Why Your Relationship Might Be Coming to an End

       

 After countless friends coming to me with relationship problems, I began thinking that there was just no hope in a couple being happy nowadays. However after some serious pondering and some heavy doses of sappy chick flicks, I have found the answer.

     When a friend comes to me and asks me if her relationship is worth it anymore, I ask her about the future she sees with that guy. Many people will start their relationships thinking hey that guy is pretty cool. I think he would treat me great! There obviously is no problem with that, considering all those intense feelings haven’t been developed yet! However, once the relationship has been established, it’s time to think about the future of the relationship. If there are constant problems in the relationship, you have to ask yourself if you see yourself being with this person for long term.

     Now that we are growing up, it’s time to start thinking a bit more seriously about relationships.  When you date, it is important to see that person as a potential spouse. What is the point of dating if you see no future with that person? None. Isn’t the purpose of dating? To find a spouse? I do not see a reason why a person should essentially waste their time with a person they do not see a future with. I know that we are only 18, but still, some of us have been in the dating game for a few years now, and we pretty much know what we want in a person. If the person you are dating is not your ideal man or woman, what is the use of dating? If you know it’s not working, it’s time to get out. There’s no point in staying with something your heart isn’t completely in. I know that it may be hard to end, but at the end of the day, it is the right thing to do.

     If you cannot see yourself marrying the person you date, why even date? It just makes sense to have that companionship with a person you believe is your soulmate.

Was I Really That Lame?

So I tried something I probably shouldn’t have today…yup, I searched through my past tweets. #Embarrassing

       In order to truly see how embarrassed I am by myself, I need to include a few screenshots of some past tweets. “Past Me” put way too many personal problems on the Internet. Who really needs to know what my mom said to me that day, and who needs to see my inside jokes that are irrelevant to almost every single viewer? Did I really think anyone enjoyed seeing me bitch about my problems? Or that it was cool to basically talk to myself on a social network? No and no, obviously. Apparently I didn’t see that at the time though! These are so embarrassing I really should consider deleting the majority of my 4,000+ tweets. And that brings me to another thing. How much tweeting is too much? Well, there is no exact answer, but if you post the way I did in 2012, it’s TOO MUCH. Honestly, if it is over two tweets a day on average, you need to find something better to do. No one will like you. No one. It’s harsh but it’s true.

                                               

        Looking back at this from a more mature perspective, posting a lot of dumb tweets did not make me look cool like I had intended. If anything, I pushed people to hit the ‘unfollow’ button. No one likes being annoyed. Trust me, I would do it to other people when they would annoy me. I don’t see why I felt it necessary to try to prove myself on a social media network. I guess I didn’t feel comfortable with the person I actually was.  Now, when I look at myself, I like it. I don’t have to prove myself  to anyone. If you like me, that’s cool, and if you don’t, well I’m not going to change myself just to please someone else. Luckily, in age came a little more sense for me. Thank God. As I look at my most recent tweets I was pleased with what I saw. I finally stopped complaining and advertising my life to the world. My tweets were filled with retweets of funny and famous pages or cute pictures. Thank God I finally realized that people do not need to know every aspect of my life! I used to be a total try hard! How did I not see it?!

Is Married Life the Only Option?

    

       For the majority of the past decade millions of viewers fell in love with the NBC sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. The plot of this show is based around main character, Ted, trying to find a wife. Now, at surface level, this is perfectly fine. The majority of TV sitcoms revolve around love in some way or another, but in this show, love is the central issue.

      For nine seasons viewers watch Ted’s love life flourish and fail. However, it is emphasized time and time again that Ted must find a wife. This character tries desperately to find love, thinking that will complete him. However, is finding that spouse necessary to live a happy life?

     This show pushes and pushes on the fact that a person must find a spouse in order to reach complete happiness. Ted sees two of his best friends in an unusually perfect marriage, which leads him to think something must be wrong with him. If they can find someone, why can’t I? Ted sees them so happy and fulfilled, and wants that same feeling more than anything. Many viewers who are hopeless romantics like Ted think the same way as he does. Their lives will not be complete until they find their dream spouse. However, should marriage define someone’s success? Society takes away our freedom of living independently and brainwashes us into thinking that we NEED to find a spouse and we NEED to reproduce.

