In the verge of Esperanza...

 Without Hope this world is empty, Hope feeds our souls to become persistent and strive for what we want.

I would like to dedicate this blog to all my friends who I know just like me believe in better things for themselves and always have Hope for the best.

The steps you take today can only take you but so far without hope. We must face the truth, at times we can compare ourselves with a remote control, because when the battery is running out we no longer change the channel. Life is a constant thread to sew, if we don't hold on to it tight it may become apart, but there is always hope to continue sewing if we get more thread. 

To those of us who are trying to hold things tight like me, and to those who have Hope I can say... continue holding tight, you will see the results at the end, be persistent because you don't have to fall apart, change your battery and then you'll see how you can change the channel, There is no obstacle in life, and no looking back when you have Hope feeding your soul for a better outcome.

Thoughts...

-Claudia

"A BIT GRAY"- Affording Higher Education in the US

Perhaps, as a good old friend said, Life without problems will simply be too insignificant....


We cannot escape circumstances, problems, and other life's turmoils. But there is always a light of hope at the end. I will use this space to talk about higher education in the US, with a great emphasis in middle income students, those of us who have to work while attending college or universities and survive the system in hopes of keeping our sanity, yes this article was written for you...

Have you ever gone to a job interview with your degree from a public school and were told the phrase "we will call you after we review applications", and you leave from there with the feeling that PEPITO from the private school got the job!, yes it happens to many of us graduates from US public colleges. Many of us were lucky enough to obtain scholarships for the first years of schooling, but what about the rest, how much quality education can you provide for yourself if you have to work full time during college years? or even if you go in debt to obtain higher education. The education system of the US is flawed, if you have parents that have decent earnings forget about financial aid, is better to be a burden for the government, indirectly to afford higher education means you must lie to the system.


 Private loans are even more discouraging to even think you can afford education. Yes, you could probably obtain a loan. Most banks will loan students money for college. Students borrow thousand upon thousands of dollars for their education. The problem with private loans is that their interest rates are rather high. This means that the percentage of the money you have to pay back is much larger than the government grants. Therefore, the fewer private loans (with banks) you own, the better. The way to get private loans is through your university. They will initiate the process between the lender (bank) and the guarantor (you).


Don't get me wrong with this information I am providing, is not that is impossible to afford and get higher education as a middle income student, but definitely it is a burden to do so. Perhaps what would be a bit gray for many of us who want to continue our education, is that the most viable way to obtain this is via getting in debt for it. My concern is why is higher education so expensive in the US, what is the real business behind college and university tuitions? 


There many options to consider, there are Graduate Stafford Loan, subsidized which is when the government pays the interest rate or you while in college, PLUS LOAN which is based on your credit scores, and Pell grants, you name it all with one word COSTLY. 


Enough complaining about affording higher education in the US, I guess the system makes it very clear we must sacrifice ourselves and our budgets to obtain it!

"The Simple act of Breathing"

My  thoughts keep bringing me back to that saying " be careful what you wish for", sometimes our surroundings can complicate our dreams and our life of success, turning it into a empty life and fragile souls.

Do we sometimes over analyze and over qualify what we think of others? Now a days this is called criticizing, some of us may call it observation. Those who surround you can have such a complicated influence in how you see yourself in front of people. Who would have thought that to fit in your own environment could be such a nightmare...
IF I AM SERIOUS, THEN I DON'T KNOW HOW TO HAVE FUN
IF I AM FUNNY, I TAKE LIFE AS A JOKE
IF I AM LIKING WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING, I AM AFRAID OF CHALLENGE
IF I QUESTION MY OWN THOUGHTS, I AM INSECURE
IF I AM IN LOVE, I'M A PUSSY
IF I LIVE LIFE LIKE I WANT TO, IT MIGHT HURT OTHERS.
Who knew it can get so complicated "the simple act of breathing"
I could go on and on and on about things that bother me, but then I would sound too much like a complainer so let's stop it right there.

Do we care about how others view our acts? If the answer to this question is NO, let me acknowledge the fact of how wrong you are by providing the following points:

• You care about having a successful life
• you seek happiness, economical, emotional and healthy 
• you want to have stability or you want to be challenged etc

Then you need to care about what other's think of you, because is "not what it is but what others think it is"

I have perhaps the worst quality one can posses, and that is, I care too much about other's feelings

I try to please everyone, even if it means putting aside my ego.

