The Importance of Birthdays

April 10, 2013April 12, 2016 Aurora1 Comment

Anyone who knows me, knows I make an incredibly big deal about birthdays. My entire life, I’ve made these days special for myself, my family and friends whenever and wherever possible. From decorating friends desks in grade school, lockers in high school, cars in college, to now planning surprise parties, hosting parties and making sure every one feels extra special on their day, one way or another. I’ll admit it, I love birthdays! It’s the one day a year that is all about you and you can enjoy life, carefree.

So many times I come across people who don’t enjoy their day, and tell me “who cares it’s just another day, no need to celebrate.” UGH. I welcome these comments as a personal challenge, as I have no idea how everyone can’t experience the excitement that I feel. I wonder who taught them that it’s a normal day, and why don’t they take time to feel a little bit special and enjoy themselves? These people motivate me to make birthdays even more special for the ones I love, as they have me in their corner to help make their birthday a little more sparkly.

Why else do I see importance in birthdays? For me, I compare April 11th (my day), to the New Year. In recent years, as I’ve grown more into womanhood, I’ve decided to look at the new birth year as an opportunity to keep moving forward and challenge myself to reach another goal or aspiration that I’ve been vying for. When I turned 25, I knew I wanted to start a website and inspire others to be their best self. Having begun this process, how can I take it a step further? What is going to take me to the place I’ve been dying to go? This is still the exciting, challenging part when I look ahead to year 29– “where will I go next?”

The new birth year, much like the turn of the year on Dec 31st, allows us to reflect on what happened over the last year: things we’re happy about, not so happy about, successes, failures, steps forward, steps backwards, new relationships, letting go of old relationships… everything.

Your birthday is an amazing opportunity for progress! When it is your birthday, take time to truly reflect and see what you’re thankful for in your life and what you deeply wish for in the next year to come. Whether it’s a separate moment throughout your day when you stop and breathe for a few minutes, or laying in bed at night, you deserve to take in the special moments of your day and feel good. We all deserve it.

To the amazing people in my life who believe in birthdays, and helped to make 29 amazing already, I love you more than you know and appreciate your faith and commitment to birthdays. Having all of you in my life makes me thankful for all that I have, and all the fabulous friendships I have in you.

Happy Birthday, to me. :]

Cheers,
Aurora

Motivation · Uncategorized

The Two Wolves Within Us

April 6, 2013February 28, 2017 Aurora2 Comments

I’ve held on to this quote for a long time now, because every time I read it, I’m able to relate different parts of my life to it and it reminds me that all of us are human. Each one of us has the capability of allowing different sides of ourselves to surface at different points, occasions, situations etc. To elaborate, I apply this quote to my own life currently. What are the things that I’m happy with and proud of, and what areas of my life am I currently not happy with? Depending on how I personally feel about these things, will indicate how I react to them, thus, “feeding” that side.

When I write for all of you, I’m happy, excited, passionate and thrilled to know so many of you read this and tell me how it helped you/ made you think. In the beginning of my website, I was worried. I wondered who would read The Weekly Sparkle?; Will people like it?; Will they take something positive from it?; etc. I fed my insecurities. I filled my head with negativity and almost allowed it to scare me into not doing this. With encouragement from Joe (yup, that amazing guy who started all of this for me), my family and positive self talk, I began to feed the part that wanted to spread positivity and make a difference in the world. I fed the good.

What do YOU feed?

It’s important to consider this question, because there are literally 100’s of decisions we make each day and depending on how we speak to ourselves (getting back to positive and negative self talk from a few posts ago), we steer the direction of how we answer these questions. Ultimately, these little decisions can snowball into some of the larger decisions of our lives, making a bigger impact than what we realize.

