It can be tough, but just hold on.

A month and a half ago, I started a new adventure. I started the next chapter of my life living in Morgantown, WV while going to college at West Virginia University. This was the first time I was living on my own, I was separated from friends and family that I spent either my whole life or years knowing and now I was thrown into the unknown told that I had to learn to take care of myself. If this doesn’t terrify you, than I don’t know what will.

The transition into college for me was a bit like a roller coaster ride with corkscrews and upside down loop-de-loops; basically, it wasn’t easy. There were times where I felt I was completely alone and no one was there for me or understood me, but there were also times when I felt on top of the world and felt pure joy. Being a mountaineer at WVU has changed my life for the better and I know that, but there are also the times where I question myself and if I belong.

I recently took an awesome retreat with my youth group on campus called Young Life. Young Life is an awesome organization that centers around engaging young people in an environment where they can grow in God while having the time of their life! I went on a retreat to Rockbridge, VA with the WVU Young Life, and I can tell you hands down that my life changed. For the first time in my college experience, I felt like I belonged somewhere. I felt that I was able to fit in and be myself without having anyone judge me, most importantly I felt loved.

I have also joined an amazing sorority called Pi Beta Phi. Pi Phi, which is what we like to call it, is my home away from home. These girls I met on Bid Day who at first were strangers to me are now my sisters! Sisterhood cannot be explained to anyone unless one experiences it for themselves, but I can tell you that having 150 some sisters is one of the best gifts that my God has ever blessed me with and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

With all these awesome opportunities at my hand, I have had some of the most amazing experiences in less than a month and a half at WVU. I also got to continue my passion of performing in an indoor guard called the Eloquence Performance Company. Sure things have not always gone the way I would have liked it to go. Sometimes I wish I could go out on dates, meet my best friend for the rest of my life, meet the love of my life, or even go to my favorite country, but the point is I don’t know my future. I live only in the present, but I love it because I get to live in the moment.

So I can encourage all of you to let go of your worries of the past or the future because they do not matter; you are living right now and that is a glorious gift! You are all amazing and loved and have this thing called life right in the palm of your hands just waiting to see what your next crazy adventure will be! It will be ok, all of it will be ok, because life is a roller coaster and we are along for the ride. So buckle your seat belts, hold on, and getting ready to scream and laugh while watching life go by!

With love and hope,

Julia

Forcing positivity.

For the past few days I have refrained myself from writing on my blog in fear of writing something that wouldn’t be true to myself. The past week has been a range of emotions, and I didn’t really know how to deal with them. I was frightened, terrified even that whatever I would write wouldn’t make myself or others feel better. I feel like I prayed and prayed every chance I got to be calm enough to write, but it just never came. Eventually though it did come and I was able to live my life again and write a blog entry.

Everyone has faced a traumatic time on his or her life when they feel like his or her world might end. But if you asked the person now how they got through something so traumatic people’s answers vary. For myself personally, I find the only way I can get through something personal is to pray and be positive. People think it’s crazy that I try to be positive because they think I should be able to let myself feel how I truly am feeling.

The thing is I do let myself feel how I truly feel for a certain period of time, but there comes a point where I just don’t want to be negative all the time. Instead, I force myself to be positive. How does this help you though? Well, studies have shown that when you are sad and fake a smile that eventually you will start to feel happy because you are smiling. It’s the same thing for being positive.

Forcing yourself to think positive thoughts or say positive things helps so much. When you force yourself to believe in positive things, you will eventually start to feel positive yourself. Push away the negative out of your life. It’s time for you live and focus on what matters. You only get one life. You only get one life to live. So make it matter!

It’s ok to cry and ok to miss someone. It’s ok to feel however you want to feel. But if you waste too much time of your life moping around instead of living, your wasting time. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES. Do things that make you happy. Write lists of what’s great about you. Surround yourself with people that love you!!

I know it’s hard, but when you force yourself to be positive you will start to feel positive. We don’t have time for negativity. We only have time to live once.

There is always hope in the darkness.

With love and hope,

Julia

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