A Very Lucky Girl

It seems all I've been doing the past few days is writing. Writing papers, writing blog posts, writing notes, and writing in my journal. For me, writing helps create order in my otherwise chaotic cranium.  I wish I was better at using my words vocally, but I'm still learning how to think thoroughly before speaking.  I attended a student assistant training on Sunday afternoon for next fall and learned a lot about myself. The speakers asked us to take the StrengthsQuest Survey prior to arriving and to learn what our top 5 strengths were according to the test.  The results were lengthy and detailed, but a single worksheet on strengthsquest.com summed up each of my strengths. Maximizer : People talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something especially talented into something superb. Consistency : People talented in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people ...

Lies. It's all lies. Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic to have goals. But it's far better to make them attainable. If there's one thing I took away from my Gateway class during my Freshman year at OU it's the SMART acronym for goal-setting. S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R ealistic, T imely New Year's Resolutions are not renowned for their longevity. January 1st finds people casually tossing around statements like "Yeah, I quit drinking. Yeah, I'm gonna lose weight. Yeah, I'm gonna read the Bible in a year." But January 15th rolls around and that one shot with your friends on Friday night was too tempting, Krispy Kreme had a buy a dozen get a dozen deal, and Numbers is not a riveting book of the Bible. Human nature is to collapse in despair after a failure and give up on your 2013 transformation.  Not to sound too Nike-esque...JUST DO IT. I'm not overly fond of New Year's Resolutions, the main reason being that I t...

“I am a princess. All girls are, even if they live in tiny, old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren’t pretty, or smart, or young. They’re still princesses. All of us. Didn’t your father ever tell you that? Didn’t he?”-The Little Princess Paul taught me that I am princess. When I was younger we would go on daddy-daughter dates every so often, maybe once or twice a month. They weren't anything big or fancy, but he would pay for my Sonic drink and still opens the car door for me when he comes to pick me up at school, subconsciously instilling expectations for future boyfriends (so far most have sucked in comparison). He even let me drive his midlife crisis car (a Mercedes convertible SLK? SRK? it's tiny and shiny) a few times in Beaumont; in fact, I think it's about time for another joyride soon... He and I are a lot alike, which has led to some volatile disagreements over the years. We both love to make people laugh, but hate to be wrong. We both used to...

The whole concept is ridiculously cliche, but I think younger (high school freshman) me needed to read this: Hey Tay, You're 20 at this moment in 2012 (eh fine, 19.75. psh, technicality). But right now, you are 14, about to start high school at St. David's School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Don't be scared, I already did all this. It's totally not a big deal, but I want to provide you with an inside scoop to avoid some drama, heartbreak, and unexpected events. Cherish your freshman year. It will fly by, and you'll be leaving, for good, to the distant land of Beaumont, Texas in the summer. (Learn to spell it before you write your parents a note wishing them luck on the interview in "boemont." They won't let you live it down EVER. People don't ride horses to school, don't embarrass yourself by asking). Don't cry too much, it's time to leave, time to see who else is out there to meet. You'll stay close to the people that matt...

I was dragging myself to Sociology in a sleepy stupor this morning (where my professeur (literally accidentally typed 'professor' the french way--also are parentheses allowed inside other parentheses? YOLO) forced us to watch a movie where Amish people got it on, super awkward--unsure what the deeper meaning of life was supposed to be in that scenario) when I had this epiphany. I used to care so much about what other people thought about me (especially guys). I think it comes with moving around a lot; I found myself trying to fit in by being someone that wouldn't rock the boat, someone that others wanted to be around. That in and of itself is not a bad thing, but when I sacrificed my true self at the altar of societal expectations I decided it was time for a change.  Time to be honest about who Taylor Olivia Arceneaux is, and guess what? If you don't like it, you don't have to date it. Or hang out with it.  1. I eat sandwiches like a freak. I take the top brea...