A Thought and a Half | Southern Food & Lifestyle Blog

When Life Tells You to Go Left, Go Right

By 2 Comments

Here we are, another 90s-movie-inspired Motivation Monday post. I like these posts, though. Gives me reasons/excuses to indulge my childhood memories. What do y’all think?

When I got home from work this past Friday night, I was in the mood to make a cup of tea and satisfy my inner six-year-old. Everyone needs to do that sometimes. So I turned on Anastasia. Remember that (marginally historically accurate) animated movie, about the famous Russian duchess? I still love that movie. No shame at all. And it’s NOT a Disney movie! It’s 21st Century Fox!

If you don’t remember, refresh your brain. I promise you’ll remember it, though. Hard to forget a movie so wonderful and inspiring.

anastasia when life tells you to go left, go right

Continue Reading >

Be True – Motivation Monday

By 1 Comment

Happy Monday, everyone. How was the weekend? Mine was full of homework, cleaning the apartment, and an emergency trip to the Apple Store. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m glad today is Monday and I’ll be back in class for the week! There’s a first time for everything, right?

Today’s Motivation Monday is drawn from one of my favorite literary figures, Shakespeare, and more specifically, my favorite work of his, the tragic play Hamlet. In the first act, Polonius bids his son Laertes goodbye as he prepares to leave for France. Before he leaves, Polonius offers a soliloquy full of wisdom.
to thine own self be true shakespeare quote

The full quote is, “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” Fun fact: that was my senior quote in my high school yearbook.

It’s essentially a fancy, flowery way of saying, “be yourself,” but it’s some of the best advice to give someone, and to receive. It may sound cliche, but when you relax and be yourself, you remain true to your vision, passion, beliefs and journey.

Right now, my biggest non-school concern is the job search. Reading so many job descriptions and application requirements each day is tiresome and soon enough, it all starts to blur together. Sometimes, I read descriptions and I’ve got everything the job asks for; more often, though, I’ve got 3-5 qualities or skills the job asks for, and the rest, I’m either familiar with but have never done, or I’m not familiar with it at all. It’s so easy to think, “Oh, well, I don’t have that, that, or that, so I shouldn’t apply for this position.” I can’t sell myself short. I know I’m capable of learning new skills, so I shouldn’t push it aside just because of a fear of inadequacy. If I sell myself short, I’m not being true to my personality and abilities.

Whether it’s the job search, a project at school, or pursuing a new passion or hobby, staying true to yourself is key to being happy and successful in your endeavors.

How do you stay true to yourself? How do you combat selling yourself short? How do you stay focused and motivated?

Motivation Monday: Never Stop Learning

By Leave a Comment

Happy Monday, friends! I hope y’all had a lovely Easter weekend and got to spend time with your family and loved ones. My parents made a quick trip down to North Carolina for the weekend, and I’m so glad I got to see them, even if it was only a short visit. And now I’m back on the blog with some motivational thoughts for your Monday.
I joke a lot that, when I finish my Master’s degree, I’m done with school. While I do love learning new things and expanding my knowledge on a variety of subjects and skills, I’ve been in school since I was five years old. But just because I’m not in school or in a classroom doesn’t mean I can’t keep learning and acquiring new skills or discovering new talents.

 

When I start my first job after school, I know I’m not going to be an expert on everything that’s in my job description. There will also be things later added to my job description that I’m not familiar with: maybe a new software program, or new analytics to study. Or maybe sometimes I’ll want to learn something that’s related to my work that will help down the road, or brush up on a skill I haven’t used in a while. I may not always have “homework” in the traditional sense, but I’ll have to keep up with the reading so I’m always familiar with what’s happening at my job and in my industry.
Outside of school and work, I’ve always kept myself busy with activities that aren’t related to what I’m doing professionally or academically. I don’t plan to stop that after I finish school. I want to continue growing my blog. I want to take some cooking classes (or maybe cake decorating). I want to learn the arts of watercolor painting and calligraphy (more than just trying to copy what I see on Pinterest). Maybe I’ll finally learn guitar the right way, rather than reading chord charts online and strumming along. Who knows, maybe I’ve got another talent that I haven’t yet discovered. How will I know if I don’t try and attempt to learn something new?
My insatiable thirst for knowledge will never run dry. Just because I don’t sit at a desk and take notes in a lecture doesn’t mean I’m not learning something new every day. In fact, I want that to be one of my life goals: to never go a day without learning something new. It’ll keep my mind active, and keep me entertained outside of my career.
Although, they do say, “never say never.” I never know, another degree might be my calling later in my life.
How do you feel about continuing to learn and grow, even after you’ve finished formal education? 

Poetry Friday: The Waste Land

By Leave a Comment

Here’s my first poetry feature for National Poetry Month! 
Somehow I made it through high school without reading T.S. Eliot’s famous work The Waste Land. In fact, I didn’t read it until my senior year of college in a modern poetry class. At first I dreaded it; my friends who went to other high schools who read it always complained about how difficult and dense it is.

Then I read it, guided by one of the best professors I ever had in college, and oh my goodness, y’all. My eyes were opened.

Sure, parts of it were really dense and difficult. But there were sections that I absolutely loved and still read every now and then. One such section comes in part V, “What the Thunder Said.”

 

That whole section spoke to me so much. In life, we all experience moments of surrender when we realize or embrace something or someone new. Those moments may require us to give up certain things or to step out of our comfort zones and face an unfamiliar situation. Moments like…moving in with a romantic partner. Saying “yes” to a new job and having to relocate. Realizing that an old relationship wasn’t safe and that maybe it’s affected you more than you thought. Facing your fear head on. Going skydiving. Riding a rollercoaster.
But, as Eliot says a line later, we are defined by these moments, and I believe we are even further defined by how we respond to them and carry ourselves going forward. Only you can decide how such moments affect your life.

I could say so much more about this passage, but I will leave it there and for y’all to interpret, too. The Waste Land is truly one of the most beautiful and captivating pieces of literature in our cannon and I can’t believe it took me until I was 21 to read it.

Want to read the whole Waste Land poem? Check it out here. Be warned, though – it is long! 

Motivation Monday: Be an Optimist

By Leave a Comment

Happy Monday, y’all! How was everyone’s weekends? Mine was full of schoolwork and watching Friends on Netflix. And cooking…I made my own dinner Saturday night. I’m getting better at cooking! 

Today I want to talk about something my friends and I have had several conversations about lately: optimism and outlook. It’s a small thing that can make a world of difference. With the right mindset, there’s really nothing you can’t accomplish. Once you start seeing the opportunities for good or growth in a situation, that’s half the battle, and everything gets a little easier.


One night in my freshman year of college, I was feeling pretty down. I was still adjusting to my spring semester classes, my group of friends was shifting, and I was a tiny bit lonely because I still wasn’t sure who I could call my close friends. I was in need of some inspiration, so I Googled “quotes about being happy.” This Winston Churchill quote was one of the first results. I immediately wrote it down on a sticky note and taped it on my bookshelf.
Winston Churchill was a brilliant man and always had some great wisdom to share. I love this quote in particular because it’s so true. Even though some situations may seem loaded with difficulties and hardships, and you might feel like you’ll never make it out alive, there’s always an opportunity or benefit or good experience hidden somewhere in there. If you start your day thinking, “Ugh, today is going to suck, there’s just no doubt,” then your day probably will suck! Starting your day with a more positive outlook makes all the difference. I actually shared this quote with my boyfriend Kevin a couple weeks ago, after he’d had a hard day at work. I still have that same sticky note on my bulletin board at home!

How do you remind yourself to be optimistic and see the opportunities instead of the difficulties?

css.php