Need Some New Music

I've been in a music slump lately- when I listen to the radio, I seem to find overplayed songs but when I listen to my iPod I feel like I've heard all the songs before.

So to solve this problem I have been listening to Pandora. I love typing in an artist or song and then Pandora finds similar music within the same genre/style. I also like the aspect of listening to new songs (the whole thing, not just part of it) before I decide to purchase them on iTunes.

A few of the great new songs that I have found:

-"Hold My Heart" Tenth Avenue North

-"Change Your Mind" All-American Rejects

-"View from Heaven" -Yellowcard

-"Outside My Window" Sarah Buxton

-"Swimming in Miami", "West Coast Friendship" Owl City

-"Need you Now" Lady Antebellum

-"Curl up and Die", "You'll Always Be My Best Friend" Relient K

-"Hard to Love You" The Wreckers

- "Drive" Incubus

My Pictures Are Boring

Every now and then I get sick of boring pictures...or I myself feel boring. At times like these I open up photoshop and start creating. If your not experienced with this software, another fun and less time consuming option is picnik.com. This is an amazing website with cool effects applied in just the click of your mouse! It can transform a blah picture into a creatively cute picture in minutes! So if you're feeling bored or feeling like your pictures need a little something extra, this website is definitely the place to go! www.picnik.com (click here to try)

I Have Nothing to Wear

One depressing thought I have every now & then is "I hate all my clothes & I have NOTHING cute to wear". To add to this downer, often times I don't have enough money to be able to purchase the new clothes I desire. So to all closet-haters like me, I have a small solution.

The first thing to do in this situation (if you have some time) is to go through ALL your drawers & closet shelves and make an inventory of everything you own. Pants, shorts, shirts, sweaters, skirts, shoes, everything. I think once you realize how much you truly have and see the #'s on paper, it will help remind you how grateful you should be for this large selection. (especially compared to millions of people around the world who don't even have a closet.)

But anyways - after your inventory you can have a mini "home-shopping spree" experience. You wont be spending any money, but it will be fun to see how you can make new outfits work together so that your old clothes seem new! It's fun putting opposite style pieces together as well for a more fashionista-look.

Another trick I've found, is to hide 1/4 of your clothes away in boxes for about 1-2 months so that you forget about them. Then once you open them up again, it feels like your getting a whole new wardrobe & you appreciate the outfits that used to just hang un-worn in your closet because you haven't seen them for awhile!

And now for one last suggestion. If still (after all of the above) you feel that you have NOTHING to wear. You can glance through your inventory and find some clothing items that don't fit, you don't like or never, ever wear and then donate them or even better, sell them to a local consignment shop or at a garage sale. Then if you have a few key fashion wardrobe pieces that you are missing or need new ones of- you can do the store with a specific list in mind. *One tip though- try to look for timeless items that are missing- like a black skirt a white tee or simple jeans... not something trendy that you want at the minute.

Seeing how much you really have and embracing the wardrobe you've accumulated over the years will help you become more content with your closet. And perhaps... you can even help yourself realize that happiness doesn't come from getting what you want but rather from wanting what you have =]

<3 nj

Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to share personal ideas and give advice on how to be happy. I believe that happiness is a choice but I also know that sometimes when you get on a bad cycle- it seems easier to just feel depressed and lonely. I have been on the "woe is me" track and recently I've found that life is a heck of a lot more amazing if you make a consistent effort to be happy and realize all of the positive things around you. I think most people have a lot more blessings then they recognize and if everyone could just appreciate their life, they would realize that being happy all the time really can be a reality & that truly ENJOYING each moment of life is what makes living worthwhile.