Joyfully Jen

On the following website I found a quiz containing nine or ten questions. Your answers to these questions are supposed to tell you what ultimately defines your happiness.  This got me thinking about what ultimately made me happy.   http://www.forbes.com/ sites/ilyapozin/2014/03/06/20- companies-you-should-be- following-on-social-media/ .  Wh en I took this test it, told me that I am an Artisan. The following paragraph was also provided. “You feel happiest when you are completely engaged and absorbed in an activity that you enjoy, particularly when you have a certain talent and mastery over what you are doing. Psychologists describe this state as 'flow'. Reading, playing music or sport, doing DIY, cooking; all are activities that provide a sense of flow and happiness. You take pleasure both in what you are doing, and in the internal feeling of being absorbed in something that demands your skill and attention. The only risk is that concentrating only on activities t...

This past weekend was family weekend here at Bradley University. My mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law all came down to visit. We spent all of  Saturday  together barbecuing with my friends and their families.  On Sunday  we went to Tanners Apple Orchard. This weekend is what really inspired me when writing this week’s blog. I am an emotional roller coaster because it's my last year here at Bradley. I keep thinking about all of the lasts I have to experience. I'll be leaving all the friends I have made here and will be undergoing tremendous lifestyle changes in just under a year. I'm not only thinking about the sad things, but also about the excitement that comes with searching for a full time job, finally making it to graduation, and never having homework again. Going along with this, I also think about everything I have been through over the past few years. College has put me through some of the best times in my life and some of the worst. I have had m...

Often times we aren’t very appreciative of everything we have in our lives. I can personally say that I take most things in my life for granted and I am positive I am not the only one.  This past  Saturday  I volunteered at Loaves and Fish This is a weekly event the First United Methodist Church hosts. The purpose of this event is to provide the less fortunate with hot meals, pantry food items to take home, a worship service, and health related check ups. Every time I go to this event my heart breaks a little bit more. It is crazy to think that there are so many people who need this extra help just to get through their daily lives. Many of these people, I'm sure, never receive it. It's crazier to think that there are still people in our community who need a helping hand. It is impossible to get the proper amount of care to everyone who needs it.  It makes me realize how lucky I am to have a family that cares about me, a roof over my head, friend...

When making the transformation from high school to college, one of the biggest worries we have is whether or not you will stay close with your friends from high school or if you will be able to make new friends. This was a major worry for me because most of my friends were going to the same college while I was not. I have been friends with the majority of the same group of people since kindergarten. They are family to me. They’ve been there for basically every major life event I have been through for as long as I can remember. It's impossible for me to imagine a life where I never met them. Absolutely nothing in my life would be the same without them. They have helped shape me into the person I am today. I wouldn’t want it to have been any other way. Luckily I have been able to stay in touch with them as we are finishing up our senior year of college. I am blessed to say that I believe our friendships have only grown with our time spent apart. We make time for each othe...

I had a hard time coming up with a topic I wanted to write about for this blog. Over the past weekend I came across this quote that made me really think about all the negative things that are so prevalent in our lives. This quote inspired me to come up with some sort of topic that gave me an outlet to think about all of the positive things life has to offer. Being a senior in college, thinking about graduation and all that it includes can be a lot to handle at times. I can’t even begin to explain how sad it makes me to think my time here at Bradley is coming to an end. If I could, I would do it all over again the exact same way time and time again. I met some of my best friends here, and created memories that will stay with me forever. I am currently beginning to plan for the next phase of my life which mainly entails job searching. Job searching is not only an exciting thing, but it can be very stressful and draining as well. Staying positive throughout the whole experience is ...