I saw this link-up on Life of Bon and loved the idea of it. Can you recall answering questions like "where do you think you'll be in [x] years?" when you were in high school? Ever care to look back on those expectations to see if you were right?

As confusing as it may be, by the end of high school, I was simultaneously firm and flexible in my goals for the future. That co-existence seems impossible I know. Let me explain briefly. I struggled quite a bit in high school with a plethora of things, just like every other teenage girl. Mostly, I struggled to accept myself for the person I was. I found it difficult on many different levels to blend who I was with who people expected me to be. By the time I'd turned 18, I'd finally learned to accept myself as I was and love myself wholeheartedly regardless of what others said. (That resolve would continue to be tested over the next few years). So I knew firmly that I wanted to be myself no matter what it 'cost' me, because I worked too long and hard for it, but I wasn't solid on what exactly that meant, as I was completely aware of how malleable I was at just 18 years old. I knew I'd always be me, I just wasn't sure who that was yet.


ONE (2006)
What I thought: Columbia University was my dream school so I thought I'd be finishing up my first year there. I'd finally get to enjoy NYC without the hovering of nervous parents (I was an adult now after all). I'd be majoring in creative writing/english/journalism/some literary-based subject, and my roommate and I would be fast friends. We'd have our own little group of friends and hang out at all the popular LES bars that would serve us. After rejecting all high school boys because they were too immature, I'd have that *perfect boyfriend.

Where I was: Columbia didn't love me nearly as much as I loved it, and after bawling my eyes out over being wait listed, I decided to go to The Pennsylvania State University (not to be confused with UPenn) without so much as a visit. After getting over the initial shock of not going to an Ivy League school as I had always planned to do, I arrived at Penn State's main campus and absolutely fell in love. Attending school out-of-state quickly became the best decision, and still is one of the best decisions, I'd ever made. I roomed with 7 other girls (!) in a huge dorm room with doors that opened to both the boys and girls floors. The room was constantly full of people and liquor and some of the funnest times ensued. Our guy friends busted through our upstairs doors daily scaring the shit out of us. We drunkenly yelled at each other to "sober up" as we passed cops on frat row. I got chased down the hallway with a bottle of NAIR multiple times by a guy friend who had no idea what it did but wanted to test it on my head. I switched my major about six times that year landing on advertising (?) momentarily, but that was ok, because that year might have easily been the best year of my life.

Muddy Mifflin 2006
This is how flag football in the rain ends up. I love each & every person in this photo for all the memories. Muddy footprints on my heart <3

There was no boyfriend in sight after that first year. I'd briefly flirted and kinda hung out with a guy that looked like Cory Matthews (score!). He told all my friends how much he liked me and most nights after a few beers, he'd dance with me and tell me how beautiful he thought I was, but never made a real move on me. So one night at a frat, I drunkenly asked him if he was gay, and although he was a gentleman and walked me home, I haven't spoken to him since. Eeeeep! I hooked up with a football player a few times, but soon lost interest once I realized he had the I.Q. of a potato (& a good kiss here or there wasn't going to make up for that!). I just couldn't find THE boyfriend that year. My physical qualifications for men were quite low, meaning he just has to be tall and hot, that's all I ask. Tons of guys fit this bill (Idris Elba, Zac Efron, Shia LaBeouf,  Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker etc.).  Although a hot guy is a hot guy, I was looking for something quite rare.

I was crushing hard on Drake back when he was just Aubrey Graham & anything by Linkin Park or My Chemical Romance was basically my anthem.

I can appreciate a hot guy whether he's tall, short, buff, thin, black, white or whatever. But my type was a buff black guy, preferably over 6ft tall, who loved rock and alternative music just as much as I did or at least didn't tease me for it. Trust me - not easy to find.

FIVE (2011)
What I thought: At 18, I was convinced that the only thing I could possibly do well was write, so I just knew I'd be about to publish my first book by 23 if not sooner. If being a writer wasn't enough to pay the bills just yet, I'd be a columnist for a magazine or a newspaper or maybe even teach English or Literature somewhere. I'd see my college friends all the time, especially my core group of friends. I'd have my own apartment in the city, and I'd be dating some brooding artistic type or some business man.
*note: Marriage was never really in the cards for me or a goal of mine. I was cool just being with someone who had his -ish together.  

