"Vienna Waits For You" | Stressing About the Future

Hello lovely reader! I hope you are doing well. This is kind of a spur of the moment post but I feel that it may be something that many of you can relate to. Lately I have been feeling very stressed, stressed about the future. The decisions that I am starting to have to make and consider are definitely "adult-life" decisions. From looking for internships in the fashion industry and thinking about how this will affect my career path goals, the future is starting to seem more daunting than it did maybe a year ago.

I think a lot of this stress comes from pressure I put on myself, I dream big and have high aspirations for what I want the future to bring, and now that the time has come to start choosing the stones that I will use to create my path, I'm worried about making the wrong decision. I've always been so excited to get out of school and get into the industry, pedal to the medal ready to go, but now that these times are approaching, I feel afraid to shift the gears and drive. Self-doubt starts to creep in, I want everything to work out but I know that the future is unknown. The countless stories I hear from people who are in the industry about how their career path was no where near what they thought about when they were in school is something that I have to keep reminding myself. My parents and those around me are continually telling me to calm down and slow down with all my worries and thoughts of the future, stay present and enjoy where I'm at now. So keeping all of this in mind, the other day I was driving and the song "Vienna" by Billy Joel, (Ariana Grande's cover to be specific) came on. I have always loved this song but as I listened to the lyrics line by line, I couldn't help but think they well were perfectly describing exactly where I was at and how I was feeling. When I got back to my apartment I looked up the meaning behind the song and found this,

• On another Howard Stern appearance Joel said that the song came to him very quickly, in what he called "a Promethean moment." Describing his message in the song, he explained: "It was an observation that you have your whole life to live. I lot of people in their 20s think they have to get it all together by their 30s and they kill themselves trying to get the golden ring. You have an entire life to live. The lyrics, 'slow down you crazy child' - in other words, you have a whole life. We tend to put older people away, and it's all about young people. Well, wait a minute, why do I have this whole lifespan? What's the point of it? Some people will get there sooner, and some people will get there later. Slow down, you're going to be fine. No matter what you do, be good at it, and whenever you get there, you get there." -Source

Mr. Joel's explanation of his song could not describe what I had been needing to be reminded any better. The feeling like you've got to have it all together, yup pretty much me. This is one of the reasons why I love music, I have loved this song for years but it wasn't until the other day that it truly had meaning to me and I felt like I "got it"! It was perfectly describing what I had been feeling. Yes, the future is coming, but all my worries about what my life is going to be in the next five years and ten years needs to slow down! Things will happen as they are meant to and I will get to where I'm meant to be when the time is right and how it is meant to happen. I also remind myself that I am blessed to have the opportunities that are causing me stress! There are two quotes that I have learned that I truly believe and try to remind myself in times when I let worries about the future takeover,

I invite you to take a listen to the song and check out the lyrics.

Ariana Grande's Cover


So if you have felt this way I would love for you to share your experiences or advice for other readers! And if you are currently feeling this way, try to remind yourself of those two quotes and remember the lyrics of Mr. Billy Joel! Just be, the future will happen as it is meant to and in its own timing. Xx

Cheeky Quote Tuesday

No FOMO, Live Your Own College Experience | College Life

Hi lovely readers! Today's post is the first of it's kind and hopefully not the last. I want to think of these posts as an open journal all about "college life", both for me and for you. I would love this to be a space where we can share advice and experiences to help each other out, as I am sure that many of us have gone through and are going through many of the same things. "Sharing is caring" and I want to use this platform to do just that.

So the topic I want to talk about today is FOMO otherwise known as the "Fear of Missing Out" in relation to focusing on yourself. This may not make sense so let me explain, I feel like for many college students FOMO is ever present and affects the way they live their lives. People feeling like they have to go to this party or join that club because if they don't they're going to be missing out on something, even if they're not actually interested. If this sounds like something you are experiencing, I would like to encourage you to do one thing, think about if what you are doing is because you want to do it or because it is what everyone else is doing. Within the last year, being on my own for the first time, I have become a lot more self aware. I know what I like, what I don't like, situations I am comfortable with, and situations that I am not. I have realized that it can make a world of a difference if you simply focus on yourself and what makes you happy, what you enjoy and are passionate about, rather than just going along with everyone else. I want you lovely lot to know that putting yourself first and not worrying about what other people are doing is okay! In fact it is more than okay, it is a key to one of the sometimes many locks of your own personal happiness. You are the only person who gets to live your life! So why not make it the happiest and the best it can be? Everyone has a different idea of how one should live out their college experience. But you need to live out your own college experience, not someone else's.

