I’m on spring break this week and have some downtime, so I wanted to get back into my blog since it’s been a while. As I’m making my way to the end of year one of grad school, I’m feeling good about my where my life is now. I have to make decisions soon that will likely lead to certain jobs after I graduate next year. Needless to say, I’m having a hard time with my choice. I know that whatever happens, I’ll find a way to get a job that I like and will hopefully be back in New York.

As I’m considering job paths in higher ed, I try not to focus on salary, but instead on what will make me happy. This is hard to purely do, as I want to live in an expensive city and be able to enjoy myself. As I’m making decisions for my career, I’m trying to follow my heart and trust my instincts, which is all I’ve ever really done in the past.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that I love posting inspiring quotes and lyrics. The title of this entry speaks to how I’m trying to live my life. Finding a balance between having money to enjoy your life with, and doing things that make you happy is difficult. My past work experiences and people I’ve known have taught me to keep good people in my life who I can ‘collect moments’ with so to speak, and not to worry about making a lot of money to ‘collect things’.

I’ve always been an honest person, and I surround myself with people who are the same. I think not being afraid to say what you think and feel, and living with the consequences of your choices is so important. It’s the only way to take chances and find your passion. Once you do that, and really find your calling, you’ll be happy. I make friends this way too. Anyone I trust in my life is the same way. Forming relationships with brave people has been an important part of becoming my own person.

I’ve had a small obsession with Jay-Z music lately and found meaning in this quote. Not only does it remind me to trust my instincts in my career choices, but in all aspects of my life.

No compass comes with this life
Just eyes
So to map it out
You must look inside
Sure books can guide you
But your heart defines you 

This quote is about being your own person, and looking within to make decisions about your life. When something doesn’t go as planned—which, inevitably, will happen— remember to let your heart define your life and never regret anything you do because of it. We don’t know where life will take us, but being brave and taking chances are the only ways to discover your passions and go after your dreams.

Take time to enjoy life and create memories that you can be happy with. Collecting moments and not things means enjoying what you have and who you have in your life.

Today I started thinking about where I see myself next summer, in two years, and in ten. It can be daunting to plan career goals as a graduate student. Sometimes I see myself in one area of higher education, and an hour later I consider something completely different. I get caught up in planning the future and can forget to enjoy what I have now. So I work to find a balance. This is not always easy. As I reflected today, I began to make sense of everything.

In an effort to stay calm, I remind myself to not lose sight of why I’m going back to school: to make a difference in college student’s lives. Sounds easy enough— but it can easily overwhelm me as I begin to search for internships and future jobs. Today I was talking with a friend about dating, another stressful subject for single girls my age. This quote came to mind as I was planning my personal and professional future.

Never settle, never stop.

It’s such a simple statement, yet has impact. To anyone feeling confused or unsure of what they want out of their lives— career, personal, or love— I would encourage you to use this mantra. It is so easy to get caught up in jobs we don’t like, cities we don’t want to be in, and relationships that aren’t good for us. Take time to remove yourself from the situation and gain perspective. Where will this job, relationship, location, etc take you in a year? If you don’t have an answer that satisfies you, make a change. It’s that simple. Even if you don’t quit a job or move across the country, you can change one thing to improve your life.

Take some time to think back to when you were younger and thought you could get anything out of life that you wanted. Because you still can. Here’s to not giving up and to making the best of what you have and what you want for yourselves. 

I decided to make the focus of my blog anything that inspires me. I moved to the city because it always inspired me to reach for the stars and to follow my dreams. Living here for almost a year has really changed me and motivated me to get the most out of life. As I transition back to Ohio and grad school I won’t be writing about my experiences in New York but will be posting things that inspire me in an effort to inspire you as well. 

Sadly, I only have one month left in the city. I’m not ready to leave at all. Grad school makes the most sense for me now so I am happy to be going, I just wish I could be here while I do that. I don’t know where I will end up after school— hopefully California or back in New York. Wherever I end up, I will be able to experience something new and I am very excited to see where it takes me. 

Everyday is a new experience when you live here and I want to keep that spirit when I start school. To stay motivated I love reading blogs for inspiration.Today I’m posting a couple of my favorite ones. Hope you enjoy the fashion lifestyle and health tips from these blogs as much as I do. 

I took this picture yesterday at the beach. Relaxing days like this are great to recharge and motivate you to keep going.

