Everyone has probably heard the expression “you are what you eat”. It’s a good lesson to teach while we’re young because children often take things literally. You’re only as good as the food that you put into your body. In its simplest form, we break it down and tell children they become what they put into their bodies so they can understand the importance of nutritional meals. Why stop there when we can apply this philosophy to many more life lessons.

I recently wrote an essay about the power of words, so I figured it was only necessary I share this quote about words while the topic is still fresh in my mind. It is Word Wednesday, so why not stick with the theme and share exactly why I love words so much.

I feel like we always undermine the power of words. They can do really damage when loaded correctly. Why do you think our parents always stressed “think before you speak”? It’s easy to correct an action, but words are almost always impossible to take back. Once they’re out…they’re out.

The positive side of words? They allow us to feel, to think, to speak, to express, to share. They’re simple words that get straight to the point and complex ones that just sound so beautiful when spoken. Words can be straightforward or have multiple definitions when used in different contexts. When strung together, they can create the most beautiful thoughts, quotes, and statements that we didn’t know we needed. But most importantly…they create the largest impact on humans.

We’ve built our society upon words. They’ve been used to record stories, frame our government, motivate people, cause change, the list could go on. Words have solidified our past and set forth our future. The cycle will never end.

On a more personal level, words become who we are. We speak from our beliefs and character. That’s where this idea of a house comes in. Through our words, we build who we are and how we’re perceived. Like our own little house in one giant community of other houses, ranging in size, durability, and design.

Everyone’s house is unique in their own way. No two houses are the same. Yet, these houses are there for a lifetime. We have no way to change our house. Once the foundation is laid, there no place for the walls to go but up. So, we need to be careful in how we lay that foundation because those walls are what shield us from life. With good sturdy walls, you can withstand the strongest of storms.

Recently, I was doing some work with my music on in the background as usual. I really don’t pay attention to what music comes next on the shuffle, but as I was turning the page in one of my textbooks this lyric caught my attention.

When this song first came out I thought nothing of it. It was just a song about how things were changing. Simple. Now, as I look back I realize that this lyric is something we all need to take to heart.

Nothing in life is handed to you on a silver platter. You’re going to have to work. That’s guaranteed. How hard you work? That’s up to you.

That work that we do is what shapes us into who we are. It helps us form our core values and morals that will forever stick with us. Through that work we learn the value of grit and reward. The lesson of failure and opportunity. The list could go and on.

When I began my high school career, I quickly learned the value of hard work. I never appreciated it until I had my first full week of assignments. It was rough, especially on nights where I had lots of homework on-top of soccer practice, but the feeling I got when I finished? Amazing.

Now, as I begin my senior year, hard work is a must. The feeling of accomplishment after you’ve just put everything you have into a project, activity, event, assignment, game, practice, etc. is unbeatable. You’re not going to get that anywhere else.

Here’s another example. Last year in my English class I was given an argument research paper. Now, this paper is notorious at my school based on the amount of work that you have to put forth. As a class, we spent almost 2 months just compiling research and sources for our papers. Then, after spring break, we spent about 3-4 weeks writing the final draft. I was terrified when I began the process. I probably cried over that paper twice a week, but that feeling after I turned it in? Well, at first it was relief that it was over. Then anxiousness as I awaited my final grade. Yet, deep down I felt extremely accomplished in what I had done. Knowing that all my hard work had an outcome gave me great self-confidence. When I actually got my grade back? Now THAT feeling is unbeatable.

I could go on and on about my personal experiences with valued hard-work and the outcome, but you’re never going to realize it until you experience it yourself. I encourage you to go out and search for it though. Don’t stop until you’ve reached that feeling. You never want to put anything less than 100% in what you do. Your accomplishments should matter…so make them matter. Besides…you’ll feel good about yourself in the end.

Failure is scary. The idea of not being successful can cloud and influence our life decisions. I’m guilty of it. I’m pretty sure most of you are guilty of it. It’s human. Yet, as I’ve learned in the past few months, we need to embrace it.

