How to get motivated to study

Hey friends! So recently I just completed the summer semester of college, and boy am I relieved! There is so much stress in preparing for finals, and half the time I want to throw up my hands, wave my white flag, and quit. When it comes down to it, I obviously can't because that is thousands of dollars down the drain. ANYWAYS when I feel the creeping urge to get onto Pinterest and start playing with dear old friend procrastination, I use these methods not only to make me want to study, but also make studying fun, yes I said it, FUN! How can that be you say? Well here are a few of my methods:

1. PRAY- When I feel like throwing in the towel, I always pray and ask God to give me the motivation to study, and not only that, but to want to study. I can tell you that it seriously works for me every time. My motivation to study will just hit me like a wave, and I'll get up and go and do it, and I can tell you that that motivation is given to me by God. Also when we ask God for His help, we are saying we can't do this on our own; I know, with my hand raised high, that I cannot do this school thing without Him. 

2. GET CUTE STUDY MATERIALS- As a girly girl, it gets me so excited to study when my study materials/school supplies are super cute! It makes things fun to look at, and keeps me organized when I have materials surrounding me that make me happy. Here is an example of cute materials that I like to have for school and studying: 

3. WEAR COMFY/CUTE CLOTHING- When I spend all that time studying, I want to be comfortable yet cute. Having a comfortable cute outfit to wear studying at the library or a coffee shop totally makes me want to study, and look adorable doing it! Here are a few examples of an outfit I would wear studying: 

4. COFFEE- If coffee is your best friend (this is the case for me) then it is so motivating to go to a coffee shop to be able to get your favorite coffee drink (Mmm! Latte's!) and study! You have your drink, you look adorable, and you are motivated to get some work done! Plus, plus, plus!

5. STUDY BUDDY- Can't get enough motivation to study yet? Call up a friend from class! Not only will you have more fun studying, but your friend may teach you some things that you missed, or vice versa. Having someone to study with is always more fun that studying solo (and hey they'll also probably comment on how cute your study outfit is ;D). 

6. GET A PLANNER- A planner always helps me to stay on track, and stay motivated to study. I also really like to do glam planning, if you haven't heard of it before, there are tons of ideas on Pinterest. To sum it up, its just getting creative and crafty with your planner, and decorating the pages and cover how you want it. Having organized, yet pretty, pages to look at keeps me motivated. 

7. KNOWING THE END IS IN SIGHT- This too shall pass! Your studying days won't last forever, and the harder you study, and work to stay on track, the more satisfied your future self will be knowing you gave it your all. NOW THAT is motivating. 

I hope this helped you with some ideas to get motivated! These are just a few of the things I do to keep me on track. If you would like more ideas on outfits, materials, and creative planning, please follow me on Pinterest here   Kendall's Pinterest Board , and please follow my blog so that you never miss a post! Until next time, 

Your Sister in Christ,

Kendall

I do not claim ownership to any of these photo's except the passion planner picture. Copyright not intended. 

How compromising can lead to death

Hey all! It's been a bit since I've posted to my blog, life has gotten so busy making preparations for this fall to start my dental hygiene cohort. I'm so excited even though it's a lot of work! Anyway with all the hullabaloo going on lately that's been happening politically, and spiritually, this subject has been weighing on me so I feel I need to get it out.

I am currently taking an ethics and social justice class, and let me tell ya, as a christian it is so hard to walk away from something that totally goes against what you believe. I often have to say to myself "Kendall, if you start this heated argument, it is not going to go anywhere, and you are not going to change these people's minds." There are people out there who just want to argue, and are so set in what they believe, that it is no use in trying to prove your point; both of you will come out of it with nothing but a sour attitude towards each other, and you'll end up in a worse place than you started off. That being said, there are times when you will be attacked spiritually, and you do need to stand up for what you believe in.

What a lot of Christians fall prey to is thinking that if they defend their beliefs, it'll just make others turn against them, and so they end up and stepping down, when this spiritual attack happens, and doing the absolute worst thing possible; COMPROMISING. You as a Christian should never ever compromise on your beliefs in the word of God, spiritual death happens one compromise at a time. You lose sight of what you truly believe in the word of God, and adopt other peoples beliefs in order to please them.

