Thoughtful Thursday

kirstiethirsty @becomingTHEyou "To do good, you actually have to do something”

smashley_ashley @becomingtheyou "if it's to be, it's up to me"

kirstiethirsty @becomingTHEyou "Never forget that even behind the darkest storms, the sun is faithfully waiting to shine again."

SunnySideUpB @becomingTHEyou "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." -Ralph Waldo Emmerson

Wow. A lot of great quotes! And make sure to check out Kirtiethirsty's post below.

Who knows the definition of perfection?

I'm a big music fan. Any genre, any artist, you name it, I'll give a listen once.

I've been listening to The Summer Set for probably about 2 years now.

Their band members, as well as lyrics are inspirational, and here's a little example.

When creeping guitarist John Gomez's formspring (http://www.formspring.me/johngomez) today I found this...

Question: Advice for people who are trying to find their place in this world?

Answer: Be yourself, you DONT need to look for your place in this world, you have ALWAYS been in the right place you always will

Don't change who you are just to fit in. You're perfect the way you are, and everyone who tells you otherwise sucks ass.

Xoxo, Allison

The Positives!

SunnySideUpB @becomingTHEyou had some of grandmas bday cake but still kept my wits about me with the food intake!

Best Advice Ever Part 3

If you missed the first 2 parts of this, check them out here. This obviously is to do with my absolute obsessed with "Everybody Must Wear Sunscreen" If you haven't seen the video, it is posted on part 1, or you can easily youtube it.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Challenge yourself to face your fears; chances are, these things that are holding us back are really not that serious, and with rational and positive thinking, we can at least trick ourselves for the moment that we are not scared of these things. Whether it is public speaking, or trying new foods, go for it. You never know what you can open up by being brave just one time.

Let your dreams soar

For those of you that know me, you'll know that I am a huge There For Tomorrow fan and my favorite member happens to be Christian Climer.
Among his many tattoos, there is the above quote...

To me, it really just means don't let anything stand in the way of your dreams. Your dreams can never be a reality unless you get over the fear of failure and let them take you where they will.
So in closing I say, good luck to all of you dreamers, and fuck off to your fears.

Xoxo, Allison

Which do you want to be?

There are three types of people in this world:
Those who make things happen
Those who let things happen
Those who wonder what happened

Who are you? Who do you want to be?


Take control of your life; don't let other people do things for you because it's easy. In order to be truly happy with your life and your accomplishments, you've got to make things happen for yourself. Start with small steps; even those baby steps that start things out eventually build on to bigger and better things. In a rut? Try different things to get yourself out of it; you never know what you will discover and what you will make happen. Be confident that you can do things and build yourself up; just think about how amazing it will feel. We can all be one of those who makes things happen if we try. I can do it; you can do it; we all can do it.

Think about it.

Life is a Journey

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"
-ancient Chinese philosopher

To achieve our goals in life, we cannot only dream. Dreaming big is great; that's how we decide what we want to do; it can keep us inspired, but it really doesn't do anything. Wanting something so bad that you can taste it does nothing. The only way something is going to get done is if we go out and take steps to make these things happen. Start with baby steps; do some research, ask around. Convince yourself that these dreams and wants can become a reality. The more you know about something, the more enticed you will be to actually approach and work towards these goals. The things that we want in life will not be just handed to us; we have to work towards them, taking steps towards the achievement. Think of how many things you've achieved so far. Not all of them were easy, and it probably took a long time and hard work to get to where you are now. The steps may not be easy; you might want to quit at times, but think of how good it feels to achieve. The achievement can give you the fuel to go on and work towards something else. The next time you're feeling down, think of all that you've done, and all that you are working towards doing. There is so much to be proud of, and you can thank yourself for having the courage and drive to take that first step. This is how we begin to become who we want to be; taking the steps to do things that we want to do, no matter who is behind us and who is telling us we can't. These steps make us stronger and builds us up to the amazing people that we are and will be.

20 Tips for a Positive New Year

I know we're a quarter of the way in already, but I just found this. These are still good reminders and I thought I would share:

20 Tips for a Positive New Year
by: Jon Gordon



1. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can know that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible.


2. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: My purpose is_______________________.


3. Take a morning walk of gratitude. It will create a fertile mind ready for success.


4. Instead of being disappointed about where you are think optimistically about where you are going.


5. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.


6. Transform adversity into success by deciding that change is not your enemy but your friend. In the challenge discover the opportunity.


7. Make a difference in the lives of others.


8. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.


9. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.


10. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.


11. Live with the 3 E's. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.


12. Remember there’s no substitute for hard work.


13. Zoom Focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning ask: “What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?” Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions.


14. Instead of complaining focus on solutions. It’s the key to innovation.


15. Read more books than you did in 2009. I happen to know of a few good ones.


16. Learn from mistakes and let them teach you to make positive changes.


17. Focus on “Get to” vs “Have to.” Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation.


18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:


I am thankful for __________.