Recently, I’ve been navigating the college application process. It’s pretty scary if I’m being honest, but it’s exciting as well. I’ve had countless discussions with my parents on my worries and doubts about whether I’ll be successful or not. It’s almost like we’ve been having the same conversation all summer. Sorry guys.

Through all of this, I’ve learned one thing. Failure isn’t the end. It’s actually part of the journey as my dad says. No one can go through life without failing. It’s impossible. Literally. Failure is natural and we need to learn to embrace it.

I’m going to call myself a hypocrite here for a second. Last year, around this time, I began writing my first essay for my AP Language and Composition class. I chose to write about competition and how failure is better than winning. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to piece together the perfect essay, wanting to prove my point. In the end, I didn’t do as well as I wanted. In fact, I was pretty embarrassed about my grade. Looking back, I realize I didn’t do well because I didn’t believe in what I was writing. I don’t know about y’all, but it’s hard for me to write about things I don’t 100% believe in. It’s a waste of time. Period.

While I can go into a whole different rant about acting on what you believe, I’ll save that for another post. Moral of that story, I wouldn’t have been able to realize my mistake without having failed in the first place. Failure is motivation. When someone says no, yes, it may feel like a door slam in the face, but you have the ability to break that door down.

Be persistent. Keep trying. Don’t fear the unknown. Embrace it. And most importantly…

Trust the process.

I’m so excited to share this one with y’all! I’ve been waiting to do a Washington one for a while and figured since I just go back from visiting his home, Mount Vernon, I should go ahead and feature our first president.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Washington. Not just because he was the first president of our nation, nor because he led the Continental Army to a victory over the British, but because of how he chose to live his life. A simple man, Washington was very precise on how he did things, making sure everything was done to a certain personal standard. From the way his lawn was kept to the way he governed our nation, he paid attention to every little detail. He also was a very godly man. In times of struggle, he looked towards God for guidance, claiming all his success was due to our Maker and his Word.

This quote reflects one of the main things that Washington adored…surrounding yourself with those of high quality. Now, this doesn’t mean those of higher status, but those who had great care of their character and values. I know I’ve touched on this before, but it’s so important to find your people. Needing a support system in case things get rocky, it is necessary to surround yourself with like minded people.

As far as the being alone part, you shouldn’t want to be in the company of “bad people”. Bad people can be defined in many different ways within this quote, such as those who want to tear you down of those who are using you for status and gain. If your company isn’t genuine, then don’t waste your time entertaining them.

So, to sum it up, spend time with those who genuinely want to be with you. People who enjoy your company and time. People who know the importance of a good friendship. Don’t waste time on bad people. While the good ones may be hard to find, I promise you they’re out there. You may just have to look a little harder.

This Word Wednesday is a recent lesson that I’ve learned. It’s fresh in my mind and one that I’ve come to realize is a pretty valuable life lesson. We may tend to forget it, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little reminder.

It’s easy to let our emotions influence our reactions. I’m guilty of this fact. Just ask my friends and family. Yet, this doesn’t have to be a permanent “problem”. Sometimes we just need little reminders.

Recently, I had an encounter that did not go in my favor. Without a 2nd thought I was treated rudely. I managed to hold myself together, but after the incident, I talked it through with my best friend who had witnessed the incident. While she did agree it wasn’t the nicest encounter, she did remind me of one thing: be nice. It’s the right thing to do.

I was immediately reminded of this verse. While it is hard to love someone who did wrong, Jesus is right. It’s hard to live a life with hatred in it. Hate holds us back from doing what God wants us to do: have grace.

This goes back to my main objective. Being a person of grace doesn’t come automatically, and this verse reminds us how to achieve it. It’s hard to love someone who’s wronged us, so sometimes we just need to be the bigger person and do the right thing. I talked about love in one of my earlier post and how it isn’t always what we think it is. It’s not the grand romantic gestures you see in movies. So, loving everyone isn’t impossible.

