in your 20’s find a balance between hustle & rest. you don’t need to have a love life or a soulmate figured out. go travel the world. battle your demons. set up a business, find people who value your heart & yours will attract. don’t live in the past, you have so much more to see
a piece of advice my dad gave me and I’ve never forgotten is, “if you won’t worry about it in 4 months, don’t worry about it now.” saved me countless times, it’s a philosophy to adopt and help improve your life. Failed a test? ask yourself if you’ll think about this still in 4 months? Made a fool of yourself in public? I doubt even the people who saw it will remember it past today. Know you could have done better? Ran further? don’t beat yourself up over it, you can do better tomorrow. Don’t overthink things, a lot of negatives matter less than you think they do.
… because way too many people fail at this and waste too much time. Wasting your own time and others’ is not a good minimalist activity.
1. Dial number. Wait for a person to answer. Exchange greetings/pleasantries.
2. Ask to make appointment. Do not tell the receptionist your life’s story. Do not begin with something like, “My eye itches” or “Last week my mom’s cousin’s sister’s dog hurt its leg” or “My uncle had the flu last year and I think I have ebola”. This is not information the receptionist needs to know yet. All they need to know is: “I need to make an appointment please.”
3. The receptionist may ask you questions like, “Are you a patient here?” or “Do you have an account with us?” etc. Answer them appropriately. They may then ask you the reason for the appointment. Again, do not tell the receptionist your life’s story. You can tell the doctor/dentist/lawyer/veterinarian/chiropractor all the details when you get there. Just answer the questions briefly. “I need a checkup.” “My child needs a dental cleaning.” “I wanted to discuss X, Y, or Z”. “My dog is due for his vaccines.” etc, etc.
4. Discuss dates and times and settle on an appointment time. Thank the receptionist, say goodbye and hang up.
5. Show up to your appointment. Do not come unprepared like a dumbass. Bring any necessary paperwork like identification, insurance, or vaccine records. Show up a few minutes early so you have time to fill out paperwork.
Bonus tip: if you aren’t sure whether or not your issue needs to be seen, tell them you have a question. The person answering the phones may have other responsibilities besides answering questions, or they may have someone in the office in front of them who they need to help first. They also may just be the person who answers the phones and may not have any actual expertise in medical/legal/etc. matters and won’t be able to answer your question anyway. For these reasons, do not just launch into a story about what/who/when/why/where as soon as someone picks up.
Here is a good phrase: “I have an issue that I’m not sure about, can you help me?” or “I have a question, are you busy at the moment?” Do not be mad if they put you on hold. Do not tell them your life’s story. Ask a single direct question.
For example, say something like this:
“I have a pretty deep cut on my left hand that was made by a contaminated knife, should I come in and have it looked at?”
Don’t do this:
“So my mom’s boyfriend took us fishing this morning and we left at like 6 this morning and went out to the lake, and then we caught like 5 fish but we threw some back but then it was lunchtime and my mom was showing us how to prep the fish for the campfire and I tried to do one myself but I cut myself instead and that was six hours ago and it’s kind of bleeding but my neighbor put some superglue on it. What should I do?”
ADDENDUM
When you arrive for your appointment, and you walk up to the desk, and the receptionist asks how he or she can help you, here is the correct thing to say:
“I have an appointment at [time].”
Here are some things to not say:
“[your name]” – John Smith? What about John Smith? Is he someone we should know? Does he have an appointment? Do you need to pick up some medicine for him? SPEAK IN COMPLETE SENTENCES, you are talking to a human being, not a psychic.
“My leg hurts.” – Aaand? What do you want us to do about it? Do you have an appointment?
“My cousin has ebola.” – No he doesn’t.
“[your life’s story]” – Just stop. No one cares.
“[your child’s name]” – Again, just saying a name is not helpful. Speak in complete sentences. “My child has an appointment at [time].”
“[your dog’s name]” – If someone walked up to you and just said the word “Rover” would that be helpful to you at all, or would you need more information?
