Silver Lining

A loving community finding the silver lining.

Category Archives: Trust

It’s OK to not know

by 2 Comments

14804943_1828306514051490_1726620919_n.png.jpeg

As a senior in high school, this is one of the most important times in my life. The college that I go to can determine a lot of my future, and that’s a terrifying prospect. Everything I do now related to college applications has to be flawless, or my life may end up ruined. Naturally, thinking about this is very stressful, to the point that I lose all of my motivation to work in fear of doing something wrong. I don’t know what I’m doing now, or what I have to do. I don’t even have a clear grasp on what I’ll do once I get to college.

It’s terrifying to be so unsure about something so important, but I can’t let that stop me. If I stop now because I’m unsure, then I really won’t get anywhere. I need to keep going, even if I don’t know, because not knowing is temporary. I’ll figure it out soon, but this is what I need to do now. It’s okay that I don’t know, and it’s okay if you don’t know something as well.

The point of living is to learn about yourself everyday, so you can’t have everything figured out right away. What’s important is that you keep moving and trying your best with whatever knowledge you do have, so you can learn what you don’t know. If you keep trying, you’ll get there soon. ~Patty

Love yourself

by 7 Comments

ON POINT.png

One thing that I struggle with the most is believing in myself. I often end up comparing myself to others a lot. This I feel like affects the way others see me. I am often shy or awkward in public situations. Not to mention, public speaking, to me, is a nightmare. But I have learned to deal with this and start to see that I should believe in myself. One quote that really resonates with me, especially when I am feeling down, is “if you don’t believe in yourself then no one will”. This quote is really blunt I guess but it does remind me to believe in myself. You know what I have come to realize is that believe in yourself is a really important part of being successful. Like the quote says if you don’t present yourself as confident, nobody is going to want to trust you in whatever you are trying to do. For example, you are trying to pitch a business idea but you don’t think yourself as worth or don’t think your pitch is good enough. This will show off in your performance. I this took me quite a while to learn…. Maybe some of you already know this. To be honest, I actually knew that I had to be confident but there is a difference between knowing it in your head versus knowing it in your heart. I have just recently started to actually believe in myself. It is never too late 🙂 Love yourself ❤ I promise you will thank yourself later 🙂
-Pizza

Fighter

by Leave a comment

14330936_1808483679367107_1653055207_n.png.jpeg

Eleven when I nearly drowned.

He was watching.

I stepped on a sea urchin while snorkeling.

Spikes dug into my skin

like shark teeth,

currents of electricity

swam through my foot

as water swallowed me.

In my left temple, a pulse:

my brain pounding.

I could not breathe.

 

Thirteen when I met him;

swore I loved him.

He put his hands around my waist,

“A bit chubby here.”

His words stung like brine

pushing me underwater

deep into a chasm.

Seaweed groped my legs

coiling around my chest.

I could not breathe.

 

Fifteen when I learned to float;

tossed his words of shrapnel

into the ocean’s abyss.

I’m made of seaglass

Jagged, tumbled

Still shining.

Broke harpoons on my skin,

Snapped spears on my neck.

Carbon Copy

by Leave a comment

14287713_1251787794871319_1460950834_n.jpg

Walking my dog through the neighborhood, every day blends together as if each day is an exact same carbon copy. It’s bland and unoriginal, but it’s the closest I feel to safety. I know exactly which route I will walk, I know exactly when the sun will set, and I know exactly which neighbors I can avoid if my dog decides to lose her mind and disobey.

 

One day, as I’m walking through my neighborhood, my dog slips off of her collar! It’s a whirlwind trying to find her, as I run up and down the rows of houses. I’m looking through bushes, ravaging through leaf piles, and confronting confused neighbors about my lost dog.
At last, I found my dog safe and sound eating some sausage by a dumpster. Although my routine was more wild than usual today, I realized that it made my day more spontaneous and exciting. The strive for constant perfection that I always had went out the window, and I realized that learning and growing requires trying new things and making mistakes. 

Relax

by Leave a comment

14111596_305019203186535_1052319223_n.png.jpeg

Too often, we feel that we can only relax when we have time. When there’s a billion tasks on our to-do list, we think that we can’t stop or take a break. However, as Sydney J. Harris states, “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” When you’re stressing out and your schedule is maxed out, remember to take a break.

 

Do something you enjoy and take it easy. Take a walk outside, watch some television, eat some cake, take a nap, play your favorite song, or dance. Without breaks, you can easily get stressed out and that’s never good.

 

When I have 3 hours to do 6 hours worth of work, I get really stressed out. I start feeling overwhelmed and I hate not being in control. I feel the need to squeeze the life out of my stress ball and type out gibberish in some soon-to-be-deleted documents. I’m sure many people have felt stressed like this before.

Instead of quickly running back into my pile of essays and tasks, I should take a quick breather. The break I spend eating some food, taking a walk outside, or listening to music will recharge me and help me function normally again. If I just keep trying to work, I would only stress myself out more and end up in a bad state. Breaks are needed!

