Lucid Living

Amanda is a realist idealist who believes in making the most of what is given to her. 

Embarking upon the journey through my twenties has been, by turns, illuminating, terrifying, daunting, rewarding, and fun. It is a time to cast aside old play books and write my own. In the midst of all my flailings and failings, I have struck upon certain morsels of truth that have served me well throughout this newest and most uncertain chapter of my life. Seeing as I have no younger siblings and am not successful enough (yet) to mentor anyone, I will offer these- along with whatever random ramblings traipsing through my thoughts at the moment- to you, a literate audience. 

A few things I live by

-Kindness is key. You never regret being nice. 

-Being grateful makes life better. Some days you have to try a little harder to see the beauty in the bullshit. 

-Compassion has the capability to cure all kinds of ills.

-Don't give up on the things you want. Trying is noble and most times we get more from the endeavor than we do from accomplishing the goal. 

-Play to your strengths. One of the most lamentable occurrences in life is squandered talent. 

-Health is a gift and should be treated as such. 

-Fear and regret are useless wastes of time. We only have control over the here and now, and even that is extremely limited. 

What I want

After completing my undergraduate program, my life left the charted track for the first time. This was terrifying for me. I had no money, nothing to show for the past four years except a piece of paper saying I had graduated, and-surprise, surprise- employers were not at all impressed by a degree in English Literature. I had never felt more lost or more useless. I considered going to graduate school, just to have something to work towards, but for the life of me, I couldn't decide what I would go back to school for. I thought my problem was that I didn't know what I wanted. I was allowing myself to drown in uncertainty and denying myself the credit I deserved. I do know what I want. I want to do the things I enjoy. I want to learn- to stretch the boundaries of my mind. I want to develop myself physically while I am strong enough to do so. I want to affect the lives of others in a positive way. I want to surround myself with admirable people, I want to be challenged, I want to make healthy choices that I will be glad of later on. I want new experiences and I want to exert myself. I want to be present in the moments I occupy. I may not know what career I want to have or where I want to settle down, but I know the person I want to be. I know I want to be happy- that's the main dish, the rest is just small potatoes. 

To avail yourself of more passing thoughts or (hopefully) entertaining observations, follow me on Twitter @Asst2TheRgnlMgr