New Summer Blog!

I created this blog to be an overflow-of-my-thoughts blog, through which I promised myself that everything I did on this blog would be for me and myself alone. I wouldn't stress about the blog's appearance compared to other blogs, or worry about whether or not the few people who stumble across my blog actually like what I'm writing. This blog was created primarily as an outlet for me to express my daily, weekly or monthly thoughts and opinions (more thoughts than opinions).

So, when I accepted my summer internship, I decided to create a more professional blog to coincide with my journey as an intern. I am inviting you, anyone who may follow me on Kind and Merciful, to follow me on my intern blog: http://allthingsallison.wordpress.com/

I will continue to post on this blog, but will probably most more often on my new intern-focused blog.

In the meantime, I am the proud daughter of my dad, who is running for McKinney City Council At-Large.



I am also the proud sister of my brothers, Steven and John, who are about to graduate on June 3rd!



More posts to come!

Excited,

Allison

Are you Proud of your Past?

For my Race, Gender and Media class, which has led to a lot of contemplative thinking, we were required to research our family history, or genealogy. One of the questions we were asked to answer has remained on my mind since completing the project: are you proud of your past?

My recent past: yes. Being a strategic person, I feel accomplished that I have stayed on track with my career path. I have built and maintained important relationships in my life and work to make a positive impact on the communities around me.

My ancestral past: kind of. I'm related to the Mather family, some of the earliest political and religious English leaders to come to what is now the United States. Their work in government, establishing democratic laws while incorporating Chrisitan faith, and as journalists, printing news and political thought, makes me proud. Their involvement in persecution of "witches" involved in "witchcraft", however, does not make me proud.

And now my History of Journalism class is making me question the past of my journalism predecessors (obviously college has been very thought-provoking for me).

I am reading about how the work of Pulitzer and Hearst, two of journalism's most highly-acclaimed journalists, led to the start of the Spanish-American War. They both printed inaccurate information about what was happening in Cuba through their newspapers, the New York Journal and New York World.



Hearst, with his mounds of money from his father, reportedly paid people to get engaged in a hot air balloon or to capture a grizzly bear with cameras nearby so that his newspaper would have the most sensational coverage. Their competitive relationship led to a race to see who could initiate the most public fury over what would become the Spanish-American War to receive the highest newspaper circulation numbers.

When the war was over, Pulitzer is recorded as saying that he didn't even believe in the war, or have evidence as to what he was reporting, but he printed misinformation to compete with Hearst's paper.

This is just one example of how journalism has not held up to its ethical obligations. There are other aspects of the industry that are more recent that also make me concerned: the focus on opinion journalism and sensationalism that confuses viewers with hard news.

Journalism, altogether, makes a positive impact on society. It is, after all, the fourth estate of our democratic society. However, learning about my past, both as an individual, and as a future professional journalist, makes me even more passionate about maintaining my ethical values and upholding the standards of the journalism industry in my future career.

Evaluating where you came from and where your profession evolved from is positive and enlightening, and I recommend it for everyone.

Lilly

DROOLING over these prints and the Lilly Pulitzer blog! Check it out!!

http://blog.lillypulitzer.com/

It's Obviously Springtime,

Allison

Beautiful Simplicity

Stop trying to work things out before their times have come. Accept the limitations of living one day at a time. When something comes to your attention, ask Me whether or not it is part of today's agenda. If it isn't, release it into My care & go on about today's duties. When you follow this practice, there will be a beautiful simplicity about your life; a time for everything, & everything in its time. - Jesus Calling


Look at this great photo my friend, Jillian, took of me as a favor! I needed a good picture for some resume stuff!

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up.

There are three consistent, overarching values that are important in my life that I work to exemplify every day – contributing to the betterment of the world, educating others and encouraging others to act.

During my senior year in high school, through my involvement in both speech and debate and broadcast journalism, I learned that through public speaking and the venue of mass media, I am able to achieve my priorities in life.

I will never forget watching Diane Sawyer’s mini documentary, “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains,” and realizing that I, too, could educate people on tragedies that are overlooked, and could tell evoking stories that are formerly unheard.

