Motivated Mondays: I want to be forever young.

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In my head, I'm still 17. I know it's weird, because most people are always racing to grow up, and then when they grow up, they reminisce about the "good ole days" and wish that they were young again. I was one of those people that wanted to be 21 just so I could get into clubs and bars just to dance and drink. After 21, I just wanted to stop. I didn't want to leave college or get a job or get married or have kids. I just wanted to be a kid forever.  A lot of people grow up too fast. Thinking about that always brings me back to the movie, Babes in Toyland with Drew Barrymore. Throughout the whole movie, she's trying to convince everyone that she's not a child, but in the end, she realizes that she needs to enjoy being a child while it lasts.  I like to think that I'm only as old as I feel, and I feel like a teenager (who can legally drink). As y'all know, I still watch Mary-Kate and Ashley movies and other movies that I watched in the 90's/early 2000's like DCOMs and The Lizzie McGuire Movie. I don't think I'll ever stop watching Disney movies. When I look at children, they just seem so innocent, and they don't even realize that there are bad things in the world like mass murderers, racism and homophobia. They just love everyone and everything and just enjoy life as it comes. I want to have that perspective forever. I just want to love everything and live in endless bliss (see what I did there?). 

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How to stay young(ish): because we still like to have fun doing adult-y things -- Travel. Nothing makes a person feel younger like travel. I'm the kind of person where, if I'm going to the beach, I just like to chill and relax, but if I'm going somewhere where there's a lot to do (i.e. Washington, D.C. or Australia), I'm trying to never sleep. If you don't have the time (or money) to go on a week-ish-long vacation, take a stay-cation! Get a hotel room at a nice, local hotel, and just get away from it all.  -- Say "yes." Okay, you may be tired and don't feel like going out when your friends invite you, but trust me, you'll regret it on December 31st when you look at what you did that year and realize that you spent all of your time at your desk or on your couch. You don't have to go out every time, but try to go out sometimes, and when you're actually out, you'll probably have a blast! -- Don't give up on your dreams. No matter how old you are, you can still fulfill your dreams. Whether your dream is climbing Mt. Everest, becoming a senator or falling love, it's possible. Don't give up hope.

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-- Stop caring so much about money. My step-dad once said to me that if you really need money, you'll get it somehow. This has always proven true for me. When I was just about to tear my hair out because I couldn't get hired anywhere, a job came along. I realize that you have to have money to support yourself and pay the bills, but you shouldn't hate your life just because you don't have $10k to spend on your dream vaca. Just manage your money, and you'll be okay. Don't stress about it. -- Stop comparing yourself to other people. Everyone's journey is different, so don't judge other people for not taking the same path as you. What works for you doesn't work for everyone. Focus on yourself and your dreams, and don't worry about everyone else's. 

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-- Always have goals. I like having my goals written somewhere so that I can feel a sense of accomplishment when I'm done fulfilling them. My bucket list isn't something that I just let sit there and then check things off. I'm constantly adding to it. I think it's impossible to reach a point in your life where you're just satisfied with what you've done, so you just do nothing. It's always important to keep striving for something.  -- Be spontaneous. Nothing makes me feel young like spontaneity. I just love the feeling of getting up and going to do something with no prior plans. That's usually when the best memories are made. 

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I'm challenging all of you today (and every day) to not grow up too fast. Live a little. Step back and relax, because everything's going to be awesome. Happy Monday!