The Grown Up Life Wrap Up

I don't get time. And, quite frankly, I don't like it. Regrettably, I'd like to launch into a rant about how "It feels like just yesterday summer started..." and "it is almost August. How the Hello Kitty did that happen" and "it all goes by so dang fast." Ugh. So cliche. But so true.

I don't get time. Part of me is convinced its all a big joke. How else would an hour making cold calls feel like 3 days and an hour spent galavanting around downtown feel like a minute? I think time warps exist. Loosing ourselves in something we enjoy is the time-space equivalent of flooring it on an empty highway, where the not-so-fun stuff feels like trying to run with weights strapped to your ankles.

Today marks the last day living in my humble apartment abode, and the beginning of the last week of my internship. I've been an (almost) full-fledged adult for two months now, and I can say with confidence that the experience as changed me.

1. I've fallen even more in love with what I do. Content creation is my official professional love language. Whether its copy for an eBook, text for a blog post, or a pitch to a reporter, writing in the PR realm is my favorite way to get lost. My biggest PR accomplishments this summer have been crafting a blog post using thermodynamics as the main illustration (just as difficult as it sounds) and landing a story on the company in one of the top 50 newspapers in the country (that one still gives me goosebumps).

2. I've learned the science of sales. UFC's ain't got nothing on me. I'm eternally grateful for the skills I've been taught when it comes to sales communication. Talking to people is fabulous fun for me, and practicing how to steer conversations in different directions is something I know will be put to future good use.

3. My dad was right when he said, "never assume anything." "I'm just going to skip the chapter on sales," I thought to myself one day last fall, sitting at McConn with my marketing textbook. "I'll never need to know that stuff." Wrong. "I'm done with Spanish forever," I thought, walking out of Spanish 112 after my final exam freshman year. "I'm good with being mono-lingual." Wrong again. "I can go 85 on the freeway, no problem. They'll never take me alive!" I thought, pretty much every day. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

4. Never stop seeking friendships. In just two months, I gained a new member of my future bridal party. PB&J partners in crime for life.

5. Being one-track minded is way harder than I originally thought. I used to think the ability to only focus on one thing at a time was a positive, but I've learned it is something I'll struggle through the rest of my life. I've found that, in diving head first into work, other things get left behind, like the laundry that has been sitting in the dryer for 4 days and the several internship journals I have yet to turn in on Blackboard. Most importantly, though, I've learned that maintaining a relationship with God in the midst of life's manic pace is a hardcore commitment that takes work. And, to be honest, I've kinda sucked at it. Being intentional isn't optional. I know that now.

Without further ado, let's take a look at my summer bucket list from THIS POST.

(In no particular order)

1. Document my junior year {working on it}

2. Finish freelance "Words and Color" project {Halfway. After trekking back to Ohio I'm pulling it back out of the catacombs}

3. Read books. Lots of em {I've done pretty well. 1984, The Great Gatsby, A Simple Plan, Miss Peregrine's, The Stranger, On the Road.}

4. Make a significant dent in "642 Things to Write About" {Ooo, not so much. I need to get on that}

5. Catch up with old friends over lunch/coffee {Halfway.}

6. Learn a new trick on the trampoline {Not yet. How about....a full!}

7. Train for a half marathon {YES. Significant progress.}

8. Get super tan {I'm Venezuelan}

9. Move into the new apartment!

10. Buy a new professional wardrobe

11. Explore my brand new city

12. Learn a new language (Sales and Marketing speak)

13. Write several inspirational corporate blog posts

14. Cook an entire meal

15. Run the July 4th 5K with my Dad {It was pouring down rain. We opted out. Raincheck on that one.}

16. Dairy Shed

17. Tube it up at Dale Hollow

18. Make new friends

19. Go to a concert {Tim McGraw, Wilco & Bob Dylan, several concerts in the park, and soon JOHN MAYER!}

20. Collect data for my Senior Project {Starting that in August}

21. Talk to Jesus LOTS {Not as much as I should have. So sorry Jesus...we'll be catching as soon as I finish this, I promise.}

22. Go thrift shopping

23. Expect the unexpected {Oh, the irony.}

24. Carpe all diems. {A work in progress. Always. :) }

Imissionation: Where am I going in life

Thursday afternoon, I had the opportunity to meet with two Indy-based PR professionals who are rockstars in the industry. Wide-eyed and with pen in hand, I tried to make like a sponge and soak up every word they said while scribbling bits of the conversation in my trusty composition notebook (almost identical to the ones sitting in front of them. Take that, iPads).

