Martin Luther King, Jr. - Inspiration for Us All

It has been quite some time since I've had the chance to sit down and update my blog. In all honesty, I don't have an adequate amount of time to blog at the current moment. However, I felt compelled to do so in honor of this national holiday that celebrates the life of a man who was and still remains an inspiration to us all - Martin Luther King, Jr. 

King once stated that, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." Although I have chosen to live a life where I try to nurture my dreams with a bit of hard work so that they'll ripen into reality, one thing that has remained constant is my inability to see the entire staircase. I'm not certain of where my first place of employment will be. I'm unsure of when I'll purchase my first home. I'm even uncertain of how I will impact the community that I live in. Despite those uncertainties, there is one thing that I am sure of - I will be someone who makes a difference in this world! Hopefully, in reading this, you too will be inspired to ignite a positive change in your own life and the lives of others. 

Today someone told me that you don't have to be the best, you simply have to care the most. With faith, love and the courage to act, I'm sure that we can make this world a better place. King's legacy lives inside of all of us. Stand up! Act! Let his legacy and the premises upon which he stood for be your fuel for change. It only takes faith and a step to begin a new journey. 

Changes To Come Soon!

November is a distressingly busy month for many first-year law students, myself included. My to-do-list is a mile long and those crazed exam jitters are finally looming freely. Nevertheless, just when I had determined that the list couldn't grow any longer, I added yet another thing - making drastic changes to my blog!

I thought for quite some time about the information I'm able to obtain and share. I also contemplated the various groups of people with which I could share that information, and I've come up with a wonderful conclusion. I'd like to help high school students find their path to higher education! I might be in law school now, but since I just graduated from college in May, I'm not too far removed from the undergraduate application process. Not to mention, I have a pamphlet that I wrote and distributed as a college freshman to those who were curious as to how I was offered over $500,000 in scholarships. So, I have a basic outline of certain materials and advice that I'd like to cover.

I'll still be one step closer to the real world, but my hope is to assist others in making substantial steps in their lives as well, especially students from underrepresented communities and those who are unable to retrieve such information easily. For now, I'll give you all a preview of some of the topics that I will cover:

• Slow and Steady Wins the Race - Small Scholarships and Their Importance 
• Using the Internet in Aiding Your Application Process
• Common Application 
• Fastweb 
• CollegeBoard 
• Questbridge
• Gates Millennium Scholars
• Demystifying Application Fee Waivers
• Paper Forms and Typewriters 
• Organization - Charts Are Charming and Storing is Scoring 
• To Be Or Not To Be - Narrowing Down Your College List
• Understanding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 

I think that's a pleasant preview of the topics that I will be discussing in the near future! Until then, I'm going to get back to my Property Law outline. If you have any suggestions as to other subjects that you'd like me to cover, feel free to leave a comment! 

Define Weekend!?

If I were to ever create a Dictionary for the Incoming Law Student, the very first word that I might define would be weekend! 

Various dictionaries have different definitions for the word weekend. Almost all of them, however, will display a common theme of leisure, respite or rest. It's possible that you too may agree that weekends should be a time of rest and relaxation. Nevertheless, many law students have personally experienced that such definitions are gravely inapplicable to us! 

In order to mitigate the extreme errors found in the common definitions of the word weekend (and to simply provide comic relief to my classmates who are currently reading on a Saturday night), I've decided to create a few of my very own definitions! 

weekend (wēkˌend), n. The period of time allocated for reading, briefing, researching, cleaning, outlining, memorandum writing, sleeping, or otherwise relaxing when classes are not in session for a limited time under which there is unfortunately not enough time to complete even half (½) of the aforementioned tasks. 

weekend (wiːkˈɛnd), n. The days of the week that are akin to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, except that in lieu of an absurd amount classes and meetings, one has an absurd amount of work to complete in preparation for future classes and meetings. 

weekend (week-end), n. An urban legend similar to unicorns, mermaids and leprechauns in that it is spoken of, but neither seen or actually experienced. 

How would you define weekend?  

A Short Poem I Wrote While Studying

Today has been a wonderful day, despite being quite uneventful! I woke up this morning around 8:00a.m. and have been reading ever since. I had no idea, however, that I'd be inspired to write a peculiar, little poem this evening. The inspiration may have come from a discussion that I had about Dr. Seuss in my Criminal Law course earlier this week. In any event, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present to you A Short Poem I Wrote While Studying!

