US Road Trip!

Thats right guys! I may be going on a US Road Trip this summer!

I've wanted to travel forever and I actually think plans will work out! I think this summer is definitely going to be the busiest summer I've ever had.

I will vlog it all on my channel KickinItWithJess for anyone whos interested in our shenanigans:)

I decided to make a rough outline of what I'd like to see:

I'm most excited to see San Francisco, the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge:)

YOU are responsible for your successes and failures in life

Do you ever have those moments in life where you're not sure where your life is going? or maybe your not happy with the direction in which its going? or maybe your just stuck in a rut?
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling 100% at the moment, a think it's due to a little bit of everything. Growing up is scary, finding a career path your happy with and able to stick with is even scarier.

I'm not that type of girl that's happy with just one thing, I've always been indecisive all my life...which does not help in my career choices. Because of this, I've been feeling down about what exactly I want to do - and how to get there.

I searched on youtube some videos and this one seem to pop up:

At first, it was all the stuff I've heard before "you're in control of your destiny" "only you can do it" but as I listened on, he actually made some very good points. One of them being that he ranked how well we are able to take on challenges in our lives. He said that in our way of thinking, sometimes we think as victims. We constantly think up excuses as to why we can't do something. Secondly, above victims we have fighters (those that have conflicting positive and negative thoughts) then we have creators (those who create ways as to how something can be done instead of how something can't) and then we have people who are at peace. So basically, we are all at different levels in our lives, and sometimes when we see a challenge ahead that's blocking us from our goal and we see someone succeeding at it so easily, we may want to give up when in reality it just means that they are at a different level than us. It doesn't mean you can't get there too, you just have to work to get to that point.

Anyways, it's a great speech and would definitely listen to it when you need some encouraging:)

best wishes!

Living in the christmas spirit

Something happened today that was a great example of what the true meaning of Christmas is...and I thought I'd share it:)

Today I went Christmas shopping with my dad, brother, and I on a typical Saturday (Yes, we're crazy for going out the Saturday before Christmas haha...so maybe it wasn't a typical day) and before we left to come home, I ran in to get Starbucks for my dad and I. After returning with both hands full, and trying to open the car door, a nice lady comes up and opened the door for me to get in. I scrambled to say a thank you before sitting down...but I wanted to tell her how nice it was of her to do that. I think Christmas truly brings out the best in people, maybe it's just in my town or maybe this happens everywhere leading up to Christmas, but I've noticed it more and more as I've gotten older. People stop to help one another, pause to open doors, and share smiles more often to brighten someones day.
I think this is what Christmas is all about, to give of yourself and to be thankful for what you have.

Continue to brighten people's days and don't limit your kindness to just one holiday!

Merry Christmas and hope you all have a joyous one:)

Internships and Recording Studios

So today I thought I'd switch a Topic Tuesday for just a general update.

I'm really excited...after many frustrations over college and life in general, I actually feel like I'm getting somewhere. I've researched every type of job from dental hygienists to therapists to film production. Yet I kept denying what I truly love and am passionate about, which is music. So out of the blue I decided to contact various recording studios around the country to ask for internships. It's not like I'm planning to be the next superstar haha, but I've decided I want to be involved in the creation of music. Deciding that this is what I wanted to focus on was scary, because you're all probably thinking the same thing I am, "how is she going to make a living off this?" and because making a decision and sticking with it is scary in itself (for me anyways haha). But after so much thought about different careers, I've exhausted every possibility and I thought, "well, I just need to start somewhere". So that's what I'm planning on doing!

Happy to say that things are actually going somewhere, and I'm excited to see where I will end up:)

Topic Tuesday - Shooting for your dreams, why it's important

Hello Guys and Gals!
Welcome to another Topic Tuesday, today I'm going to talk about dreams (yeah I'm gonna be that cliche girl right now haha)

 but I'm gonna talk about dreams today and not the weird ones you have after you fall asleep (ever been chased by zombies only to have your friend's pigtails start to propel rapidly enough to fly away to safety? .....pshh...me either ;P ) but those dreams you've had since a young age. Whether it's to be a musician, an artist, a director, or a magazine editor. The crazy ones we had at a young age before reality set in and we became adults. What ever happened to those passions we had? It feels like whenever we want to shoot for something entirely out of the blue, there are more people than we can count on our hands who will put our ideas down or tell us we're crazy.

Among the many things I love, I've always loved to travel. Whenever my mom told me she was headed somewhere, whether that was the laundry matt/grocery store/ect I would always want to come along just for the car ride. For family vacations I'd always bring my video camera to narrate the whole experience. It's just something about seeing different scenery, experiencing new places, and different people that has always gotten me excited.