I also am a huge proponent of communities and “keeping it local,” as my hometown’s Chamber of Commerce calls it. There is nothing that I would love more than to serve a community as a television anchor for a local news station. I am passionate about camaraderie in communities and I think that local news stations reinforce that concept on a daily basis.

I am also extremely patriotic and realize that truthful, credible information to the public is vital for a healthy democracy.

I feel fortunate that, at a considerably young age, I have recognized what I want to devote my talents, energy and time to, and am glad that I am already fervent to begin working in the broadcast journalism industry.

My goal as a broadcast journalist is to serve others through my work; that may seem simple, but I think that as long as I pursue that goal, I will not veer off track from being an exceptional journalist. I plan to pursue this goal through a career as a TV news reporter, anchor or producer.

Balancing Values.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers

I'm sharing this quote with you this morning, because I just happened to stumble upon it and recognized its relevance.

This is, essentially, what my college adviser was trying to tell me the other day.

I have great momentum right now: I just won a national award and two scholarships, but I have to take the next step and do some great internships to turn that momentum into what will eventually become a career.

That's the dreaded word: INTERNSHIPS.

I think that word is what is most hated by college students. It's the word that keeps you up at night and makes your brain pound against your skull during the day.

Internships.

So, as you know if you have read earlier posts, I am obviously a first born child (I'm very into birth-order psychology). One of the main things about first born children is that they are constantly working to find balance in their lives.

My question today: when do you have balance in your life, and when should you strive for balance?

Questions always running through my head: is it better to be a little miserable and work your bum off? Is it better to always enjoy life and be carefree, hoping a great career will knock on your door?

I feel like this is turmoil between American and European culture. America is so work-oriented.

Maybe in a past life I was Parisian and left work hours early to sit and eat pastries... strawberry tarts... Seriously, though, I've mentioned moving to Paris to my boyfriend and family more than once!

Pictures of me in Paris.

So... I googled what it means to be 'balanced' and how to get that into your life.

This answer drove me crazy...

To achieve balance, SWEEP: sleep, work, eat, emotionally express yourself and play.

I liked this one more: Life management is setting and achieving personal growth and relationship goals.

That's the beauty of life. I think everyone should define what personal growth is for them and what types of relationships are important for their happiness. If you know what you value, you know what to focus on.

For me, I value a career. I value working toward a greater cause for the betterment of society. I value a lifelong romance. I value family. I value camaraderie in sisterhood, which I express through involvement in my sorority. I value Christianity. I value leadership.

Once you exercise your heart and mind and choose what you value, you can decide in what ways you would like to personally grow and develop relationships. As long as you are always centralizing on those values and focusing on personal growth equally as much as you focus on developing important relationships, I believe that you will succeed in balancing your life.

And once you learn exactly what you value...

Stand strong in your convictions.

Lastly, you may have to go against the grain. Almost anytime you stand up for your values, there is negativity and opposition.

This quote from my hero, Winston Churchill, has gotten me through a lot:

Me with Winston Churchill at his museum in London.

"Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong."

Au revoir!

Have Faith and Don't Lose Heart.

I received some BEAUTIFUL flowers for my birthday!







I didn't go to church today, but I did go last week. I loved the sermon - it was about having faith.

I never thought of it before, but the pastor said that the opposite of faith is anxiety. I was glad that he gave an explanation of what faith is, because it's really something I don't fully understand, or at least it's difficult to wrap your head around.

I've always believed that God has a specific plan for my life and that He will provide for me, but I don't think that I have fully trusted him in that and have given my worries completely to God, until recently.

I used to suffer extreme stress and had migraines often. I'm a very strategic person, so it's especially difficult for me to NOT think about making specific plans for my life, including decisions about career, second-guessing my performance in school and worrying about if I am devoting myself enough to the community around me. It's hard for me to not be in full control.

One day, I realized that worrying and stressing was getting me nowhere... except I spent a lot of money on Excedrine Migraine.

One of my favorite quotes that hangs on a decorative plaque in my room is, "The future comes one day at a time."

