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College Survival: Getting through the final weeks

Something that I believe we all have in common during the last couple of weeks in the semester are crazy schedules, and stress. The whole idea of finals week is completely insane. I mean, who was the genius who whispered into the ears of professors, and told them to pile up the workload the last two weeks of school. It's like a conspiracy to set us all up for failure (so colleges and universities can get more money out of us by extending our graduation dates). There are projects, research papers, and tests due for completion-at the same time! Where is the logic in that?

Okay, we can get through this together. Here are some tips that can help you (and me) survive the final weeks of college.

Step 1: Let the panic out. Go right ahead and have your freak out moment. You absolutely deserve it, but please try not to injure those around you, especially professors. That is not the way to get a good grade.

Step 2: Calm the storm. So, after the freak out moment, do something that will calm you down and relieve stress. For me, it's writing and praying. But it can be anything from exercise, watching TV, playing games, ranting to someone close to you, YouTube videos,..etc. It's all about mood control.

Step 3: Plan. Procrastination is not key during this time...but let's be real, it's bound to happen. Procrastination is a big part of college life. I'm doing it right now just by writing this, but here is a tip. Plan your procrastination. Write down everything you need to do in a planner or agenda book. Blow the dust off of it if you don't ever use it. Get a sheet of paper if you don't have one. Find out all of your due dates, and decide when you need to get everything done by.

Step 4: Set Goals. Decide how much work you want to get done in a certain time frame, and actually follow through.

Step 5: Pump yourself up. Get yourself ready to work, motivate yourself to get things done. Find a theme song-this helps me personally. It is crunch time.

Step 6: Action. Don't just lay in bed contemplating your life and future. Just do it. Get something done, and don't stare at the computer screen. Find out how you work best. If you need a partner to help you, go find one. Go to the library, and leave home. Home is probably the worst place to get anything done (too many distractions)

Step 7: Think positively. Be hopeful and resilient despite obstacles. Your thoughts and words have power over your actions and abilities. Say and believe you can finish everything, and believe you can do it well. Endure

I hope these tips were a little useful to you. Feel free to comment with your own thoughts on surviving the final stretch.

Good luck,

Lisa

The Affects of Thinking and Speaking Positively, Letting go of Negativity

Photo taken by Lisa Ajala

As people, we have the ability to influence situations by the way we speak and think. We can build people up, or tear them down just by the use of our tongues. The words that we speak can have so much power over a person or situation, it is completely insane. That is why it is important to think positively about yourself and others. And once you start thinking positively, you'll start speaking positively.

Why is this so important?

In today's culture, it seems normal to just sling insults at one another, and make fun of what people have or don't have, or at what someone does or doesn't do. But, this isn't how things should be, and it certainly doesn't have to be that way. There is a scripture that say's  "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat it's fruit."-Proverbs 18:21-

So, we can literally speak life or death into someone's life, and can speak things into existence. If someone constantly hears "you will never make it" or "you will never succeed", "or "that's so stupid", they might actually start believing it, and make those statements a reality.

Words can hurt...badly.

That's why I want to challenge anyone who is reading this to speak life into people. Speak life into your situation. Speak life into yourself. Be kind. You never know what someone is going through, so be a light in their lives. The only way to push out negativity and darkness, is to bring forth positivity and light. For a small example, If someone is a terrible singer don't tell them to shut-up and stop. Tell them to "practice more", "do what you love", "you'll get it eventually". Don't lie, tell them they need improvement, and please don't send them to American Idol.

Think happy thoughts, believe you can make it out of a situation, believe that you are an asset to someone. Believe in your worth. You're are worth so much, who cares what the negative Nancy's say. It doesn't matter. Know who you are, find out your identity. My name is        , and I am kind, smart, artistic, friendly, unique...etc.

The only thing that matters to me is my identity in Christ, and He says: I am loved,I am forgiven, I have a new identity, I have a future, I have a purpose, and I am secure.

You are not defined by your past, you are not defined by other people, you are not defined by society. Don't let negativity weigh you or others down. Be positive, and if you don't know how to be, take it a step at a time. Wake up in the morning and say "I am alive, and this is going to be a great day" Speak life over yourself, and even if the day doesn't seem that great, it is all about how you handle it. Are you going to be positive about it, or negative.

