Blog

I’ve lived in different cities, in 3 different countries, in 2 very different continents. I’ve had my fair share of travels and adventures, yet never enough.

I’ve lived in a few different places, and each time I move, I wish I had done more before I had left. It’s as if I am always so focused on the adventures to be had elsewhere, in another time, that I forget the adventures that could have been happening in the present.

So this year, and the many years to come, I hope to make the conscious effort to see the great adventures in the everyday. I want to learn to really be in the present and be involved. I want to be excited about the everyday. I want to be present.

How do you celebrate “today”? Have you explored your city with a tourists’ curiosity?

This is a slightly different take on the memory jar. I figured, most of my best memories should already stand out enough for me to remember them long term or documented somewhere somehow on this blog. So instead of memories, I decided to put my hopes and thanks inside a jar.

I wrote my goals on strips of paper–where I see myself in the next couple of years, what I see myself doing, what I hope I would already have accomplished. I folded them into stars, then wrote the year I hope to reach those “stars”. Then every year, I plan to open them to see how well I fared.

And because often, I neglect to remember all the good things that has happened in my life; the great friends and people who inspire me; the adventure my life has turned into. I decided to write them down as a constant reminder of all the positives, so I have something to turn to whenever I only see everything that has gone wrong.

This was going to be a DIY, but it ended up being pretty straight forward. But here are some notes on what I used for this mason jar project:

• a small square-ish mason jar, which came with a silver lid. However, gold seemed more fitting for this little projects. So I whipped out the gold paint pen and colored it in.
• archival  pen (because it might take yearssss before I open some of these things and I wouldn’t want any of the writing to fade)
• card stock and archival paper

I plan on adding to the jar as I find more things to be thankful for and more goals I want to reach. Then hopefully, soon, this little jar will be filled with many great things!

Don’t think it’s too late for goals and resolutions for the new year! Are you done writing down yours? How are you committing to it? Leave your ideas and comments below.

Connect with TaftAve

|| Facebook || Twitter ||

Another 2013 Resolution: To make a conscious effort to stay inspired.

A confession: I have a growing obsession with magazines. My taste in reading materials used to be very limited and quite honestly, a bit judgmental. I used to only read the classics, not pop culture young adult novels;  journals from the library, not glossy magazines. But lately, magazines of all sorts and topics are starting to grow on me–from photography to health, crafts, DIY, home decor, design and yes, sometimes even fashion.

The thing about a good magazine is that it can give just as great an escape as an escapist novel. Flipping through a few pages with detailed photography and I’m already taken to a world or field that I may not be familiar with! Skim through a photography magazine and it could inspire you to be a better photographer. When I see home and decor magazines, it makes me want to get out of bed and and clean the frustrating room. I’d look through Craft and DIY magazines, I feel like I could be the next Martha freaking Stewart!

This year, I resolve to actually push myself to always be inspired: by simple pleasures, the everyday adventures, little projects. I want to learn more about lifestyles and experiences that I used to dismiss as “just not my thing”. I want to be inspired by things and experiences that are out of my comfort zone and to take a second look at where I don’t normally see beauty or interest.

I want to take in the world and be inspired by it.

The independence and responsibilities that comes with being an adult is overwhelming. While independence is often addicting, the responsibilities–well, most of us try to push that to the back of our heads. Often, the weight of the responsibilities often don’t sink in until we’re in some sort of financial trouble. Many of us (yes, myself included), grow up used to being provided for by someone else, so starting to be financially responsible for our own wants and needs can be somewhat of a foreign concept for many young adults.

Being self-sufficient is a big milestone. It’s something most (f not all) of us constantly strive to achieve. Some strive for this sense of independence in their teens–starting with odd jobs or part-time jobs–while others start after they’re done with school. Regardless, at some point in our lives, we have to learn to fend for ourselves. It’s one of the crucial things that come with learning to be a functioning adult. Yes, Mommy (and/or Daddy) is going to stop giving you money.

Growing up, I was never really obligated to get a part-time job. My family was pretty old school. It was school, University, then work after graduation. Consequently, I wasn’t familiar with how much living expenses cost. It wasn’t until I finally moved out that I realized how expensive it was just to live independently. It can eat away at most of our paycheck just to live comfortably. I don’t even mean luxuriously giving in to every whim!

What I am getting at is that we won’t always have the luxury of being supported by our family. As we become adults, one of our many responsibilities is to start relying on ourselves. We start paying for our own meals, transportation, the things we want. Then we move out–pay for rent, utilities, and a whole lot of other bills. It’s not an easy adjustment. It’s anything but! And the best way to deal with it is by being prepared early.

So where do you start? Start by evaluating, then re-evaluating your lifestyle. Adjust your lifestyle and live within your means. YOURS, not mom’s or dad’s or anyone else’s. Stop being reassured that there will always be someone who will bail you out.

A common mistake that most young adults do is how they spend their first few paychecks. Starting work and earning money is exciting, and many of us, see that paycheck as extra income instead of just an income. Extra meaning on top of the allowance money they still get from the parents. STOP it right there! The whole point of making your own money is to support yourself and be independent. So even if say, you haven’t moved out and have no plans of moving out in the next year, it’s still important to start imagining the money you make as the only money you get to prepare yourself for when you do move out. Just because you still live with your mommy, doesn’t mean you should still depend on her to pay for your expenses while you use YOUR MONEY to buy a new, top of the line laptop, justified because you know, you need it cause you have a 10 month old desktop that just wouldn’t do anymore.

Extra important thing to remember: SAVE MONEY. No matter how much or how little you make, you can never save too much money. As soon as you start earning any money at all, get into the habit of saving a portion of it(NO MATTER HOW LITTLE) so it becomes a habit.

Also, know that it’s okay to ask for help. Sometimes, we have to cut ourselves some slack. Even big companies get bailed out, right? Just make sure it’s because you needed the help–not because you wanted to spend on something that your new lifestyle and financial situation cannot afford you anymore.

This is not meant to preach how you should be handling your finances, no. After all, we all have different priorities. These are just a few things I wish I knew before my first few real paychecks. Not that the adjustment is something you can totally be prepared for, but to at least make the transition bearable.

The transition to being a self-sufficient adult is not easy for most of us. It involves sacrifice. We have to re-evaluate our lifestyle and get our priorities straight. How was your experience, learning to be financially responsible? At what age did you start paying for yourself?

Connect with Ispasiyo TaftAve:

 || Facebook || Twitter ||