Short Story

by Leave a comment

13814578_875378119233714_302189119_n.png.jpeg

A young violin prodigy was walking down the street one day trying to decide whether or not to pursue a life in music when he came upon the most famous violin teacher in the world. Scarcely believing his luck, he stopped the great teacher and asked if he could play for him, thinking he would abandon his dream of a career in music if the great teacher told him he was wasting his time.

The greater teacher nodded silently for him to begin. So he played, beads of sweat soon appearing on his forehead, and when he finished, he was certain he’d given his finest performance. But the great maestro only shook his head sadly and said, “You lack the fire.”

The young musician was devastated. Nevertheless, he returned home and announced his intention to abandon the violin. Instead, he entered the world of business and turned out to have such a talent for it that in a few short years he found himself richer than he’d ever imagined possible.

Almost a decade later he found himself walking down another street in another city when he happened to spot the great teacher again. He rushed over to him. “I’m so sorry to bother you,” he said, “and I’m sure you don’t remember me, but I stopped you on the street years ago to play my violin for you, and I just want to thank you. Because of your advice, I abandoned my greatest love, the violin, painful as it was, and became a businessman and today enjoy great success, which I owe all to you. But one thing you must tell me: how did you know I didn’t have what it takes? How did you know all those years ago I lacked the fire?”

The great teacher shook his head sadly and said only, “You don’t understand. I tell everyone who plays for me they lack the fire. If you had the fire, you wouldn’t have listened.”
Story from Telling Lies for Fun & Profit: A Manual for Fiction Writers by Lawrence Block

How to Feel Confident

by Leave a comment

13664626_872292792875580_3551488_n.jpg

    1. Take care of yourself–Being healthy is always important; keep your health safe and you will be safe 🙂
    2. Smile!–Who doesn’t like to see that beautiful, gleaming smile?!
    3. People believe in you!–There are people everywhere complimenting things that you may feel self conscience about. They all believe in you, and you should too!
    4. You matter–Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t matter because every part of you does.

 

  • Remember: You are beautiful

 

 

Confidence

by Leave a comment

13689756_872287692876090_128824216_n.jpg

“Confidence is something you create within yourself by believing in who you are” –Anonymous

 

I cannot tell if being confident is something I struggle with. At times, my confidence level is extreme, and I feel as if I can do anything. Other times, however, I refuse to walk into a room alone or speak up when I know I should. So I guess there is no better time to ask: What is confidence? According to Google, confidence is a feeling of belief or the certainty in truth. As long as you believe in something strong enough, you will feel confident in the task. In most cases, that “something” is us. Often times, we do not believe in ourselves, therefore we are not confident. That can change as long as we tell ourselves to believe and trust ourselves and the ones who care about us.

Everyone has insecurities. I know I have mine. Yet we all are able to walk into a room with our heads held high and speak our mind. We are confident in ourselves. Some friends of mine often admire how confident I am about myself. But the truth is, I’m not. It is hard to be confident all the time, maybe even impossible. There are always factors that put us down. But it is up to us to get back up. No one can give your confidence to you. Sure, it can be fueled by compliments and friends, but you must believe in yourself to be confident in yourself.  

 

How to stay less anxious during summer

by Leave a comment

13511435_273171869704602_945737486_n.jpg

 

  • Try to find a balance between working and relaxing–Summer should be all about relaxing; it is a short period of time where we are given time to take a break from the intensity of the school year. That being said, it is important to work on whatever you have to do, without waiting for the very last minute.
  • Go outside–With the warm and relaxing weather, now is a perfect time to go outside for a break. Go jogging, read a book, do something that will help  take your mind off whatever you are stressed about, but will also keep you healthy.
  • Talk to your friends–Your friends are always going to be there for you, so if there ever is a time where you are feeling anxious, give them a call and talk to them.

 

Exercise–It is scientifically proven that exercise decreases stress and anxiety, so try going to the gym or a 30-day challenge in your own house.


by Leave a comment

How to maintain a healthy friendship 😃!

image

How to maintain a healthy friendship:

Talk to your friends–if something is bothering you, your friends will be there.

Be respectful–conversely, if someone doesn’t want to talk, respect their decision. (but be ready with a hug!)

Have fun–I know, I know, it’s such a vague and overused expression, but planning a fun day with your friends really do help make everyone closer

Make sure it is not a one way road–It’s important to know when you are in an unhealthy friendship, and that is usually when one person will do anything for the other while it won’t be like that the other way. Also, make sure that you’re giving and working for the friendship as well.

————————————————————————–

Silver Lining is undergoing some major changes in the upcoming month! We plan to start podcasts, completely change up our posts (remove challenges, add jokes, tips, etc) and more. What would you guys like to see in SL? We just want Silver Lining to be more delightful for you!