I was always (am sometimes still) so concerned about where I'm going and if I am doing the right things to be on the right path for my life. I am constantly reminding myself that, as long as I am continuously being myself and developing my leadership skills and strengthening my abilities, and seeking God, it will all work out! God has a plan for me. It is not my job to make life plans for myself.

When I am faithful that God has a remarkable plan for my life, my anxiety diminishes. I had one of those ah-ha moments in church when the pastor explained this.

A close friend of mine came to me tonight who is struggling with something similar. We talked about the importance of giving your stress up to God and trusting that, as long as you are developing yourself and working to be a better person, he will make your paths straight.

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

"Can any of you by worrying add a single hour of span to your life? If then you are not able to do so simple a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?" Luke 12:25-26

No stressing!!

Growing Up.

Something I have been thinking about lately is how weird it is to grow up.

Not just how it's weird to grow up, but how it's weird to think that we are maturing. I'm not even really sure what it is to be 'mature'.

As it is with mostly everything in life, things have different meaning retrospectively. When I think of my high-school-self now, I know that I really was not as mature as I thought I was at the time (although I am proud of my high school accomplishments)!









I don't feel very mature, even though I attribute myself to being organized, responsible, achieving, driven.. and other positive qualities.

My parents are the ones who have recently verified that I am mature and have given me the stamp of 'maturity'.

I feel very grown up because my parents keep asking me for advice, which really freaks me out.

I am the firstborn of the family, so I'm used to my parents looking to me to motivate my brothers, run errands for them and trust me to succeed without pep talks. But when it comes to asking for advice, that's a whole 'nother story!

My dad called me not too long ago to ask what I thought about him running for McKinney City Council At Large. I told him that as long as he wants to do it for the right reasons, plans to take on the task whole-heartedly and thinks that this is the way he can make a positive, significant difference, then yes. (I knew the answer to all of those things would be yes.. and it was.)



Not only did he ask for my advice in that big life-decision, but he has continued to ask for my expertise as a junior journalism major. I am flattered by this.

I'm kind of liking how life comes full-circle. It's funny to be enlightened and have a new perspective on anything - especially a relationship that is well-established... my relationship with my parents.

My appreciation for my parents continues to grow and prosper each day. I feel as though I am seeing a whole new side of them as parents, citizens, volunteers and business-people. Honestly, before college, I was naive enough to only see them as my parents.





Growing up is weird, but I am learning to appreciate the learning curve that comes along with it. I am lucky for each day that I grow older.

I'm amazed at what I have learned already about growing up. One of the most comforting things is that I am more and more secure in myself and who I am.

My mom once said to me the most memorable piece of advice I have ever gotten, "Every day you're defining who you are and where you're going." I will never forget that and will remember to live by that to ensure that as I grow older, I grow wiser, going in the direction that I am intended to go.

Keep your chin up!

Allison

My life as a Type A Perfectionist

It's been almost a month since I published my last blog post. I am very disappointed in myself because I have some WONDERFUL blogging ideas (so I think).

I have come to terms with the fact that I don't publish posts enough because I am a perfectionist. I have ideas of what I would like to post, but I want to choose a topic that is interesting and clever, but cute and simple. I want to make sure that I have enough time to sit down and write a post with meaning and without error.

My whole life, I have been a perfectionist. It really stems from me being a first born child. I can also blame my parents for raising me well and making me ambitious, determined, conscientious and achieving.

I was recently diagnosed (officially) with being a perfectionist when reading a book, "Born to Win" by Kevin Leman. This book, a gift from my parents, is about first born children and how they are more likely to be perfectionists. There is a quiz in the book that diagnoses your level of perfectionist tendencies and I am undoubtedly a Type A perfectionist. AWESOME!



What I know about being a perfectionist is that I like it. That characteristic is what makes me succeed, and I wouldn't change that about myself.

But, now I am wondering, what is "perfect" to me? What does perfection mean in my life?

The first thing that comes to mind is Jackie O. Classic beauty.



She is flawless. In fact, that's what the image is titled (I pulled it off Google).