So I decided I would save up to travel to Europe on a group tour, I researched and researched for a year straight to figure out how I was going to travel and I landed on a group tour that seemed to fit everything I was looking for. Although, I had people at work telling me not to go and that it was dangerous, that it was a crazy idea to travel by myself. While Italy is 15% safer to walk alone at night than the US and 2 times more police officers. Not to mention violent crime is 7 times worse in the US. Of course no matter where you are there will be crime and you always need to keep an eye out, but it doesn't mean you should stay in your house and only dream to visit these places. Sometimes I think people are more afraid of the unknown than anything else.
So what I'm try to say is that there will be people who will bring you down, who will say something is impossible until you MAKE it possible! This goes for any idea you may have, whether that's to travel, or a business plan you may have, or anything that's outside the box.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
- Mahatma Gandhi  

One guy I always love talking about is Shay Carl of the Shaytards (I know crazy name haha) but basically this guy filmed videos of his kids and posted them to Youtube.

 They began to get popular and Shay decided to collaborate with other Youtubers to make a media company called Maker Studio in California.  In the span of 5 years he quit his job as a granite installer and began to do Youtube full time. His family wasn't doing well financially, but he gave it a faithful try because he loved doing Youtube. But here's the best part, this normal, humble, hilarious family received 5 million when Disney (that's right, Disney) bought Maker Studios. Now the family lives in Utah and after years of struggling they have finally made it to the point where it's no longer an issue, and they can spend the many years ahead enjoying their kids and their family.

(if you're interested in learning more about this family, you can go HERE)

Although this is an incredible story, you may be thinking, "This is a one in a million shot, this would never happen to me" to be financially sound AND live out your dreams can be a struggle, but it's not impossible. It's just a choice of never giving up, and years of hard work. 

Sometimes people will choose to take that lower wage in order to do what they love every single day. It's all about being happy, and if you're going to be doing your job every single day of the week, it better be what you love and it better be something that makes you happy right? and if you are able to make a generous income from it then thats a plus too!

So my main message today is: don't be afraid to do the impossible! go for your dreams no matter how crazy they may seem, who knows you may be surprised what perseverance can do:)

Question of the day: what have you done today to reach a goal you have for the future?

Bonus! This is a great inspirational video! check it out if your interested:)

Have you ever felt like doing something bigger than yourself?

Do you ever have that burning desire to accomplish great things? Like something is just around the corner for you....I feel like that sometimes.

I feel like I just want to inspire others and help contribute to the world in some way. To be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Although when you live in a small town like I do, it can be a struggle.
It's a struggle because there's nothing to stimulate you. You see the same people walking down the streets and the same quiet nights as stores shut down at 5pm. There's no opportunity, no excitement, no thrill for life. Sometimes I just want to leave...

But what would I do? where would I go?

College is one step, I'm currently on my gap year and saving for both that and a trip to Europe. But when you work a minimum wage job it can be really hard....not impossible...but hard.
My parents were nice enough to let me stay at home while I figure out my journey.

But still....when you hear inspirational songs on the radio that really hit a nerve...you start dreaming bigger and bigger and you're wondering how the heck are you gonna get there..

does anyone else feel this way sometimes? a desire to do bigger and better things yet feeling like it's just out of reach?

Hopefully I'll find my way, although it would be nice to hear from others who may be feeling the same way:P

Topic Tuesdays: Marrying Young - What some are saying

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to my first Topic Tuesday, and this week I came across an article that I just had to talk about. Sorry ahead of time to start off the first Topic Tuesday on a more controversial note haha.
If anyone is interested in reading the article I'm about to talk about, you can find it HERE.

Let me first put a disclaimer that this is entirely my opinion, if your happy, in love and your able to support a family, than by all means get married! I'm definitely not try to tell anyone how to live their lives:)

So to sum up the article, is it addressing the idea of marriage and how as a society we are marrying later and later. The blogger addresses that this is a "process of self destruction" and soon enough we will hit the point where not only do we decide to marry later in our years but we'll soon "give up water and oxygen" as a result of how traditions are changing. The blogger remarks "Who knows? We can’t tell them how to live, man".

So I'll start this post off with a simple question:
Do you think marrying young is a good idea?
You may say, "Hm, well among many different factors...it could depend on how young"

For general purposes, lets say the age starts at 18. For most people, this is around the age you graduate High School. First off, I truly believe in exploring the world, getting to know as many different cultures and people as possible, and with this you begin to not only open your eyes to the world but you get to know yourself better as well.
Traveling (especially if your brave enough to travel alone) takes trusting yourself to incredible lengths, and you gain a lot of confidence knowing that you were able to do something that is so out of your comfort zone.
The article notes that, "every day I see a link on Facebook to ridiculous clickbait websites like Elite Daily or Thought Catalog, explaining the ’30 Things You Should Try in Your Twenties,’ or some such nonsense, and the list always includes traveling, partying, and hanging out at bars. " but it's so much more than "hanging out at bars", it's about facing your fears, making a life for yourself that makes you a strong individual and that pushes your limits. If you wanna call that being self absorbed and wasting your money than by all means, go ahead.
But being confident on your own for a while means that you can also be confident in your relationships, and you go into marriage with a much different outlook on life. Your absolutely fine spending time watching Netflix alone and you also enjoy going out on the town with your significant other. I think that when two people both have a very stable single life, they come together to make a very confident and trustworthy marriage. Sometimes that takes living on your own, developing your likes and dislikes further, and just experiencing life before taking on your next chapter.

So what do you guys think? Do you think our culture should start marrying younger or continue to marry later in life? Tell me what you think below!