The first blog is created by a friend of mine, Kristina Davis. Her website, www.prettyonpennies.com has great tips on fashion, food, and lifestyle advice for chic girls in NYC and anywhere else. For girls that never liked cooking (me!) you can follow her easy-to-understand recipes and make great snacks and get quick tips for what to pack in your bag during the current heat wave we’ve had. Check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss a post!

Another blog I like to follow is www.healthybitchdaily.com This site offers great health tips from the creators of the book Skinny Bitch. Even if you don’t go vegan (I don’t) you can learn a lot of great health tips. One of my favorite tips is not to drink Diet Coke. It was the only change I made from my diet last year and I noticed that had more energy and lost weight. Even if you’re not looking to change your diet there is great advice for staying in shape and living a healthy lifestyle.

Hope you all enjoy this post and my new ones on the way and can do something everyday to feel good about yourself and be motivated to reach your goals.

Last night I met my favorite celebrity, style icon and actress: Jennifer Aniston. I have to say that I am still starstruck. Anyone who knows me knows that Jen has always been one of my icons. Timing was on my side. I stopped to grab a margarita and some guacamole in Greenwich Village—new favorite neighborhood, on a side note. As I was finishing my drink, I checked Twitter on my phone and saw that she was going to be doing a signing at Sephora. I was so excited and hopped on the train to get in line.

Luckily, I was able to make it there in time and had her sign a bottle of her new perfume. She was so sweet and looked amazing; younger and prettier in person. Her class, grace and general laid-back, positive attitude on life inspired me. I want to really enjoy every little moment and treasure all that is beautiful to me—my friends, family, sunny days, New York City, the beach, a window display, or favorite song. Life is too short to be stressed and not happy. 

I moved here to chase a dream that ended up changing me and my goals. I’ve realized that treasuring life and making it meaningful are so important. If we don’t challenge ourselves once in a while, we can get comfortable and could miss out on exciting experiences. 

Meeting Jen has motivated me to always be kind and warm. When I walked up to meet her she said “hi, cutie” with a genuine smile on her face. It made my day. Granted, she could have said that to everyone that she met yesterday. Even so, she made me feel good. And I think that is because her warmth that everyone who knows her mentions, came across as real to me. Being an authentic person and surrounding yourself with beautiful people makes all the difference in our world.

Here is to treasuring the beautiful. And my now-apparent girl crush on Jen.

xo- Leah

When I began this blog I wanted to document my life as I moved to New York and I still don’t really know if I have a theme other than what has been going on in my world. This has been a journal of sorts and a nice way for me to reflect on my life. I have no idea if anyone is interested in what I have to say, or even reads it. I’m just happy that I have a unique way to remember this time.

My life is pretty content now and I have everything that I want and need— well besides a wardrobe purchased on Madison Avenue.; ) I finally found a full-time job here so I don’t have to temp anymore. I’m working at Dos Caminos in the Meatpacking district as a host. It’s a trendy part of town and I’m hoping to spot some celebrities while I work and enjoy the scene and a summer in the city!

Over the weekend Jaimie was in town and we went to Central Park, the Guggenheim, Ground Zero and the Empire State Building. Seeing the city in so many different lights was great. We were getting a late dinner in Hell’s Kitchen when we heard that Bin Laden was killed. The passion in the restaurant from New Yorkers as Obama gave his speech was invigorating.

As all the news and opinions on what his death means for the future of terrorism are flooding in, I’ve been thinking about what it means for us as Americans. I trust that our leaders and security will protect us and keep us safe. But what can we do to eliminate hate and negativity- key aspects of terrorism in my opinion- from our everyday lives? I’m not suggesting we try to solve foreign policy, our leaders are working toward that now. But we can do little things to change the way we think and speak about our world.

I decided that one small thing I’m going to do is to stop using derogatory words. Sure, we hear them all the time when we’re joking around with friends or listening to a song, but it doesn’t make them okay. Fu*k, bit*h, pu**y, etc. All of these words can easily be heard on a daily basis and I know I begin to feel numb to their true meanings when I hear them all the time. Imagine if we just stopped saying them and used less offensive, positive words instead.

Walking through the park and feeling the sun shine down on me or watching New Yorkers stop talking in a restaurant to hear their President give a historic update remind me of how truly lucky we are to have freedom. I don’t ever want to take that for granted and really want to strive to take negativity out of my life whenever I can. Clearly this wont solve the world’s problems. But if we all did one small thing to make the world a nicer place, it would make a difference.

Happy May, everyone! Make it a great month and enjoy the summer! 