Today I accomplished____________.


19. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants.


20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.

Best.Advice.Ever (part 2)

If you missed part one of this series, check out this post. Be sure to watch the video if you have not.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying
is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your
worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Worrying seems to be second nature for most of us; we worry about getting places on time, whether things will work out or not, and where will will be in a year, five, or ten. This is a piece of advice that I definitely need to take to heart. I am about to graduate and all I seem to do when I don't busy myself is worry about my job situation, and where I will be come May 16. This worrying has taken a huge toll on me-I've lost sleep and have come near ruining a very dear friendship. The dark side of worrying is scary, especially when your worry becomes too much to bear. Even though I worry-a lot, I am a huge believer in "shit happens" and "right time-right place", as well as "everything happens for a reason". I know, I am so cliche, but when I do finally get myself to relax and be rational again, I look at the way things in my life have fallen into place so far and realize that these things are true. Some shit does have to happen in order for you to appreciate the good and learn from the bad, and the shit is going to happen; worrying about it won't get you anywhere. As with everything, going in with a positive attitude; maybe saying Okay, if this doesn't work out, I still have options and back up. Yes, you've got to give yourself those options and backup, but having them, and thinking positively about situations will help you throw your worries away for a while. With less worry, you will be able to see the positive things in life and be able to appreciate them, as they are making your life worth it, in spite of all the worries and uncertainty that you have. Please, don't let those worries keep you from living your life.

Best Advice.Ever. (part 1)

If you have not heard Baz Lurhmann's "Everybody Must Wear Sunscreen" (based on an essay by Mary Schmich), you MUST. This commencement speech does have the best advice that anyone and everyone can use.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

We all have this problem. I can look at myself in the mirror every day and find at least 5 things that I don't like. I'm embarrassed to say that, but it is true; and for most women, it happens. I challenge you to look in the mirror and really look at what you are seeing. So what if I have a zit; maybe my eyes are a little puffy or dark today; I don't like my nose. Maybe I see a little bit of a muffin top when i wear jeans, maybe my arms aren't as firm as they should be, but that's me. Next time you look in the mirror, try to see the beautiful person that you are; no one notices those flaws as much as you do. Anyone who notices those flaws and uses them to discount you from the beautiful person that you are has no business in your life.

All of those things you see; the flaws that make you want to hide on some days. They can be fixed. It may take some time, but being positive and most importantly not cutting yourself down, will help you find ways to fix these things. Don't concentrate too much on a diet because you will think that others will find you more attractive. Do it because it will make you feel better. Don't call yourself fat; instead, celebrate yourself and the progress you've made. Keep having fun while in the process of bettering yourself, that way when you reach your goal, you will have all of those memories and beautiful times to look back on. Life doesn't put itself on hold just because you aren't satisfied with yourself, and you should never put your life on hold for that reason. Focus on your positives aspects while improving on what you perceive as your negatives.

Something Inspiring

"Nothing is impossible to a willing heart"

It's hard to believe on some days...especially when some days turn into most days, but even the simple act of believing in yourself and that you can do something can help push things from seeming impossible to being possible. All goals take work to achieve; some will take more work than others, but once you start thinking and believing that you can do something, the goal will seem closer and closer to being fulfilled.

Keep this in mind every time you start getting down on yourself because something is not going the way that you want it to. Just like the little engine that could from our childhoods; "I think I can" gets your further than "I can't".

A defeatist attitude will get you nowhere; we all have it in our hearts to do whatever we set out to do. Go for it!

Thinking Positively

I know that we all try to send in our positives every day, and sometimes it can seem trivial...why do they keep asking for this? What's the point besides clogging up my twitter with the requests?

I just got back from my weight watchers meeting and today's topic was the power of thinking positive. Ask anyone and they will tell you that I am, unfortunately at times, one of the most negative people that you will ever meet. It's something that I've been trying to change about myself, and just knowing how much thinking positively can change the way you feel about things, and they way you live your life.

Instead of getting down on a setback, we need to think positively about it...just because something didn't happen the way that we wanted it too, or something didn't turn out, it doesn't mean that it's not the end of the world. This is probably the most difficult thing for me to cope with and realize, but it's something that I am going to work on...

Positive thoughts have a way of reframing things and sometimes helping you find alternative ways to do things which could end up making you even more happy in the long run.

Negative self talking is basically a fast pass to becoming your own worst enemy, and that is something that we are all guilty of, and it is one of the most difficult habits to break. Constant totough love with no positive reinforcement will get you nowhere. We need to remember to empower ourselves instead of cut ourselves down every time we make a mistake. Mistakes and setbacks are just different ways to help us learn and grow and finally become..yes, the "you that you want to be".