“I’m the one who called yesterday” – Guess what, 500 people called yesterday. You’re going to have to be more specific.
my shit brain: i’m so bad at this, i just can’t do it-
me, a learning, growing human being whom believes in her own potential: yet bitch!!!!
you’ve been tricked by the education system into thinking that your worth is based on your ability to do the thing Right Now on the First Try, but here’s the big secret: everyone sucks at shit when they first try it, including the people who then get really good at shit. if little baby you had given up on talking because you fucked up on the first try, you wouldn’t know how to talk. and if your favorite singer/artist/whatever gave up because they fucked up on the first try, they wouldn’t have made that thing you love. so stop shitting on yourself for failing and get excited about learning a new skill instead! be bad at things!! have fun being bad at them!! that’s how you get better!!
There was this episode of Monk where he joined a painting class, drew one line, and then despondently said “I ruined it”, and that show may have had a lot of problems but fuck me if I haven’t been going back to that Mood for ten years solid now
If you are in a new city with no friends, go out alone. It might seem weird but you will get to spend quality time with yourself + possibly meet some people. Just stay safe, be where there are other people, avoid sketchy neighborhoods and don’t go out too late!
Carry your college ID everywhere and don’t be afraid to ask if a store has college discounts!
Take. Notes. Of. Everything. You might think “eh I’ll remember this”. You won’t. Write it down.
Replace your morning coffee for green tea, it is less likely to give you an energy crash later in the day, and take coffee as a pick me up later in the afternoon
Take a break from studying every hour or so, but don’t use your phone/computer. Go out for a walk, stretch, drink some water, shower. It will help you focus better
SKINCARE TIP: steam your face by boiling some water and putting some sage in it, then putting your face above the pot with a towel covering your head and the pot. It will help open up your pores and clean them
Things to always have around: coconut oil (for hair care, removing makeup, dry skin, cooking..) and baking soda (removing stains, face peeling, good for your gums..)
MEAL PREP!! Or at least shop for the following week so you are less likely to eat out, and eat crap!
Try new things, you might not be great at them, but you also might find something you are passionate about.
MEDITATE. If you don’t know how, download a guided meditation app (like Headspace). Meditation is great for reducing stress and boosting productivity. Also a great thing to do on your study break.
Don’t stare at any screens before bed, it WILL make you fall asleep harder and fuck up the quality of your sleep. Instead try reading, meditating, doing skincare, journaling.
Speaking of journaling, get a bullet journal. Write down your thoughts, plan your week, your month, write to do lists and shopping lists, and just use it as a creative outlet. You don’t have to be a great artist, it doesn’t matter, just let it all out on the paper.
black and white cat & tortoiseshell cat requested by Peter Jordan onpatreon
[Drawing of a black and white cat and an orange and brown tortoiseshell cat above a caption that says “You’re not going to fail. You’re going to make yourself proud. You’re going to achieve extraordinary things. You’re going to succeed. You got this.”]
If you live somewhere with snow, get your car’s under carriage washed throughout the winter months. Salt and chemicals are used on roads to make them more drivable, but these in turn cause the bottom of your car to rust.
Speaking of car washes- get familiar with other car care services. Lots of gas stations have air pumps for you to inflate your tires. Car tires loose pressure during the winter and gain pressure in the summer due to temperature changes, so you may need to adjust your tire’s pressure throughout the year. Many car washes have little vacuum stations where you can vacuum your car seats.
Check engine lights are not aways deadly, but they sometimes can be! Mechanics with any common decency will run your car’s check engine code free of charge, it takes literally thirty seconds to do so. I’ve also heard that Autozone will do this as well. If your check engine light comes on, don’t just ignore it. Learn what the code is and decide if it something that needs to be addressed immediately. Do NOT put your life in jeopardy.
Do NOT wait until the end of the month to get your yearly inspection completed. If your inspection is up at the end of September, go in August. You can get your inspection done early! I recommend doing this, because sometimes unexpected and expensive problems turn up. Don’t give yourself a week to come up with $500!
Similarly- not all mechanics are stand up. If someone gives you an expensive quote, don’t just settle for it. Shop around and see what other mechanics say. Also, ask your friends/family who their mechanic is. A friend of mine is a tow truck driver and he recommend my current mechanic to me.
ImagineCreateDevour 