Where I was: Talk about deviating from the set path! At 23, I found myself in the midst of my first grueling year of law school. Somewhere in my junior year of undergrad, I realized how much I enjoyed arguing discussing things passionately, and how I much I enjoyed corporate law which allowed me to incorporate writing into my career. I never really put away the part of me that wanted to be a real writer, but I put it aside because I didn't believe in myself enough to make it by career. I kept up with quite a few of my college friends, but there were many I dramatically lost contact with (apparently, the drama doesn't get left in high school). I was making a new friends in law school and really enjoyed the free time that I found between classes and studying, even though I felt like such a baby because everyone there was older than me with real lives and families. I was in a long distance relationship with my boyfriend, a relationship that was in it's 3rd year of life and the stress of the distance was taking quite a toll on both of us individually and our relationship as a whole. Frankly, I remember being terrified that our relationship wasn't going to make it out of that year.  

Barrister's Ball. The dress was riding up, I swear!

Girl's Night Out.

Me & my boy at his first apartment.

Right: Valentine's Day 2011; Left: Me. With balloons in my shirt & shorts. Because I'm ridiculous.

TEN (2016)
What I thought: I'm not sure that I thought about my life that far in advance. For me, 25 was always the landmark for success as the year in which I'd have it all figured out. But considering that 25 isn't so far from 28 and I've only just turned 26, I'll go with it. My 18-year-old self probably expected to be very much established by the time I was 28. No doubt, I'd be an author by now, maybe even have a movie deal or two. My friends and I would keep in touch and catch up over lively dinners at our old stomping grounds. As said above, I never really had the goal of marriage like most normal girls do, but I knew that I wanted a pretty serious relationship by now. The one thing I knew back then was that I wanted to have a child in my late-twenties and have at least 2 by the time I turned 30.

Where I am/will be: I look at that last sentence and can't fathom in what world I thought I'd be a mom before 30. Some days I've been bit by the "mommy bug" and can think of nothing but chubby cheeks and slobbery kisses, but I know I'm not ready to be responsible for a little life as of yet and probably won't be ready for quite a few years. And that's perfectly fine by me, so long as I do eventually become one. Oh, and I only really want one these days. We can check the serious boyfriend off the list. That rough patch I mentioned up above? We made it through. And I'm so thankful everyday that we did. As cliché as it sounds, one of happiest parts of my day is when he smiles for no reason at all. It's so strange how after 5 years one can fall in love differently from day to day. Oh, and he may not be obsessed with alternative rock, but he thinks it's cute when I dance around singing my heart out :) I'm close with a few friends from college, although not many, but on the bright side, I've made friends with people in law school who I'm convinced I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. Silver linings, people! Oh, and that book that's suppose to become a movie? There's good and bad news there. Bad news: It hasn't happened; in fact, there isn't even a book from which to derive a thing. Good news: I'm not giving up on it.

The Crazy Kids.

Wedding Photo Booth!

I'm looking forward to plenty of life, love and adventure in the next few years. I'm ready to go beyond the wildest expectations of my 18-year-old self!

Twenty - EFFIN' - Six

In honor of the day I turn 26 (and because I've gained quite a few followers since I last did an "about me" kind of post), I present 26 random facts about lil ol' me. And by random, I mean completely and uttering freakin' random, which coincidentally might sum me up in one word.

1) Anything the consistency of baby food is disgusting to me, including mashed potatoes and applesauce.

2) I have so much more fun making the list than actually doing things on the list. Planning for greatness? Fun. Doing the things that make you great? Not so fun. 

3) I've memorized all my debit card numbers.

4) Anytime I watch a voice competition show, I mute the t.v. during the commercials and try to sing the songs I just heard. Just to see if I've got what it takes. I don't.

5) I would've been left-handed if my mom didn't force me to use my right was I was younger. That's why it was always so strange that I'm lefty in gymnastics (lead with my left foot) because most people's dominant hand is also their dominant foot.