Joyce Meyer said something in her devotional Trusting God Day By Day that really got me thinking. To paraphrase, If it does not line up with the Word Of God, then it is wrong. So when we compromise on a principle that is clearly stated in the bible, it is wrong. You are going against what the bible says to do to please others, and that does not line up with the Word Of God. Now don't worry, I am not perfect, and unless you are Jesus, you are not perfect either. I have compromised in the past because I was afraid, I didn't want to offend anyone, or I didn't want to turn my friends or family against me; but I can tell you that every single time I did, I felt convicted.

When we compromise, it's like saying no to pleasing God, and yes to pleasing others. When it all comes down to it in the end, is it better to please God (who we will spend eternity with), or please others (who we only spend a short time on earth with)? When we realize this, it will get easier and easier to stand up for our beliefs and not care what others think in the end. All that really matters is God, and doing what God says. "Decisions become easier when your will to please God outweighs your will to please the world" (Anzo Coetzer).

Your Sister in Christ,

Kendall

What to do when you feel overwhelmed

I am a full time college student, and a full time mommy, and God is first in my life, so waking up earlier to do my devotions and prayer is a priority every day. I have a very busy life, and sometimes I get so overwhelmed that I just want to drop everything, sit down and do nothing. When life gets like this, it's important to have a plan of action to prevent yourself from actually giving up. Here are some steps I take to stay motivated:

1. "Trusting God is the greatest stress reliever in the world" (Joyce Meyer). There is a reason why the bible says to cast all your cares upon Him, in fact it says it 83 different times in the bible (possibly more). When we come to God with our problems, and give them to Him, He makes our burdens light. We cannot do it on our own, we need God every step of the way. When we trust God, he leads us EXACTLY where we need to go.

I personalized mine with some cute flowers :D

2. Get a day planner! My planner is my #✌️ life saver (God is #☝️) I literally have an assignment due almost every single day, sometimes in multiple classes, and there is no way I can keep track of it in my head (especially when your baby keeps you on your toes). It helps me so much to be able to write down which assignment is due on which day. It also helps me schedule out my life for appointments, gym sessions, study time, (Pinterest time (; ), and so much more. My planner is also a creative outlet to write anything and everything down, and the PERFECT planner that I like to use is Passion Planner. This company has a fantastic philosophy and they do a pretty awesome pay it forward program for people who can't afford to get the planner. Click here to check out Passion Planner  (I am not sponsored by them, I just really like my planner).

3. Prioritize! Do you really need to go onto Pinterest when you have other obligations? No, this will only distract you from your focus, and make you more overwhelmed and can get you behind. When you get all of your priorities completed, then go ahead, reward yourself and go Pin crazy!

Look at these pink beauties!

4. Know when to take a break. Sometimes in my busy life, one thing after another hits me like waves on a shore, and this can get really overwhelming. Its important to know when to say when, and take a little break. You become more productive when you take little breaks. Take a step back, regather yourself to come back and tackle your projects with full force. My favorite way to take a break is to walk on the trails behind my house, its so peaceful and calm and I can connect with God and take in His wonderful creation.

5. Make short term Goals, and set deadlines. The Passion planner is great for this because it specifically has this layout to get 'er done. When you set small short term goals (and deadlines), it'll motivate you to keep trucking along and accomplish what the ultimate goal is. For example I make a goal everyday to study for at least 30 minutes a day, and through this I get my homework accomplished which will lead to the success of my ultimate goal, which is to graduate from college.

6. Ask for help. Do not be afraid to lean on your friends or family members, that's what they are there for! I cannot tell you how many times I have sought out help from those closest to me, and I am so thankful for them, because they are a huge factor in why I can keep doing what I am doing!

I hope you got some useful tips from this post, if you have any other tips that you use when you feel overwhelmed please comment them below! If you know of anyone who would benefit from this post please share it with them!

Your sister in christ,

Kendall

You are valuable

Recently God has been showing me how valuable I really am. I used to constantly feel ashamed of the mistakes I've made in my past, I never thought I was worthy of Godly friends, or a Godly future husband. I used to believe that no one would want me. That is a huge lie that I believed from the enemy; God does not want us to believe that we are worthless! Because of God's love and grace, he gives us second chances, he gives us new opportunities! We are so loved by our Father, so don't ever think that you are not worthy of God's best for you. YOU are a child of God, and YOU are loved.

