Rule #1: Never let yourself get hangry

I think that one of my revelations through this project has been that my personal definition of maturity is the ability to focus on your "big picture". Often this involves delayed gratification, but the ability to make choices that benefit your "big picture" is what makes you more mature, and most of the time, happier. For example, should you go out partying or stay in and study for an exam the next day? The mature decision is pretty obvious here, but it means putting off the instant gratification of having fun at the party. Still, there are always other parties, but you probably can't retake the exam. This is just one example, but for me, it applies to a lot of things. Sure, that entire tin of cupcakes looks delicious, but in the end it will make me feel like hell to say, eat five of them at 3 am and won't do great things for my waistline either.

So, what is your big picture? Mine involves the typical dreams of a wonderful family in a beautiful house in a place that I love to live, but it also involves being heavily involved in theatre, having a successful career as an ASL interpreter, and somehow creating all of the food dishes I see on Pinterest while still managing to look like Charlize Theron until I'm 60. Screw it, I'd stand for looking like her now.

In summary, I'm a pretty typical woman in my late twenties wanting it all, as they say. And for me this means keeping my eyes on the prize. Sure, there's gonna be slip-ups. There's gonna be times when your only dinner utensiles are a spoon and a jar of peanut butter. But overall, you've gotta always think of what will help your overall happiness, not your immediate happiness. This often means letting things go, giving things up, and putting down the spoonful of cookie dough.

clean it up :)
do it right :)
let it go :/
move more :)
eat right :)
act energetic :)

"You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you."~Maya Angelou

photo by http://www.armypictorialcenter.com/the_big_picture.htm