quotes that help me survive:
“You are not lost. You are here. Stop abandoning yourself. Stop repeating this myth about love and success that will land in your lap or evade you forever. Build a humble, flawed life from the rubble, and cherish that. There is nothing more glorious on the face of the earth than someone who refuses to give up, who refuses to give in to their most self-hating, discouraged, disillusioned self, and instead learns, slowly and painfully, how to relish the feeling of building a hut in middle of the suffocating dust.” — Heather Havrilesky, Ask Polly
this tumblr text post:
“To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.” — Mary Oliver
From an interview with Kazu Makino:
Instructions On Not Giving Up, Ada Limon:
And this poster by Yumi Sakugawa
“You have to believe, in your heart, that even if you don’t work hard and exercise and think positive thoughts and make new friends and march triumphantly into the future, you are still enough. You will always have bad days. Being broken doesn’t make you a loser. You can crumble, and you will still be enough. Make that your religion moving forward. You are here to feel this moment. You are not here to become someone better. You are not here to impress or compete. You are not here to prove yourself. You are here to savor this life. Let down your guard. You are already enough. Believe it.” — Heather Havrilesky
“The first feminist gesture is to say: “Ok. They’re looking at me. But I’m looking at them.” The act of deciding to look, of deciding that the world is not defined by how people see me, but by how I see them.” -Agnès Varda
lyrics from the song Grow by The Oh Hellos:
“The world’s otherness is antidote to confusion, that standing within this otherness—the beauty and the mystery of the world, out in the fields or deep inside books—can re-dignify the worst-stung heart.” — Mary Oliver
“I hope you will go out and let stories, that is life, happen to you,and that you will work with these stories from your life--not someone else's life--water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom. That is the work. The only work.” — Clarissa Pinkola Estes
• There’s a reason you’re studying what you’re studying. It’s is fun, it’s enjoyable, it’s something you like. Your studies aren’t a chore, they’re a hobby! Try to see them that way!
• Taking notes? Yay! Perfect opportunity to let your creativity flow! Now, you don’t have to have a journal you make super fancy, handwritten, colour coded notes in (don’t get me wrong, I love those, and bless the people who post pictures of theirs but grr! it’d just take me too much time!) - you can create a Google Docs document and use some fun fonts and add some pretty aesthetic pictures! Works just as well! And it’s fun!
• No matter how you’ve decided to be creative, the act of creativity itself will give you both a sense of accomplishment and of purpose (which is something I - and I suspect quite a few other people - struggle with sometimes). Yeah, it might take up a little bit of your time, but it’s totally worth it long-term because once you’re done you have a super pretty document/journal that will up the ~vibe~ every time you sit down to study! Besides, it’s totally up to you how much time you want to spend on your little project.
• The excitement you feel when you encounter the stuff you’ve learned out in the real world is amazing. I still remember when I was twelve and a friend and I were baking and were overjoyed about being able to say “hey, this is an emulsion! this is what we talked about in chemistry!” and oh my god you feel so nerdy and so smart and happy and it’s great.
• Studying really gives you a way of seeing life in a new light. It makes you so much more appreciative of the little things. If you study biology you’ll suddenly think about vacuoles when you’re watering your plants, study prejudice and racism and you’ll suddenly be able to tell when someone’s being an ass and have the tools to call them out on it like a boss, study psychology and chuckle at the cheesy commercial using psychologically appealing colours to try to get you to buy things, study geology and smile because now you’re able to tell that “that’s metamorphic rock”. Be nerdy and suddenly the world is filled with wonders.
• Getting started is one of the most difficult steps. Or rather, that period of time right after you’ve gotten started when you get to the point of “oh, I don’t immediately know everything there is to know in this field. hm.” or “what do you mean I won’t establish my own superior drawing style after just one drawing”. Many of us want things to flow when we learn. We don’t want it to be too difficult, or take up too much time and effort, or require too much dedication. We’d rather skip the step of having to learn how to ride the bike because, well, it’s annoying and kinda boring, and rather head straight to the part where we zoom down a hill like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I’m so sorry to break this to you, but you’re gonna have to know how to maneuver the thing before you reach the “wind in my hair” phase.
• How do you make it through the boring and annoying stuff then? I’d say focus on the very things I’ve written about in this post. Focus on why you decided to try the thing out in the first place; what was it that pulled you in? What goals do you want to reach? Focus on the fact that this is something you want to do - like to do! - and not something you have to do. Focus on appreciating the things you learn rather than solely focusing on what you haven’t learnt yet; take that newfound knowledge and rant to a friend, rant to your family, rant on your tumblr or in your journal. You know stuff! You’ve learnt stuff! How amazing is that?!
"Is education important or making money?"
Your daily reminder to pull-your-shit-together. Remove the distractions. Delete the apps. Use flight mode. This is your one life. All those people you see making moves, do you think they’re sat there wasting their morning scrolling when they have shit to do? No, they’re up, working out, meditating, writing, reading, doing whatever the fuck they need to do to get them to where they want to be. Stop holding yourself back, you have so much potential, you’re literally the cause and the cure. Do you want you to do well? Live the life of your dreams? Well babygirl it’s not gonna happen unless you break out of these unproductive habits. You need to get into momentum, you need to have a plan and stick to it. You need to channel your energy into moving forward. You can do this, let’s go!
“Will it be easy? Nope. Will it be worth it? Absolutely.”
— Unknown
And to work hard, it includes self-discipline and consistency.
“Difficult doesn’t mean impossible. It simply means you have to work hard.”
— Unknown
When thinking about life,
Remember this:
No amount of guilt can change the past
And no amount of anxiety can change the future.
FIRST DAY AT WORK TIPS
A few tips Ive gathered over the years starting many new jobs, and being a manager. Works for either career jobs or beginner jobs.
1- You're barely starting, they don't have much expectations already. Be polite, be graceful, do everything your best possible. Stuff can go wrong obvs, but try to extract the lessons from the problems and move ON.
2- The beginning is the BEST time to ask questions. A good manager would be actually happy you're asking questions, because it demonstrates you want to do well. Ask ask ask ask questions. Don't be shy. Bring a small notebook + pencil to note down important information, this small detail BOOSTS your image. Arrive PREPARED, as much as you possibly can be. To not appear like you haven't listened, repeat a crucial related information, then ask the question. "I know that we have to insert the customer name there, and never forget to add the code, what if [special case] happens, what should I do?" It makes you look like you're very intentional and seeking to be your best ever. .
3- If they hired you, it means they know you can make it. You have the basics to be able to do the job. Otherwise it would've been a waste of energy and time for everyone, no? Trust that they selected the best candidate for the work (aka you).
4- The first few months are the most tiring and rough. So many new faces, new things to learn, new routines, etc. Try to ride it out, try to establish a nice healthy routine at work and around work, and obvs don't neglect your self-care that will make you spin down from the accumulated stress. Do not neglect your health & wellbeing routine.
5- If the job fails, no worry, brush up your CV and start sending more and more of those CVs to jobs. Make it a daily habit until you're fully HIRED. Do not fret over being fired or having to quit (because shitty jobs do exist), move on, move on, move on!!
Vet jobs as you would with potential husbands. Pays well, treats well, is mindful of your time and limitations, etc.
“A healthy relationship is where two independent people just make a deal that they will help the other person be the best version of themselves.”
— Unknown
intangible - madisen kuhn