1. Be nice. Be nice to every single person you meet because everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. I don’t share my feelings too often and when I am upset, I definitely notice when people are nice to me. When I actively notice that people are being nice, it means so much to me because they literally have no reason to be nice (when I’m upset, I tend to ignore people or be extra sassy) but they still are. Because I know how much that means to me, I make a conscious effort to do that to others.
2. Cherish spending time with loved ones. I like to show people that I care about them by spending time with them. You never know how much time you have left with someone so I believe it is extremely important to spend as much time with the people you love as possible so that you can say that you were truly had a relationship with that person. Don’t take anyone for granted.
3. I have to be on the left in pictures because my left side is my best side. This is just important to know about yourself. This way you can just take pictures and not worry too much about how you look because you were already on your good side.
4. Read your bible every day. For me, reading my bible is an instant mood booster. Since encouragement is one of my spiritual gifts, it comes more easily for me to find the encouragement in almost any story. It makes me feel closer to the Lord and it just makes my day so much better.
5. Get yourself a person, a best friend. Like on Grey’s Anatomy, Cristina and Meredith are each other’s person. Everyone needs someone they can call even when they’re in a fight and know that they will be at your house in ten seconds if you need them, someone to dance out your frustrations with, someone who is always there for you, forever and always.
6. Surround yourself with a strong Christian foundation. This was so so so important for me to learn. I was not a Christian before I came to Northwest so I didn’t know how to maintain my faith after I first declared my love for the Lord. Once I joined several strong groups of Christians, I learned that support is key in keeping up with your faith. It is important to keep you going and to keep you hydrated with the Living Water.
7. Work and work hard. I love working. I know that sounds dumb but I do. I love having to work towards a goal because it always makes me feel as if I have really accomplished something. I earned that paycheck or I earned that award. It makes it mean so much more than if you are just handed something.
8. Don’t waste time being bitter and angry. This only wastes time and robs you of any happiness you could have otherwise been enjoying. Being bitter and angry does not do you any good, it just makes you feel crazy and makes you more and more upset.
9. It’s okay to do nothing. Some days you just need to lay around and watch 20 episodes of your favorite Netflix show. It’s okay to just hang out every now and then. Your body and mind will thank me later.
10. Follow through on any plans you make. It is important to make people feel that you care about them and that they mean a lot to you. If someone is going to meet up with me, I make my best effort to be there, to be on time, and to pay attention to them. It is a hard thing to follow through on all of the time especially since I get so easily distracted but it is something that I have made a personal goal of mine recently to follow through with.
11. God hand crafted each and every person on this earth so even if I don’t like them, Jesus does and in my striving to be like Jesus, I have to learn to embrace everyone.
12. Moms are the best cooks and give the best hugs. This is something that took me going to college to realize. In college, I have tried to make food like my mom’s but it never works. Never. I also have quite a few friends who like hugging but my mom always gives the best hugs because she never lets go first. It’s just so comforting. So seriously, go ask your mom to cook you some food and then hug her tight afterwards. It’s great.
13. You are your own hardest critic. This is something I have learned about myself. Whenever I show other people my work, whether it be a craft or something, I always tend to tell people exactly where I have messed up and shown them all of my mistakes because I want to point them out before they have the chance to point them out and make fun of them. If I did not point out the mistakes, they wouldn’t have noticed them.
14. Some things are better kept to yourself. Just like you’ve always been told, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all!
15. Honesty is key. If your roommate is wearing something that just does not match, tell them. If your friend has a boogie hanging out of their nose, tell them. That way, they feel comfortable telling you the same thing later on.
16. Tie dye and flower print do not go together. I have tried but nope. Just because it worked in the 70′s does not mean that it can work today.
17. Jesus is a pushy dude. He wants you to make the right decisions so he will give you every opportunity do that thing and he will make it glaringly obvious. Like my decision between my two internships, he made it obvious which one I should pick.
18. Be like Jesus and hang out with those who don’t know the Lord. This is important because as cheesy as it sounds, you might be the only bible someone ever reads and it is your job to compel people to want to get to know the Lord and follow him.
19. Own your faith. Do not be ashamed of your faith. As Jesus says in Matthew 10:33, “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
20. Alcohol does not make things more fun. I learned this lesson this year. From observing my friends and whatnot, it is glaringly obvious that alcohol does not liven up the party, most of the time it makes it less fun. After formal just this past weekend, my two friends and I spent about two hours after the dance making snap chat masterpieces and I don’t think I have laughed that hard in awhile, no alcohol involved.