God gives us the greatest example of this verse. Himself and Jesus! Despite people committing sins, they still love us. It may cause disappointment, but they still love us with their full heart.

So, as humans it’t natural to let our emotions overpower our actions. Believe me, I’ve been guilty of this on many accounts. Yet, this verse is always going to be here to remind me of the right thing. It may be hard, but not impossible. With an amazing example and reminders, we can all live a life of love. We just have to open our heart a little bit.

When I first read this quote my mind immediately goes to the movie The Princess Diaries. Now, I believe that The Princess Diaries is a staple that every young girl should watch. Not only does it take viewers through the journey of Mia Thermopolis navigating the rules of being a princess, but it teaches some valuable life lessons that we tend to forget.

Personally, I fall susceptible to letting people dictate the way I feel. It’s one of my character flaws, but it’s one that I can work on improving. It’s human to let certain events, words, or actions impact us, but we fail to recognize that we have control over our reactions.

Whenever something or someone causes harm, my immediate reaction is to beat myself up. Not physically, but mentally which can be just as if not more harmful. Phrases like “you’re not good enough” and “you’ll never get any better” are staples in these reactions.

I was an absolute wreck when I was younger when it came to this, but as I’ve grown older, I find myself finding ways to combat this negative self-talk. The most impactful and successful way is through my faith. I have to keep reminding myself that in God’s eyes, no one is inferior. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made. Even Jesus views us as equals. The man who walked on water and raised the dead views us as equals. Amazing right!! God gives each and everyone of us the exact same amount of love and care, not favoring one over the other. It may take time and practice, but you too can see the same importance that God sees in you.

If we all view ourselves at the same high standard that God does, then we’ve already completed a majority of the progress. The two most important opinions in this world our God’s and your own. Any other doesn’t matter. If you can’t look yourself in the mirror and feel proud of who you are, then you’ve already lost the battle. It’s hard to hold defense to other people’s opinions when you can’t even form a nice one about yourself.

Once you’ve made yourself proud of your progress, keep pushing yourself. Test the limits. Just watch out. Don’t be fearful of it, but the further you go in life, the more you’ll have to defend yourself against that feeling of inferiority. Yet, to do so you need to look in the mirror and remember that what you see is exactly what God sees.

I can’t put into words how much I love this quote. Currently, it’s proudly displayed on a letter board in my room. Simply put…it’s a staple in my life philosophy.

Ronald Reagan left us with plenty words of wisdom and in my opinion, this is the most important. He’s basically telling us how to navigate life as we know it! Let’s break this quote down into 5 parts and why we should take them to heart.

Part 1: “live simply”

The finer things in life are pretty tempting, but remembering the simple things are the key to being successful. We tend to get so caught up in what’s trendy and what’s not that we forget the simple things are where we began. We have influence over the simple things in life. We get to choose how we let them impact us. Don’t get caught up in making life seem like a picture perfect movie. Hate to break it to you, but life doesn’t have scripts.

Part 2: “love generously”

In my last Word Wednesday I talked about love surrounding us in all aspects of our lives. This is where that philosophy comes in. With love constantly surrounding us, there is nothing but generous amounts of it to go around. You don’t want to leave this world having regrets, so let love guide you. Bask in it, consume it, give it, and spread it. Spread it like cream cheese on a bagel…overflowing to the point where it’s all you can taste.

Part 3: “care deeply”

It’s impossible to go through life not caring about at least one thing as it’s human nature to have feelings. Those feelings aren’t rare, especially when you have an extreme passion about something. Whether it’s a sport, hobby, school subject, social issue, or person, we all care about something to an extreme level. Here, Reagan is saying that we need to care with that extreme level more frequently. We tend to not care about topics that don’t pertain to us, but we need to. We need to show more care towards to our lives. While it can be hard, it is extremely doable. Starting with yourself, begin showing care towards small things, things that don’t seem worth caring about. You’d be surprised just how much might change.

