Geronimo! 26 Tips to Feel Inspired By Life

I was originally going to write this post from the focus of how the songs on One Direction's new album can be applied to life, but I had a firm talking to the 12 year old girl inside of me, and we opted to leave that one for the pages of our diary. The one that my sisters will likely find and read out loud. Typical. But seriously, "Story of My Life"….I can't even.

Instead, I'm letting a project I participated in the other night guide the inspiration for this post. For those who know me, I'm not a fan of setting new resolutions at the start of a new year simply for the sake of doing so. I much prefer the ones that transcend 365 days. At the same time, there is something to be said for being actively involved in any goals, be them new ones or old ones, we set for ourselves.

The other night I got together with some friends to compile a "vision" board and it was an eye-opening experience. The point is to create something that helps you visualize and manifest your goals/dreams. Not to mention, you can appease your own 12 year old girl by creating a collage of magazine cutouts.

Beyond the fun aspect, though, it got me thinking about my future and reflecting on the past, and appreciating the moments that fill the gaps between those two. With those goals and reflections in mind, I've compiled a list of tips I find helpful to appreciating all that life throws your way. As I just celebrated my 26th birthday, we're going with that number. Brace yourself. Excessive adjectives and touchy-feely emotions ahead.

A Golden Year: 25 Life Lessons in the Making

And suddenly we're nearing the end of January 2013. Can someone remind me when we even got to 2013?? Once again, I've fallen a bitttttt a lot behind with posting some updates over the last couple of months - but it turns out this must have been meant to happen as the last two months have wrought more changes than I anticipated the New Year bringing.

If you know anything about me, you'll already know that I'm a fan of ongoing New Years resolutions, whether they're new or old. More than anything, it's the spirit of motivation and reflection that I enjoy the most about a new year. After partaking of an adventure to the Philippines, to finally re-connecting with family at home during the holidays, to most recently celebrating my 'golden' birthday, there have been a variety of highs and lows that have me thinking 2013 will be anything but boring.

In the midst of all these events, I've taken to thinking more deeply about how they've affected my life and the path I'm on to who-knows-where. Some might call them life lessons. Some might call them a cluttered braindump in a public space. Both cases could be argued for ;) In accordance with it being the year of my golden birthday, I'm going with 25 life lessons to share (organized in no particular order). It's a good a number: enough to incorporate all the things I've learned, but not so many that you'll be dozing off by the end of this post. Or maybe you will. If that's the case, grab a pillow, sit back, and get comfortable. What Would Jane Do is about to get a bitttttt a lot sentimental.

Thankful for a Kick@$$ Year: A Photo Essay

What a kickass year 2012 has been. I know, it's not exactly the end of the year yet, but when I woke up this morning it hit me that it was actually Thanksgiving. I mean, when did the end of November even get here??! Can someone explain that to me?!

Even with the speed that 2012 has gone by, it has been such an amazing point in my life and I'm entirely grateful to so many things and people. Rather than go off on page-long tangents about how grateful I am, I'd rather share some of these photos from 2012 with you to better demonstrate how damn lucky I've been - and to demonstrate to every person who has been a part of this journey how appreciative I am that life works out the way it does.

And yes, I've officially turned my Christmas music on while writing this. It's Thanksgiving and that means no holds barred to getting into the Christmas Spirit. The only thing I'm missing is my mom's pumpkin cheesecake. Dreamers will dream, right? Ok, let's do this. Here are a few of the things I'm most thankful for this year:

Confronting College Regrets with The College Crush

Courtesy of The College Crush

I've mentioned it before, and will probably do so again, but I'm a little bit (ok a LOT) in love with The College Crush. I wrote a post about how I first got involved with them not too long ago, and it would seem that over time that appreciation has only continued to grow. 

Why? Because The College Crush has become a way for me to confront my college regrets and hopefully impart some advice to other young women out there. I don't expect that EVERY person will relate to my experiences, and I don't claim to be any sort of expert, but I do know how it feels to regret the things you didn't do in college. 

Sorry, boys, you'll have to excuse me here...this one is for the ladies ;)