You decide.

Note: If you are hurting, please let someone know. Don't handle your hardships alone. Speak to someone.

With love,

Lisa

My 21st Birthday and First Drinking Experience

21st birthday look

Well, I must say that last evening/night- then early morning-was one of the the best, embarrassing, and hilarious times of my life. To start off, my day was already somewhat hectic with having to go back and forth on and off campus, and then not really being able to take a break before my guests arrived. I decided about a week before that I wanted to go to Savannah, to visit a Caribbean restaurant and then go to Wet Willies- a Daiquiri bar. Let's just say nothing went as planned.

One of my friends decided that she would like to do my hair for the event, and another called me about an hour and a half before we were supposed to leave about doing my make-up. By the time either of them could arrive, along with another one of my friends, we had less than an hour for me to get ready. See, the friend who wanted to do my hair underestimated the thickness and quantity of my strands. And the other couldn't start my make-up until she finished. Guests had already arrived and waited and watched as I got ready, but it seemed that no one really minded. I looked amazing when they both finished. I had never seen myself look like that before( I hardly ever wear make-up). I felt like I looked like a different person, and a little like my mom,which was weird.

We were all finally able to leave, and lo and behold, the Caribbean restaurant decided to close at 9:00pm...on a Friday. Its a good thing we checked, before we actually arrived-I honestly thought they closed at 10:30. Anyway, our caravan of three cars stopped at a gas station so we could fill up gas, before continuing the journey. While we were filling up-BAM! a car ran into us as they were backing out the parking lot. I took it as a bad omen, not to mention my head had started hurting really badly because my hair was to tight. By this time, I really just wanted to say screw it and go home. But we continued on, even though now we were really delayed.

The River Street of Savannah, GA was beautiful (and a hassle to find parking in). I decided we should all just go to Wet Willies, but then we found out they stopped letting people under 21 in at 5 pm, and half my guests were still 20 =( I chose a restaurant along River street that seemed reasonably priced, ordered water, food, and then my first drink. I got an apple orchard beer cider thing-apparently not the most ideal first drink. It wasn't bad, but I only took about ten sips of it total. When I was eating this corn crab chowder, I noticed my stomach started to hurt. I just walked it off at first as we explored the city after eating, but it just got worse. My friends suggested I should sit down, and then it happened.

I said: " I think I'm gonna puke", and then I did... in front of everyone. Surprisingly, only a few of them really backed away. The rest just watched me throw up in some weird fascination, and no one really seemed disgusted. They just discussed the contents of my stomach, and reassured me that I would feel a lot better after. I really did feel a better afterward, especially since my friends were making biblical references about my vomit that had me cracking up with laughter. Proverbs 26:11 is "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats their folly." Its about how people return back to their sin, or past mistakes (vomit) even though its something we should let go because its not good for us. So, my friends were saying things like "Walk away from the vomit!" and "Don't be as a dog who returns to the vomit!"

I class-ily walked away from the vomit, and decided to go to Wet Willies with a few of my older friends. The others stayed outside near the river. I tried some free samples of the drinks, even though I barley got in-the bouncer was questioning me about my id. I guess I didn't really resemble my picture with all the make-up on (and I was 17 in it). It was really fun there until they started playing really slow songs(a sign that they were closing). It would of been a cool place to be if everyone was of age.

We meet with everyone outside again, and played truth or dare. It consisted of embarrassing announcements, a ballet performance, selfies with police officers, and stand up poetry. I think everyone had a good time, and some of my friends had to be verbally dragged away to get back home. It was already about 2 in the morning, and one of my friends had to go to work in a few hours.

As I look back on it, I had a lot of fun, even though it didn't start out that way. I was in pain, and wondering if I had to visit the doctor after that small accident. I got sick, but it was worth it. I was with my friends, who are more like family to me. I am so grateful that I met them all, and could spend time with them to celebrate my birthday. You know its true friendship when you puke in front of everyone, and they still share drinks with you. They are such a blessing to my life.

Well, hopefully you enjoyed my little tale, and I hope it wasn't too long. Thanks for reading!