20 Things I Have Learned In 20 Years

During my 20 years of living I think I have learned some pretty good lessons that I'd love to share. When I was little 20 sounded so old... honestly still seems pretty old. That is a total of two decades. Anyways, I would love to share with you twenty things I have learned in twenty years.

1. Don't let someone discourage you from doing something you want to do

2. Just because I am scared doesn't mean it exists

3. I don't know many things, but I want to try to learn as much as I can. 

4. It's okay to be sad you are not going to be happy all the time.

5. Not everyone will like you.

6. It's okay to fail at things, we are not perfect.

7. If you are not happy, change something.

8. Ask for help

9. Explore as much as you can your only this young once

10. Have an open mind, so you can experience everything in a different perspective. 

11. Spend as much time with your family, you won't live close to them forever. 

12. Put your phone down and experience the moment 

13. Always set some time so you can relax

14. Drink lots of water and eat healthy

15. Find time to hang out with your friends once in a while

16. Don't procrastinate

17. Dress for the weather

18. Make weird fashion choices

19. Trust yourself 

20. Be nice to everyone you meet. 

Those are just 20 things I have learned in my 20 years of living. Now it's your turn, I challenge you to make your own list and stick to them, and maybe add one more every year. Personally, I try to do at least 5 or more of these a day! If I can do it, so can you!

What Living Louder Means To Me

I started this blog January 2, 2015, but i never really explained to everyone what living louder really meant to me. I started this blog at 18 years old, and I am now 20 years old so I have time to think and explore new things with this blog. This is something I really love doing, and has been an outlet for me. I created this blog, so I can express whatever I felt that needed to be said, so with that being said this is what living louder means to me...

Living Louder to me means exploring things that makes you wonder. 

Living Louder means doing things that seem impossible, but you know you can do them.

Living Louder means experiencing things you would never though of doing.

Living Louder means meeting new people, and making new friends from all walks of life.

Living Louder means taking risks that you never though of doing.

Living Louder means stepping out of your confront zone to pursue something.

But most importantly...

Living Louder is not just the action it's about being able to share your experience, thoughts, and feelings with other people around the world.

I started this blog because I wanted to share every part of my life with people. I do not want people to live in a little bubble for the rest of their lives. I want people to go out, and explore life and be able to share it with their love ones, friends, and anyone that comes there way. 

I vowed to myself on January 2, 2015 that I would live louder and I intend to keep that promise!

I hope I can encourage everyone to live louder, and step out of your comfort-zone today!

A Girl's Guide To Not Being Bored

Every girl experiences when they are so completely bored and have no clue what to do or where to begin doing something. I know I have, so here are some fun activities you can do by yourself or with your friends. 

• Go to the movies with your friends
• Watch the sunset 
• Read a book that is highly recommended
• Go to the mall with friends 
• Draw something
• Learn a new sport
• Cook something new
• Experiment with your makeup 
• Make your own jewelry
• Learn new hairstyles
• Redecorate your room
• Do a random DIY on Pinterest
• Take pictures of random things and make it beautiful
• Volunteer at a nursing home with friends
• Bake or cook something and hand it out to the homeless people
• Watch a documentary
• Watch a new YouTuber
• Make your own clothes 
• Start a Fundraiser
• Start a YouTube Channel
• Paint on a canvas
• Learn an instrument
• Go out and make a new friends
• Attend a yoga or zumba class
• Start your own blog
• Write heartfelt letters to friends and send them in the mail
• Write a book or short story
• Shadow someone in a career you are interested in
• Visit a university
• Have a girls night with your closest friends
• Try new foods
• Listen to new music

There are so many things you can do so you don't end up laying in bed all day wishing you did something. Hope it helped let me know what you liked to do, so your not bored.

My Favorite Spoken Word Prefomances

This is for all my poetry fanatics, spoken word is on stage performance where poets read out their poems like a story or over an issue. I enjoy watching spoken word because you can see the emotion in the person and you can really feel the passion they have for that topic. I want to share my favorite spoken word performances.

1) To This Day- Shane Koyczan: This spoken word was one of the very first that I listened to, and after this I fell in love. Shane does an amazing job telling a story, and making you feel beautiful, and strong. I promise this is a video worth watching. My favorite quote from this poem is:

"If you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer. Because there's something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who ever told you to quit. You built a cast around your heart, and signed it yourself. You signed it "they were wrong"  

(Shane Koyczan)

2) Somewhere In America: While I was watching poetry slams I came across this one and it really opened my eyes. These three girls: Belissa Escobedo, Rhiannon McGavin, and Zariya Allen are part of a program called Get Lit that helps increase teen literacy through spoken word poetry.

"The teacher never fails, only you do. Every state in America, the greatest lessons are the ones you don't remember learning." (Get Lit) 

3) Rape Poems To End All Rape Poems: Justice Hehir, Lindsey Michelle Williams, Kate Thomas, and Michelle Williams from Rutger University expressed the topic of rape culture and their view on the topic. The poem starts off by addressing how they will preform "another rape poem" because they feel  there will be more rape poems until people will address and fix the problem. This poem speaks volume and gave me chills.

"Until no really means NO! Until rape means crime. Until woman means human. All these rape poems will continue until there is no damn material left" (Rutger University)

These are some of my favorite spoken word poems and I hope you like them too. If you have an spoken word favorites share them in the comments, I would love to see other people's favorites,

A Letter To My Younger Self

Dear eight year old me...

IT'S OKAY! Everything is going to be okay, I promise you. Stop worrying about the little things, and look ahead to the big things. The things you are worried about now will not matter years from now. It is all going to be worth it at the end. So stop worrying, and just enjoy everything around you.

Never stop being motivated, that is something that you have always been good at. You are going to have challenges, defeats, heartbreak, and feel like you have let yourself down. But use those feelings to motivate you and pick you up and strive to be get better.

Don't push people away open up to people, and make friends. Things happen and you say your goodbyes and your going to have to leave everything behind, but don't shut people out. Make a friend, go out like you are now, and enjoy every second of it. Before you know it these will all be memories one day so enjoy it while it lasts.

Stepping away from something is perfectly okay, go try new things. I guarantee you will not regret any of it. You may be unsure of your decisions but just go for it, and be yourself. Don't let other people's judgment of you determine the decisions you make.

Finally, do whatever makes you happy and go with it. If you are worried things don't work out just do it, especially if it makes you happy. Everything happens for a reason so don't force things to happen let it happen.

Love always, 
Eighteen year old me

Poetry Slam

Yesterday night my school had a poetry slam, and this is the first one I have ever gone to one. The amount of expression that came out of people's mouth was indescribable. Some people it was their first time up there, and they read something so personal to a bunch of strangers. That to me is stepping out of the box and as I like to say living louder. Their words were ineffable and so beautiful the amount of talent in that place was too much.  These people have walked down the same halls, sat in the same classrooms, talked to the same people, and at that very moment we were all united by words. At that moment I felt a connection was made with each and everyone that was there. We all laughed together, we all sympathized together, we were all sad together, and most importantly we all had fun together. This was a way to get people to let out their feelings onto paper and into poetry and I felt like each of them gave inspiration to everyone in the audience. Everyone who listened learned something from this slam, and what I learned is that you aren't alone people will always be there to listen, learn and help you with whatever you are going through. This poetry slam really gave me inspiration and I hope one day you will take time to write a poem, attended a poetry slam, or even preform you will not regret it.