I’m not writing this to pat myself on the back, to brag about some high moral standards that I have or anything like that. I’m writing this as a critique of our current state of human thought; because I think the world needs more kindness, and because many of us--myself included--could use a reality check-up more often. Today didn’t start out great for me. I spent most of the morning moping around my apartment, trying to get myself out of a funk and figure out what I was goin

Sometimes I really miss college--the roommate bonding, the clubbing on the weekends, the relief of finishing a giant research paper right before the deadline. After smiling at all the photos from this year's graduates (including some dear friends), I can't help but think about all the tips and "by-the-ways" I wish I could tell them. That's a major reason for this blog post, but I'm also using this time to reflect (as one does when writing anything!). So, to celebrate 12+ mont

While January lasted 10 years, December has lasted 10 seconds. After a brown Christmas, I'm back to work planning out the year ahead. But I can only do that if I can examine what exactly I'm leaving behind. Instead of the usual format, I thought I'd switch up this post with a choppy pro/con analysis of 2018, rating the year from personal, professional, and global perspectives. Keep in mind this is all opinion--and if you're looking for 2018's all-inclusive almanac, you might

You never know to what extent your personal hobbies may affect your career. Flash back to sophomore year of college. Inspired after researching them for a class (and also needing something to put on my resume), I sent an email to a local nonprofit called Friends of Grand Rapids Parks. Intending only to volunteer, I met one of their staff members at Global Infusion for coffee. We discussed volunteer opportunities and my availability over chai, and we were almost finished with

These days, "self-care" can mean just about anything. Social media gurus pose with lattes, comfy socks, and bath bombs and call it self-care. All the markets have caught on to this trend, labeling cozy blankets and Netflix series and tea and shopping sprees as a way to de-stress and practice caring for oneself. Self-care has also come to represent misguided ways of thinking. I can't even mention how many times I've seen someone on Twitter or Facebook claim to aggressively "cu

To help out a friend working on an internship project, I volunteered an hour of my time the other day to answer some of his questions related to the finance world. While none of the topics shocked me or needed deep thought, the experience still prompted me to go over my budget and overall financial status (again). And yup, you guessed it: I'm still nervous about making ends meet. I'm 22, and, like many, I grew up in a household where money was tight. I learned to be frugal in

Words, words, words. Whether I'm typing them out, writing them down, thinking of the best ones, or doubting if I spelled one right, words have seemed to be my lifeblood from the beginning. I always say I've been writing since I could pick up a crayon, and that's pretty much true. I remember my aunt Kris sending my mom home with boxes full of colored scrap paper because they both knew I'd go through it all. I'd write stories about a horse named Whisper or about my playground d