6) Sleeping is my favorite. I've slept for 24 hours straight before.

7) I hate walking around barefoot, but I also hate getting my slippers wet, so I step into rubber slides when I get out of the shower.

8) Everything is better when drinking it out of a wine glass.

9) I'm an excellent rollerblader but can't skate at all.

10) Every time I buy milk it goes bad in my fridge. Every. Single. Time.

11) I kill every flower I come into contact with, but peonies are one of my favorite things.

12) It totally freaks me out when someone hands me a sharp object with the edge pointing towards me. Have you no concern for my safety?!

13) For about a month in 2000, I wore a backwards red baseball cap everyday because I swore I was a Limp Bizkit backup dancer (re: Rollin').

14) If there's music playing, I'm dancing. It doesn't matter where I am.

15) On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, I check the Disney channel 2:30-4am time slot in hopes that they'll play 'Brink!'. It was on last weekend. I recorded it :)

16) I have two middle names.

17) My dream apartment doesn't have multiple bedrooms, the best view or the newest appliances. I just want an extra closet to convert into a sit-in library.

18) I really dislike asking for help.

19) I can still wear a lot of the clothes I've had since I was 14 years old.

20) I prefer cereal without milk. 

21) There's no doubt that I have an addictive personality.

22) If you know me, I swear like a sailor. I usually filter it around people I'm not as comfortable with because I think it's so unladylike.  

23) I could play Crash Bandicoot on Playstation for days straight.

24) I have a pork allergy (including anything cooked in pork grease) and it tastes kinda like soap to me.  

25) Seeing people really happy makes me cry.

26) Falling off of a treadmill or stairmaster is a huge fear of mine. It's just so embarrassing. 


1

A Girl Who Reads: Divergent Series

Title(s): Divergent; Insurgent; Allegiant

Author: Veronica Roth

Publication(s): 2011,; 2012; 2013

Whenever I write up a book review, I try to be objective about it. So, I feel like I need a disclaimer this time: there may be some subjectivity to my love for this series. Veronica Roth has written a series of novels set to become a multi-million dollar set of movies at the ripe old age of 25 (she wrote the first book, Divergent, during the winter break of her senior year in college!). She is everything I've ever wanted to be, and although part of me is incredibly jealous, another, larger part is optimistic - she did it, it's doable. Claiming that I wanted to be a best-selling novelist with a film adaptation was always confronted with an doubtful response. "Not in your lifetime" I heard coupled with example after example of authors whose novels failed to see the silver screen before they died (think Austen, Larsson and the Brontë sisters). Roth debunks what I began to take as a given and she did it all before her mid-twenties. And because of that I love it (and her!)

That aside, let me explain why I loved the Divergent series. 

My Rating: 5 

I want to say that I decided to review all three books at once because I'm vastly efficient and had the forethought. But honestly, I couldn't find the time between the first book and the second to right down anything aside from a few errant words of praise. "F-amazing. love. must get book 2". Turns out that even if it changes the format of my review, it's better to review the series as a whole to avoid saying too much or giving too much away. The series tracks Beatrice Prior, the 16 year girl who belongs to one of the five factions that post-war U.S. has devolved into, from the day she decides the course of her life - a decision that sets a chain of heart-racing (and at times scary) events in motion that can neither be stopped nor stalled until it arrives at the ultimate destination of the truth.

Divergent is fast-paced, intriguing, surprising and romantic. I loved it, especially on that last count. Although I loved Hunger Games, the one thing I thought it was missing was a little more of that crazy little thing called love. It was there but it wasn't plentiful. And I'm one of those readers who likes a good dose of at least lust if not love. I feel like Divergent gave me just enough of both romance and world/character building. I finished the novel feeling like I knew this world, this girl, and this love. In a way, I felt like a faction member because of how well Roth described this world and because how lovable her characters were. The factions were clearly laid out: Erudite, the beacon of knowledge; Dauntless, the fearless daredevils; Amity, the generous caregivers; Candor, the advocate of black-and-white honesty; Abnegation, the selfless saints. And Roth's characters are robust, round, complex people with honorable traits and faults, who are all the better for the rough bits. No one was perfect because no one really is. I could relate to every single one, even those that seem like examples of pure evil or absolute perfection. My only complaint for this first novel is that I would've liked to see more "settling in" (those who've read the first novel should know what I'm talking about). I know there are lots of people that like the quick movement of a novel from one crazy revelation to the next, but I enjoy writing especially when things are chill, mundane even, the "calm before the storm" if you will. I find beauty in those moments, but I'm thinking that's just the writer in me. 