Part 4: “speak kindly”

Seems easy enough right? We should always have kindness in our voices, yet we tend to let negative emotions, such as anger, hurt and sadness take over at certain times. Kindness is hard to constantly maintain, but you’d be shocked at the effect you have on the world around you when kindness is your first response. Society already has so much negativity within it, so kindness needs to be a priority. If we all put a little more caution into our words and “treat people with kindness” as Harry Styles says, then we can take one step closer to creating a society of positivity and acceptance.

Part 5: “leave the rest to God”

You always save the best for last. This part is the most important, the most impactful of the 5. I know I’ve said this before, but God has so much influence on our lives that we have no clue what’s going to happen. God has a unique plan for each and every one of us and nothing we do is going to change that. God already has provided us with all we need to make it this far in life, so why not leave the rest up to him? Besides…he did write it.

Love is such a strange thing. Throughout my childhood, I spent lots of time reading and watching movies, creating this persona of what love is supposed to be. Now, I’m such a romantic. I still love reading, watching, and listening all about love and the things that come with it.

I’ve always had this little picture frame idea of what love is supposed to look like, but recently I’ve realized that I was wrong. I haven’t shared my journey through Christ with y’all yet, but it plays a huge part in my idea of love.

My first idea of love was naive. I was soon shell-shocked by what love actually is. Everybody feels like love comes from a significant other, but there are so many more forms of love that have just as much, maybe even more meaning.

This quote has played a major role in my idea of love as Jesus was the perfect role model on how to love. Yes, he did have the ultimate major sacrifice, dying for our sins, yet his little acts of kindness were just as meaningful. He was a peace keeper, taking care of his disciples whenever something went wrong. He stopped travelers, making sure they were ok, putting his own journey on hold in-order to make sure they were ok. He gave his life making sure we had the perfect role model of what love is.

Moral of this little rant…love is the little things. It’s your sibling asking if you want some of the smoothie they made for breakfast. It’s your friend walking with you to class so you don’t have to walk alone. It’s. your classmate saying hello in the hallway, maybe making your day a bit brighter.

Love is always around us. It’s in all of our acts. So, instead of looking at love as a giant feeling that we need to chase after, view it as a powerful force that surrounds us in all our acts.

This quote speaks to me on several levels. One, I love Bradbury. Since I read Fahrenheit 451 in the 8th grade, his works have always fascinated me. His short stories are beautifully conducted, always leaving readers’ brains scrambling. Two, since I was younger, I always heard the phrase “You have to throw them in the deep. You either sink or swim.”

Bradbury is on to something here. We spend our lives worried about the unknown, wasting time that could be spent bettering ourselves. Scared of failure and not being enough, we choose to sit atop the cliff, waiting for the secure knowledge that we won’t plummet to our death if we jump. Instead, we need that leap of faith. That little push to test ourselves.

Take baby birds for example. They spend their whole lives in the nest with their mother caring for them, providing food and protection from predators. The young know nothing of survival or caring for themselves. Then, one day they get pushed into the real world…literally. Their moms push them out of the nest, letting them figure out flight on their own. Now, natural instinct takes over before the bird can reach the ground (although there has been times where gravity came out the victor), but they’re forced to literally build their wings as they’re falling.

As humans, we don’t literally get pushed out of a nest or jump off a cliff, but metaphorically we do it every day. Every decision we make is whether we jump or retreat back to safe ground. Those that jump are always going to get the greater benefit.

The best way to learn is to immerse yourself in the experience. You literally build your knowledge as you’re working. There is no better way to gain skills than putting yourself in situations where you need to figure it out yourself. No one is going to be willing to hold your hand throughout life, so you need to figure out a way to support yourself. Your wings will begin forming on that ledge, but they won’t gain strength until you test them.

In summary…go for it. Take the bull by the horns. Don’t let the fear of uncertainty stop you. You’ll never know what you’re capable of until you test the limits.