The Move Out West

Hey Everyone! Sorry it has been such a long time. I meant to stay on top of the blog, but I just slacked off I guess. Not that I haven't been bored, I just have had a lot to finish up on the last few days. So here is the official update...

I left off with a week left. Although I have a few other entries I have not published yet, I was busy writing those. On top of that, I had a great last week home. On Wednesday, I saw an awesome musical at the New Brunswick theater called "Calvin Berger". It is a modern twist on Cyrano DeBergerac, but it was hilarious!! I laughed so much. I hope that play goes further. Only 4 people in the cast, but great characters, music, and set. I recommend it.

Then Thursday, I went to see Alice and Wonderland with some close family friends of mine, and went out to a really nice dinner. I also talked to one of my best friends for an hour and a half, and that was wayyy needed. Let's see, that takes us to Friday. I wanted to go to the MOMA to see Tim Burton's exhibit, but it was nasty out, so I didn't. That was my last chance to get to NYC before I left. I did meet up with a high school classmate at Starbucks to catch up. It is good to know there are other "go getters" like me around.

Saturday, I drove to South Jersey during the worst rain storm ever to see my good friend who recently got married. I spent the day with her, and it was really great. I left at 5pm for what should have been less than a 2hr drive, but it lasted 4 hours. I was late to babysitting! When I arrived there, the rain was so much the river next store flooded all neighboring houses, including my own. When I returned home, my brothers were home from college, but we all had to clean the basement due to massive flooding. See my other blog for details. http://ashleyread.tumblr.com/post/455881816/the-great-flood

Then Sunday, I packed, and Monday I said my goodbyes. I will miss my family and grandmother tons, but I am also excited to get started on a new chapter of my life.

This brings me to the move out west. I left Jersey Tuesday March 16th, at 10am. I flew from Newark to Phoenix. I remember seeing, as we took off, the Statue of Liberty. I felt how symbolic it was. That was the symbol to millions of people of the start of a new life, and it was the last thing I saw of the east coast. The flight was alright, long, but okay. I saw everything from the dark colors of winter to the beautiful desert farmland and mountains of Arizona. I forget how beautiful our country is sometimes.

From Phoenix, I flew to Santa Ana, California where my aunt picked me up. I left with 40 degree weather, and I landed in 85. What an immediate change. As soon as I got to their house, we unpacked and went straight to my cousin's lacrosse game. At night, we had dinner and watched American Idol. Pretty simple. I was really tired at the end though. I went to bed around 11pm. Soo early, but then it was 2am eastern.

So Wednesday, was my first real day on the west coast. It was about 80 degress, sunny and beautiful. I slept in, to what felt like noon, but it was only 9:15am! so the day seemed to creep by because of that. I went to eat at In and Out burger with my cousin for lunch. Nothing says "welcome to CA" then eating lunch at that fast food chain of amazingness. My aunt took me to Laguna Beach since I have never been. The Pacific was literally 4 miles from her house. It was so gorgeous! We walked around the quaint beach town and shopped for a few minutes. Then we went to the beach where I saw men playing volleyball! It was awesome. I felt like I was in another dimension because I saw volleyball, men, sun, water, flip flops and car convertibles with the tops down. I have officially arrived. :D I laugh because I actually got burned for the hour I was outside. Of course!

At night, we had a homemade family dinner, and then watched American Idol and baked cookies. I was in bed by 11pm. So early!!

That summarizes my first 24 hours out west. Not too exciting, but a step forward. One step at a time. I thank God for my chance to come out here. I texted my mom at night, and she said it perfectly. I haven't thought of it this way, but she said, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." I guess that is right, I just needed a chance to breakaway.

Time to be Productive!

It is March First!! It is a start of a new month, but it is also a start of an approaching deadline. I cannot believe that I am leaving for LA in two and a half weeks! eeeeek! I am so excited, but I am also really nervous, but I won't worry about that now; that's a later post.