21. Be spontaneous. For me, some of the best memories I have are ones that are not planned.
XOXO,
Swandra Girl
2. Cherish spending time with loved ones. I like to show people that I care about them by spending time with them. You never know how much time you have left with someone so I believe it is extremely important to spend as much time with the people you love as possible so that you can say that you were truly had a relationship with that person. Don’t take anyone for granted.
3. I have to be on the left in pictures because my left side is my best side. This is just important to know about yourself. This way you can just take pictures and not worry too much about how you look because you were already on your good side.
4. Read your bible every day. For me, reading my bible is an instant mood booster. Since encouragement is one of my spiritual gifts, it comes more easily for me to find the encouragement in almost any story. It makes me feel closer to the Lord and it just makes my day so much better.
5. Get yourself a person, a best friend. Like on Grey’s Anatomy, Cristina and Meredith are each other’s person. Everyone needs someone they can call even when they’re in a fight and know that they will be at your house in ten seconds if you need them, someone to dance out your frustrations with, someone who is always there for you, forever and always.
6. Surround yourself with a strong Christian foundation. This was so so so important for me to learn. I was not a Christian before I came to Northwest so I didn’t know how to maintain my faith after I first declared my love for the Lord. Once I joined several strong groups of Christians, I learned that support is key in keeping up with your faith. It is important to keep you going and to keep you hydrated with the Living Water.
7. Work and work hard. I love working. I know that sounds dumb but I do. I love having to work towards a goal because it always makes me feel as if I have really accomplished something. I earned that paycheck or I earned that award. It makes it mean so much more than if you are just handed something.
8. Don’t waste time being bitter and angry. This only wastes time and robs you of any happiness you could have otherwise been enjoying. Being bitter and angry does not do you any good, it just makes you feel crazy and makes you more and more upset.
9. It’s okay to do nothing. Some days you just need to lay around and watch 20 episodes of your favorite Netflix show. It’s okay to just hang out every now and then. Your body and mind will thank me later.
10. Follow through on any plans you make. It is important to make people feel that you care about them and that they mean a lot to you. If someone is going to meet up with me, I make my best effort to be there, to be on time, and to pay attention to them. It is a hard thing to follow through on all of the time especially since I get so easily distracted but it is something that I have made a personal goal of mine recently to follow through with.
11. God hand crafted each and every person on this earth so even if I don’t like them, Jesus does and in my striving to be like Jesus, I have to learn to embrace everyone.
12. Moms are the best cooks and give the best hugs. This is something that took me going to college to realize. In college, I have tried to make food like my mom’s but it never works. Never. I also have quite a few friends who like hugging but my mom always gives the best hugs because she never lets go first. It’s just so comforting. So seriously, go ask your mom to cook you some food and then hug her tight afterwards. It’s great.
13. You are your own hardest critic. This is something I have learned about myself. Whenever I show other people my work, whether it be a craft or something, I always tend to tell people exactly where I have messed up and shown them all of my mistakes because I want to point them out before they have the chance to point them out and make fun of them. If I did not point out the mistakes, they wouldn’t have noticed them.
14. Some things are better kept to yourself. Just like you’ve always been told, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all!
15. Honesty is key. If your roommate is wearing something that just does not match, tell them. If your friend has a boogie hanging out of their nose, tell them. That way, they feel comfortable telling you the same thing later on.
16. Tie dye and flower print do not go together. I have tried but nope. Just because it worked in the 70′s does not mean that it can work today.
17. Jesus is a pushy dude. He wants you to make the right decisions so he will give you every opportunity do that thing and he will make it glaringly obvious. Like my decision between my two internships, he made it obvious which one I should pick.
18. Be like Jesus and hang out with those who don’t know the Lord. This is important because as cheesy as it sounds, you might be the only bible someone ever reads and it is your job to compel people to want to get to know the Lord and follow him.
19. Own your faith. Do not be ashamed of your faith. As Jesus says in Matthew 10:33, “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
20. Alcohol does not make things more fun. I learned this lesson this year. From observing my friends and whatnot, it is glaringly obvious that alcohol does not liven up the party, most of the time it makes it less fun. After formal just this past weekend, my two friends and I spent about two hours after the dance making snap chat masterpieces and I don’t think I have laughed that hard in awhile, no alcohol involved.
21. Be spontaneous. For me, some of the best memories I have are ones that are not planned.
XOXO,
Swandra Girl