Category Archives: #LifeGoals

Learning a New Language

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Learning a new language can be very beneficial, but it can also be one of the most challenging endeavors. When I had to fulfill my high school graduation requirements by taking Spanish this summer, it was quite tough. I decided to take my Spanish class at my local community college because my school offers dual enrollment for the summer. I could provide more details about this whole experience, but that would take a long time.

Honestly, it was worth it because now I got it out of the way, but I was so bad at all of it that I had to contact a lot of my Spanish-speaking friends to help me. It was a difficult couple of weeks, I will admit.

Writing about that experience also helped me get introduced to the fact that learning a new language so late in life is very difficult, I mean usually when we get good at something, most of us start off young. An example would be that I have been dancing since I was a kid, I practiced a lot and went to classes but at the same time, I honed that and now I can confidently say that I can dance.

Speaking another language is a similar concept. I must admit, people my age who know more than just one language are impressive! But then I remember that it’s never too late to learn something new. I know that if I truly try hard enough, I can fully learn another language. All I need is the right mindset and the proper resources.

Rethinking my New Year Resolutions

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Can you believe it’s already a couple of months into 2024? If you like me and have a list of New Year resolutions to accomplish this year, you will understand what I’m going through. Reflecting on the resolutions I set for myself at the beginning of the year, I’m disappointed. 

As a teen, I’m no stranger to the ebb and flow of enthusiasm that comes with goal-setting. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, I was excited, armed with a list of resolutions I was convinced would transform my life, maybe just a little.

Yet, as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, that initial spark of determination began to flicker. School assignments piled up, extracurricular activities demanded more of my time, and the daily grind of teenage life overshadowed my lofty aspirations.

It wasn’t until recently that I took a step back to reassess where I stood with my resolutions. Sitting down with my journal, I flipped through the pages, revisiting the goals I had written down with such fervor months ago. Some seemed laughably unrealistic now, while others felt attainable with some recalibration.

One resolution that stood out to me was my commitment to prioritize self-care. I neglected my well-being in the craziness of school, friends, and obligations. Late nights cramming for exams had become the norm, and exercise had taken a backseat to whatever needed to be done. I realized I needed to prioritize self-care to thrive and not just survive.

So, I started small. I set a bedtime for myself and stuck to it religiously, no matter how tempting it was to stay up late scrolling through social media. I put time into my schedule for exercise, whether going for a run or practicing yoga in my bedroom. Most importantly, I learned to say no to activities that drained me mentally and emotionally, choosing instead to spend my time on things that brought me joy, fulfillment, and a bit of relaxation.

Another resolution that needed a bit of tweaking was my goal to improve my grades. While aiming for straight A’s sounded impressive in theory, the reality was that I was spreading myself too thin trying to excel in every subject. Instead, I focused on critical areas where I could improve significantly. I sought extra help from teachers, formed study groups with classmates, and adopted better time management strategies to stay on top of my assignments.

Reflecting on my journey over the past few months, I realize that the key to success lies not in grandiose gestures or sweeping declarations but in our small, everyday choices. It’s about showing up for ourselves, even when it’s hard, and adapting and evolving as we grow. So here I am, rekindling the flame of my New Year’s resolutions, armed with a newfound sense of purpose and determination to make the most of the rest of this year. I hope you also rethink your New Year resolution so it brings you the joy of a little victory every day.

If you need help starting or know what to do with a healthy way to set goals and resolve them, I invite you to check out some of these books from the Library.

Total Teen, Tracy Anderson’s Guide to Health, Happiness and Ruling Your World.

You, the Owner’s Manual for Teens

A Guide to A Healthy Body and Happy Life

The Secret to Teen Power by Harrington, Paul

The Self-esteem Habit for Teens

50 Simple Ways to Build Your Confidence Every Day by Schab, Lisa M.

Here’s to everyday victory!

Bella H

Next Year Jitters

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Whether you’re going into high school, Junior year, or Senior year, then obviously it’s going to be scary. As a sophomore who is going into Junior year, there are so many nerves that are just happening all at once. Especially now that you have to try harder in your academics for potential colleges and careers. One thing I’m glad I know though is that I’m not going through this whole feeling alone, so it gives me that sense of comfort. I asked a lot of my friends these questions about what they’re going to be doing for their classes next year and every response I get makes it seem like they have it all figured out, which I have to admit, I’m a bit jealous of.

It’s not that I know what I’m walking into next year in terms of academic courses, but it also runs down to the fact of how I’m going to handle it. One thing I tend to notice about myself is that I don’t know how to handle pressure, which is a skill I desperately need to work on, but at the same time, how does that benefit me for next year? Because I know that this year (or whatever grade you’re in now) determines a good portion of your life. I know everyone has their way of coping with certain situations, but there would also be a lot of doubt when I feel the walls closing in. Maybe it’s because of fight or flight reaction..?

I know a lot of schools right now are getting out for the summer right now, but thinking about next year kind of makes you think in a new light. How everything in your school career has gone into this very moment of now. Moving into the next grade and all that good stuff, embracing new and old peers, learning new subjects, it all seems a bit surreal. I could probably just be ranting here but the whole moving up to another level of school is very dawning, it just occurred to me that I’m entering junior year next year and mentally, I am not ready in the slightest.