I guess I got that gene from my grandmother, who gave her all and ended up with nothing.But who is entitle to stop you from such feelings, only yourself.

You wished daily for many things, but never know how these can turn against you and needless to say your greatest fears of all. When people diminished your actions and your reality of life, it could bring many thoughts regarding what you truly wish for. 

Aprendiendo A Elegir Las Batallas.

Hoy! comenta la voz de la experiencia, porque en lo poco que llevo tratando gente, he aprendido de "Mala Forma" que no todo se floja por esta boca, al menos no en el momento inadecuado...entonces aprendes a controlar las emociones y logras obtener una "inteligencia emocional" que te funciona casi para todos los casos.. aunque los psicologos te digan de mil formas que es mejor flojar la mente, te dire que 70% de las veces es arriesgado decir todo lo que pensamos.

Ojo no hablo de el dejar de ser honesto, mas bien me refiero a que tenemos que saber elegir las batallas, porque algunas no vale la pena peliarlas. Total el "escuchar" es una habilidad que muy pocos poseen en este mundo, y es por eso que muchos optamos por guardarnos las cosas, lo que no es correcto por que tarde o temprano algun dia explotas y todo junto es peor, es bueno aflojar si...pero de a poquito.

Entonces empiezo con esta nota, ya que una de mis grandes resoluciones de este nuevo ano 2011 es sin duda alguna, no guardarme todo hasta explotar. Al final de la jordana, ya cuando quieres actuar para que las cosas tomen su curso pueda que sea demasiado tarde. No peleemos todas las batallas elige cada uno de manera meticulosa ya que eso le dara mas importancia a cada una de tus acciones. Y luego hace que estas de manera mas cognitiva tomen valor!!, de por si las personas valoran mas lo que tienes que decir acerca de el asunto cuando no todo lo que piensas lo sueltas.

Primero y antes que nada no trates de vivir para dar ejemplos, dale un giro a tu vida en el cual en vez de encajar en todo lo que te rodea, sean las cosas que te rodean las que encajen con tu personalidad y tu diario vivir, tal vez es tiempo de que cuando algo te agobie lo debatas de raiz y lo resulevas en su momento, pero dejando a un lado la ira, solo logicamente. De lo contrario utiliza mas la palabra " Mejor, dejame pensarlo te parece?" Asi te evitas dar comentarios que te pueden perjudicar en el momento. Y diras hay que melodrama para todo tiene esta en sus escrituras", pero la verdad es que funciona, funciona mucho el decir dejame pensarlo y no hablar sin pensar como muchos optan por hacer.......

Si te interesa este mensaje los siguientes pasos te dejaran mucho en tu diario vivir:

1.No tomes nada personal, ni siquiera las mismas conversaciones que llevan a que el otro describa tu persona. "Al fin y al cabo no tenemos un espejo todo el dia en la cabeza, otros ven cosas en nosotros que ni uno mismo puede percibir"

2. Dale importancia a tus palabras, no hables solo porque si, ni dejes que los demas te hablen solo por que si. Piensa en como, cuando y con quien comunicas lo que dices, al fin y al cabo " no le puedes hablar de igual manera a todo el mundo, "como le hablo a maria, no le puedo habalr a lola, las personalidades son muy diferentes"

3. No actues esperando nada a cambio, " Es decir no asumas que los demas saben lo que piensas, o lo que deseas", porque la verdad es que no lo SABEN..." recuerda que las cosas claras se ven y se dan mejor.

4. No interpretes lo que te dicen , no lo entones solo escucha el mensaje, y cuando digo escuchar me refiero a entender, de lo contrario sea cortes y preguntese el porque de todo lo que no entiendes.

5. Tolerancia no "Pendejancia", es decir se tolerante ante diferentes opiniones pero nunca dejes que el otro te crea pendejo, "El mejor regalo que le das a otro es tu tiempo"- Rick Warren dijo en su libro " El proposito de  vivir", por lo tanto selecciona con quien compartes tu tiempo y a quien escuchas, al final el tiempo nunca se devuelve, y no todo el mundo merece de nuestro tiempo.


Estas cinco explicitas formas de convivir con los demas, es simplemente racional en cualquier aspecto de tu diario vivir.... es cierto no todas son tan faciles de poner en practica, de algo que si tengo certeza es que tu vida toma enfoque en cuanto las aplicas, son cosas de diario vivir.... y Feliz Ano 2011 !

"Al mal tiempo siempre buena cara".

La Clau