Resolving My Resolutions

At the beginning of this year I wrote out my resolutions for 2014. Now that this year is coming to a close and 2015 is approaching faster than any of us would like, it's time to look back on this year and see if we ended up accomplishing any of the goals we set for ourselves.

Completed:

To workout more.

This resolution may have taken me a little while to get started, but I believe I am currently on track. Earlier this year I began following Kayla Itsines, creator of the 12-week Bikini Body Guide, on Instagram. She posts many before and after photos of her clients who have followed her guide and I was inspired. At the beginning of this month I decided to purchase her guide and I have been doing my best to follow it thus far. Well into week 5 right now I am so excited with how far I have come and to see where the rest of this guide will take me.

Stop being so judgemental/Be happy for others successes/Be the person you'd want to meet.

At the beginning of this year I was pretty insecure with myself, I would judge others because I was not happy with where I was in my life. I believe I have done a better job at focusing on bettering myself, which in turn has removed the focus from judging others and allowed me to be happy for their successes and made me someone who I would 'want to meet'.

Say yes to things/Don't be so afraid of the new.

This summer I held two internships, accepted a coaching job at a local high school, have been on a couple dates throughout the year, needless to say I definitely said 'yes'. Many of the things I said yes to scared the crap out of me, but they definitely opened my eyes and allowed me to grow this year.

Be on time.

I have definitely made major strides with this one this year. I was constantly late and ran on 'my time' which was extremely inconsiderate. Am I always on time? No. But I definitely feel as though I am on time much more than I was in 2013.

Get on a normal sleep schedule.

I have come so far with this one. Yes there are times where I stay up all night for no good reason, but for the most part on school nights and nights that I have work in the morning I was in bed before 2 am, which is a major stride.

Get the grades you're capable of.

I am so happy with this resolution because it is the one resolution that has physical evidence that I have accomplished it. The spring semester wasn't the best when looking at my final grades, but this fall semester I didn't make below a B in any class and made the Deans List, an accomplishment that I honestly didn't think was going to happy in my time in college. It just goes to show what a little motivation and hard work do.

Look presentable for class.

This definitely could have been better but I am grading this resolution on the fact that for the most part I put on some kind of face makeup every single day, which to me means 'presentable'.

Spend more time with loved ones/Give time to those who love you/Stop repeating mistakes/Make someone else happy/Give yourself to someone who wants all of you, everyday, because you are perfect being you.

All of these kind of snowballed into one specific category when I was writing them a year ago. They had to do with dating an relationships. No, I didn't have a relationship this year but I think that's what made me accomplish these goals this year. I was perfectly happy being single and there wasn't someone who came along that I felt was up to my standards for dating. This has nothing to do with the people I may have gone on dates with this year, they were all fine people, but not right for me. Which allowed me more time to better myself for my perfect man who is out there somewhere.

No regrets/Do something outside of your comfort zone.

I've always been the type of person to never regret any of my decisions. I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. That being said I was terrified to do some of the things I did this year. Coaching high school kids was extremely out of my comfort zone, I have only coached middle school age so that was a big step for me. However it allowed me to grow and learn more about myself than I ever thought possible. I'm so happy I decided to take a leap and change for the better.

Needs some work:

Drink more water.

I could have definitely done a better job at this throughout the year. Instead of having a soda or milk I could have just reached for a glass of water, definitely something I need to work on more in 2015.

Read more and turn off Netflix.

Of course this hasn't changed, who's really surprised. I could absolutely watch less Netflix, but as a whole I feel like I did a good job of getting out in the world and not watching as much TV which is what I am most concerned about.

Stop procrastinating.

I feel like I wouldn't be me if I didn't procrastinate. Yes, procrastinating isn't the greatest way to get your work done, but I think I've manipulated my bad habit into working for me instead of against me.

Give more compliments.

I believe I could have done a better job a this. Everyone wants to be complimented and I think if that could come from me, that would make me feel even better.

Put down your phone.

We live in an age where we are so reliant on our hand held devices. This year was no different. This is one aspect of my life I feel as if I could drastically improve, and one of the details in my life that needs serious attention in 2015.

So there we have it, my 2014 resolutions. I feel as though for the most part they were completed to the best of my ability. Could all aspects of my life be improved? Absolutely. However, each day is a stepping stone leading us to the people we are destined to be. And how we spend those days shapes the person we are going to become. Choose wisely.