Since it is the start of March, that means I have 16 days, 16 days to do a lot of things and get ready to go. I love having deadlines set before me because it makes me manage my time a lot better. Throughout the month of February, I have been doing basically nothing around the house. I just don't have a reason to get up early, and I can take my time on working on my projects. But this lackadaisical lifestyle is coming to its end. It is time to be productive!!

I now see that I have a lot to organize and do before the 16th. I am really excited to feel like I have something to work for during the day, no matter how small the task. For example, I have to find a pair of black boots. Not a big deal, but something I need to get done.

I started having a good productive day yesterday by working on about three projects I have yet to finish, including my Found and Lost on Facebook. I'll get to that later.

I have my list of things to do below, so don't judge me, but I am an obsessive list maker. I am now looking forward to getting a new start with my day. My "whatever" days are behind me as of this morning. Finally motivated again, somewhat. Looking to the future and hoping it will all come together. :D

To Do List:

- Finish Blog posts (both blogs, esp this one ( I have a list of what to write))

- Finish Life Goals project

- Finish Pirate Scrapbook

- Finish Movie Tray

- Get Found and Lost started

- wash white blanket

- pack for LA

- Organize car shipment

- Finalize LA (job?) plans

- Go Shopping for deeply needed clothes (boots, professional, make-up, etc...)

- work out every day to get in shape

I think that's it for now in broad details. Let's get started! First I need to get out of my pajamas.

What Motivates You?

What is it that makes you do what you want to do? Is it drive, desire, fear of failure, hope to make money... what? Every person is driven by something. In the Purpose book that I have been reading, one chapter that I have found pretty challenging is discovering what force drives me. To be honest, I really have no idea.

The chapter went on to say the top five forces that drive people: guilt, fear, anger, materialism and need for approval. Each of those five things are so simple, yet so true. Once you understand this, your approach to how you accomplish your goals changes. Knowing what drives you gives you a new sense of purpose. So what motivates you? Also, what would your family say that motivates you? You may have two different answers.

I thought these would be easily answered, but it's not. These questions really got to the core of me because it really defines how you approach life. I want to say that I am driven by my own self ambition, but I am sure my family would probably say I am driven by some form of approval. Being the oldest, you are expected to make a good example for the younger siblings. So your "example" is really approval by both parents and siblings; therefore, you are driven by getting approval. I am not going to deny this.

Yes, being approved and making my family proud is a big factor in my life, but I do not want to be solely defined by what others think of me. I am a unique individual, so I am okay with being not totally understood. If you were to ask me what drives me, my answer would be "to make a difference." I want to be able to influence and make someone's life better. That is why I wanted to be a doctor growing up and became an EMT at 16. That still hasn't change.

Going into entertainment still keeps up with my mission. I may not be able to personally change someone's life, but I will be able to create a product (movie, tv show, characters...) that people can identify with. That is why working at Walt Disney World has been great for me. Although my personal presence is not life changing, I am just part of a giant experience the guests go through. I was a part of something greater than myself. Even by saying hello directly enriched one's personal experience. Now working in entertainment, I can give people something that they will love and love to talk about. Movies, television and art are all massive influencers. I may not make influence one person directly, but rather I can be a part of something that influences people on a massive level. How many people would love to have that opportunity?

Anyway, that was a tangent. I hope that I am driven by my desire to make a difference, whether that be on a personal or massive scale. Furthermore, I want to experience everything in life. This fact drives me to travel, meet all sorts of people, and never say no to something I have never done.

I think that is a pretty good answer to that question. No? The book also states, "There is nothing quite as potent as a focused life, one lived on purpose..If you want your life to have impact, focus it!" (page 32) I feel that I am focusing it, especially trying to understand what drives me, and it is making me thirsty to get a job and a start on life again. I needed to feel this drive come back; it is giving me a new sense of direction. Afterall, the greatest tragedy is not dying, but living a life without purpose (page 30).

So I pose the same question to you. What motivates you? What do you want it to be? Knowing that answer, will you change the way you live your life? I would love to know your answer.