Random Pieces of Advice from Me to You

Happy Thursday!!! I am finding myself yet again in need of editing several drafts that don’t seem fit for the current week for whatever reason, so I’m just here to give you some snippets of advice today. Little phrases that have been going through my head lately. Things I feel passionate about and believe in.

Number one is, be the kind of friend you want to have.

I have heard this before, although I am not sure where -maybe various places- and don’t know if it’s really a quote that one person is famous for, so I can’t really give credit to anyone for it. But it’s very much like the “golden rule,” which comes from Jesus’ teaching in Luke 6:31: “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

If you expect something specific from your friends, whether it’s initiating hanging out or encouragement when you’re down or really anything, you should be doing it for them. Imagine your ideal best friend, then be it to the best of your ability! This is also applicable for those who are seeking friends; be the kind of friend you want to find to new people, too!

My second thought is this: Don’t complain about something that’s out of your control, or, if there is something you could do about but choose not to. My initial thoughts on this one is that it’s wrong to complain in the first place, but besides that, who wants to hear someone complaining all the time, especially about one or two things repetitively? How is complaining going to help the situation? We see it all the time in our world- complaining about things from the weather (which is completely out of our control) to the government’s decisions (which isn’t as much out of our control; not only can we vote, but we could go run for offices ourselves!), down to the things that happen to us that are natural consequences of our actions and behaviors (things that we brought upon ourselves). I think we all would be more pleasant people to be around if we didn’t complain so much!

One of my favorite quotes from Anne of Green Gables, which I have mentioned on this blog before is this: “It’s not what the world holds for you, it’s what you bring to it.”

I often remind myself of this quote. To me, it means that I shouldn’t be seeking what I can get out of the world or other people (material possessions, lots of friends, or social media followers, for example), but rather what I can do for others (giving gifts, being a good, true friend or befriending someone instead of waiting for someone to befriend me, and supporting others’ accomplishments, to name a few). I don’t want to live life trying to gain for myself. I want to bring light into the world. I want to do good works for others, and make them feel special, seen, and loved. And as followers of the Lord, we truly do have power that comes from Him that can and will make a real difference in the world. We can shine true light. To me, this quote isn’t just about what we can bring into the world by ourselves, in our own strength, but -if you’re a believer- about what we can bring with God’s help and power. It takes a lot of time and effort to chase after what we want, but that is time and effort we could be putting into serving the Lord and those around us!

This one isn’t so much advice as encouragement, but here it is: Dreams do come true! I don’t think this is really a quote itself either with one person to give credit to, although I feel like I can hear Cinderella saying it for some reason. Lol! (She is my favorite princess…)

Anyway, I’ve done a lot of reflecting lately, and looking back over this past year has made me come to a firm realization that some of my dreams have really come true! Not all of them yet, not my biggest ones yet, but specifically one of them: I am a teacher!

I always wanted to be a teacher. Or at least, as far as I can remember, anyway. To my young mind when I was a child, I probably imagined that meaning being a full-time schoolteacher with a regular-sized class in a traditional school. At later points in my childhood I remember wanting to be a dance teacher, Sunday school teacher, and a homeschool teacher too. And while my ideas of being a teacher have shifted somewhat, I have still always had that dream of simply being a teacher. And now it’s come true; I currently homeschool my niece and I work at an early learning center! I also have had other experiences in teaching, like filling in for a toddler dance class a few times and volunteering in kids ministry! Looking back has helped me see how wonderful and amazing God is in orchestrating everything! It makes me excited for the future and what the present will lead to. And it encourages me to hold onto hope that the rest of my dreams will come true!

The world has a lot to say about dreams and how to achieve them, and I could write an entire post on my thoughts and beliefs about “dreams,” but what I wanted to say today is that dreams really do come true, even if some think it’s a fantasy or unrealistic. Mine have finally started to come true. But the credit is not due to me; God is the One with the plans, the power, the purposes, the promises. He’s the One who can make your dreams come true!

‘Til next time!

That’s all for today. I know these thoughts weren’t really related to one another, but they’ve just been on my mind and I thought that’s what I could share with you off the top of my head this week! Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up on editing and writing later this week. If you want a post on my thoughts about dreams/dreams coming true, let me know! I hope you have a beautiful day! (-: <3