Had I fed the negativity and insecurities I felt with The Weekly Sparkle in the beginning, I would have never been able to interact with all of you amazing people and connect at a level I hoped to one day achieve. Do not allow someone or temporary situations to dictate the feelings you feed. Temporary feelings, arguments, jobs, relationships, anger etc. are just that, temporary. We are all human, so at times we will accidentally feed the wolf that deserved to starve in certain situations, but the key, as always, is recognizing which wolf we fed, why, and adjusting the feeding cycle the next time a similar event occurs.

Think before you feed 🙂

Aurora

Motivation · Uncategorized

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

March 26, 2013March 26, 2013 Aurora8 Comments

Respect. This word is specifically important to me this week, as I’ve seen examples of it all around me and witnessed situations where I saw great respect and places where I wished I saw more respect. It’s amazing, because like many things, I feel respect is something we learn as we grow up. What do our parents, teachers, role models, heroes teach us about how we should give/take respect? Whether it’s respecting ourselves, others, our job, our relationships, our property, our hearts, etc. we’ve learned what we give and what we accept from somewhere.

Growing up I was taught to always respect myself and others will respect me. This came from my family and my karate academy, which taught me how to carry myself and how to put positivity forward. Of course, you can’t control others and their upbringing, but if you emulate that you accept nothing but respect, others will only give that to you.

When you experience disrespect, that’s where you need to step back and evaluate where that person or situation stands in your life. Meaning, is this something worth salvaging, or am I showing this person/job/relationship that I’m accepting of their actions and think I’m deserving of them. We all have someone in our lives who may have shown disrespect, but they’re deserving of our understanding and discussion to make things better– I’m not talking about these people. This would mean we’re all perfect, and I know we’re not (as a 25 year old, I still get the respect speech from a parent every so often).

I think what I want to focus on mainly, are the people/relationships/job/situations where we are continually not getting the respect we deserve and are putting up with it. We’re displaying the message I WILL TAKE WHATEVER YOU THROW AT ME and leaving these moments feeling less than what we deserve. I have so many places in my life where I feel respected so much, that it’s easy for me to spot when I’m not feeling that in a specific situation or moment. Not all of us are in this boat, but nonetheless YOU deserve to look into these areas of your life and demand better.

We all deserve healthy environments where we feel respected, and furthermore, where we DEMAND respect, by the way we treat ourselves and encourage others to treat us. Are you strong enough to let go of the disrespect in your life? And can you identify it? You can!.. And you owe it to yourself to do so.

Respect yourself, and each other.

Aurora

Community Giving · Motivation · Uncategorized

Cancer: Reflection and Hope

March 20, 2013June 20, 2014 AuroraLeave a comment

This week is particularly one that is reflective for me because it has a sad theme of cancer surrounding it. Sunday night I heard of an old acquaintance who passed after a long, painful battle with cancer, and he was only 27 years old. This deeply saddened me, as I knew he was once close to a dear friend of mine, and I was worried about her, but it also reminded me of our own mortality. As we spoke on the phone I asked how it is that we are so lucky? Cancer, as it has proven time and time again, has no M.O. It doesn’t target a specific person, nor are there many indications of who will and who won’t have it. Of course there are preventive measures for some cancers, but many creep into individuals lives, completely unexpectedly, and face them with the most challenging battle they will ever fight in.

This lead me to think about my amazing friend, Moira, who was taken from us a year ago, having suffered from many forms of cancer at once. Again, a beautiful, driven young woman, who never expected the disease and one day was hit with the most terrifying news of her life. After a long, painful and trying battle, we said goodbye to Moira last March and it was the first time I was personally affected by losing someone close to me with the disease. It’s painful to think about even now, because the beautiful memories and great times you had, are jaded by a bitterness that you feel for that person being taken so soon.

And the positive way to look at this is that these people are brought into our lives for a special purpose. We learn from them, love them, and now know what it’s like to care for someone so deeply that it hurts you to watch them suffer, and then sadly, pass away. I believe that Moira made me a better person, and that my friendship with her is something I will keep with me always and treasure.