A few things here or there where a little predictable but nothing that ruins the story (just moments when characters finally put it all together you're like "well duh!"). But other things were so unexpected and exhilarating that you couldn't stop yourself from turning the page or, you know, running out to buy the next book at Barnes & Noble even though you know if you waited for 2 days, you'd get it from Amazon.com at half price. 

And run out for the second book Insurgent, I did. Insurgent carries on in the footsteps of its predecessor. Now that quite a few things have happened, Insurgent aims to make sense of it, delving into the 'how' of it all now that we've witnessed the 'what'. Undoubtedly, there's less romance than the first book and plenty of the "real life drama" secrets and the past bring, which is why I'm surprised that Insurgent is actually my favorite of the three. The pacing didn't slow down but rather picked up right where Divergent left off. This book is what I'd call "the nitty gritty" of the story. The reader soon discovers that very little is as it seems, those we think are good perhaps aren't so good. Characters' reputations change dramatically as some become more loved, others become more hated, and some switch sides entirely. I remember reading on Roth's blog (yes, I read her blog religiously now) that every character has to have a purpose and if not, they get cut. It's clear she abides by her own advice. Roth jumps head first into the personalities of many, making the peeks we got in Divergent pale in comparison. Through her characters, she questions the virtues of the first installment, finding that every virtue has a complementary vice and none are mutually exclusive. Nothing is black-and-white, but rather fifty shades of gray (no pun intended!). Insurgent is like peeling back the layers of an onion, searching for the core not knowing if this is the last protective layer and never quite sure if the next pull will take it too far.    

If Insurgent gives us the 'how' and bits and pieces of the 'why', Allegiant attempts to answer the 'who' and flesh out the 'why' even further. I say attempts because if I'm honest, it does get a bit muddled in explanation. There are moments when I thought "wait, how'd we get here?" as if we'd skipped entire points that would've made the story easier to understand. If you suspend the questions for a moment, you realize that those 'gaps' don't actually effect the story, but I understand why many get hung up on them. Although I liked seeing things from inside someone else's head, the switching of the point of view in this book didn't help to alleviate confusion. A few times, I had to look back to see who was telling the story because the voice of second narrator felt undeveloped. Yet, as a writer who has tried to do the dual point of view in my own work, it's not as easy as it seems. All in all, Allegiant felt rushed, and that in combination with a heavy editing hand attributes to the confusion, in my opinion. Now the ending that everyone's complaining about? Although I cried my way through the final 50 pages of the novel, I understood it. I know sure as shit that I could never do the same (and in some ways, it felt like the story was being pushed in that direction because it was something Roth thought of since book 1), but I respect the hell out of it. 

If you've read the Divergent series, entirely or the first book, I'd love to read your thoughts! Am I the only crazy who will be rereading Divergent before the March 21st movie premiere?

I Doubt Most of This Makes Any Sense.

My brain never stops. There's a song by Matchbox 20, I can't think of the name right now, in which there is a line that perfectly describes me: I think I might need this in my life, And I think I'm scared, I think too much. That's me. 3 AM. Writing this post with heavy eyes and a racing mind because I can't seem to sleep.

Here's a pretty random post of things I've seen/thought about this week. Stress the word random because none of these really go together, and many of them have no bearing on my life whatsoever, but they run through my head like lightening bolts, scorching my brain with their memory and fading ever so slowly. Run-on sentences are also a commonality of 3 AM writing. Don't send the grammar police; it will be gone by morning.

The idea that the Sochi Winter Olympics was rigged.
Were you watching what I was watching during the Women's Figure Skating finals? Because what I saw was Kim Yuna wiping the ice with Adeline Sotnikovas. Russia's Sotnikovas was great and all, but gold? After this happened in the middle of her program?