Like gum to the bottom of a shoe, the advice they offered that has stuck with me since that meeting has been the cruciality of strategy in communication. Every word an organization utters, whether it be on a social media outlet, in a press release, or on the company website, must somehow fit into that organization's goals and vision for the future. You must have a plan in which every action fits. 

So that got me thinking. I found myself rewinding to stormy Tuesday night, grabbing a midnight snack with my best goons and talking about life. We were playing "The Question Game" (probably my favorite thing ever), and inquiring about random things. The question, "What is your mission in life?" came up. Dots connected. The same way a strategy must be implemented into a communication plan really should also be a factor in life. 

How often do I find myself just meandering through the day-to-day, with zero forward thinking and no rhyme or reason to my actions? 

I need a plan. And a mission. And imagination. 

I need imissionation. 

imissionation - noun

1. the culmination of one's life mission and vision for the future

2. an attitude which drives one to creatively seize the day

3. a rejection of complacency as to live life to the full

Here we go.

Main Mission:

To spread the love of Jesus in a way that creatively redeems the broken elements of a fallen world. 

I think sometimes, Christ-followers get stuck in the idea that we must either reject the world completely, or throw all caution to the wind and dance on ice with it. I believe, in following in Christ's example, we are called to engage with culture in a way that redeems it. God is in the process of redeeming all creation to Himself, and if we're not helping that process, we're hindering it. A Christ-followers reactions to most situations are the exact opposite of any old human's. With Jesus guiding you, people will notice a difference. And that is exactly what I want. 

Goal 1:

Put God first, others second, and myself third on the priority list. Always.

Goal 2:

Live up to the responsibilities God has given me in being a role model. 

My family is such a unique and beautiful construction. Being the oldest child (by 7 and 10 years), I'm humbled and honored by the role God has given me in my two little sister's lives. Its something I don't take lightly, because I have a responsibility to set a positive example and come alongside my parents in raising them to be Godly women. Burkhardt Babes for life.

Goal 3: 

Carpe all diems. 

I refuse to let opportunities slip through my fingers. My bucket list gets longer every day, and every day Today, Monday, July 1st (holy smokes its already July!?), I'm the oldest I've ever been and the youngest I'll ever be again (thanks for that, Eleanor Roosevelt). Time to get carpe-ing.

Goal 4:

Lifelong bestfriendship with the King of Kings.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Galatians 1:10

If any word, thought, or action doesn't fit in with the imissionation I have laid out, its got to go. Life is short, people! Live it up.

Carpe Diem Project Update

Something about the mixture of a cloudless sky, pink lemonade, a brand new pair of shorts and eyes that actually feel awake makes me want summer as my home. If only I could live in the essence of summer, wear the sunshine as perfume, walk to the soundtrack of live music in the park, and sleep under the stars every night after a dinner of sweet tea, barbeque chicken and watermelon....

....until I got a massive sunburn and my allergies suffocated me and I weighed 400 pounds. But hey, a girl can dream, right?

Since my summer began a few short weeks ago, I've been attempting to carpe the diems out of the first chunk of my summer. This has meant...

-Limited social media usage
-Limited TV watching
-Lots of reading
-Lots of creativity

And the results are in!

1. I am able to fall asleep faster and sleep better at night. Reading before bed is much more relaxing than having a computer screen shoved in your face.
2. Books are no longer overwhelming. I thought the bookworm in me was long dead and gone, but by limiting my screen time, it was revived at last.
3. Creativity skyrockets when mindlessness plummets.
4. The project is doable. Once staying off mindless media was graced with the kiss of routine, the habit was broken.
5. Without the distraction of impulsive social media checking, I've been able to make some memories that DON'T involve status updates or relationship changes. I'd take a late night trampoline session, a crazy good suspense story, driveway track meets, random dance parties and ice cream runs over sitting on my badonk any day.