Sister (or brother), if you are struggling with this belief that you are not worthy, seek God, ask him to show you how valuable you really are, because you are more precious than jewels.

Your sister in Christ,

Kendall

Learning to see God in creation

I know I already posted today, but I just had to share this Gem with you. Today was a stressful day for me. When I felt like I was reaching my breaking point, I asked God to give me patience. Running for me is a great stress reliever, so since it was such a beautiful day I went for a run. Halfway through my run, I just stopped and saw this, and I had to take a picture. This is a perfect reminder that through all of our rough times and stressful days, God is always there supporting us, we don't ever have to face anything alone.

Your sister in Christ,

Kendall

Was blind but now I see

Lately I have been attending my church's young adult bible study, its so amazing there. I have met so many wonderful spirit filled people, and I have had a lot fun in these bible studies; I take away so much from it when I leave. Lately the topic in the bible study has been responsibility. At the surface, when we think of responsibility, we think of a responsibility to pay bills, or do chores, or keeping track of objects. What we don't realize is that responsibility has a much deeper meaning. I am not going to get fully into all of this, but what I have come to realize (that I did not discuss with my table at my bible study) is that part of irresponsibility is taking things for granted, and a HUGE thing that I am so guilty of taking for granted is that Jesus took MY place on the cross.

I came to this realization driving to college one day, and a song titled Should've been me by citizens way came on the radio. The lyrics hit me "It should've been me, should've been us, should've been there hanging on a cross". Because of how much God loves us, he GAVE us his only son, so that we do not have to suffer. We go about our daily lives without the realization that we can do fun activities with our families, and we can go shopping and have our careers, only because Jesus died on the cross for us. I am humbled, when I know that I have my wonderful life, only because Jesus made that possible for me. I don't ever want to take his sacrifice for granted. Thank you Jesus!

 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 1:4)

Check out Should've been me by Citizens way by clicking this link!

Your sister in Christ,

Kendall

Anxiety is a prison cell

The day that I was diagnosed with severe anxiety, was the day that I accepted, and believed, that I would live my life with constant panic attacks, depression, and loneliness. I always depended on others to do things for me, such as, talking to a store clerk, ordering for me, and even answering a phone call. I couldn't go anywhere alone (without my mom that is) for fear that someone I didn't know would approach me. I spent the majority of my time in my bedroom alone, and the few friends I had, I seldom hung out with. I was very quiet and awkward, and sadly I convinced myself that there was no hope or cure for my anxiety.

I struggled with my faith when I was younger, I constantly wondered "if there really is a God, then why do I feel like this?" My faith dwindled; I hated going to church, I hated when people would talk about God, I was so full of hate. My mother, who is a strong christian, had the whole family attend church one Sunday morning, I didn't want to be there, and to top it off, it happened to be a Holy ghost service, so my brother and I stood there making fun of all of the "strange" people worshiping God. An usher came over a motioned for me to come to him, I thought I was in trouble so I resisted. Thankfully the usher was persistent, and I went with him. Without a single word said to me, he brought me to the pastor, who was going around laying his hands on people. The pastor took my head into his hands, and then the most awesome, indescribable, feeling came over me. It was the feeling of love, warmth, fullness, and joy that overcame my body. I fell over (the usher was behind me to catch me and laid me on the floor) and I just laid there and felt all my hate melt away and I began to cry, it was so amazing.

After that day I improved with my anxiety by leaps and bounds. I sought help from my mother who gave me a great piece of advice, when I begin to feel panicked or anxious, instead of letting it spiral out of control, pray. So I did. Eventually I did things, with Gods help, that I thought I could never do. I answered phone calls and made my own appointments, I began to enjoy meeting new people, and I began to hang out with my friends every opportunity that I could. I have done some public speaking, and currently, I am working on joining my church's praise and worship team as a female vocalist.

Since then my faith in God has grown so much, and is still growing. Without God, there would have been darkness and hopelessness, I was trapped in a prison cell of anxiety, but God opened the door for me, and is giving me so many opportunities. My life wouldn't make sense without Him, I am a daughter of God, and I am free from my anxiety.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Your sister in Christ,

Kendall