And then you know, Kim nails her program only to get the silver? Yup, totally makes sense. I smell favoritism. Click here to read more about it or go to Johanna Goddard's blog because she inspired this thought. 

How women shut each other out. Sometime last week I stumbled upon this post on the The Everygirl website and it kind of blew my mind. I remembered hearing tales from older business women about how it's other women in power that do the most harm to females in the workplace (I'm talking judgmental stares and the like). But to be reminded of this idea and in this way was sort of mind-blowing. Women stay hating other women. I really dislike the word 'hater' or any variation of it used in that context, but I'm not sure how to put that differently. The opinion piece goes on to completely blow my head off by throwing out a reason for why we do it: in order to blend in. "If you support other women, people around you might notice that YOU are a woman." What?!?! Did ya think you could hide it? (Any Disney nerds out there thinking Mulan right about now?) Maybe I'm being naive, but despite feeling like I related better to my guy friends as a teen, I don't recall wanting to hide my gender and blend in. I was just me and I got in where I fit in so to speak, which just so happened to be playing Playstation and watching WWF with the guys. As I got older and girls stopped being petty (at least for the most part), I found it just as easy to relate to girls in college who were into the same things I was. And although the idea of not wanting to draw attention to your femininity baffles me a bit, what baffles me even more is how this leads to the "hating." In fact, not only does that sort of behavior suggest that hatred is the general feeling towards business women, but by shutting other women out, you are agreeing with it. It's like "yup, she is female, lesser than, and so she should be shut out" as if we're not condemning ourselves in the same breath.

Am I ready to be an attorney? I haven't wanted to think or talk about this for a while, but recently, I've kind of been forced to. People keep asking if I'm working yet, and when I say no because the job market sucks (which it totally does), they give me this sad face and offer words of encouragement. And I think "So-and-so is sadder about it than I am. What's wrong with me?" At first, I actually dared to think I didn't want to be a lawyer anymore, like at all. And it scared the holy heavens out of me because that'd mean I wasted 3 years of my life and I was officially lost. But I think it's more of a matter of "when" not "if". I know I want to be a lawyer; when I'm in the midst of it all, I really love it. But right now, I'm not in the midst of it all, and I think I'm okay with that at this very second. And it's weird.

Filtered water isn't so bad. You might call in bougie, but I hate faucet water. My delicate (pulease!) palate just can't bare the taste. And I'm one of those people that can taste the difference between tap and bottled water, so don't try and trick me (many have tried, all have failed). But my prissy little bottle water ways were becoming quite the expense, so I invested in a Brita filter and it may be one of my best investments to date. Once I got over that voice in my head that says "It's still tap water, don't fall for it", I was good to go. 

I'm a shit texter. One of my girlfriend's legit just told me that she avoids texting me because I don't text back quickly enough. That sounds a bit extreme, but I'll be real - I'm a shit texter. I mean, the kind of person who starts a conversation and responds back for a few minutes and then doesn't text back for days because she's forgotten about the text. *Winces* I know, I'm really embarrassed about that. It's ridiculous and it's mother effing rude honestly. I've got to get better with it. 

$13,343,517.33. That would be how much money my college raised this year for THON. If you don't know about it, THON is a "year long fundraising and awareness campaign for the fight against pediatric cancer," and ends in a 48 hour long dance marathon aka THON Weekend, during which participants neither sleep nor sit. It's long and grueling, but it's truly an amazing experience and an amazing cause. I'm always so proud of my alma mater for how we pull through and raise more and more every year. FTK! WE ARE...

I'm the kind of girl who buys boxes of Girl Scout cookies online. That's right. Suddenly, I had an insistent craving for a Samoa, and after scouring the internet with a special locater app (yes, there's an app for that!), I discovered that Girl Scout cookies wouldn't be around until late March. So, what did I do? Logged onto ebay and bought more boxes than I care to admit. Three days later and you know what, they taste like the cookies of the gods. I regret nothing.

Happy Weekend, lovebugs!


1; 2. 

Where's The Paparazzi?!