I have known from a young age just how brutal cancer can be, as it has taken distant relatives and even found its way to my parents, who amazingly were able to beat it and are now healthy and cancer free. This is where my passion comes with volunteering and working with many cancer organizations. This is where my inspiration for THON came in, and how it literally SAVES the lives of children with cancer (thank you Penn State). In addition to this organization there is Relay for Life, American Cancer Society, St Jude’s, Target House, etc. which I like to stay closely involved with and support. These organizations raise millions of dollars a year and help fund treatments, support and research to one day DEFEAT cancer, so it can no longer take the ones we love away from us.

Cancer makes me appreciate life and those who were brought into it, even if it was for a short time. I know that I’m honoring Moira, my parents and those who have fought by continuing to fight for them; for a cure. That being said, cancer needs to end. The continued support we all give is what has the power to make it go away. I live for the day when cancer is one of those diseases that WE found a cure for, and that no one loses their life to anymore. For our kids, grand kids, the future… I hope it’s an old, distant memory that they never have to know the wrath of.

With a heavy heart this week,

Aurora

Community Giving · Military · Motivation · Sandy Hook

Paying It Forward (and Upward!)

March 13, 2013March 13, 2013 Aurora2 Comments

It’s a beautiful Wednesday afternoon and I can’t help but reflect on how great this week has been so far. The kind words of someone you know (or don’t) can carry enough weight to make a significant difference in your life. Let me elaborate; Have you ever done something good and wondered what its effects would be or if the good deed would be passed on to someone else? Does it actually happen?

A few months back immediately after the tragic events at Sandy Hook, I joined the “26 Acts of Kindness” pledge that swept the nation. In this, you committed to performing 26 random acts of kindness, inspiring the person interacted with to pass it on and brighten someone else’s day. I instantly wanted to be a part of this movement and started to come up with ways in which I can add some sparkle to someone around me, whether I knew them or not. I spent the next few months doing small things like: paying for the person behind me while getting my morning coffee (I did this 5-6 times, I’m an avid coffee drinker and support those who are too!), cleaned off the random car next to me after a snow storm, let an elderly shopper in front of me in line and helped her unload/load her groceries and my favorite, was when my boyfriend Joe and I left a $26 tip on our $30 bill at dinner. This moment is particularly special to me, because the server chased after us to say thank you and Merry Christmas!

We began doing this at work as well, and some of my team members went above and beyond with their good acts. One put 26 candles and kind messages in random mailboxes around the neighborhood, another adopted a stray dog from Hurricane Sandy, one organized a snowflake drive for handmade snow flakes to be sent to the kids of Sandy Hook as they transitioned into their new school… (My Target team is amazing!!) just to name a few.

While doing these 26 Acts of Kindness, you should try to educate the person you’re helping and encourage them to pay it forward. For example, this is what we wrote on the receipt to our server.

The act of Paying It Forward is something I’ve always held dear to my heart, so when I knew it could benefit Sandy Hook victims and commemorate them in an amazing way, I was immediately inspired and wanted to spread as much positivity around this as I could. Around this time, I posted a lot on my Facebook page about how I would Pay It Forward and challenged my friends to do the same. Well, when I received this text on Monday, my heart melted.

So the answer is YES. To the fullest extent to what is possible, yes. Whether its the same day, the following week, months later or years long after you’ve forgotten, good acts do get passed on and people want to Pay It Forward! It humbles me to know that we are all capable of making a difference. And while those military men make sacrifices everyday and would give their lives for our country, Angela made a significant difference in their day, and I have full faith that they’ll Pay It Forward the way she did.

So truly inspired. Pay Your Sparkle FORWARD to someone,

❤ Aurora

Community Giving · Motivation · Uncategorized

Attitude of Gratitude

March 7, 2013March 13, 2013 Aurora5 Comments

I feel like a major theme of a lot of things I discuss is strongly focused around the subject of gratitude. Meaning, overall attitude; is it thankful, appreciative, is there acknowledgment of the good things going on in our lives, or the things given to us? Do we take a second and be thankful for all the things going right, or can we only focus on what we don’t have or wish we had (more of)?