Too often, we think of perfect in terms like what I think of perfect. We see pictures of Jacqueline Kennedy, Reese Witherspoon, J Crew clothing, Tory Burch shoes.. Okay, so this might be a sorority girl perspective of perfect, but the point is that we see perfect as appearances!




Perfection is what Jesus Christ exemplified. How He lived His life, and how we are supposed to live ours following Him.

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:32

In terms of perfection, we should be seeking moral perfection, perfect fellowship, God's perfect will...



I think I'll start to pursue being perfect in the way the Lord intended, by living this quote a little better on a daily basis:

"Be kind and merciful. Let no one come to you without coming away better and happier." - Mother Teresa

I will work to be a bucket filler for other people; being uplifting and helping others in ways that I am able, even if that means simply smiling more often!

Today is International Women's Day. Let's be a little less critical of ourselves and remember that perfection is NOT a perfect appearance, but is to work to be more like Jesus.

Oh, happy day!

All things Valentine's.

I LOVE Valentine's Day.

It's one of my favorite holidays, along with the Fourth of July and April Fools Day, a.k.a. my birthday!

It makes me sad when people hate Valentine's Day because they don't have a significant other or a love interest, etc. A Valentine can come in any way, shape or form!

One of my favorite things in the world is writing and receiving notes. Thank you notes, get well notes, thinking of you notes... I love them!

In fact...a wise person gave me advice to write notes (at least three) each week; it's a way to always be filling someone else's bucket, and it is very rewarding knowing that you are giving back to that person emotionally!

The best way to celebrate Valentine's day (with or without a significant other) is to make Valentines for the ones you love!

Format:

Dear _____,

I love you and am thankful for you because _________. You are a wonderful _______. I need you in my life because ____________.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

_______

Happy Hearts!

Do not withhold good.

So, as it is in these college days, I don't take enough time devoting myself to the Lord and spending time in the Word.

This morning, for some reason, I woke up around six and couldn't get back to sleep; I did my readings for my Race, Gender & Media class, which I found more enlightening than normal.

I read some articles today that allowed me to see a different perspective on my race and how others view me, as well as the innate advantages that come along with being white, compared to the disadvantages that unfortunately come along with being of another race in America. It is something that is constantly talked about in the media and politics, but I have not taken a considerable amount of time to think about how these social conditions are applicable in my life and whether or not I am perpetuating these racial differences. It's a tough thing to think about, let alone talk about.

However, today, I am feeling more vulnerable to these issues and am open to viewing my life in terms of race and gender.

After doing the readings, I remembered how fortunate I am to be receiving higher education. This education is allowing me to spend time thinking about these social institutions and educating myself as to how I can make a positive significant difference (that is what my high school superintendent called it - P.S.D.).

I felt compelled to say thank you to the enlightener, in this instance, my professor. I sent her an e-mail, that was considerably long, expressing my gratitude for opening my eyes to these issues and letting her know my appreciation for the curriculum.

My words, when writing the e-mail, came to me easily. An e-mail that would normally have taken me five minutes took me three.

Feeling inspired, I decided to search for some verses and look at a few daily devotionals. I stumbled on one of my favorite verses:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Lavendar Fields Painting by Michael Durst

What a beautiful verse. If that verse were a picture, this is what I think it would look like.

I love verses that are blatantly comforting and sympathetic. I love the image of taking exasperating sighs of relief and handing my troubles and stresses over to God.

I decided to read on and read the entire Proverbs 3.

Something jumped out to me.

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, 'Come back tomorrow and I'll give it to you' - when you already have it with you." Proverbs 3:27-28

That is exactly what God was telling me! In the e-mail to my professor, I specifically said, "I believe that if I am encouraged or enlightened by something, that I owe the 'enlightener' a thank you."

This is my way of never regretting a moment in life - to not hold back my praises and to be grateful for the people and opportunities that surround me.

This is a lesson I have learned by the passing of loved ones; more specifically, the passing of friends that are my age, who die too young.

So, I pass this on to YOU (maybe the one person who decided to stumble on my brand new blog), to reach out to the people who enlighten you today; do not withhold from them the good that they are bringing to your life.