Tea Talks with SJ

On this very rainy day, I had an outfit post planned. But honestly, I would much rather share these tidbits of my life with you guys. I often forget that these things you read are all you know about me. I am much more than an outfit or a traveling post, and I wanted to let you guys know a bit about what's going on with me. So as I sit with a cup of tea in hand and a mind swirling with thoughts, I will brain dump everything that has been going on lately. Here goes nothing.

At the beginning of 2017, I decided that my mantra for the year would be "hustle". I wrote about it so emphatically, but as the year went on I realized that this year would focus much more on growth than on getting stuff done. No matter how hard I tried to ignore the many signs fate threw in my face, I was unable to slow down and reflect on my progress both personally and educationally. This post is a bit of a life update to share my current whereabouts along with some feelings tossed in between. I hope you enjoy.

As some of you may know, I decided to apply to the North Carolina School of Science and Math earlier this year. I sort of had this confident illusion that I would definitely get in, so when I found out that I didn't, I was devastated. To be honest, I didn't even really want to go, but getting rejected was a crushing blow to my self esteem. Some of my friends were fortunate enough to get accepted and soon I fell into that dreaded comparison trap. It's crazy how stuff like this can take control of my life, whether it be with GPA or test scores or even artistic ability. It's difficult to deal with and everyone goes through it, especially with the facade of perfection we share to the world (now even more evident with the rise of social media). After some time had passed, I was able to reflect on the situation and realize that despite my insecurities, this was definitely the best thing for me. Not only was I meant to stay in the lovely mountains that I call home, but this previously perceived "negative" situation is now a motivation to further my future academic endeavors. Sometimes when bad things happen, they are ultimately for the best!

On a more positive note, I decided to run for the student government position of Junior Class President. I have always wanted to be involved in student government, but always would chicken out due to the speech we would have to give in order to run. The thought of speaking in front of my entire school makes me break into a cold sweat and want to run away and live in the woods for all of eternity. However, I decided to give it a try this time. I figured that there was no harm in trying, and even if I lost, it would be the effort that counted. I'm not going to lie, the speech was terrifying, but with my friends cheering me on, it made the situation a little bit more bearable. I am very fortunate to say that I won the election and will be serving the class of 2019 as their Junior Class President. For all of my readers from my school, I hope I serve you well! The lesson I learned? Take risks! No matter what the end result, you always will learn something from trying!

I also had the pleasure to attend a program at UNC Chapel Hill called NC Renaissance. As someone who generally shies away from activities that require an extraverted attitude, I was a bit apprehensive when my Mom suggested that I attend. Now I am so glad that I did. Not only were the staff and participants amazing, it was also such an eye opening experience and I got to learn so much about the importance of diversity and inclusion. I adored all of the fun activities we partook in (we got to enjoy UNC's outdoor center!) and I made some amazing friends. If any of you are reading this, thank you so much for the much needed break from school and for the amazing memories. 

If you made it through this brain dump, thanks for reading! Be sure to always take a moment to reflect on your personal development and gratitude, oftentimes we are so caught up in the monotony of day to day life to see how much we have grown.

XOXO,

Sadie