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You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with
There’s a saying popular in motivational texts and entrepreneurial circles that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. (I believe it’s attributed to Jim Rohn, but…
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Resisting the temptation of a good deal
Research has shown that getting a good deal can give you an endorphin high. Meaning you can get “addicted” to the feeling of getting a good deal. I remember buying adorable green boat…
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5 Things to Know About Making Successful Resolutions
1. They aren’t just for New Years. Or new weeks. Or new months. New year resolution time has come and gone. Statistically, most people who set one have already failed to uphold theirs.…
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Finding your passions
Dating advice forums are full of recommendations for hapless daters to dive into a hobby to make themselves more interesting and appealing to the opposite sex. The insinuation is that if someone delves…
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Organization or obsession?
My fondness for tracking and organizing items has grown over the past few years. I think it started with my bucket list. One of the items on this list is to watch every…
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2018 Highlights Recap
I make a lot of goal lists. Tracking them brings me immense satisfaction. But I don’t make a lot of accomplishment lists. In other words, I rarely make the “tada” list, instead of…
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Fantasy self or goals: Impostor syndrome
If you read my last post about figuring out if your fantasy self is just an image to toss away or if it’s the goal you should be striving toward, you might have…
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Fantasy self or goals? How to figure out if your fantasy life should be your real life
I’ve spoken before about the fantasy self. Sometimes my fantasy self likes expensive whiskey and sometimes my fantasy self thinks I’ll read much smarter books than I tend to read. Sometimes my fantasy…
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2018 Summer Bucketlist Check-in
September 22 is the first day of Autumn. That means we only have slightly over a month and a half left of summer! Here’s my progress report on my 18 for Summer 2018…
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4 tips for addressing impostor syndrome
I’ve been blessed with a preponderance of confidence when it comes to most aspects of my life. Thus, even in grad school when the topic of “impostor syndrome” came up with regular frequency,…
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Are you afraid of your fantasy self?
I’ve discussed the fantasy self before. It tends to be the idealized version of yourself that has cool hobbies, interests, or activities that you yourself never engage in. A good friend of mine…
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What’s your life philosophy?
Gretchen Rubin discusses her 12 Personal Commandments at length between her podcast and her book, Happier. I’ve always believed in the importance of having core beliefs that direct how you view the world.…
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Stop letting your fantasy self hold you back
We all have a fantasy self. The person who paints and rides their bike to work while we watch television and endure long commutes in our cars. Through dating, I’ve met a number…
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Is your fantasy self cluttering your life?
I’ve written before about the “fantasy self.” On the surface, having a fantasy self seems like a great thing. Aren’t you supposed to visualize the person you want to be, then go and…
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Are you living your fantasy life?
A “fantasy self” is a term used in minimalism communities to describe the person you imagine yourself being. When you picture you at your best–at your most productive, accomplished, skilled, wonderful, happy self–what…
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The unexpected way my meditation boot camp may be working
I pick an activity to do each month for every day. I’ve had a dry month, studied language for fifteen minutes a day, tried to post a blog a day, and now, I’m…
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Don’t let your gratitude end with Thanksgiving
Whole libraries have been written about the importance of gratitude. It improves your mood, boosts your outlook on life, and–I would argue–brings like-minded, gratitude-filled people into your life. The psychological and social benefits…
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Finding gratitude in the least likely of places
I had the worst evening last night. Looking forward to a quiet night, reading in bed before falling into an early slumber, I let the dogs outside to go potty one last time.…
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The female heroes of my childhood: Marie Curie
At work yesterday, I proudly proclaimed that Polonium is my favorite element. I was only partially kidding. I have dramatically yelled at Jeopardy contestants for not knowing Marie Curie discovered Radium and Polonium.…
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Stop feeling guilty about your guilty pleasures
Hi, my name’s Amanda, and I consider myself an intellectual with an appreciation for many types of music and literature and a wide knowledge of current and historical events. I also primarily read…
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Treat Yo’ Self, a primer on self care
Maximizing every opportunity for happiness in your day-to-day is the best way to achieve greater happiness overall. Thus, you should “Treat Yo’ Self.” One podcasts I listen to regularly is Gretchen Rubin’s “Happier.”…
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The perfect photo may already be in front of you, a life lesson
At a wedding last year, I was playing giant Jenga with some friends. A photographer, capturing images of the happy reception, came upon our game. Snapping away from different angles, he encouraged me…
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An Introduction
Cleaning out my computer, I came across the final superlatives for my high school class. The senior newspaper staff was responsible for writing superlatives that were funny, personal, and (sometimes) sincere. Most likely…
