The 3 A's

Attitude, Awareness, Authenticity.
I love this so much and totally believe that these are 3 keys to living an awesome life. I know that having a positive attitude can change everything. When you're negative you attract negative things, when you're positive you attract positive things. No matter how hard life gets, it is so much easier to live life with a positive attitude. With a positive attitude, we can find that "their are so many things to be happy about." And you attract people! I have a hard time being around people that are always negative, it usually puts me in a negative attitude as well. Other things I got from this Ted Talk was to keep chasing your dreams even if you fail over and over again. In the end all the dots will connect, everything you went through will make sense. The bad things that happen in life may just be the biggest turning point in your life. So trust your heart, and don't let anyone get in your way. No matter who we are, how old we are, or where we are at in life, we all deserve to live a life we love.

1/23/17 Death Sentences

The death sentence I would like to write about is people saying "I want to die" or "I want to kill myself." I see so many people saying this so naturally in conversation or on social media with out  even thinking twice about how serious this sentence actually is. For example, some tweets I saw recently are,
"I just rolled a 4 wheeler down the side of a mountain and I didn't die. Talk about disappointment:/"
"Drivers! please be courteous to student pedestrians and hit us going full speed please"
Whether these people are being serious or not, what they are talking about is a major problem around the world. And while some people take it as a joke and laugh about it, others could be seriously considering it. Every year I was in high school their was a suicide, and attempts of suicides. Being at school after a tragedy like this happened was an experience I can't explain. The halls were filled with tears and the feeling was heartbreaking. I remember wishing so badly that their was something I could do to help people find joy in life and realize their worth and purpose here. Joking around about suicide is not something that will help that. It only brings negative feelings. I love when I see positive or uplifting quotes on social media, we need more of that going around instead of negativity. Suicide and depression are real things that people experience. Being negative and saying things about dying is not funny.

1/18/17 Betsy DeVos Hearing

Their were things in this article that I agreed and disagreed with. First of all I agreed with the statement to "Limit the role of government in Americas schools and trust that the free market - and parent choice - will lead to innovation and improvement." As it states, this shows trust. It is important to know that every school and community is different and that if we trust the communities to do the best they can to wisely and appropriately make things work for them, then we will be successful. But, I felt as though Devos isn't quite the right pick. She has very little experience with public education. In an article called "What makes Betsy DeVos such an unusual Nominee For Education Secretary," it shows that in one way or another most of the previous candidates have had much more experience in public education than she has. In the hearing she also didn't provide us with a lot of knowledge. I felt as though she did know what she was talking about or was trying to cut around the edges a lot.This to many people can be very frustrating. We want someone we can trust, and because of her lack of knowledge, and experience, it is hard for me to believe that this is someone we can have full confidence in.

1/25/17 Ted Talks Discussion

I really enjoyed this Ted Talk and think that most of us can relate to it in one way or another. Especially in our day and age where social media is basically the center of our lives. It's so easy to compare and judge. It's so easy to wish our lives away as we spend hours scrolling the blogs and instagrams of what it looks like to be the "perfect life."  It's easy to feel shame, and feel worthless. But that is where we're so wrong and that is when we need to change our mind set. I really loved this quote from Brene Brown, "Vulnerability is the birth place of innovation, creativity, and change." I full heartedly believe in this. I believe that progression is created though hard work and determination. And to reach the level of success you acquire, you sometimes have to put your self in vulnerable situations. Knowing that you might fail or mess up, but understanding that it's all part of the journey to get where you want to be. To be able to progress and move forward, you have to accept where you are. Having shame, pity, and a negative attitude towards ourselves is what's holding us back. You have to let those thoughts go, accept where you are, and move forward. From experience, I know this is hard, but I also know that if we trust in ourselves, the dots will connect down the road.