I am not a partier, I go to a school where many people are. I don't have a problem with people who are or aren't, you do you and I'll do me. Does everyone else look at others this way? No, I know some people look at me differently because I don't choose to live my life in the stereotypical "college kid" way. They don't understand it because it is different from their "ideal college adventure". "Aren't you afraid of what your missing?" No, quite frankly I'm not, what you are doing isn't appealing to me and I'm happy with what I am doing. In relation to partying specifically, I will say this, just because other people are going out and partying on a Friday night, and you would rather stay in does not make you "lame", "a loser", or a "goody goody". All those things are other people's perceptions and if that's what they want to think than their opinions aren't worth worrying about and they shouldn't care in the first place because it doesn't rock their world one bit. I don't really have FOMO because I know that I am doing what I want to do, living my life how I want to live it! Yes, it can be hard at times and feeling like an outsider may happen, but just step back and think, "If I could mute everyone else's opinions, am I happy with my life right now? Am I enjoying the things that I am doing?" If so then you're on the right track, living for you.

I wanted to share this because I know it can be hard if what you're into or not into is different from what most people around you are. I have been in school for almost a year and a half, and I have just finally met someone last month who has a lot of the same views on things as I do and it's great! Having someone you feel like you can totally relate to makes you feel so much better and way less isolated. So don't give up hope that you're the "only one", you may happen upon someone who feels the exact same way as you, just when you least expect it. I know it sounds cheesy but it literally just happened to me.

I hope this post was beneficial and I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's what I hope these types of posts can be, a space for relating and sharing. Hopefully if you have struggled with similar situations or are currently, the comments can be a place to share advice and tips. Also, if it's not something you want to put out there, my email is up in the contacts or even if you want to DM me on Twitter, please feel free! It may seem a bit odd and I know I'm no expert, but I'd love to be of any help that I can. Have a great week everyone! Xx

Lovely Weather | iPhone Snaps

Hello lovely reader! I hope you are doing well. Hard to believe that its already April! I could not be more ready for summer. Spring weather has been making a few guest appearances here and there and I have been taking full advantage of it, hopefully you are too!

I haven't had one of these types of posts in a while so I thought it would be nice. Of course I always have my phone with me and some moments are just too blog worthy not to take. So here's a look into my last month. 

Mini outdoor picnic with Pita chips, hummus, and friends is always a good idea. If anything this type of weather makes me want to just relax and not have to do anything, unfortunately that is not the case!

Brunch at an adorable little diner, where the omelets are sooo delicious. A ham & cheese omelet with toast is my go to order. Yum!

Again, impromptu picnics are necessary because you never know how long the nice weather will last. Whales crackers are also a nice touch (anyone else find these super addicting once you start eating them?)

Plain bagel with honey almond cream cheese? Yes please!

The quality of this pic does not do it justice but the sky was gorgeous that evening!!

What types of pics have you been taking? Xx

5 Things I've Learned So Far While Being at College/University

Hey lovely reader! It seems like forever since I've done a post but as you read in my last post, I've been a bit busy. However, I've got some time now, so I figured I'd put this post together. Throughout my weeks here I've been making a list of things to share with you. So whether you're new to it all like me, an old pro at this whole college thing or neither of the two, enjoy! 

1. There really is ALWAYS something going on 

This is so true! Now, before I got here people would always say "Oh there's tons of things going on all the time!" and give you the speech about how you have all this free time in college to do fun things and I was like, ya ok. But it's actually true. Almost everyday there's a different type of fair, or after dark event, even free outdoor movies. I've gone to a bunch of them which is something I normally wouldn't do, but I have and I'm glad I did. If I can go out to these things and enjoy them you can too. Now that doesn't mean you have to stay the whole time, which I think is one thing that has helped me. Before I wouldn't want to go to things because I'd be afraid I wouldn't like it and then be trapped there, and that whole thought process made me quite anxious. But in college it's not like that at all. You can go and check it out and if you like it, stay, if you don't, you can leave. I would really encourage you to just give things a try. That can be applied to anything in life really and it's something I'm trying to work on. 