But, I also think about the new things I will be enduring too, because high school is an experience that you can experiment with both the good and the bad at the same time, so it gives that good reflection too! I would say I’ve enjoyed these past two years so far, and it’s also nice to know that I’m in the same boat with a lot of people too. It’s sad but true, school does get harder as you go, but the only way we can actually persevere through the trials and tribulations is just to dive in head first and put in the work to make it all worth it.

Together4Teens on April 13

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Join the library, the City of Mission Viejo, and other local groups for this great event for teens and their parents!

Earn community service credit while attending valuable workshops. There will be a resource fair plus a complimentary lunch. Don’t miss the guest speaker, Larissa May!

For more details, see the program here.

SMART Goals!

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The first month of the new year, 2024, comes to an end but it is still not too late to make 2024 resolutions! Goals are hard to set and achieve especially if it’s hard for you to commit to long-term stuff, but using SMART can help you achieve the goals for 2024 whether it be to lose weight, get better grades, or even start meditating. So what does SMART stand for?

S – Specific

The S in SMART means “specific.” This means that your goal has to be specific and it can not be broad. You can be more specific with your goal by using the 5 W’s: who, where, what, and why. You can also use how in this when making your goal. An example of being specific is instead of saying,“My goal is to get better grades,” you can say “My goal is to turn my grades from C’s to A’s for the second semester of high school.”

M – Measurable

The M in SMART means “measurable.” This means that your goal has to be measurable. By being measurable, it means that you can track your progress. If your goal was to lose weight, you could track your weight on a scale at the end of each week. 

A –  Attainable

The A in SMART means “attainable.” This means that your goal should be attainable and not impossible. You can state how this goal is attainable. For example, if your goal is to start getting a better sleeping schedule, you can eliminate some distractions, such as going on your device before you sleep, so the goal is attainable. 

R – Realistic

The R in SMART means “realistic.”This means that you should be realistic in making your goal and that it can be achieved within the amount of time. Ask yourself questions such as “How will I complete this goal by the end of the year?” so that you can be realistic with making your goals. 

T – Timely

The T in SMART means “timely.” This means how you will time your progress. You can time your progress in various ways such as writing down in your planner every week or daily to achieve your goal. For timely, you have to write down how you’re going to time your progress. An example of this could be that you will read 2 books to 5 more books than last year by December 31st, 2024. 

This is really helpful and I apologize if my explanation was not clear enough but this has helped me a lot. I had to make a goal for my English class and although I was obligated to do the assignment, it actually is really helpful for I have stayed consistent with my goals for the new year. So if you really want to be productive and achieve goals for 2024, I recommend using the SMART method.

“Marie Kondoing” Your Room

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Now, I am going to assume that not everyone knows who Marie Kondo is. Marie Kondo is a Japanese woman who has various TV shows and books about organization. My mother, along with many other moms, has watched one of her shows at one point or another. So when I talk about ¨Marie Kondoing¨ my room, I mean cleaning and organizing my room. Even though, and I will admit, I don’t particularly like cleaning/organizing in my free time, I did when I was super bored one day. The results of my cleaning, I am extremely happy about. So here are the pros of cleaning my room:

  • Less cluttered. It doesn’t feel suffocating to be in my room.
  • More space. There is more space for future items, and just space. The space is so nice to have in a room.
  • Getting rid of stuff. I found so much stuff in my room that I honestly have no idea was there. I found the container of an old marker making machine, a rock, empty paint tubes and a 3D pen. Random stuff. 
  • Finding things that I like. I found a pair of new(ish) shoes from my mother and a coil of LED lights.
  • Decorating. I used the stuff I found to decorate my closet and my desk

AND FINALLY

  • It makes me feel more calm and mature. My room feels lighter and it makes me feel less anxious. It makes me feel more chill.

The method I used to clean my room was the Marie Kondo way, which involves feelings. What you do is hold up each item and ask yourself, ¨Does this bring me joy? Does it have a purpose or a reason?¨ Doing this, I realized how much stuff I had that was useless and brought me no joy whatsoever. 

My now clean room makes me feel ready for the school year and all the stress that comes with it. I really recommend cleaning your room for a less cluttered mind and a more calm mindset. 

Books by Marie Kondo are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Does A Perfect Day Really Exist?

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This is just a short little post of me thinking about life, but a question that has been on my mind lately is “does a perfect day really exist?” What even is perfect?

Some sources on the internet say that a perfect day happens when ‘everything goes just the way you’ve planned it to be’, and I guess that is possible- to an extent. Can every little detail really go the way you’ve planned it to be? I don’t believe in perfect days, but I do believe that some people who consider themselves to have perfect days don’t really have perfect days, but rather happier and more positive mindsets. Though on that note, I think that if you want to at least have an okay day, you need to have some general conditions/expectations set in place that you want to be vaguely fulfilled. Those expectations also need to be reasonable because you can’t just claim that you need the atmosphere to be 62 degrees Fahrenheit at 10:31 AM to have a perfect day (even though nobody would probably do that). The weather has its own agenda going on for itself.

