2021 & rEsolutions

It made me realize that I have a lot of things to be thankful for in my life. It made me realize that there are things I take advantage of (whether it’s a hug, a handshake, walking to the supermarket) that mean so much and made me appreciate them. It made me realize to be grateful for the little things, and that the little things we have in life aren’t little at all but just look that way at times when we don’t fully grasp what we have in front of us.

When midnight hit and 2019 was over, I was over the moon, excited for the new decade. Every Monday makes me felt like I’m given a fresh start. But, I always wait for Monday when I mess up, I always wait for the new week, the next month, a new year. Yet, 2020 started and the months just kept passing like I was in a train not stopping at any of the stops, it got exhausting. It honestly still is. It taught me that falling is completely normal (like when I learned how to ride a bike) and if I was going to wait until some day or some one to come pick me up, I’d probably miss dinner. My point is, I had a habit of always waiting as if some perfect time was going to come to make everything right, but then I learned it doesn’t work that way. It’s my responsibility to bring myself to bring me where I wanted to be in life. Sure, a few months passed and I didn’t accomplish the whole list of projects I had planned prior, but that doesn’t matter anymore, it’s in the past. I can either dwell on it, or stand up and take a step forward. Even if it’s a small little step, that’s all that counts.

The word resolution is usually associated with the words: determination, firmness, course of action, etc. Determination is to persevere towards a goal despite the challenges and obstacles in the way. This sounds very serious, and I think that it is. It’s important that when you want something in life, a goal, a dream, you should keep on keeping on until you have it. But, I also believe that it’s equally important to remember that driving from California to New York won’t take an hour. There will be traffic, roadblocks, diversions, and more that can come between your drive, but that doesn’t you’re not getting to where you want to go. There will be a lot of times when you’ll stare into hypothetical distance and not see what you’re reaching for, but it’s there, you just have to keep going. But, you also have to give yourself breaks, take it easy on yourself, and acknowledge that you’re doing what you can with what you have. I’m proud of you, by the way.

Just a heads up, I started doing some of these resolutions this month when I realized that there’s no better time to work on yourself than the present. Let’s get on to the list shall we:

1. Morning Reads:
   • Morning reads are about changing my language and thoughts about myself into something more empowering and positive.
2. 5 Things To Be Thankful For
   • Gratitude is important that’s why every night I will write down 5 things that I’m thankful for. Some days will be hard and challenging, but whether it’s a breeze I was able to catch or a cup of water after some run, it’s going on the list.
3. Finish a Book a Week
   • There’s something about books that are always exciting, I’ve been reading less than I want to for awhile now but, I want to spend more time in the words of a page of some book and get back into the habit of reading.
4. Be more Confident
5. Write More
   • Writing is a form of art. Authors are artists that can make strings of words into magic, and it’s absolutely inspiring. I want to write more, my goal is 2 blogs a week, even if writer’s block tries knocking on my door.
6. Social Media Break
   • 1 week a month at least.
7. Try 2 New Things a Week
   • It could be a new song, outfit, recipe, anything.
8. Telling My Friends and Family I Love Them More
9. Take at Least 3 Pictures or Videos a Day That Are Good Vibes
   • I love scrolling through pictures and videos that give the good vibe aesthetic. Imagine, at the end of the year, how much to look through and laugh or smile at.
10. Learn Something New Every Day
11. Eat Healthier

Thank you for reading this 🙂 I hope that you are staying safe, hydrating, and I love you! I’ll catch you in my next blog ❤

Yours truly,

Liz

Breaking the System: Social Media

QUOTE OF TRUTH: “THERE’S A SOLUTION. JUST PUT ALL YOUR HEART AND SOUL INTO IT AND WE CAN ALL FIX THE PROBLEMS TOGETHER.” – L.O.A.S.H (A.K.A MEEEEE!)

Yes, there is a solution, always.

 

Today’s society has the majority of people getting negatively impacted by social media. It isn’t just the youth going through the influence but everyone is victims of the unrealistic expectations social media gives which often leads to disappointment which later on can develop into something more serious.

 

Phones and devices are normally easy to access along with social media. There’s a tendency to constantly check the news feeds across multiple social media platforms. This often leads to addiction. Due to the lack of guidance and awareness, this addiction, which takes up hours and hours constantly per day, then disrupts the person’s life from school, work, studies, and other productive routines in which life goes haywire.

 

Aside from the significant amount of time going to social media, studies have shown that it has bad effects on the mental health of people and kids today.

 

Okay, so it’s out there: in today’s age, social media is used by so many and is also the blame for so many problems. However, in my opinion, the root problem isn’t social media per se. I would infer that the root problems would be cyberbullying, decreased face-to-face interactions with other people, contents by people to influence in a bad way, and (a big contribution goes to) social comparisons. These are the problems we need to properly address not just pointing fingers at social media. We can’t just be like:

“hey, stop using your social media it’s such a distraction. Just like stop using it. yeah?”

 

No, this route isn’t going to work. We are living in a digital age. Social media is what helps connections and communications for people around the world. It strengthens the professional connections, spread news, allow people to express themselves creatively (with their music, art, skits, photography, and more), aids social movements (Feminist Movements, World Cleanup Day, Black Lives Matter, and so much more), spread awareness, and the list goes on…..

 

What we should be doing is making those, especially the youth, know their self-worth and to motivate & inspire growth and one’s improvement. Encouraging those to go out and socialize, do some volunteering and helping out in the community. Even to use those social media skills to spread the awareness of the environment and what’s going on around. Another important thing to do is to strengthen the youth’s values and mindset to avoid those negative and bad influences that appear on their screens. If some kind of social media patrol thing could be put out to casually check every now and then the audience and the content displayed to keep it appropriate would be good too. And, since social media is going everywhere a class about cyberbullying and awareness for how to understand its specs should also be implemented. 

 

Those are just a few ideas that could change the course of how people look at social media and to even make it a positive outlet. So, we have to take this system of social media that has been misused, break it, look at the more important problems, and then we can finally go to fixing it. If we really put our minds to fixing a problem, we can do it. This isn’t a lost cause we just need implementation. And, as I said earlier there’s a solution.

 

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

Yellow Vest Movement Ongoing

Quote of TRUTH: “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.” – Howard Zinn

The yellow vest movement in France started with the increase in fuel taxes which President Emmanuel Macron announced to go in effect in January 1, 2019. This was part of his strategy for his environmental policy. However, as time has passed, the uproar for the repeal of the tax has become much broader. This protest began on November 17, 2018 and is still ongoing till this day, April 3, 2019. 

 

Yellow Vests?

Yes, yellow vest. This movement got its name by the yellow vests that vehicles are required to have. During foggy seasons or times when it’s hard to see anything, and someone is parked on the side of the road, these yellow vests must be worn to be seen to avoid accidents. Now, these vests are the symbol for the protest ongoing for the unjust charges and taxes. 

What’s the goal?

At the beginning, the goal of the protests would be to cut down the over taxing. But now more and more problems have been brought up into the light that people are trying to fix. All in all the big picture would be social justice that is trying to be achieved through this movement. 

 

What’s been happening?

Thousands and thousands of people have turned up, put on their yellow vests, and filled the streets in support of the movement. Compared to other areas, it has become violent. In Paris, stores have been looted, cars set on fire, walls vandalized, and hundreds have become injured. Hundreds have also been taken into custody. The police have resorted to throwing tear gas and water cannons at the crowds. 

President Macron will have to find a way to fix the protests and calm down the anger that has spread. Hopefully, this problem will soon be resolved.

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria