be happy

when you stop thinking of everything as a competition, life becomes so much more enjoyable. i don't know where it stems from (perhaps it really is darwinism and natural selection at work), but for some reason socialization in the modern world makes us very competitive beings. it makes us look to our peers to gauge our standing in life.

i'm only starting to realize this myself, but when you stop comparing yourself to others, everything in life becomes that much easier. if you stop and think about it, it doesn't make any sense to compare yourself to others: no two people are the same. your genes, your culture, your set of values and socio-economic status all work together to make you and your situation in life completely unique. to compare yourself to a classmate or a friend will be like comparing an apple to an orange. this is why you have to set your own bar for what you will consider to be your successes and failures. :)

so anyways, already a month has passed into the new year. time doesn't slow down. i can't wait for spring, when the flowers start blooming again and the weather is nice and breezy. and for summer when my big change will go into effect. so excited!!!!

"everything tells me that i am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. what does the world want of me? does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where i came from because i didn't have the courage to say "yes" to life?" — paulo coelho


i've been dressing like a lumberjack (flannels, jeans, and moccasins). lately i've just been unwilling to put that extra effort into prettifying myself.