FlipBoard: The App That Sparked My Brain

I recently discovered an App that made my life a lot more interesting.

While sipping coffee early Monday morning, I caught a segment on The Today Show with Hoda and Kathie Lee. Hoda described an App called FlipBoard. I am not very “app savvy” when it comes to what is in the apple store but I am so happy I saw her promoting this. I downloaded it this morning and I’ve been on it ever since. FlipBoard matches your interests (Wineries, Self-Help, Psychology, Travel, etc.) to different articles all over the internet. Everything under the sun is on this App and it can be easy to lose touch with time while browsing the articles.

Some interesting articles that got my brain kicking include:

• Step Into Uncertainty
  
• I quit a great job because happiness is more important than commitment
• 7 steps to take when you don’t know what to do with your life after college
• How to Set Yourself on Fire When You’ve Lost the Spark
• Why Spending Time Alone Is Good For You

And this is just the start of it. I’m always trying to find new things to read and short articles are the perfect opportunity for flashes of information while waiting at the doctors office or drinking your coffee in the morning. The articles I’ve been reading today have breathed such life into my mind. Learning and researching things in my own way with help from FlipBoard has made my perspective much more defined. I’ve been finding such inspirational and soft hearted blogs run by women who have gone through many different chapters in their life just to get to the one they most enjoy.

One point I’ve been itching to tackle, is the issue of working more than living. I work with many different people on a weekly basis and many of them work 2+ jobs. I work early mornings and when I come into work, I am relieving the overnight staff. One woman employed at the same house as me works the overnight shift and then goes off to her day job after her night shift is over. I found this short and sweet article Are You Losing Out On Life By Working Too Much? and it really shined a light on what’s been running through my mind for the last few weeks.

This situation has been on my mind ever since. It could be because I have yet to have a full time job (apart from being an 18 credit taking student) and it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around this lifestyle. I know myself and my limits so I fear that when I graduate in two semesters, I will be burned out and exhausted by my lack of balance. So what I am saying in a nutshell is: I know what I DON’T want in my life and that is to be consumed by my work 24/7 and losing out on what this world has to truly offer me. Seeing the world around you be so consumed with work life and not having enough downtime is not something I feel we need to assimilate to. Now, there is a difference between working hard and working continuously. I feel a lot of people lose touch with where the boundary lies between the two and it is absolutely understandable considering the craziness that life throws at us.

With this being said, by writing this post I am trying to sort through both my fears and aspirations of what’s to come in my short and long term future. I always viewed myself as someone who is dedicated to their work, even if it is a minuscule part time job. Since I’ve started my journey with my foot in the door with a job that will contribute to my career, I can’t help but have these thoughts flood through my mind as the days without being a full time student slowly trickle it’s way toward me. There are many things in this life that I don’t understand and there many that I don’t wish to understand. When it comes to my overall well being and happiness, I try my best to put that first along with the people I love. There is nothing in life or even in school that will prepare us for what the work force will put before us and I wish there was a way to change that. The consistent stress of everyday life can become consuming and soul sucking and that’s something I want to keep in mind as I pursue my dreams as well as wrestle my fears along the way.

Thanks for listening,
Desiree ♥