It is always easy to see ~~and complain about~~ what it is that we don’t have. Right?

I read the quote a long time ago, and each time it pops up in my life, I feel like its for a reason…

How spot on is this in many of our lives? It’s so easy to complain about how we don’t have enough of what we want, or aren’t happy with aspects of our lives. The challenging piece is recognizing it in the moment and changing our thoughts. We can control what we have and don’t have, but it’s socially acceptable and normal to voice what you’re unhappy with, rather than praise all the good things going on.

I feel like this is particularly hitting home for me now, because I have so much to be grateful for yet I find myself focusing on the things I want to change in my life, and areas where I feel like I’m not good enough. The truth is, I am good enough. And I know this, but it’s the negativity and stress of everyday life that makes us all question ourselves, what we know we’re good at, our intentions, our capabilities, and so on and so on and so on.

So I’ll end by saying that I’m grateful for my relationships. All of them. I’m gracious that I am related to some of the most supportive, amazing people I’ve ever met. In addition to my family, I’ve formed friendships and bonds with other people in my life that lift me up and motivate me to become a better person. They say, you are who you surround yourself with, and if that’s not enough to make me grateful, then I don’t know what is.

Sparkle on, you!

Xo Aurora

Community Giving · Goals · Motivation · Paying It Forward · Uncategorized

2014 UPDATE! Redefine Th Possibilities! THON- Inspire Tomorrow’s Miracles

February 17, 2013February 23, 2014 Aurora2 Comments

UPDATE!!!!!:::: THE 2014 THON TOTAL IS::::: 13,343,517.33!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!! FTK!!!!

The picture you see above is remarkable. Yes, the scene itself is colorful and the room is massive, but, there is more to this picture than what meets the eye, especially if you yourself have never been to THON. So what is THON?

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, THON, is a two-day Dance Marathon that takes place every February at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park with the purpose of raising money to combat pediatric cancer. It was started in 1973 by the university’s Interfraternity Council, and in its first year, more than $2,000 was raised, with 39 couples dancing for 30 hours straight. Today, it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, by involvement and revenue with $10,686,924.83 having been raised at the 2012 event. The money that is raised is donated to The Four Diamonds Fund, a charity devoted to defeating pediatric cancer through research and caring for patients at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. More than 15,000 students get involved in the event each year, organizing it and raising funds with the rallying cry, “FOR THE KIDS!”.

Above all, THON is a movement and a commitment that we will find a cure for cancer and together, there’s no limit to what we can do. THON is a large group of driven students who are loving beyond themselves and are standing up for life. They’re standing up to cancer and telling it that it has met it’s match. I had the honor in 2008 to be a dancer in THON and it has changed my life. I danced 46 hours straight, no sitting or sleeping, in support of our THON child, Jason Swope. Jason’s battle with cancer was a long, uphill battle, and so I was honored to represent him and his amazing family THON weekend and ultimately, my entire time at Penn State (and beyond).

The bonds I created and the amazing people I met because of THON is something I will be forever thankful for. When you have such a positive force in your life, you cherish it and want to pass it forward to others. I encourage you, strongly, to visit THON.org and webcast.thon.psu.edu/ and become inspired!! The students of Penn State have it figured out. When given the opportunity to influence the life of another, seize the moment. You get out of life what you put in it.

To all THON dancers, I’m so proud, and commend all that you’re doing this weekend, and the year round efforts you put in to make this event as successful as it is. YOU ARE Penn State! For The Kids, For Life, Until we find a cure, we dance.

For the Kids,

Aurora

Stay tuned to find out the total for this year!!!!!!!!! Coming to you at 4:00 pm today!!!!!

AHHHH! This just in!!!!!! THON raised 12.3 Million this year!!!!!!!! Amazing!!!!!!! Fight on State!!!!