MANTRA TO START THE WEEK

AND DO IT OFTEN

Remember this today, this week, this year and always.

At times we get stuck in this idea of what we are supposed to do versus what we desire to do. Sometimes we feel as if we do not have a choice and we conform to do what we are told. Guilty...guiltyguiltyguilty. I am making a conscious effort to find time to do what I love more and work towards doing it full time... personally and professionally. Can I honestly say that I am where I want to be professionally? No. Personally? Absolutely not, but before I settle and commit to something for security reasons, I need to first figure out what I love. I am no in way disregarding how blessed and thankful I am for having a job and how much I really have grown to love it, but every opportunity is a stage in our forever-growing lives and who knows where this will take me. I have always wanted a Master's degree, but first I want to take a few classes to build up my technique and knowledge. For example, I am interested in graphic design and brand identity, none of which I really got a chance to learn about in undergrad... just something I picked up along the way and get to do it part-time. (I say really because let's face it, those media publishing/graphic classes were just introductions to the world of graphic design.) I want to make sure these passions stays afloat and do not get lost in the sea of regrets because I wanted "security".

Don't get me wrong, security is important, but if it is with something you are not passionate about that is a copious amount of sacrifice. Forgive the cliché but life is way too short to settle, to conform and to push back your passions for the lifestyle you think you are supposed to be living. Rediscover what you love and just do it. Do not let the conformity of others or the little things that seem like big things hinder you. Do what you love, love what you do and do it often.

Make sure you find that "extra hour" to either do what you love, discover what you love or put forth effort to finally do what you love. So may I ask... what is it that you love?

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PS. Notice the little blog facelift? :) She's still a work-in-progress. Slowly, but surely.

A BOOK A MONTH | NYR 01

Photos were taken in my old college apartment when I was fixing up my bookshelf about a year ago

One of my New Year's Resolutions (NYR) is to read one book every month. Maybe five years ago this seemed nothing out of the ordinary, but for this post-graduate lady, reading a book sounds as "impossible" as getting eight hours of sleep a night. I seriously thought after college meant more sleep and less things to do. Boy was I wrong. If anything it is less sleep, more things to do. And it just gets crazier from here, right?

The last book I read was Shades of Grey (cue blushing), but I never had the inspiration to finish the last two of the series. They are stored away in my Kindle and I suppose one day I will finish them. Is it me or did it just seem repetitive? I mean, I could only deal with so many, ahem, hardcore not-so-Disney-channel scenes in a book series. Goodness I sound like a prude. Was I judging the other two books too quickly?

This month I am reading Eat Pray Love and I couldn't be more excited. I think I will jump back on my Goodreads account and try to not look like a loser on there anymore. Yikes it looks rough on there!

I will make an effort to track my progress through my blog. I've created a button (naturally) so that I make sure I hold up my end of my NYR deal. Feel free to snag the button if you would like to join in on this challenge! I would love to see what everyone is reading lately since I have been out of the game.

Here's to new year resolutions that will be accomplished and getting lost in a book.

<a href="http://www.the-25thhour.com/search/label/A Book A Month"><img src="http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x475/mashleyvega/abookamonth_zps64011238.png" alt="The 25th Hour: A Book A Month Challenge" target"_blank" width="300" height="300" /></a>