Showing up real quick for extra credit today because I get to be a celebrity again! Erin from Two Thirds Hazel created another Blogmopolitan Quiz and of course I'm filling it out because I can't pass up an opportunity to do a quiz and blabber about myself. Honestly, I really hope she makes this a recurring thing because I always have so much fun filling it out. And by always, I mean the two times I did it, but who's counting.

You know you wanna do this too. (Lying is bad for the soul.) Head over to Erin's blog, fill it out, link up and comment below to let me know that you did it. Reading everyone's responses is almost as fun as doing it myself. (Almost!).

"But The Gym Is Closing"

...so goes my favorite excuse to skip my workout for the day. Forget the fact that I've waited until nearly midnight to get my sweat on. It's way too late now, so I better rest up for tomorrow. And then, into the bed with a cup of tea and my current novel, I go.

If this is your main line to get out of a workout, check out these great HIIT workouts that you can do at home. I've tried some of these with great results while others are rather new to me. But the bottom line is, contrary to popular (or maybe just my) belief, you can get a hell of a workout in 15-25 minutes and at home. Consider this a sample of small manifesto of HIIT workouts I've collected over my fitness journey.

Tone It Up's HIIT Workout from the Love Your Body series
The great thing about this video is that the ladies formulated the moves to be super quiet. So, if you have people living beneath you, you can get your workout in without someone banging on their ceiling with a broomstick. Another good thing: it's only 18 minutes total! Wam bam, thank you ma'am. But don't be fooled. This workout (& pretty much every TIU workout) kicks my ass, which is bad, but oh so good too.

24-minute HIIT Routine
I discovered this routine in a workout book I owned a few years ago, and it was a major factor in helping me get fit the first time around. Consider it my "tried & true"; no matter what new exercises I find, I'll always rely on this one. It's longer than other HIIT workouts because it allows for a longer rest period (which you could always shorten to increase difficulty).

There are 4 exercises, performed one after the other, and then the entire set is repeated 6 times. You perform each exercise for 30 second and then rest for 30 seconds.

*note: I = increase difficulty; D = decrease difficulty

Squat Jump

I: Click your heels together when you jump as it requires you to jump higher; D: Do straight up squats.

Pushup to plank 

I: Add a pushup after returning to pushup position; D: Remain in one position for the entire 30seconds.

Alternating Lunge

I = Add weight or try leaping lunges; D: Don't alternate until the next set

Jumping in place

I: Try tuck jumps; D: Lower your jump or just do toe raises.

The Catching Fire HIIT Challenge
Remember that note I left to myself after seeing Catching Fire in theaters? Must be as badass as Katniss Everdeen. Well, I'm trying to make good on it. Or at least I have every intention to. I barely got through one set with modifications and I nearly died. But I mean, even she's struggling through it and she is iinnn shape. It's a killer 12-minute routine and it's an entire 30-day series, which gives you a schedule and variety. I can't wait to start this challenge when I'm a bit more fit, but for those of you who are already there, you may find this to be just what you need. Check the video below; it's tough! (Warning: most of the instructors on this channel believe in very little material as clothing, so only view if you aren't offended by such things).

CHECK-IN #3: In the bustle of Mr. Big & Tall's birthday and Valentine's Day, I skipped the second weigh-in. But I'm down -11 since the first check-in! :)

1; 2; 3; 4; 5 - me. 

How To Feel Beautiful

Truthfully, I'd say that around to 40% of the time, I don't think I'm beautiful. Is that strange? I mean, I know that my 'level of satisfaction' with my appearance should probably be higher. I'm working on it daily by tweaking what I don't like and celebrating what I do. Here are some of the things I do and remind myself of to keep my spirits up.

Realize that no one is perfect/there are different kinds of beauty. Not that I need to add any more fuel to my JLaw-obsessed fire, but Jennifer Lawrence's response to her Dior campaign photo pretty much said it best: "Oh my god, I haven't seen this. That doesn't look like me at all... Of course it's Photoshop, people don't look like that." Exactly. People don't look like that.

