Author: Katie Welker

A blessing and a curse.

by Katie Welker

My best friend said something to me earlier that really stuck with me:

You love so intensely. You love so deeply, and so much. Maybe it’s a good thing that now you’re just content with things and are putting in a normal amount. Maybe now you won’t get so hurt.

She’s right. I love with everything that I have. I know no other way. But by just putting in 100 percent, rather than the 1,000 that I typically lay on the table, am I doing myself a disservice? Am I doing the person on the other end a disservice?

It’s a question that I’m not sure I know the answer to. Each time I have loved another, I have given that 1,000 percent without hesitation. I was head over heels. I shouted it from the roof tops and I displayed it for the world to see because I was proud and happy of the people that I loved.

They say you never fall in love the same way twice, and I believe it. But does that mean you settle for the, ‘oh that was nice’ rather than the, ‘I just cannot get enough of him’? Are those deeply-rooted feelings of love, passion and eagerness something that grows over time? Or is it something that you’re supposed to feel right away?

If you have the answers, fill me in. If not, here is what I have learned through my years of acting on my favorite ‘I love love’ motto:

  • Love the ones who treat you right. If there are toxic people in your life (negative, belittling, condescending, degrading individuals who just make your blood boil), get rid of them. You are better than that. Unless you are one of those people, in which case you should do us all a favor and start smiling and recognize that there is so much to be grateful for.
  • Live each day with love. Maybe that means having a meaningful conversation (no, not a string of text messages, actual face-to-face conversations) with your parents. Perhaps it means saying yes to that date, or ignoring the silence in the elevator and striking up a conversation instead. Love your family. Love your friends. And above all else, love yourself, appreciate yourself and recognize that your opportunities are limitless.

But most importantly…

  • Stop living life so fast. Do not worry about what will happen in two weeks when today is not even half way over. It will drive you nuts. It will waste your time. Live for now. And make now a moment to remember.

Rid yourself of mediocrity.

by Katie Welker

You can’t avoid the inevitable. It hits you. On a random Wednesday night as you’re walking to your car after the gym. It happens at the exact moment that you finally feel like you’re strong enough to really enjoy the little things again. The situation gets hashed out just once more... as if you needed to be put in the middle of an exhausting circumstance for what seems like the millionth time.

But sometimes that millionth time is what you need for the scale to finally balance itself out. That millionth time finally puts you in the position to get rid of all the lies and insincerity that’s been concealed by a pretty face and a few sly conversations.

The inevitable comes at you for a reason. It hits you so that you can finally accept that you don’t need to tolerate mediocrity. I’m a big believer that you have a choice in everything that you do. So choose to surround yourself with good people, those who make you laugh and smile and feel grateful to be alive. Choose to stick up for yourself, especially against those who may have previously had a strong upper hand in your life. Choose to speak your mind, even if it scares the daylights out of you and you know that the outcome of your words will likely be the breaking of your heart. Choose to start all over again. If your past hurt you, leave it there. Embrace the lessons you learned but then shut the door and don’t look back.

Screw mediocrity. Strive for the best, accept only the best, and in due time, that is exactly what you will get.