Tomorrow marks the start of phase 2. In less than 12 hours my first internship will begin! I am beyond excited for the opportunity to practice my PR prowess and do what I love. Stay tuned folks! Time to get down to business. 

Carpe Diem Project Update

Well, its been about three months since I set off on the adventure of attempting to abstain from mindless media consumption in pursuit of more seizing of the days. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this post.) And it started out great, it really did. I was able to get more accomplished in the way of school work, fall asleep faster at night, and think more creatively in my own endeavors. However, lack of accountability and boredom eventually got the best of me, and I slowly began slipping back into old habits. In my defense, I still only watch Netflix when I'm on the treadmill, and only check Instagram once a day. Facebook and Twitter invade my consciousness more than they should, but I'm working on it.

My junior year ends in less than two weeks. After the last exam has been crushed and my junk moved out, I have three and a half weeks to rest and relax...AND work on personal projects I've been DYING to start. Therefore, I'm recommitting to the Carpe life after finals end for FOUR weeks (a more manageable chunk of time if you ask me). Until then, I'm going to need a little mindlessness after busy days of studying, paper writing and project presenting.

Almost....There.

This will be me after finals! (K-Burk Photography featuring the baby sis).

The Carpe Diem Project

If there is one thing in this life that my brain cannot get a handle on, it's time. Represented by hands on the clock, falling sand, a shadow across the sidewalk, time is something we can never seem to have enough of. We know a minute is composed of sixty seconds, an hour of sixty minutes, a day of twenty four hours, and yet some minutes drag on for hours while others last merely seconds. Once a moment passes, it is gone forever, only leaving behind shadows in the form of memories easily forgotten. The same can be said for life. No matter how many weeks, months, years we are given on the earth, once it ends, life on Planet Earth is over indefinitely. This is a common fact of life, heavy and sobering. So why is it that we take it so lightly? Why is it that we sit around and stare at each other wondering how to simply pass time that, once gone, can never be retrieved again?

I recently had a conversation with a friend wise beyond his years on this very topic over some hot chocolate.

"People settle instead of going after their dreams," he told me. "They make excuses. The only thing that can limit you, is you."

So, I decided I'm not going to settle. I'm done with making excuses. 

James 4:14 makes a powerful statement: "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." I don't know about you, but thinking of my life as a mist calls for some changes in priorities. I firmly believe time is a precious gift from God, and how we choose to use it reflects our devotion to Him. Keeping this in mind, a statistic I read in the book Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman stated that, by 65 years of age, the average person will have spent twelve years in front of the TV. I am super not ok with this!

So in light of these facts, what is a chronic time-waster to do? With God as my witness (I know He wholeheartedly backs me up on this, in fact I think He's been trying to get it through my thick skull for awhile now), I am proposing the Carpe Diem Project in hopes of turning things around. 

Here's how this is going to work.

1. For three months, I'm going to do my best to live like my life is a mist. 

2. This means....

     -Treating every moment as a gift

     -Being intentional and deliberate with my use of time

     -Honoring God in all I say and do

3. I will only watch TV if it provides an opportunity to fellowship and spend time with friends, or help me to keep from throwing up when I run on the treadmill.

4. Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest) gets 20 minutes of my day. No more, no less.

5. I no longer will provide lodging in my brain for worry, stress, or negativity.

6. Time not spent with friends, in class, doing homework, or working will be spent in three ways: learning, enhancing, and doing.

Learning:  I cannot tell you the last time I read a book to learn something new or just for fun. I want to re-develop this habit and pick up some knowledge along the way. 

Enhancing: There is always room for improvement, whether it is in relationships or skills. I want to spend more time with God and people, as well as writing and creating. 

Doing: I have always hated sitting around, and unfortunately I've slowly let myself settle to doing "nothing" when I find extra time. No longer! Time to get up and get moving, which means seeing new places, trying new things, and exploring what creation has to offer. 

7. I'm planning on tracking my progress. I have an inkling that this little "experiment" is going to radically change things for me, and once May whatever rolls around, it will no longer be a project, but a way of life. 

I know and accept I will mess up from time to time. There will be days where I am tempted to "kill time" by engaging in the mindless activities that suck me in far too easily. But, with the help of my Father, I'm committing to this. I can't afford not to.