      Now this show is unique in that it shows the opposite of finding love as well. Another character, Robin, decides to ignore love and relationships and focus on her career. Also, Barney decides to ignore love and relationships so he can sleep around. Yes, these are portraying different options, but they are looked at in a completely negative light. Time and time again, Robin is criticized saying she has no emotions or romance in her. She’s going to live a lonely life that she will eventually regret. Though, isn’t that our choice as an individual? Is there a law telling us that we must get married? That is the only thing that is going to make us happy? And for Barney, the whole cast is constantly on his case about being with so many women. His friend group calls him disgusting and tries to get him to settle down. But when you think about it, is it anyone’s business besides that person’s? No. Who are we to tell someone what to do? Why is it that we are only happy to see when someone gets married and starts a family rather than putting themselves and their career first? Marriage is turning into a requirement in order to grow old!

       It is clear that our freedom of choice is being repressed by social norms. Think about it, we should not have to conform in order to please others. Every individual is unique, and everyone has the right to have his/her own lifestyle. So, why focus on marriage as a passageway to happiness and success? Why does it have to be a form of acceptance? It’s time to encourage difference and freedom of choice in our world.

Madeline vs. Me? No Chance.

       Now I’d have to say that anyone who had the choice of going to prison or continuing college and staying with their family would obviously choose the latter. However, after having a bit of a heated argument, well…more of a one sided argument with Madeline, she sure changed my mind. I never thought a girl so small could be such a pistol! So basically I stood there a good half hour being ranted to about how I couldn’t be more wrong…not to mention wimpy.

      So listen to this- She started to tell me how going to prison was the courageous and right thing to do. She said it was the only way to get anything done. She even said she is braver than a man and up for change in this mess of a world. I tried to interject and tell her that a young woman should not take on the responsibility of changing America, as well as ruining her own life. She interrupted me and even got right up in my face. “If ANYONE is going to make a change, it’s going to be a young rebel and radical like me!” she exclaimed. She was certainly in no position for her to be backing down the argument.

        As time went on, I have to say she made some damn good points. Madeline kept ranting and ranting telling me how going to prison was her own, individual, bold action. She told me this was the only way to start any reformation. Madeline’s exact words to me were “Someone must be a god damn man about this and get something done!” I have to admit, I have never seen someone so set in their actions. In a strange way, it was kind of refreshing to see someone so persistent and sure about themselves. Madeline said that she had to put her own beliefs before her own family, regardless of their support or not. “Sometimes a chick has to fly from the nest, and this is my time”, is what she told me. She said regardless of her success or not, she would be content with herself. She made me reflect.  She asked, “Do you want to be a leader or a follower?” Madeline answered that question for me, with another question. “Don’t you want to be that person who owns up to their mistakes? That person who will go to the end of the Earth for what they believe? Or do you want to be that person that sits back and watches the world become corrupt? ….That person who tries to convince someone to do the safe thing and ‘what’s best?”

      This answer was enough for me. Maybe we would live in a better world if everyone thought this way. So many of us let ourselves get stepped all over, as our beliefs get forgotten and pushed away. Though Madeline did a fine job of belittling me and making me feel like a wimp in my own country, she convinced me that the real people and citizens in this country are the ones who have the drive to fulfill their beliefs. Well, I got owned…completely.

Life Hack: How to Save Money on College Textbooks

6 Easy Guidelines to Save Money on College Textbooks:

    1.)  E-mail your professor and see if the book is even required!

More times than not, professors use the class book a minimal amount of times! By emailing a professor, a student can find out if they can successfully get through the course without purchasing a pricy book! The less books purchased, the better!

2.) Ask friends if they already have the book! 

The further a student is in their college career, the more classes they have taken.  Students need to ask around if friends or acquaintances have already taken the class and can sell them the book for a steal! This is where being a socialite will benefit!

    3.) PhotoCopy pages from a classmate's book! 

Get social and develop a friendship with some future classmates! Students can ask each other if they want to split the cost of the book and one can photocopy necessary pages! 50% off is always a great deal and so what if the pages aren’t as authentic! Most professors do not have a preference whether their students use photocopies or an actual book.

      4.) Share a book with someone in a different section of the class!

Many students are willing to share a book with a student that has the same class at a different time! If students can plan out when they will do their homework and use the book, there should be no problems! Split the cost  and pass the book back and forth!

      5.) Never buy a book from the college bookstore! 

Buying a book from a bookstore is a BIG no-no. Huge rip-off. Seriously consider buying books from online websites such as ecampus.com or abebooks.com! There are tons of books available from students who are willing to get any amount of cash for their old textbooks! Students can purchase these books for a fraction of the price!

6.) Never wait until the last minute to buy textbooks! 

If there is one thing not to procrastinate on, it’s buying textbooks! Never wait until the last minute to get your books because smarter students will buy the cheap ones before you! Once it is confirmed that the book is required, purchase the book ASAP! Don’t dawdle and let the cheap books be sold! Be ProActive! No one wants to pay $300 dollars for some paper with ink on it!