We are so bombarded with photos of airbrushed celebrities and tv shows with totally made-up characters that we forget - no one wakes up flawless. (Except maybe Beyonce, she just might). We all rise sleepily from our beds, grumpily and with our eyes half shut. And furthermore, there isn't one particular archetype for beauty. Both Jennifer Lawrence and Beyonce are considered universally gorgeous, yet they look nothing alike. Just ponder that... So if you don't look anything like either of them, it's cool, and it doesn't make you any less stunning.

Identify & play up your favorite feature. I'm sure that 99% of women can write a laundry list of all the things that they dislike about their figures. We constantly grapple with the imperfections in ourselves, pointing out small chests, narrow hips, big noses and thin lips. But, we rarely take a moment to say, "yeah, all that, but damn I've got a great ass." Most of us need to have many more "damn, dat ass" moments. So, go ahead. Have a moment. Take a second to appreciate the things you love about yourself. We all have at least one (if not, many) once we stop looking at all the negatives. 

Accept compliments. When's the last time you responded to a compliment with "Oh, no. You're kidding" or some other similar comment? Stop it, now! Not only does it not promote self love, but it can be damn frustrating to the compliment giver, and eventually you'll end up with this response.

I know it isn't easy to just say 'thank you' when someone says you look pretty on a day when you feel like utter crap. I get. Sometimes, you really are surprised when someone hits you with a compliment on the worst hair day of your life. But just learn to accept it with grace. I took this line from my dad (who totally stole it from Jay-Z, for the record) as a way to respond to compliments instead of a simple 'thanks' which, I think, seems too full of myself at times: "Thank you, you're far too kind." 

Don't insult yourself. This little gem is the companion to the tip above. Along with accepting compliments, don't speak negatively about yourself. So much easier said then done, I know. But think about it - there are plenty people out there who aren't going to like you for one reason or another. Why be one of them?
Huffington Post featured an article on how to silence your inner critic. Although I believe that positive self-talk is effective for me, I really like #2 on this list, which leads me to my next tip. 

Do something! There's always gonna be something that you don't like about yourself. Some of these things, we will just have to learn to love, but there are features that we can do something about. Maybe you have a few pounds to lose or think you'd look best with a bit more muscle. Hit the gym for 35 minutes a few days a week and revel in the results. Feel like your skin or hair is looking a little dull lately? Treat yourself to a new skin regimen or hair treatment and stick to it! Or if you feel like your teeth are yellowing a bit, kick that old smoking habit, put down the 7th cup of coffee and go for a teeth whitening session. Can't stand those dark under eye circles? Sleep more each night. Whatever it is, take the time to create what you think is the most beautiful version of you. 

Take an awesome selfie. There's no better feeling than loving the way you look in a photograph. Maybe that's why 'selfie' was the word of 2013. Now, I'm not advocating filling your Instagram with selfies, but if you're feeling down, treat yourself to a little photo sesh. Style your hair, put on a little makeup or a killer outfit, and snap away. Play with your angles! Most of us look better in photos with the camera slightly above us, but if you know your perfect angle, then work it. Make faces or simply smile directly into the lens. Now, save that picture to remind yourself of how beautiful you are. This is you; don't forget it.

Find beauty in everyone. I saw this quote somewhere and it couldn't ring more true. "When you choose to see the good in others, you end up finding the good in yourself." I think that's true of beauty too. I try to look for the beauty in others before pointing out the ugly bits, whether that's physically or mentally. Sure, the direct meaning of this quote is that the finding good is makes you a good person. But, I also realize that when you look for the best in people, you are automatically more understanding, more loving and more forgiving, and you eventually learn to direct those qualities inwards. I find that I'm kinder to myself. The lips I once scrutinized in the mirror as unshapely and too large for my face, I now see as full, plump and the perfect canvas for my favorite red lipstick.

Although I'm sure most women's 'level of satisfaction' is higher than mine, I'm interested to know how the readers of my blog feel. Leave me a comment below if you care to share and/or participate in the poll below! (And I'd love it if you encourage the women you know, bloggy friends or otherwise, to respond to the poll too.)

HOW OFTEN DO YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL?

Pictures: 1, edited by me; 2; 3; 4