Tuesday, March 31, 2020

8 things you dont have to do in your 20s

8 things you dont have to do in your 20s Most twentysomethings are constantly surrounded by the perfection presented on social media. Everyone seems to have the wildest nights out, the sweetest vacations, a beautiful family, and the most fulfilling job. It’s enough to make anyone feel lacking. But online life is not the same as real life- it paints a sanitized picture of the messiness of the twentysomething experience. Afraid that if you don’t have it â€Å"all figured out† yet? Don’t be. Here are a bunch of things you don’t even need to worry about until much later in your life and your career.1. Travel the worldSure, you’re supposed to have started your own successful company and figured out how to work remotely while traveling the world, all within 5 years of graduation. But travel costs money- and lots of it. Jetsetting off to Europe isn’t something most people in their 20s can do. If your buddies are able to, they’re very lucky. It’s completely normal if yo u need to spend all you make on, you know, rent and food.  If travel is a priority for you, you’ll make it happen one day. Don’t worry that you’re not there yet.2. Find your dream jobNobody really wants anything but their dream job, but most of us have to start somewhere- and that somewhere is usually the bottom rung of the ladder. If you’re still not where you want to end up, don’t fret. You still have most of your career ahead of you. And keep in mind that things will likely change once you have more world experience: what was once your dream career might not still be your dream career next year.3. Draft a long-term planIt’s helpful to always have a few thoughts as to your 5-, 10-, and 25-year plans. But please don’t set these in stone or feel that if you deviate from your track, you’re doomed to fail. You don’t have to have your career laid out or know where you’re going to settle down and buy a house in a go od school district. There is plenty of time for that.4. Start your own businessWe all hear so much chatter about entrepreneurship and striking out on your own in the new economy, but it’s okay if you don’t have a plan yet- or even if you would rather not be your own boss. If the thought appeals to you, keep weighing it in your mind, but don’t worry that you don’t yet have the answer.5. Figure out your future work/life balanceAs long as you’re taking care of yourself and have a reasonable work/life balance now, then it’s okay if you’re not sure how that will end up looking once you settle down and have kids and a family and move to your forever home and, yes, maybe, travel the world. You’ll figure that out when you get there.6. Determine your true passionYou’ve really only just started out. Your 20s should be a time of exploration! If you’re still figuring out what you really want to be when you grow up- as long as you’re thinking about it seriously- then it’s fine not to have the answers yet.7. Save a huge amount for retirementOf course, you should have a handle on your current budget, paying for your necessities, and socking at least a little bit away in savings. But don’t worry if your entire future and financial security isn’t mapped out perfectly. These things take time, and so much can change in the next five to ten years. Relax and focus on making smart financial decisions now so you’ll be in a good place for the future.8.  Establish the perfect lifeThere’s still time to learn how to cook gourmet dinners and buy a vacation home in the Hamptons. There’s still time to take up new hobbies and start a family. Keep dreaming about what you want the most and go after it. But don’t worry that you don’t have it all yet. You’re still very young!

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Memorable Martha Graham Quotes

Memorable Martha Graham Quotes Martha Graham  (1894-1991) was one of the best-known teachers and choreographers of modern dance. Selected Martha Graham Quotations All things I do are in every woman. Every woman is Medea. Every woman is Jocasta. There comes a time when a woman is a mother to her husband. Clytemnestra is every woman when she kills. You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost. Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can. The body is a sacred garment. There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The body says what words cannot. The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body. Our arms start from the back because they were once wings. No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time. It is just that the others are behind the time. Dance is the hidden language of the soul. Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery. Nobody cares if you cant dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion. Dance is a song of the body. Either of joy or pain. I did not want to be a tree, a flower or a wave. In a dancers body, we as audience must see ourselves, not the imitated behavior of everyday actions, not the phenomenon of nature, not exotic creatures from another planet, but something of the miracle that is a human being. I am absorbed in the magic of movement and light. Movement never lies. It is the magic of what I call the outer space of the imagination. There is a great deal of outer space, distant from our daily lives, where I feel our imagination wanders sometimes. It will find a planet or it will not find a planet, and that is what a dancer does. We look at the dance to impart the sensation of living in an affirmation of life, to energize the spectator into keener awareness of the vigor, the mystery, the humor, the variety, and the wonder of life. This is the function of the American dance. Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. Its a miracle, and the dance is a celebration of that miracle. Dancing appears glamorous, easy, delightful. But the path to paradise of the achievement is not easier than any other. There is fatigue so great that the body cries, even in its sleep. There are times of complete frustration, there are daily small deaths. We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. One becomes in some area an athlete of God. It takes ten years, usually, to make a dancer. It takes ten years of handling the instrument, handling the material with which you are dealing, for you to know it completely. Misery is a communicable disease. In 1980. a well-meaning fundraiser came to see me and said, Miss Graham, the most powerful thing you have going for you to raise money is your respectability. I wanted to spit. Respectable! Show me any artist who wants to be respectable. Im asked so often at ninety-six whether I believe in life after death. I do believe in the sanctity of life, the continuity of life and of energy. I know the anonymity of death has no appeal for me. It is the now that I must face and want to face.