2. Planners are key

This is a big one. It is so necessary to be organized! When you get your syllabus, go through, a month or two at a time and write down all the due dates that the teacher gives you. It will keep you on track because not all of the teachers are going to be constantly reminding you that there's a paper due tomorrow or your exam is next week. It can alleviate a lot of stress to know that you've got it down. 

3. Calm is Contagious

This may seem kind of random but let me explain. Last summer I saw a man give a speech and in it he talked about this phrase "Calm is Contagious". It basically means what is says, if you're calm in situations, the people around you are going to feed off of that. Personally, I think this is one of the reasons I've done so well so far with being away from home and my "normal". The people who I've met and have become friends with are calm. They aren't crying or talking about how homesick they are, so in turn I don't think about it either. When building new friendships, surround yourself with people who make you feel at ease. 

4. You get to make your own decisions (go with your gut)

This one is pretty self explanatory, but trust your intuition. If you don't feel comfortable doing something then don't do it. It's okay to say "Hey this isn't really for me". I've done that a couple of times now just with simple situations like signing up for clubs. I went with my friend and she wanted to join a club that I really wasn't into, I had told her that I would go to the meeting with her just to check it out but the more I thought about it the more anxious I began to feel. So instead of going and feeling anxious, I just said she could go and I'd wait for her. No harm done! That's another thing that kind of goes along with this is to be yourself when meeting knew people. It can be kind of tricky at first because you may be worried of what people will think of you if you do or don't do something, when in reality the other person probably won't think anything of it. I was going to try to go along with my new friend to make her happy but the more I thought about it, I knew it just wasn't me. So I told her that and she was fine with it. So be yourself and everything will be fine!

5. Getting involved is good

This last one is a bit ironic for me to be saying because if you knew me about two years ago you'd know that I was never the person preaching about getting involved. I'm an introvert so putting myself out there isn't always my first choice, but the last year or so I have done a lot and definitely been more involved in things than ever and it's been really good. So when I came to college I knew there where tons of ways to get involved but I had no idea what I would do. Luckily the girl that I have become pretty close with, is massively into getting involved and we've signed up for two or three different organizations and clubs already. I'm excited because it's stuff I want to do and am interested in. We found out about them through flyers around campus and emails. Most schools also have a website that has all of the clubs on it, some even divided by interest. I think this is also one of the reasons that I've done so well being away. I've kept busy! I don't have time to sit and think about missing home, I'm focused on what I get to do and the cool things that the clubs have planned. 

I realize this was a bit of a soap box post but as I've said before, for me it helps to read things from other people and be able to relate or feel inspired so hopefully you do too.

Do you have any tips you would add to this list? Xx

What I've Been Up To | Life Update

Hi lovely reader! Long time no post I know. First off, let me just say thank you to the people who read "Not Exactly Plain Jane", I am so happy with how the blogging world has been treating me. Since it is going so well, I thought it would be fitting to share a little bit more about me, gradually of course, because I know that when I read blogs I'm interested in the people who are writing them too. So today I'm going to do just that, a bit more of a lifestyle post.

As you may be able to tell I haven't been posting as frequently as I usually do. The reason for this is that I am now at college or university (whichever you say). Now I'm not going to lie to you and say "OMG I was so excited to go" or "I've been waiting for this all summer" because in all honesty, I really haven't. I've been quite scared and massively anxious, the thought of going away to school made me feel sick. I also have some anxiety issues, but I'll save that for another post. None of my close friends are here so in a way I'm starting all over. This idea terrified me but also excited me deep down. So the amount of stress and preparation has led to fewer posts this last week. I apologize but I know many of you will understand. 

Now that I have been here for a little while, I quite honestly, I'm proud of myself. I've done more things recently than I would have before and I've enjoyed it. I'm pushing myself to take steps outside my comfort zone, even if they're little. Do I feel 100% comfortable here and ready to go? No not at all, I'm still scared and unsure, but I'm taking things one day at a time, and thinking that way has made a massive difference. Since I am away, it may mean that I won't be able to do some of the posts I have in the past as often (mainly hauls or OOTDS), but I have already been brainstorming some new types of posts.

So if you are starting any type of school, job, or new experience that you are worried or anxious about, remember that you are not alone! (If you ever want someone to talk to, the comment section or my email is a great place, I'd even be happy to chat on twitter!) 

Have a fantastic weekend! Xx