Love always- Leah

As I’m settling into life in New York I’ve realized that anything worth having takes hard work. In the process of getting there, you will struggle and even feel uncomfortable sometimes. Looking back at old blog posts, you can see that the first couple months here tested me. I’m so happy that I didn’t give up and stayed in New York, because now I love it. 

At this point last year I made plans to move at the end of the summer and thought I would be working another job now in the media industry. Although I’m not doing the kind of work I thought I would be doing, I really feel like I am living life as a New Yorker. I’ve been exploring the city on walks, going to the orchestra and new clubs and bars, and walking more than I have in a long time! 

Some of you know that I decided to go back to school to work in higher education and a couple weeks ago I accepted an offer at Baldwin Wallace, so I will be back in Cleveland at the end of the summer. I have to admit that since I didn’t have a lot of time to apply to schools I decided if I couldn’t be in New York I would rather be at home until I figured out where else I would like to live. I am really excited to start my program but am also sad at the thought of only being here for five more months. I left everything that felt normal and safe, but I’ve made new connections here and feel totally at home now with a new support group.

This quote sums up the point I’m trying to drive home in this post: 

“Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone.” -Robert Allen

Now that I know I can live away from my original comfort zone, I know that after I finish school I will be applying to jobs in new cities. I do feel like living here for a year will give me a taste of what it’s like to be a New Yorker, but I might want to come back, or move somewhere that has warm weather all year. As a kid, I always dreamed of living in California and as I got older I wanted to live in New York. Since I’ve done that already, I might decide to go for a more laid-back, sunny climate like San Diego or San Francisco, or even Austin. This will obviously depend on where I can find a job and wont happen for a couples years, so I have time to figure it out. 

If anyone out there has ever considered moving to a new city, I highly recommend doing it. You have nothing to lose and can always go home if you don’t like it. Although I think you need to give it a year before leaving. A lot can change in that time and trust me, when you feel alone and homesick in the beginning, it always gets better. Before I moved, I talked to a few people that had moved away and came back within a couple months. They made general statements like “nobody there ever went out” and “it wasn’t that great”. I remember thinking they were being closed-minded and making rash decisions. But after a month here, I was thinking the same things. A few people encouraged me and made me feel better- I really am SO glad that I stayed here. I’m a stronger person for it and have experienced so much that I never would have been able to had I been back in Cleveland now. Also, being away from home shows you who really cares about you and who never did. You’ll easily learn who your true friends are and they will stick, no matter how far away you are from them. 

I hope that none of you Clevelanders think I am talking down the city, because I am not at all. I just remember being 17 and feeling stuck in a rut and not challenged. College came and I was able to grow through those new experiences. After OU, I was 22, back in Cleveland and meeting new people as a working girl. That added something new to the city for me, but I feel like I’ve made new friends through that time that I will always have and am ready to explore a new city. Some argue that you can stay home and vacation to new cities to learn about them, and I agree to a point. But I don’t think you can truly experience a city unless you live there. That is my opinion, anyway.

With all that said, I’m going to treasure the rest of my time here, work hard in school and enjoy my friends and family while I’m back at home. Then I’ll move on to the next chapter of my life after I graduate. Through the stressful times here, I was forced to evaluate my life and what I didn’t like about it. That is how I figured out what I want my career to be and where I want my life to go. Once you step outside of your comfort zone you will surprised at what you can learn. And before you know it, you will have a new group of people in your life who will make you feel at home again.

Your twenties are for chasing your dreams and trying new things. Here’s to going after what you want, whatever that may be! 

Love always-

LG 

It is a rainy day in NYC but the weather seems to be warming up. I’ve been browsing Twitter and was inspired to write about taking time to do something simple and nice today. Life gets hectic with long work hours, plans with friends, the stress of money and so much more. I know I can get lost in the midst of all of it and wind up strung out by the end of the week. 

Today I saw a tweet from Maria Shriver- someone who already inspires me. She wrote:

“Let’s all do one simple thing today for someone we love.”

Calling someone to say hello or bringing a friend a cookie can go a long way. Also, take time to do something nice for yourself. Put on a face mask and relax, go for a run, or listen to your new favorite song. 

With spring just around the corner I’m looking forward to longer days, fun nights and my new spring clothes. And *finally* having warm weather to go outside and enjoy. Here’s to nice days, sunshine and taking time to appreciate the little things in life and just be.

Happy Thursday! 

Love- Leah