to throw out my deodorant immediately. But my second and more powerful thought was "not until I get a deodorant without aluminum chloride in it." I would rather put a dangerous chemical on my body than smell a little until I got to the store? Perhaps the possible neurological damage has already begun to set in.
The deodorant example is just one of hundreds in Gabriel's very well-researched and cited book. I discovered that just about every product I have in my house is full of chemicals which are all defined and the hazards are clearly laid out in glaring black and white in this book. I would share more with you but since it has essentially ruined life as I knew it when a trip to the store only meant finding good food I could afford and beauty products that worked, I will let you find out more on your own.
The other day, armed with all of my new found knowledge, I grabbed my reusable shopping bags and drove my toxin-emitting car to the supermarket with a fairly short shopping list. I felt empowered by all that I have learned and I was ready to make a difference in the world and my body just by making ethical and socially responsible purchases without toxic chemicals in them. Well, this turned out to be far less of an enjoyable experience than I had anticipated.
My first stop was in the peanut butter isle. I spent about fifteen minutes in the peanut butter isle. Why does it take fifteen minutes to pick out a peanut butter you ask? Because regular peanut butter contains preservatives that have been linked to cancer. OK, so you may think "just pick an all natural peanut butter and move on." I wish it were that simple. Just because it is labeled "natural" doesn't mean it is organic, and just because it is labeled "organic" doesn't mean that it is "certified organic". And when I finally found an all-natural-certified-organic peanut butter my wallet caught on fire BECAUSE IT COSTS $7.00!!!!! I am all for "going green" and saving the planet and saving myself, but $7.00 for peanut butter??
After I settled for an "all-natural-organic-but-possibly-not-certified-organic" peanut butter for $4.50 that I am probably going to go to hell for buying I moved on to the coffee isle. Trying to be ethical and green when choosing a coffee is like trying to decide if one would rather jump off of a bridge or be run over by a truck.
Not only should coffee be "certified organic" but also fair-trade and packaged in recyclable containers. I am sorry to all of the coffee-addicts who read this and would rather not know but oftentimes coffee is processed with chemicals similar to anti-freeze. And, because it is not an actual "ingredient" but a "precessing agent" coffee manufacturers do not have to list it as an ingredient. In addition, if you are not buying fair-trade coffee then you are contributing to forced labor. I don't know about anyone else but I don't want to drink my morning thunder with a side of anti-freeze and I don't want to have nightmares about five-year-old children picking coffee beans.
Needless to say, I spent about thirty-minutes in the coffee isle. If I found a fair-trade option, it wasn't "certified organic". If I found a fair-trade coffee, it was only "organic". When I finally found one with all of my criteria it was almost $10.00 for one-half-pound!!!! I AM A POOR COLLEGE STUDENT ONE WEEK FROM FINALS WHO CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT HER COFFEE!!! I guiltily chose a coffee that was organic but it was not labeled fair-trade for about $5.00 for a pound. I am a terrible person and someone suffered for my caffeine addiction. But, if I don't have my coffee everyone I come into contact with is going to suffer.
I spent my ride home in my planet-killing car feeling defeated, guilty, and stressed-out. I have decided that when I graduate I am going to take my degree, which I am sure is printed with with toxic ink on acid-laden paper, and fold it into a paper airplane and launch it into the nearest landfill. Then I am going to move to Bermuda, live in a hut made from certified-organic, fair-trade mud and find a way to manufacture chemical-free, nutritious, and fair-trade Twinkies, and give all of the profits to the local community. And yes, I am fully aware that I will have to walk to the coast and then swim to Bermuda so that I do not damage the environment by driving and flying on a plane to get there.
Friday, April 3, 2009
To my Sage sisters part 2: Don't just take my word for it.
Below are the lyrics to a spoken-word song Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) that came out in the late-nineties by a film directer/producer named Baz Luhrman. I don't know why he wrote a song to the graduates around the world in 1997, but this is some of the best advice I have every heard. I read it from time to time because it helps put life into perspective for me, I thought I should share it with you all:
Always wear sunscreen!
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Well never mind,
You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked, you are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts,
don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss!
Don’t waste your time on jealousy, sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind,
the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults.
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch!
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life,
the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22
what they wanted to do with their lives,
some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium!
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t,
Maybe you’ll divorce at 40,
Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either,
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past,
and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get,
the more you'll need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard,
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths; prices will rise, politicians will philander,
you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young
prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Always wear sunscreen!
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Well never mind,
You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked, you are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts,
don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss!
Don’t waste your time on jealousy, sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind,
the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults.
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch!
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life,
the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22
what they wanted to do with their lives,
some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium!
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t,
Maybe you’ll divorce at 40,
Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either,
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past,
and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get,
the more you'll need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard,
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths; prices will rise, politicians will philander,
you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young
prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
To my graduating sisters...
I have noticed lately that many of my Sage sisters who are about to graduate are worried, stressed, and panicked about the question "what will I do with the rest of my life?" I wish I had a crystal ball to show that you are all going to do well in life and be happy if you allow yourselves the luxury of trusting in you.
If I have learned anything from life it is that success is where preparation and opportunity meet. Those of you who are about to embark on the next phase of your life have done the preparation and your opportunities will come. I have also learned that you do not have to know right now what you want to do with the rest of your life. Life is a journey, not a destination. Jobs are listed on your resume as "experience" because they are exactly that, experiences. I have lost count of how many jobs I have had in my life but I know that I learned something from each of them and I met a myriad of people from whom I learned very valuable lessons.
I still don't know exactly what I want to be when I "grow-up" either, but I am glad about it because learning is what I love and I always worry that if I have "all the answers" will I run out of questions? If there are no more questions to be answered then what is the point of living?
I know I have a destiny and if I take my hands off the wheel just a little my path will show itself. And believe me, those words are from a complete control freak. I understand your worries, but trust me, you will be the Woman of Influence you are meant to be.
If I have learned anything from life it is that success is where preparation and opportunity meet. Those of you who are about to embark on the next phase of your life have done the preparation and your opportunities will come. I have also learned that you do not have to know right now what you want to do with the rest of your life. Life is a journey, not a destination. Jobs are listed on your resume as "experience" because they are exactly that, experiences. I have lost count of how many jobs I have had in my life but I know that I learned something from each of them and I met a myriad of people from whom I learned very valuable lessons.
I still don't know exactly what I want to be when I "grow-up" either, but I am glad about it because learning is what I love and I always worry that if I have "all the answers" will I run out of questions? If there are no more questions to be answered then what is the point of living?
I know I have a destiny and if I take my hands off the wheel just a little my path will show itself. And believe me, those words are from a complete control freak. I understand your worries, but trust me, you will be the Woman of Influence you are meant to be.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
I am proud of myself!!
Today I am being inducted into the Alpha Kappa Delta honor society. To be honest, I was not really too excited about it when I learned that I was eligible. I think it is because I did not stop to think about it critically. But then I realized that it is a recognition of how how hard I have worked and I deserve it.
I do not understand why it is so hard to allow myself to accept accolades and credit for a job well-done when I am always eager to accept negativity and harsh criticism. I am always striving to do the best I can, but when I am faced with the realization that I have done well, it is uncomfortable.
This morning my aunt called to congratulate me on the induction. I was surprised because I really did not believe that this was a big deal. But hearing how excited she was about it and hearing her say how proud she is of me, and her telling me how excited my parents are, really opened my eyes to the fact it may not be the Nobel Prize, but it is something special. I have been going to college for more than five-years now and it has been a tough road. Any little milestone is important and I have start enjoying this ride.
So today, I am going to allow myself to celebrate me a little. My parents are coming to attend the induction, and I am going to enjoy this day. I am going to walk around with my head up high today and be proud of myself. If my family can be proud of me, then why can't I?
I am going to begin my day-long celebration with a celebratory breakfast of cookies and brownies. One of the greatest things about having accomplishments in adulthood, is that I get to celebrate and eat junk-food for breakfast if I want to! Life is good!
I do not understand why it is so hard to allow myself to accept accolades and credit for a job well-done when I am always eager to accept negativity and harsh criticism. I am always striving to do the best I can, but when I am faced with the realization that I have done well, it is uncomfortable.
This morning my aunt called to congratulate me on the induction. I was surprised because I really did not believe that this was a big deal. But hearing how excited she was about it and hearing her say how proud she is of me, and her telling me how excited my parents are, really opened my eyes to the fact it may not be the Nobel Prize, but it is something special. I have been going to college for more than five-years now and it has been a tough road. Any little milestone is important and I have start enjoying this ride.
So today, I am going to allow myself to celebrate me a little. My parents are coming to attend the induction, and I am going to enjoy this day. I am going to walk around with my head up high today and be proud of myself. If my family can be proud of me, then why can't I?
I am going to begin my day-long celebration with a celebratory breakfast of cookies and brownies. One of the greatest things about having accomplishments in adulthood, is that I get to celebrate and eat junk-food for breakfast if I want to! Life is good!
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