Until next time,

Casey Rose

Keeping It Casual

There are many things that influence and shape our every day lives. It could be talking to friends, watching your favorite TV show, or even something your professor lectured on in class. Many of the social media sites do more than just update you on what your friend is up to that day. It also is a method to provoking thought.

Today I was scrolling through my twitter feed waiting on the bus to arrive when I came across a tweet that kind of took me back. Now, before I go on, you have to know a few things about me first. I am one of those people who follow those stupid/funny twitter accounts. You know the ones, that have no original tweets but their context normally includes things like 'Reasons why I am Single', etc. I find my twitter feed to be mostly a form of entertainment more than a social media platform. With all of that being said, I do follow accounts such as TSM and College Town Life. 

One of the more recent accounts I decided to follow is one called "College Confessions". The premise of this account is basically an anonymous confession hub of college students from across the entire country. I found some of these confessions to be humorous and down right appalling, so for entertainment purposes I decided to follow them.

Everything was fine and funny until I ran across a tweet today that said "The best night of my freshman year was when I snorted a line of cocaine off of a girls ass - University of Wisconsin". I have heard some pretty crude things in my day but for whatever reason this one jumped out at me. I thought to myself, that is really sad if that was honestly the 'highlight' if your freshman year. Doing drugs and using a woman's body as a dehumanized sexual object.

Now this post isn't to talk about the drug part of it, which yes I do have a problem with recreational drug usage. It's dangerous and yadda, yadda, yadda, but we have all heard that preached to us many times before. What really made enough of an impact on me to write this post is the emphasis of this girls body. The phrase said 'a girls ass'. No description of who this young woman was, nothing about her intelligence (granted yes this was a tweet and you only have 140 characters) but I think you all are getting at my point.

It really made me realize how sexual our culture has become in this day and age. The fact that at least 30% of the entire internet is used for porn almost speaks for itself. As a sorority woman I like to take pride in my organization and think that we are a group of high class women who hold ourselves to a higher standard, but to be honest, when girls come back every night 'bragging' about the guy they hooked up with it is really hard for me to stand by that.

The fact that the media portrays college in general as this place where it is okay to have sex with multiple people doesn't sit well with me. Sure, as an incoming freshman that seemed great! So many people willing to hook up with you, that just sounds like a confidence booster waiting to happen. That is, until it actually does.

Now I'm not going to sit on my high horse and pretend like I am 'holier than thou'. I've had my fair share of hookups, maybe one or two guys I can't fully remember their names, and I definitely haven't been in a committed relationship every single time I have been with a guy. But I can say these things and talk about this, because I don't want to be that person anymore.

The media brainwashes us into thinking that is alright. That 'everyone is doing it' so it makes it ok. In fact, they make it seem fun! How great does it sound to have sex with someone without the emotion that a relationship brings! Right? Wrong. So wrong.

Now I'm not trying to make anyone feel badly about themselves. If you think that is fun and good and you can have sex with a stranger and tell me straight to my face that it doesn't affect your emotions in a negative way whatsoever, then good for you. You have mastered college and the art of the casual hook up. But I believe that for many of us, that is not the case.

Young women go into the realm of college thinking that if they hook-up with this random person then they will be happy, because that is what every college person does. When in fact, not every college person does do that. It is a false idea that has been pushed into our brains by the media. Everyone thinks that it is cool and normal to have tons of sex all of the time, but really it's not.

Not to get all biblical on you, but the troubles and tribulations throughout college has really allowed me to realize that, as the bible says, sex is only meant to be between one man and one woman. It's purpose is procreation. If we are using it for other reasons, such as pleasure, it is just messing with our minds. Because having sex with someone tells our subconscious that yes - I would like to make babies with this person. You may laugh at that statement, and I have to admit I chuckled a little, but it's true! That's why the saying 'sex bonds people' is a real thing! Your brain is saying that you want that person to be a parent of your future child, therefore you start to think of that person in a different way. You start getting attached. That is why sex cannot be a 'casual' thing. In the end someone always ends up getting hurt.

So please, do yourself a favor and wait until he 'puts a ring on it' or at least makes some kind of commitment. Girls, guys think that they can get away with this casual sex thing because we let them! If we buckle down and get them to realize that they can't get their way until they commit to you, I guarantee there would be a whole lot less assholes in the universe and a bunch more 'good guys'. So if not for you, do it for the betterment of the other sex. Because ladies, if we're being completely honest here, they tend to think with their penises - let their brains get a little action once in a while.

Until next time,

Casey Rose