The Evolution of Nikki

Archive for April, 2009

I’ve learned many things over the past 26, almost, 27 years. I thought it would be nice to share some of what I’ve learned with all of you.

1- No one is entitled to anything in life. If you want something in life, you better be prepared to work hard, and often, to get it. We all are dealt unfair hands in life, but that doesn’t mean we’re entitled to things because of our hardships. Normal people aren’t giving everything on a silver platter. We work hard every day of our lives to make things happen. Don’t think you’re exempt from hard work.

2- You create your own destiny. Yes, I believe parts of our lives are already planned out for us, but I also believe we have free will and are the ones responsible for making things happen. You can’t expect others to make your dreams a reality. Yes, you’ll meet people over the course of your life that may help you, but you have to also help yourself. Nothing comes free.

3- There are genuinely nice people out there who are willing to help you. Not everyone in this world has ulterior motives. Yes, there are people out there that are only concerned for themselves and what they can get from others. They are users. But there are also people out there that want to do good things for others and make a difference. Don’t be so blind and jaded that you can’t see those people. You may miss out on someone who was meant to be in your life.

4- No one is perfect. No one! You may think you are, but you’re not. We all have flaws. None of us are cut from a perfect mold. Those that think they are perfect and have no faults are exhibiting how imperfect they are by their way of thinking.

5- You control how you view life. Negative things happen around us, and to us, all the time. You can choose to let that negative energy impact our lives, or you can choose to be positive in spite of it all. You can choose to see the silver lining in all situations. You are responsible for your personal outlook on life. Don’t place blame on others when you have the ability to change how you see things.

6- Some people are only meant to be in your life for a certain amount of time. At some points in your life, you’ll encounter people that are only meant to be there for a short time. They mean the world to you, but aren’t meant to be a part of your life forever. It’s up to you to discover the reason for that person’s appearance in your life.

7- Forgiveness is not impossible. I’ve dealt with some fairly trying and traumatic experiences in my life. Some of those experiences made it very hard for me to trust people. For a long time, I swore I could never forgive the people that hurt me, but as I grew older I realized that I could. Time did heal my wounds. I will never forget what happened to me, but I can forgive the people that were involved.

8- Life isn’t easy. It’s downright hard. Life isn’t some straight road with no bumps. In fact, life is a road filled with bumps, curves and huge obstacles. If you remain calm and positive, you can make it through to the other side. Sometimes, you may need to take a detour, but in the end, you’ll get to the point where we’re supposed to be at. I’m living proof of that.

9- Life really is more beautiful through the eyes of a child. As a young teenager, I hated my life. I hated all the experiences that I had to deal with. When I gave birth to my daughter, things started to make more sense. Life became beautiful again. I learned how to appreciate everything going on around me and to not take things for granted.

This is just a small list of things that I’ve learned. What are some of your greatest lessons?

Good afternoon! The message below is a repost from a fellow eMuse staff-member. We’d love to see you participate in this wonderful and exciting opportunity.

Before eMuse kicked off as a site, our founders ran a small writers group where we took great pride in tossing out writing prompts and then awarding fabulous prizes to the best contributors. We have grown leaps and bounds since then, publishing our quarterly literary arts journal and featuring the most amazing talent we could find on the net. Last summer, we had our first official eMuse contest, the Summer Camp for Writers. eMuse Summer Madness kicks off now, and we’re locking you all up in the nuthouse and prescribing art therapy!

eMuse and author J.C. Hutchins are teaming up to bring you an amazing contest. As many of you know, J.C. is prepping to release his new book: Personal Effects: Dark Art through St. Martin’s Press this June. The novel takes place in an insane asylum, and we thought it would be fun to break out the straitjackets and put together a contest to support the new book.

Since we are a literary arts magazine, we will be accepting submissions in three categories: Art, poetry and fiction. The central focus of all submissions must be an insane asylum, but need not directly relate to Personal Effects: Dark Art. Poetry must be at least 15 lines long. All short stories should be at least 1000-1500 words in length. We may consider longer pieces in cases of exceptional storytelling. Please submit one to two pieces of art, saved as a .jpg files and attached to your email.

I know you’re begging for us to get on to the fabulous prizes, so here it goes… Not only will the winning submission in each category be featured in the September edition of eMuse, the lucky three will also win an autographed copy of Personal Effects: Dark Art. This book is amazing. Not only is it insanely creepy, it’s an interactive game. You can find out more about the novel by visiting the official site: Personal Effects: Dark Art.

You may start sending in your submissions on Sunday, April 19, 2009, and we will accept them through June 6, 2009, at midnight EST. Winners will be announced along side my own personal review of Personal Effects: Dark Art in the June edition of eMuse, which goes live on June 15, 2009. Please title the subject of all emails: eMuse Summer Madness Contest and mail your submissions to:
art_submissions@emuse-zine.com
fiction_submissions@emuse-zine.com
poetry_submissions@emuse-zine.com

I tried to post my “Thankful Thursday” post last night, but I was exhausted. It’s been a long week and last night, it all caught up with me.

Without further adieu, here is my “Thankful Thursday” post.

The first person I’m thankful for is Jennifer Hudock, someone I now consider to be one of my best friends. I had the privilege of working with Jenny at Mahalo towards the end of 2008. During that time, she and I developed a friendship that forever altered my life. (Yes, that sounds dramatic, but it’s true.) Since leaving Mahalo, our friendship has continued to flourish.

Jenny has inspired me in many ways. She is an extremely talented author and poet. Since becoming friends, I’ve had many opportunities to read her work and she’s never failed to amaze me. She has one of the most brilliant and creative minds that I’ve ever seen.

One of the greatest things about Jenny is her ability to make me believe that I can follow my dreams and succeed. Had I not met her when I did, I know I would not be where I am today. I would have kept telling myself that one day I’d write an article, or one day I’d write a short story. Jenny never accepted that excuse from me. She did not let me wait for ‘one day.’ Because of her, I’m achieving things that I hoped would one day happen, but wasn’t sure ever would.

If you have the chance, please stop by Jenny’s blog. I can guarantee you will enjoy reading her posts. And who knows, you might just make a friend for life.

Another person that I’m extremely thankful for is my best friend, Jackie. She and I met years ago after she had given birth to her second daughter, Kailey. From the very first moment we began talking, I knew I had found someone that would be in my life forever. Before her, I had never really had a friend that knew the real me. Jackie took the time to look past all of my insecurities and faults and see inside of me to the person that I truly am.

Jackie has become a sister to me even though we don’t share blood. She’s someone I love and depend on. She’s someone that I would defend and stand beside if the need arose.

Another person that I’m thankful for is my former boss and co-worker Jonathan Harris. Jonathan helped me to become a better writer. He showed me a great amount of patience and for that, I’ll always be grateful.

Jonathan and I have both moved onto bigger and better things, but I will always look back on our Mahalo days fondly. He’s an extremely talented and smart, young man, who has a great life and career ahead of him.