I have tried to have perfect days on purpose, and it never works, at least in my experience. In fact, things seem to go even more wrong when I’m consciously focused on doing them right. In the rare occasion in which things do spontaneously go according to plan, I’m always interrupted by some thought or event that doesn’t exactly ruin my day, but ruins my ‘rhythm’ (not my mood, they’re kind of different, I can’t really explain it!). The event wouldn’t even necessarily have to be bad, but more of something I wouldn’t have been expecting/wanting at that moment.

But I guess these average days are always just a reminder for me that life is real. Everyone and everything around us has its own plan, and the Earth doesn’t adapt to us- we need to adapt to it. So I think the key to having an above-average or at least a pretty good day is to try your best, surround yourself with everything that makes you happy, and live and love the mundane 🙂

Fulfilled

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75 Fulfillment Quotes on Life & Happiness (SPIRITUAL)

I used to be silly. I used to never have to worry much! I had what I needed. A Lot of the
time I didn’t even realize when things were wrong. I just didn’t care. I felt as light as a
feather. A young youthful child who simply didn’t have time for anyone else’s nonsense
or foolishness. I would talk to others not filled with much anxiety. My head wasn’t spinning. My brain wasn’t on the verge of exploding into a million pieces all at once. I was a kid.

Now I have more of a purpose. I have dreams and worries. I have people in my face telling me who I should or shouldn’t be. Sometimes it even feels like my destiny’s already chosen before I get the chance to speak.

I want to make my own decisions. Not letting others choose my path for
me. I want to feel happy and fulfilled. The feeling of winning the lottery. Or even just pure joy.
Having your work pay off. After the long nights of studying and sleeping. I want to be
successful. I’d do anything to make my parents proud of me. The feeling of being smart.
Being sure of yourself. Is something I’ll always strive for. Despite all the dreams and goals, I
hold myself up to. I don’t want to waste my life away behind a desk. I love learning new things.

But I want more in life. I want to be more than a person who goes to school just to go home and study. There’s so much more to my life than school. I don’t hate school. I hate killing time. Time is precious it’s something you can never get back no matter how much you beg or cry. It can run away from the tips of your fingers. It’s limited. And you never know when the clock will end. As much as I love making my parents proud. I have life. I have so much more to me.

I don’t wish to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of work, sleep, and eat repeatedly. I want to
live a life that’s meaningful. I want a real reason to be here. Even when things get rough. I want

a life that’s worth remembering. One that’s worth all the pain, stress, and troubles that come
along with living. I don’t want to be trapped in this box. One that most people see, to live the
rest of the entirety. I want to feel and be free. Not being held somewhere against my will. I don’t

want to be in an unhappy home. I wish to travel the seas! To discover missing parts and pieces of the world. I want to make a difference. I want to help others! I want to be someone, not just another body behind a desk. Not just another waste of space. Not just another hopeless girl. Not just some failure who wished but never did. I want to be. I will be someone who tried. Who does her best when it comes to everything and anything! No matter how impossible it may seem I can do it!

I want to be the sea against the storm. Staying in place no matter who or whatever comes in my way. Life has more of a purpose than sitting around waiting for one. Waiting for a miracle to fly out of the sky. Laying flat into your hands. When I leave earth I would like to know I left making a difference. I wish for better. Better for those who deserve it but never received it. Better for those who are struggling to fight for what they deserve. I am going to live a fulfilled life. One with not only purpose. But with meaning. I wish to be surrounded by those who matter to me. I will be the difference. I will do what I’ve always wanted to. I’ll stop caring what others think. I will live a carefree life. Filled with meaning. My special purpose. This time I won’t hide away like the sun in the rain. Yet I will soar above the clouds like a spaceship with no landing. Heading wherever the path takes me.

Investopedia

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Investopedia is a website that provides financial advice about stocks. There are countless sources that teach you how to invest. Also, you can look to Investopedia for information about how stocks are doing, as it shows if they are falling or rising. 

However, all of these aside, my favorite resource on Investopedia is the Stock Simulator. This feature allows users to “purchase” fake stocks with virtual money. This way, beginners along with more advanced stock owners can experience the stock market without having to risk their own money. 

In order to play this Stock Simulator, you only need to create an account with Investopedia. After you get that taken care of, the website is free to access. To start off, you are given 100,000 dollars (buying power) to purchase whichever stocks you would like. But, don’t worry, Investopedia also shows you if a stock’s value is projected to increase or decrease, and whether you should buy or sell the stock. Fortunately, Investopedia provides this type of help on purchasing stocks, so you can choose the right stocks to virtually invest in on the website. 

Some stocks that I have found to be successful on Investopedia and in the Stock Market recently (as of November 2022) are the Goldman Sachs Group Incorporation share and the stock of Costco Wholesale Corporation. 

If you’re interested in purchasing a share in a stock in real life, I highly suggest you try Investopedia first to research a bit about it. You can learn how to manage your stock as well as how to choose stocks wisely. Also, purchasing the stock in Investopedia before you buy in real life can help show you the patterns of that stock. Enjoy trading stocks on Investopedia!