Knowledge is Power {Back to Campus}

Hello Beautiful Readers,

Today will be the last post in my Back to Campus series. I want to center the focus of this post on knowledge and how lucky you are to be a student, if you are one. This may seem interesting to you, or not at all, but either way I want to address it.

If you are a student who is headed back to school, whether it is college or high school, you should be feeling excited and lucky. Now, you probably think I am crazy for thinking school is exciting, but hear me out:

Roughly, 70 million children are unable to attend school due to lack of money, resources or other issues. They will never have a chance to broaden their minds and learn these concepts we are exposed to in school. Most of them will not attend college either. Today, in the information age of the world, knowledge is literally power. It’s not about family or class, which can play a factor, but it’s about WHAT you know.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not love piles of homework and long research papers with nitty gritty instructions, but I do love that I am able to discuss world issues with my peers and talk about events in history and how they impact us today. This may seem pretty normal for some of us, but there are people in the world who will never have the same chance as you have to be educated.

I am not here to make you feel bad, by any means, but I want you to understand the blessing of having the opportunity to be educated. School is boring at times–I get it, but when you begin to engage in certain areas and become interested, you will find yourself in a happier environment. (Not a fact, but assuming)

We often times find ourselves getting overwhelmed with school work and actual work, and it’s almost too much. My marketing professor kind of inspired this post because his whole lecture on Friday was centered on this idea of knowledge and why it’s important today. He told us hard work is great but just because you worked hard doesn’t mean you are right or you’ve given what’s needed. This definitely sounds harsh, but when you think about it in a business/real world situation, people do not care about the input. They care about the output, what are they benefiting from you or your work.

This is a harsh reality, but if you are able to understand this I think life will be a little easier for you. Before you get offended for not being the best, think about what you know and see if there is anywhere you could better yourself. Being educated in today’s society is key to being successful. Being able to understand the past and how it’s events have impacted the present, but also being able to predict possibilities for the future can make you a valuable person in society.

So, the next time you are reading your text book or groaning about doing a research paper, just remember you don’t have to love the process but be thankful for the opportunity that you have to be educated.

Also, side note, I am not stating that college is the only way to be educated and successful. Success is measured in many different ways, you can be self-educated and still be successful. My point is to be thankful for the resources and opportunities that college does give you before you get angry about them.

Credit: Boss Babe

I hope this pot can change your perspective a little for the new school year. Go in with an open mind and a willingness to actually learn the material. I am also going to work on applying this concept more; I want to read up on the field I am interested in and be sure I follow the news of the markets. Learning can be fun when it is interesting to you.

I challenge all of my readers to truly apply yourself this semester, take care of your body & soul, get inspired and most of all, do your best. If you missed the other posts in this series I will link them below, make sure you read them all for max inspiration. I have brand new series beginning later this week, which I am really excited for, so stay tuned.

Vision Board | Happy & Healthy | Monday Mindset

Happy Labor Day & Happy Monday.

xo, Lyss

Monday Mindset {Back to Campus}

Hello Readers,

It’s another Monday, but this one is different for some of us; it’s the first day of classes. Whether you are starting classes today or just heading into the office, everybody usually dreads Monday’s. It’s the end of the weekend and the day seems to drag on, but fear not Monday’s are not all bad. Monday’s are all about mindset; you wake up and say “ugh, Monday!!” and then your day sucks. Life is about the perspective you have on it, if you can change your Monday mindset to “Hey, it’s a new week for me to accomplish something great”, then maybe you won’t dread Monday’s so bad.

I love Monday’s because they are the first step to a great week, if you can organize your weekly goals on Monday and make the best of the day, your whole perspective for the week will be changed. I figured this was a good topic to cover on my Back to Campus series because each week of classes starts on a Monday (usually).

Since I already gave a little rant on why Monday’s can be great, I’ll share a few of my favorite quotes that I like to keep around to keep me motivated everyday, but especially on Monday’s.

These are only a few of my favorites, but I love looking at new quotes every week. They  keep me inspired and motivated, plus they are cute. I found all of these on Pinterest, of course! You can create your own, or find them on the internet.

Just remember that each day is a gift, and even if you do have a bad Monday, don’t sweat it. Life is short, keep that day behind you and make the rest of the week great. Sure, we all have bad days but do not start the week with an “I hate Monday” mindset or your whole week is at risk of being ruined. Stay positive & attack the day.

I hope this little post will help you kick off a wonderful semester, it’s not really a guide or tips style post, but it’s important to have little motivation in the beginning of the semester. That is the main point of my Back to Campus series, not to show you my school clothes and supplies, but to share my insight on being motivated and healthy. I hope you are able to gain something from these posts, if not please stay tuned for a fashion filled week in the near future.

Today’s Challenge: Adjust your mindset from “I hate Monday & Summer is over” to “I can do this & It’s a brand new day to accomplish some goals”

Happy Monday Readers.

xo, Lyss 

Quote of the Day:

Staying Happy & Healthy {Back to Campus}

Hello Lovely Readers,

As we know, a new semester starts next week (or the week after that) and that means we are going to be busy, busy, busy. Along with being busy we tend to forget to take care of ourselves, in the sense that we eat bad foods, get negative on our self-image and forget to take time for ourselves. This may seem silly, but it is very important to take care of your body, physically and mentally.

Since I have returned from France, I have been failing at keeping healthy as far as working out and eating well. This is something that happens to the best of us, and it’s easy to do; but especially during busy times it is crucial to pay attention to this. Physical activity and healthy eating will help keep your mind sharp and sane.

I thought for today’s Back to Campus post I could share some quick, healthy recipes for students and some tips on how to take care of yourself.

Staying Healthy:

My first advice about trying to eat healthy in college is by meal prepping some things, now this does not mean you have to go crazy or anything. Prepping things ahead of time, when you have time, helps you eat healthier because when you in a hurry you tend to compromise your diet. So, I often make a bunch of chicken breast and then eat it through out the week. This makes meals easy too, you can pair that with whatever veggie or pasta you want.

Snacking can be tough to beat, you just want a greasy burrito or a large pizza, but try to save your stomach and bank by snacking on more fruits and veggies. Yes, that sounds boring but start small. My favorite snack is cucumbers with salt or carrots with ranch dip. You can cheat from time to time, trust me I do, but small changes still keep you healthier than none at all.

Here are few of my favorite recipes:

Grilled Green Beans

Grilled Lemon Chicken

Banana Breakfast Bars ( You can add other fruits and nuts to this!)

Asian Chicken Stir-Fry (Can be changed to your liking, not all listed ingredients are needed)

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I totally understand that these can be very difficult to prepare on a busy schedule, but this is where meal prepping comes in handy. I usually do most of my cooking on Sunday nights, that way I am set for the week.

Once again, buying healthy alternatives will help you grab something healthier in that hunger kick rather than something unhealthy. My rule is eat healthy, but if someone offers you a cupcake you take it.

Self-Care:

Obviously, showering and hygiene fall under this category, but more specifically I want to address making time for yourself. Time to unwind, get inspired and de-stress. This may not seem so important, but it is! This kind of stuff helps keep you out of depression and keep the positive vibes coming.

School, work and responsibilities are very important, but your mental healthy trumps all of those things. You have to be 100% mentally to be able to perform any of the above. Therefore, self-care and free time are important.

Physical activity can fall under this category too because physical activity gets the endorphin’s flowing to your brain, therefore bringing you more happiness and less stress. So, if you have lots of homework or deadlines, it may not be a bad idea to take a short run or hike to clear your mind.

Here are some more tips:

Take care of your skin: This may be an obvious task for some people, but when life gets busy it’s easy for us to skip this step before bed or in the morning. Taking care of your skin will help lessen break outs and keep your skin glowing.

Take time to do something for yourself: Each week find something to do just for yourself, whether that is a hot yoga class or getting coffee. Do whatever will help you de-stress and reconnect with yourself.

Stay active: Working out daily is great for some people, if that’s not you try to work out at least 3 times a week. This helps clear your mind and blow of some steam. Finding a work out that works for you is also important to keeping you interested in the activity.

Be positive: Try to stay positive and optimistic, literally think good vibes! If you have a bad day or morning and you let that consume you, then you will continue to have bad days. Trust me I have been there, having a negative mind set does not make the semester easier. Relating back to the last Back to Campus post, utilizing a vision board could help you stay positive and optimistic about your goals.

Treat yourself: This may sound funny, but after a long week or crazy day it’s okay to splurge a little. Buy yourself some ice cream or get a pedicure, whatever will make you happy. This is another way to stay motivated too! When you accomplish a goal, you can celebrate with something fun.

These are just a couple of my tips to staying sane this semester, life can get crazy but never forget to take care of yourself, both mentally and physically. If you have other tips you would like to share, feel free to in the comments. I am sorry about the delay on this post, I had a crazy day yesterday and just could not finish the post. I hope you all have a great Tuesday and a great week. I will post again later this week, stay tuned.

Thanks for reading!

xo, Lyss

 

 

 

 

Vision Board {Back to Campus}

Hello Readers,

I am starting a new series here on my blog similar to other back to school series, but this one will be about how to mentally prepare to slay this school year. When a new semester rolls around life tends to pick up and we often get lost in the day to day routine. This back to school series is going to help guide you to having the best semester not only academically but personally.

I think the best way to start a new school year/semester is to organize and prioritize your goals, both short time and long term. I have recently created a vision board for myself to display my goals and dreams. Today, I am going to share what a vision board is and how you can create one for yourself.

A vision board can be anything from a piece of paper with your goals written on it to a cork board that you have decked out with photos and quotes to keep you inspired. For me, I chose the second option.

What you’ll need:

• Cork board (size is your choice)
• Cute push pins/tacks
• Favorite quotes/photos
• Goals/Dreams

A vision board is not only a way to display your goals and aspirations, but a way to get creative. I use my vision board not only for my goals but for a place to get inspired. I put pictures of my favorite things or important people in my life. It is a great way to stay inspired and see your goals on a daily basis.

When creating your vision board you can add stickers, colorful paper and whatever else you can get creative with. I like to use cut outs from magazines, especially fashion magazines. I am always inspired by magazines. Utilize things that inspire you!

Vision boards can also be used for mapping out projects or big goals, it is a great way to organize your thoughts in one place.

Here are some examples from Pinterest:

For the rest of this Back to Campus series I will be posting tips on self-love, staying motivated and staying healthy. I thought this would be a fun first post because there is no better way to start the semester other than laying out your goals and getting inspired. I love my vision board and how it turned out. Vision boards are also really flexible, so when you are feeling a change or you have new goal halfway through the semester you can just add it to the board. It keeps your mindset fresh and your goals in sight.

What are some ways you get motivated and stay inspired during the school year? I would love to hear your thoughts. The beginning of the semester can be tough, but starting strong with a good mindset will help you in the end.

Thank you all for reading the first post in my Back to Campus series, I hope you all loved it and can utilize the idea. Check back next week for another post in this new series! It is a new week and I wish all my beautiful readers a successful and productive week ahead.

Now, go make your amazing vision board; have fun, be creative and stay inspired!

Happy Monday.

xo, Lyss

Monday Motivation: