Ready, Set, GO!!

We often hear the statements...

You can DO anything you want,

You can BE anyone you want,

You can GO anywhere you want.

I actually am quite fond of these bold statements. I often dream of all of the things I want to do, all of the places I want to go, and the kind of person I want to become. 

Easier said than done!

But I'm not trying to discourage anyone. I want to believe this...I think I believe this. I hope I believe it, because that's what I tell my students. When I'm counseling, I try my hardest to open up their eyes and hearts to the huge world out there. I don't want them to limit themselves. 

But here's the thing...I'm a goal setter. I'm a list maker. I'm a dreamer and a planner. So I admit that sometimes I need to be more of a DO-ER! Recently, I've been making some great goals and actually sticking to some. As I posted previously, I have a strong desire to become healthier, holistically well. I have been eating a bit healthier but still need to work on it...I have been working out 2-3 days a week but still need to increase the amount. I have been seeing a counselor and she has graduated me to group counseling. I've started to think about myself more. What do I want? I'm 28 years old...I can be selfish. I don't have a family of my own yet so I can actually do, go and become what I want.

On my bucket list I stated that I would like to write 1 blog a week. Well 2-3 weeks went by with no blog so now I'm making up for it. (this is my 3rd blog today). I'm happy as a school counselor. I think I'd be happier to be back in an elementary school, but I'm still happy nonetheless. I'm tired of Hanoi but have decided to make the most of it. ($15- 90 minute massages, $5 bouquets of fresh lilies, and travelling to nearby places such as Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, ect...are just a few examples)

So many goals, so little time...As the quote above says, we can do anything, but not everything. We must PRIORITIZE! But the important thing to remember is that we can plan, daydream, plan, and daydream...but it won't get us anywhere unless we DO.

Peace xx,

Tara Nicole

Twerk It?

So...Obviously Miley Cyrus has been a bit of a topic of conversation lately....

Ok, that's an understatement. There's been a lot of hoopla surrounding her, specifically her VMA performance.

So those of you who know me, my guilty pleasure is celebrity gossip/style, etc... I have trouble remembering the population of Wisconsin, my home state but for some reason I can still remember Justin Timberlake's birthday. (January 31st :)) I like to think that it's because I like learning about people, especially relationships. I am a counselor! That's what I care about for a living. So back on topic...Miley's over-sexual performance wasn't my favorite, but I don't feel like rioting and ranting over it.

But I do give her credit. While she was shocking the world with that performance, her relationship of 4 years was crumbling. And only a few DAYS after the break-up....


Miley has said that the relationship was heading down-hill, but that is usual of most relationships. They don't usually end in a day without anything leading up to it. And when you listen to her song "Wrecking Ball" you can hear and feel the pain! To be honest, I've been listening to this song on repeat. She's got a great voice, the song is very catchy and I'm attracted to anything that shows true emotion.



And I can relate. My old blog focused on the heart-ache I went through about a year and a half ago. I lost the person who I thought was the love of my life. I had moved my life across the world to be with him but nearly four years into the relationship, it was over. And it sucked the life out of me.This is an excerpt from my post "The Truth Hurts"...

"It’s no wonder he deflated under the
dark
heavy
cloud that was me.

He forgot who he was.
He forgot why he loved me.
And he remembered how things were better before me.

These thoughts have been coming forth in my mind but now, I finally release them. I admit them. He wasn’t perfect and he made mistakes, but he fell out of love with me.

How does that happen? I didn’t give him any reasons to stay in love with me." 

So even though this was long ago and I've moved on, it seems that with a snap of finger, I'm there again. The emotions of being hurt and alone are hard to forget. Even though I'm so happy now and in an amazing relationship, the words

"We clawed, we chained, our hearts in vain. We jumped, never asking why.We kissed, I fell under your spell...A love no one could deny. Don't you ever say I just walked away

I will always want you
I can't live a lie, running for my life
I will always want you...You wrecked me. "

Peace xx

Tara

Inspirational Woman #1

One thing I love is INSPIRATION!

I look for it wherever I can. Usually I find inspiration through quotes and from STRONG, BOLD, COURAGEOUS, UNIQUE WOMEN.

I'm constantly looking to women to look up to. Why? It helps me keep on, keeping on. It lets me know that even if those around me don't agree with me or aren't helping me with my goals and lifestyle, that there are other girls out there that would be my comrades. 

Sometimes, to stay motivated in life, we need the strength and encouragement from others. We need to be able to look at someone who understands what we're going through...someone who gets it! 

As a counselor, I know that people want to RELATE to someone else. Giving someone EMPATHY is an amazing gift to give. 

So without further ado...

Ms. J.K. Rowling is the first inspirational women on my continuous list! 

Now let me just say that I have never even read a Harry Potter book, nor have I seen any of the films...My sister Katey is probably cringing right now with disbelief! But while magical fantasy has never really been my thing, I've recently learned a lot more about this woman. She hasn't had the easiest life. She has been shot down in her career, left in her love life, and struggled to provide for herself and her daughter. She is a reminder that when the going gets tough...KEEP GOING! 

But she had a big dream and a big idea. And she said that it was her dream that kept her going during those difficult times. This speech she gave at a graduation ceremony is what really sold me. What an eloquent speaker with such an inspirational message.

Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one area where I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter, and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.
 – J. K. Rowling, "The fringe benefits of failure", 2008

So maybe I will give that little book about a boy named Harry Potter a chance...Find out what that big idea was all about!

Peace xx
Tara Nicole