5 things we can all learn from a 6-year-old

The last week has been pretty stressful. Between fretting over my finances, figuring out where I'm going to live, and and my typical struggles with a work-life balance, I'll be the first to admit I've been in a pretty crappy mood. I've been short-tempered, anti-social, and in general, pretty unwilling to be anything but disgruntled.

Needless to say (although I'm ashamed to admit it), I was less than thrilled at the thought of getting together for an all-day, slap-happy Mother's Day celebration with the family last Sunday. Sure, I love my family - but on one of those days where you just want to hide from the world in bed, that was about the last thing I wanted to do.

But boy, was I in for a surprise.

Lucky for me, my sassy, six-year-old cousin Sophia was in attendance (pictured above). To say Sophi loves being a girl is quite possibly the understatement of the year. She loves makeup, long dresses and pretty much anything pink. She's basically six going on 16 - and I absolutely love it. 

Sophi immediately ran up to me, super happy to see me. We sat outside, she wore my sunglasses and told me about her boyfriend, and before I knew it, my mood had changed. There's something about kids - their spirit is contagious.

After spending the day with Sophia in the sun, I left the get-together a completely different person than when I came - I was happy, light-hearted and felt truly blessed to be able to enjoy such a great day outside. I found myself thinking about that day all day yesterday (Monday), reflecting on how much I enjoyed spending time with Sophi and how I would totally take her up on a mani/pedi date over the summer. (She noted that I'll have to pick her up, of course, and then gave me her mom's cell.)

After thinking a lot about my Sunday with Sophi, I realized I learned a lot from hanging out with her. Here are my five favorites: 

1. It's okay to be sassy. Sophi knows what she likes and what she doesn't, and says what's on her mind. Is she bratty? Not at all. There's a fine line between the two, and I'm convinced that walking it is totally the way to go.
2. Being a girl doesn't have to mean being proper. While showing off your high kick in a dress might not be okay for a 24-year-old, there's something to be said for Sophi's fearlessness and shameless attitude. I think as adults we tend to over-think our every move too much - what will they think if I do this? Is this something I should be doing at this age? When in reality, we could learn a thing or two from Sophi's high kicks. 
3. Moms are still the bomb. At age six, your mom is still the woman you look up to most in life, aspire to be and share every big moment with (from high kicks to boyfriends). As we grow up, we tend to push ourselves to be independent, but perhaps too much. At the end of the day, mom still molded us into a huge part of who we are today, and I think our generation (or at least me) could stand to show that a bit more.
4. The sunshine is meant to be enjoyed. When it's nice out, kids instantly flock outside. I think that should be a rule of thumb for adults, too. 
5. Savor the little things. Whether a homemade snow cone or a pretty butterfly, Sophi never fails to get a kick out of things most 24-year-olds often overlook. How much more would we smile if we chose to enjoy more in life? I bet more than we realize.

In a nutshell, while kids have a lot to learn from adults, I think we also have a lot to learn from them. Have you had any experiences with little ones that affected you? What else do you think we could take from kids' behavior?

Bad habits

I recently read a post on Marc and Angel Hack Life that really got me thinking. The post, entitled, "20 Bad habits holding good people back," centered on bad habits that "good" people repeatedly struggle with. After reading the post in its entirety, one of the reader comments really hit my thoughts on the nose: "Every one of these bullets could stand on their own."

And it's true - although the author just touched on each "bad habit" with a few sentences, each one of those items really warrants a bit of self reflection.

So this is me, self reflecting, and choosing the one bad habit I think I'm guilty of most: Never allowing things to be good enough.

Whether the status of my career, my fitness/health routine or my relationships, I always seem to dwell on the negatives and stress on what I can improve. I got promoted after just a year at my job, but I still find myself anxious about where I'll be in five years. I've gotten back into regularly working out and eating healthy, but still feel like there's so much further to go. And I'm blessed to have the best (seriously!) boyfriend, friends and family, but still get upset over the small stuff.

I'll admit, I'm a perfectionist.

So what's my cure? Marc and Angel say this:

"We are human. We are not perfect. We are alive. We try things. We make mistakes. We stumble. We fall. We get hurt. We rise again. We try again. We keep learning. We keep growing. And we are thankful for this priceless opportunity called life."

Being thankful to be alive - that's a new thought. Not just thankful for all the good stuff I listed above - but thankful to be alive.

Which of the 20 habits in this post are you guilty of?

Yes, I can cook (kind of)

Everyone in my life seems to think I can't cook.

I think it all started the night I had a little too much wine and attempted to bake cookies. In my hazy, slap-happy state, I pulled out two stacked cookie sheets  and started rolling balls of dough out without realizing it. Once my amused audience saw my error, it was all over - and thus, the perception that I can't cook, bake or pretty much do anything of value in the kitchen was born.

Now, although I enjoyed cooking for myself while away at college and in my own apartment, I find myself feeling a bit self conscious in the kitchen, especially when in front of others. Is that the right way to chop an onion? Is there a secret to browning chicken that I'm missing? Is this even the way you're supposed to wash dishes?

So as you can imagine, when I found out a won a cooking class as part of a raffle I entered on a whim, I felt like someone upstairs was trying to give me a little hint. To be sure I truly got the most out of this experience, I took my biggest kitchen critic with me - my boyfriend - and faced my fears.

Mimosa in-hand, I learned to make a variety of unique dishes I likely would have never ventured out to make on my own. As part of the Be Spoke Cuisine group cooking class in Chicago, we made:

• Crab-stuffed mushrooms
• Bloody mary gazpacho soup sips
• Green goddess dip, served with sliced veggies
• Salmon, goat cheese and asparagus frittata
• Banana and nutella crepes (pictured above)

The crab-crab stuffed mushrooms were easier to make than I thought, the frittata absolutely out-of-this-world, and the crepes comparable to some of the best I've had (including in Paris). Plus, I feel like I picked up a few good tips. For example, did you know when you stuff mushrooms, you're supposed to carve out the tentacles and scoop them clean like little bowls? It not only makes more room for the stuffing, but tastes a little cleaner too, since the tentacles are the 'shrooms' natural filtration system.

See? I'm learning. :) And crossing off my 25 by 25 list at the same time.

It was super fun, and I would totally go again - although it's likely a bit out of my price range when I'm not winning it in a raffle.

What's something you need to face? How do you plan to face it?

5 social media happenings you should know about

Social media is my life - it's part of what I do every day. Here are a few items in the SoMe world that amused and informed me today:

1. Obama slow jams for student loans. I'm sure you've seen this by now, but I'm so in love with it I had to share again.



2. Jay-Z launches "Empire" Facebook game. Go from "hustler to entrepreneur to business mogul," just like Jay-Z. Players earn points so they, too, can rise from the NYC projects to Manhattan riches.

3. "Eat It, Don't Tweet It" music video. To that person that shares everything they consume via Instagram, this one's for you.



4. Females are protesting Facebook. A petition with more than 53,000 signatures was delivered to Facebook's headquarters in NYC today demanding that a female be added to the company's all-male board of execs. Not sure this one is totally warranted, but hey - I'm all for girl power.

5. Google launches 'Google Drive.' In an effort to stay relevant despite the epic fail of Google+, Google has launched a new online content management service to help store photos and other items.

Happy tweeting!

The class of 2012 is in luck

Apparently the class of 2012 is in luck. According to a recent article on the Huffington Post, this year's graduating class of seniors is expected to fare much better than the class of 2011 (and us old folks from 2012) due to businesses anticipating an increase in hiring new college graduates, particularly in the fields of computer science, finance and engineering.

Sorry, PR hopefuls - it's still a tough world out there. According to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the top eight jobs for new college graduates include:

1. Financial Analyst - Projected growth of 20 to 28 percent; median pay of $55K to $75K
2. Cost Estimator - Projected growth of 29+ percent; median pay of $55K to $75K
3. HR, Labor & Training Specialist - Projected growth of 20 to 28 percent; median pay of $35K to $55K
4. Computer Systems Analyst -  Projected growth of 20 to 28 percent; median pay of $75+
5. Info Security Analysts, Web Developers & Computer Network Architects - What does this even mean anyways?
6. Marketing Research Analyst / Marketing Specialist - Projected growth of 20 to 28 percent; median pay of $55K to $75K
7. Management Analysis - Projected growth of 20 to 28 percent; median pay of $75K+
8. Child, Family & Social Workers - Projected growth of 20 to 28 percent; median pay of $35K to $55K

Just out of curiosity, I looked up the outlook for a PR professional - Projected growth of 22 percent over the next eight years and a median pay of $52,00 to $57,550. (Don't let that salary fool you - it's NOT entry level.)

Hindsight, would I choose a major based on an industry's employment outlook? Probably not. I'm a firm believer that with the right work ethic, humility and determination, you can make any career yours - even something in communications/PR when the industry has never been more competitive. 

Still, considering the state of the job market when choosing your major may play more of a role than it used to - especially with a scarier-than-ever transition to the real world after graduation.

What do you think? Did you choose your major based on the job market? A potential salary? Potential work hours? Or should majors be chosen solely based on personal interests?

Why it's hard being a millenial

This is one of sassiest infographics I've seen, so naturally, I wanted to share. Thoughts?


Created by: OnlineGraduatePrograms.com

Letting go

Last Friday morning, I woke up with a terribly itchy rash on my face. Probably too much information, but we're talking unattractive small, red bumps and a non-stop desire to scratch my face off - pretty much a girl's worst nightmare. Three days later, I'm in the dermatologist's office being told I'm having some kind of allergic reaction with a cause that's hard to pinpoint. Just the news I wanted to hear.

A good friend said it might be stress-related. I didn't believe her at first, because I'm pretty much always stressed out - until today, when I returned to work and the itching only got worse. Just three hours into my day, my list of flagged e-mails was long enough to scroll for days, my to-do list ever-growing and my face once again hot and itchy. Stress-triggered? Maybe not. But it surely wasn't helping.

So before I started feeling bad for myself (like I know we as human beings have a bit of a tendency to do), I realized that the fact that I was letting my work get to me that much truly wasn't healthy. While I love and take much pride in my career, I need to take a step back and realize that it cannot be my life. I need to let go.

"You can be who you choose to be. Whether you do or whether you don't depends on your priorities." 

So I think: who do I want to be? And what do I value in my life? I surely don't want to be someone who lets the worries and woes of my job carry over into my personal time. We give at least eight hours per day, five days per week to our jobs - don't we deserve the rest of that time for us?

Sure, there will always be busy weeks. But there are weeks we need to busy and weeks we need to let our work day end when we leave the office. My new challenge for myself is drawing that line more often.

I can feel the itchiness going away already.

How do you feel about separating your work from your personal life? What could you do in your daily life to help let go?

Friday faves

A few of my favorite pins from this week:

And of course, something to make you drool...

Happy Friday!