A book that totally changed my perspective

Recently, I went through a couple of months where I had almost no motivation. You can read a little more about that here. But then I read a great, inspirational book that really helped me dig myself out of the slump I was in.

That book was You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, by Jen Sincero. Now, normally I'm not the type of person to pick up a self-help book. Or even read a self-help article online. But this one was different.

When I first started reading it, I was little skeptical, but she writes in the first few pages that for this book to work, you have to keep an open mind. And it's true, you do. Sincero writes in such a genuine way that it's hard to feel bad about yourself for reading it. It's like a virtual ass-kicking that you just need sometimes.

Within the book it goes over things like money and weight loss, but what I really needed was just to hear that I can do it. There was no specific "it" that I couldn't do or needed to do; I just really needed some pushing. I went through the book, did the activities instructed, and it really changed me.

Now, I can't say I do everything I was instructed to continue doing, like writing out mantras and things, but I do think about the advice in the book almost every day. Her basic idea is that you have to live the life you want to live. You can't wallow in your lack of money and expect money to come flying at you. And that really spoke to me. I can't sit around thinking about how unmotivated I am and expect motivation to magically appear. So since I finished reading it, I've thought about the advice in the book. I've been taking steps to keep my motivation and ambition, working to keep myself ready for whatever comes next for me, and I must say, it's been work but it's also been well worth it.

5 Reasons you should schedule alone time while traveling

It's no secret that I love traveling with people. I've gone with family, friends, and even school trips across the world. Even with all of this variety, the #1 thing I've learned about planning trips is to plan for alone time.

If you're in a big group, maybe that alone time is just time in a smaller group, or maybe it truly is alone. In any form, getting away from the whole group for a while can be insanely helpful, and possibly the thing that keeps you from losing your mind. So here's why you should do it:

1.  No one can handle socializing constantly for days on end.
   Unless you can, then that's cool. But most of us need a little time to destress from the constant discussion of what you're seeing & how wonderful the trip is (or how unpleasant it is, in which case you definitely need a break).
2. Exploring alone helps you grow.
   I know it sounds cheesy, but sometimes it's just better to go through a thousand-year-old cathedral alone and absorb the beauty and sentiment without having to discuss it with others. 
3. It's empowering.
   Once you realize you can take on the world alone (or at least a piece of it), you realize you can do anything. The first time I went off on my own in a foreign city I was scared to death, but when I understood how good it felt to do it all alone I felt on top of the world.
4. You're traveling to feed your own wanderlust, not everyone else's.
   Unless you're only on the trip because someone dragged you along, then maybe you are traveling for them. Generally, though, you're there to help yourself. To be immersed in culture, to see the world. Don't settle for less than what you want. Feed your appetite. Don't just do enough to tide you over until next time, traveling isn't like a 3pm snack; it's the whole meal. 
5. It's your trip, make it what you want it.
   Yes, compromise is a great thing, but sometimes you just have to do what you want to do. If you're in Paris and you're the only one who wants to see the Catacombs, then go see them! It's not every day you get to see things like that, don't miss them.