Travel

Hello!

At the moment Mario and I are transitioning from Germany back to the United States. We're settled in at his parents house in Jersey City right now and in a little over a week we'll be going our seperate ways. Mario is heading to Atlanta to pick up our car and drive to Alabama to get the keys to our new house on the base there. He'll also start his school training at Ft. Rucker. A few days later I'll be flying to Louisiana and eventually make my way up to Alabama to set up furniture and such.

I'll likely not be able to update my blog during this trasition. Today is my first opportunity to get my online communities updated. It'll likely be some time in May that I can manage time to be online more frequently as I hope to be moved in to our new house by then. Hope you're all doing wonderfully and I'll be around as much as possible until then.

Respectfully,
Salley Ashley

Support

Hello Again!

Today I want to talk to you about support and how important it is to all of us. Not only for you to support those around you, but for you to feel a sense of support from the people dear to you.

Don't be afraid to ask people what they think of your progress on a project that's special to you. If they seem hesitant or distant from the idea of looking over your work, let them know that it's important to you. The people who love you will give you support, especially if they know how much it means to you.

Remember, being supportive should not mean being lied to. When you ask someone to look over your work be receptive to what they have to say, even if it's not all praise. Criticism is something everyone needs in order to improve. Encourage your friends and family to be honest with you. There are respectful ways to let someone know they need improvement and that should certainly be exercised, but the support should be founded on honesty.

The stigma related with the word support is actually very unsupportive. Many believe that giving a loved one support means constant praise and words of encouragement. Where the encouragement is a definite plus, false praise in an attempt to spare sensitive feelings is counter-productive. For example, take a look at the American Idol tryouts. Here you have a group of people who's friends and family have encouraged them and given them their idea of support which in turn put that person in an embarrassing situation. Where if they were honest the person could have taken classes with a vocalist and possibly moved on in the contest.

Some people have natural talents where others have to study for years and years to reach the same level. Getting honest feedback on your works will help you discover which category you fall under and which steps you need to take to improve upon your abilities. On the other side of the coin you shouldn't take all commentary as absolute fact, every individual has their own opinion. Listen to what's being said, make notes if it will help you remember and if multiple people have the same feelings then consider revision. Great works could be lost to over-revision.

Best of luck in all your endeavours and I'll write again soon.

-Salley

The Procrastination Beast

I was overpowered by the procrastination beast. This little furry fella who sneaks up on you out of no where, turns the clocks five hours ahead, and fills your calender with endless deadlines that you're sure to never make. Fortunately I became aware of it before this blog became completely stagnant.

In my first post I mentioned that I'd like this blog to be a place where I can share advice of sorts with any who may have an interest. Today the epiphany came to me that no one's going to volunteer themself to getting advice from someone they don't know a whole lot about. Who am I to give you advice?

Well, to be completely frank I'm not anyone all that special, but somehow I've been given a unique ability to write in a way that people can relate to. This small fact works out wonders when it comes to sharing advice with others. I won't swamp you with big words or point you in the direction of my sponsoring tycoons; and I won't give you advice that I don't feel confident will help you.

For years I've been a shoulder to lean on for many friends locally and around the world. When someone's having a down and out day, I feel assured that they feel safe talking to me and will walk away from the conversation feeling a sense of relief and understanding. Granted I'm not a therapist or medical professional, but I've been through my own share of pain and from those pains in life I've become the woman I am today. It's because of my trials that I'm able to empathize with the pains others go through.

So what makes me want to share advice with others? During some of my hardest times it was someone online whom I'd never met face to face that kept my head above water. It's through his support and dedication to our friendship that the grip of suicide did not take over me. In a way, this is my thank you to him for all he'd done for me. He's a wonderful person and I'm so grateful to have met him during the time that I did and I hope to pass that same sense of acceptance and support on to others who need it.

No one in this life is perfect and family members don't always know how to react when someone is battling depression. If you're feeling alienated, alone, unloved, and unappreciated. Please, send me an Email or contact me on Yahoo.

Tell me that I'm your call for help and I will be your shoulder. I've been to that place, where life feels pointless and continuing seems like more of a burden than it's worth. You do not have to fight that battle alone! Let me support you the way my dear friend supported me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that your confidence in my sincerity has improved, even if only slightly. I truly am here to offer what help I can to others out there so that they may experience life the way I have thanks to the friendship I found online.