The month of September begins with the letter 's'
And I must confess,
It's the time for me to keep studying.

The month of October begins with an 'o'
And well, who knows,
Maybe it warns me of when to begin outlining.

The month of November begins with an 'n'
And you see my friend,
It's intuition that tells me then to be nervous.

For the month of December begins with a 'd'
And a D, you see, is not passing or good.
No, that grade would do a disservice!

So, I'll sign out of my blog and continue to log the info I need to form case briefs!
And stand on the belief that I'll find some relief when I get rest and sleep come 10:30.
And I'll happily seek to plan for holiday weeks after I complete all of my tests,
But until then, I'll continue to read, continue to smile and do my best!

A Bit of Advice Before Bedtime

Today has been a heart-wrenching, unending day for me! While preparing for for bed this evening, I discovered something that's quite mind boggling to me: I typically read and analyze cases twice as much as I sleep.

If only I felt comfortable reading cases more quickly, then I most certainly would. Unfortunately, I'm sure that whizzing through cases would do much more harm than good simply because I would not remember, understand or internalize any of the material. So, what do I plan to do? Well, I'm going to rest for a little while and wake up with a fresh start to a brand new day!

Trying to stay motivated isn't easy, but there are things that may make it easier. Here are a few tips that I used to stay motivated:

• When frustration begins to hinder me from comprehending material, I stop reading! I relax, eat dinner, and/or take a nap if I have time. Later on, I go back to the assigned task. Returning to readings that may have initially seem overwhelming to me tend to appear a bit less daunting the second or even third time around. 
• I also reward yourself after meeting or exceeding the goals that I've set. For completing an assignment or two, I may reward myself by not doing any reading outside of class the next day or by even taking a well deserved nap. For surviving a long, arduous week, I may go bowling, salsa dancing, or skating. One thing that I try not to do though is reward myself when I don't deserve it. It may seem trivial or cliche, but it works for me. 
• I smile a whole lot! Even when I'm upset, exhausted, or disappointed, I try to keep a smile on my face. There's a quote that says, "Life is a mirror; we get the best results when we smile at it." Sometimes a simple smile helps me feel better about whatever situation I'm in. It reminds me that no matter what is going wrong, I still have something to smile about!  

I think that's it for now! I should get some rest. If I haven't told you yet, thanks for visiting my blog! 

Inspiration Arises

Sometimes I observe the way that people handle situations, and I cannot help but wonder why they feel grouchy instead of grateful. Inspiration arises as a result, and I occasionally turn to Twitter, my favorite place to create string of quotes that no one will ever read, retweet, or care about. Well, tonight I'll share them in another way! I'll share them on my blog, and maybe, just maybe someone will be inspired! Here are a few of my favorites: 

• Be grateful for the rain, both literally and figurative, for perseverance grows like a rose.
• When you think that you should wait before taking a leap of faith remember, time won't wait. Don't wait until it's another missed opportunity. Don't wait until it's too late.
• Happiness is not something that you find. It's created. It's like planting a seed & then reaping what you've sown! Plant kindness! 
• If you don't like what you see in the mirror, you've got two choices. You can change what you see physically or you can change what you see mentally. One of these choices is simply and cost-effective. 
• When you see life taking you down a direction that you don't want to go, turn around. You don't have to take that detour.

Every Day Isn't Dandelions and Apple Trees

Today has been the most difficult day I've had as a law school student. I haven't had time to synthesize last week's materials. My readings for this week are most definitely piling up. (In other words, I have roughly six hours of reading to complete for Tuesday alone.) I'm also having quite a bit of trouble finding relevant sources for one of my most important early assignments. My work ethic is working against me. My motivation seems to have gone down the drain. Nothing has gone smoothly all day and, as always, time is not on my side. 

Am I angry? No. Am I frustrated? A little. Am I worried? Absolutely not! 

Chemists, who hold dear the teachings of Isaac Newton, agree that, "For every action there is an equal and opposition reaction." Grammy award winning singers Mary Mary remind us that, "We all need a little dirt to grow." When problems arise in our lives, no matter how great or small, it's important to stay encouraged and continue to do our best. Every day isn't dandelions and apple trees. Matter of fact, some days can be more like ferocious lions and bumble bees! Nevertheless, it's hard to appreciate the good things in your life if you never have a few hardships. It's during those times that it becomes important not to give up, but to take baby steps. You can still get where you want to go! Just keep walking!