The battles that you have fought won't go to waste.

I have this tendency to get stuck in my own little bubble, where I forgot there is much more out there than this town, than my job, than my school. I forget that the world is a big place, and just because I don't always like it here doesn't mean I won't like it elsewhere. This is not all there is.

My dad has always told me that the only thing holding me back from doing the things that I want is myself. The rationalizations of why I can't right now, or fear, or whatever gets in my way though. I can fake confidence well, but actually having the amount required to do so many of the things I want to do just isn't there.

But it will be.

You can tell who the awesome people in your life are when you tell your dream. I've told a lot of people about my dream to travel the world and people like my dad and my lab manager are nothing but supportive. When I was talking to my lab manager about it, he told me to take pictures for him. Then there's people, like Doc, who are slightly realistic. And then there's the people that tell you you're crazy. Those are the ones I, for one, can do without.

And there are a lot of obstacles in doing just that. Money, for one, but cutting back on things I don't need (LIKE ALCOHOL, SELF) will save me money that I can use elsewhere. And really, I don't need more nights where I wake up on my floor and spend the entire next day throwing up when I could be out exploring. I do want to finish my undergrad, that is important to me too. Grad school, that is something I'll decide later. I know my advisor will want me to in the fall, but I don't even know if I want to go to grad school.

The biggest obstacle though, is myself. I can think of a million reasons why not to, of why it won't work. But, all those blogs I read and all those YouTube videos I've watched, what makes any of those people that are travelling the world anymore worthy than I? What part of them do I think makes them more suited, more deserving?

And the truth is, nothing. They made it happen. They wanted to go and they went. I can do that too. I WANT to do that too, and I'm tired of being afraid of actually wanting things. I'm tired of justifying reasons why not in my head.

Hey, self. Life doesn't last forever. You can only spend so much of it in places you don't want to be.

The first step is the hardest.

Fearful child, have faith in brighter days.

It has been a while since I did a post for that 100 Challenge. So, the next up is yoga. This is a little different from the first two, in that it isn't an instant "this makes me feel so much better!" like the other two. This one isn't about being connected to people, it is about being connected to myself.

I love yoga. Truly. I started it as a way of losing weight, but it became much more than that. I'm not advanced by any means, and really am more of a beginner than anything but even the basic poses can be amazing.

It gives me time to think. I can either keep my mind empty, or I can think about whatever it is that is going on in my day. Others have said that it helps center and person, and really, it does for me. Taking those minutes entirely for myself makes a difference.

When I've had a long day, I can do some yoga to help myself relax and release tension. I especially love yoga before bed, because it helps me to sleep all that much easier.

It really wasn't until I was doing it for a few weeks and stopped that I realized the effect it was having. I was thrown off without doing at least 2-3 days of it. I was more irritable, my body did not feel as good.

Here is a video of some amazing yoga. There is another longer video, but I like this one more because it really shows amazing control over the body. That type of control is not something that many can do, and I would like to be able to do that one day. I'm years and years away, and it will require a great deal of practice and dedication, but one day I hope to achieve something similiar.

Yoga, on the sunshine, is another mood booster by the time I'm done. The wind, the birds singing, the warmth of the sun, here is such peace in it.