positivity – Rosie Culture

When Life Hands You Lemons

Life has handed me a lot of lemons lately with very little sugar. If I were to try to make lemonade, let’s just say it would be very bitter.

If I back up and take deep breaths and get out of the moment – there have been plenty of good things that have happened to me recently. A lot of big steps, realizations, and falling back into place when I had felt disheveled. But that bad stuff really just feels like it’s piling up and burying anything good.

It’s at the point where life just feels like hit after hit after hit and nothing can go right. I love my new apartment, I love reconnecting with my friends, I love where I’m at with my job. But then my phone breaks, then I shell out thousands for my car over a three month time period, then I get sick and can’t enjoy the nice weather.

How do you really separate yourself from the bad when the feeling of all those things is so overwhelming? I think it takes a lot of support, a lot of positive vibes, a lot of things I just don’t have anymore or can’t appreciate anymore.

With the downs comes the ups – but how long do I have to hang out in the downs until I start climbing back up again?

PostGrad

6 More Things That Make Me A Happier Person

When you’re in a not-so-great place, it is not easy to find five things that will cheer you up. But as you grow, you begin to add to that list. You find more and more things that help put you in the direction you want to be in. The direction of happiness.

Here are five things that made me a happier person when I was a not so happy person. And here are six things that make me a happier person now that I am in a better place:

Celebrating every little thing
We accomplish things on a daily basis and those things should be recognized. You and the people you surround yourself should be proud of everything that you work for. So if you got a raise at work, or hit a goal you’ve been working towards, or just got out of bed today – pop a bottle of champagne because you deserve it.
Writing down what I’m grateful for
Every day I write 10 things I am grateful for in what I call my gratitude journal. Sometimes it’s not easy to come up with 10, sometimes it is. It really makes me reflect on the great things I have in my life.
Picking up an activity that clears your mind
This should be something you can do alone. Get a coloring book. Read a book. I recently started going to yoga classes, but now I can try and practice that alone at home as well.
Setting achievable and reach goals
Ever since I started writing down what I want to achieve, I started accomplishing more. It’s easy to accomplish something like “change my hair in the month of January” and I still feel the reward. It’s a little harder to accomplish things like “get a raise at work” but writing it down will get you there.
Letting go of the things I can’t change for people
I used to feel guilty, a lot, because I’m introverted and often just don’t enjoy going out every weekend or making non stop plans. I am starting to put things into perspective where that’s a part of me that doesn’t need to change and everyone just needs to accept it.
A positive mindset
It seems so simple, but we go into most things negatively whether we mean to or not. Do you want to be happier this year? Then think happy thoughts as often as you can.

photo by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fox3nova/

PostGrad

Happy Belated New Year!

Happy New Year all! I hope you had a great time during the holidays and had a chance to sit down and relax for once – I know those moments are hard to come by.

My 2017 will include a lot of goals, positivity, and an overall look at my mental and physical health. I hope you all get a chance to make a list of your goals, as well. Take some time to reflect, make plans, and prioritize. I wish you all the best 2017 possible!

xoxo

Rosie

PostGrad

How I Made 2016 My Best Year Yet

In 2015, I graduated college and my life changed. And no matter who you are or how old you are, there is usually something that happens during the year that changes you and forces you to adjust.

I was going on Bumble dates and hating it. Living with my parents and hating it. Becoming a loner and hating it. I was slipping back to a place that I thought I had left behind, a dark place that had taken me a while just to see some cracks of light.

And that’s when I decided I was going to make 2016 my best year ever.

I made a list of things that had to change. I needed to manage my anxiety better. I had to stop letting people who barely meant anything to me (like my one time Bumble dates) affect my well being. I had to cut people out. I had to add people in. I needed to find adventure, a better job, a place to live, and I needed to find happiness.

I found happiness in 2016 just by working on myself. And I worked hard.

I got in better shape. I bought a journal and began managing my anxiety by writing in it, as well as taking time to decompress, color, and listen to new music. I stopped going on shitty Bumble dates and deleted my dating apps that only gave me a fake sense of satisfaction for a short amount of time. I worked hard and found a job I love. I saved up and found a place to live. I booked trip after trip and made time for only the friends and family that counted.

For the first time in two years, I was genuinely happy and proud of myself. And with my self satisfaction came everything else that I felt I had been missing. Like a relationship, adventures, and just an overall glow of positivity.

I made 2016 my best year yet by putting myself first and letting everything else follow. I dove head first with a positive attitude, the will to change, and the eagerness to succeed. I have no doubts in my mind that if I continue into 2017 with this same mindset, it will be just as great.

Set goals and smash them. Seek positivity and hold on to it. Better yourself and the rest will follow. You will truly have a happy new year.

photo by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/amandasphotographs/

The Hookup On...

The Hookup On: Changing The World

The other day someone asked me what I wanted to do. I explained my job, I explained my passion projects, and then I said I wanted to change the world.

He told me he hates when people say that, one person can’t change the world.

But it’s all about the perspective. Of course I don’t have a magic wand in which I can solve world hunger, cure all disease, create world peace, and dissolve all corruption.

I’m one person and all I can really do is start changing the world one person at a time – starting with myself.

I actively choose to be a positive person who contributes to society. I work for a non profit and I write this blog – both are very different things, but I think both play a part in changing the world.

Because if one marketing project I create helps to save someone’s life – then I’ve changed the world. And if I write one blog post that inspires someone – then I’ve changed the world. If I run into one person on the street, in the bar, at the mall and I make them think a little or smile a little or relax a little – then I’ve changed the world.

Everyone should aspire to change the world. Even if it’s just starting with yourself. Even if you just work on being the best version of yourself for the rest of your life – you have helped to change the world.

And you can go bigger than that. You can do huge things if you believe that you can. Because one person plus one person plus a million people can make a lot of change even if they’re all just doing small things on their own. They can change the world. You can change the world.

photo by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/viictoria4/

PostGrad

If You’re Not Writing Down Your Goals, You’re Doing It Wrong

For most of my life, I don’t think I really had any goals. When the new year rolled around I’d say I wanted to lose weight or I wanted to go on more adventures. But those were just words that fell to the floor and disappeared as the days, weeks, months, and years went by.

In 2016, I started writing down my goals and I started writing them down monthly. I wanted to make a positive change in my life.

By writing them down, you will realize you have goals that you’ve never said out loud before. You will have a visual guide of things to strive for. Right before your eyes, you will see the development and finishing of ideas that will better your life.

Did you even know you wanted to lose 2 lbs by the end of the month? Did you even know you were capable of it? The idea may have been buried in the back of your head somewhere, waiting to be achieved. But unless you’re seeing it, living it, and striving for it – will it ever really get accomplished?

Split your goals up into long term and short term goals. And always remember to be realistic. You want to lose inches on your waist? That’s awesome! But it may be more of a long term goal than short term. You want to see your friends twice a month at least? You should! And make that a short term goal, make it happen now.

And always throw in little goals on top of your big goals, ones you know you can make happen. You’ve been wanting to add some positive pieces to your home. So write it down and go out and buy some plants this afternoon. You’ve already accomplished something, so imagine how much further you can go!

When the end of the month is nearing, you’ll see that you’re very close to reaching some of your goals and that makes you push harder to finish them before the next month begins. Or you’ll see that some of your goals just can’t happen this month, but it’s okay because you’ll work towards completing it next month.

Writing down your goals is the simplest way to motivate yourself and make life changes. The whole process has turned my entire life around and moving towards a more positive direction. Make the list and soon you’ll be crossing off those goals one by one. You’ll be so much closer to your dreams and your happiness.

photo by: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joestpierre/