Madeline Osigian

       Sporadically in 2022, I joined a few friends at a dance hall to try something new: two-stepping, Texas's favorite country dance. I got outside of my comfort zone and grew in confidence and experiences.      But recently, this new hobby has become the most fun I've ever had dancing (and I've danced at my fair share of cousins' weddings and summer camp days). Not only has it been amazing fun, but also I've noticed some subtle shifts within myself. And the Lord has been using this place and these people to teach me so much.      This month, I've finally gotten over the learning curve where I can say I'm no longer awful. I'm a beginner, but I'm picking up the dance moves and the life lessons very quickly.      Here are three things I've learned through my dozen or so nights dancing with my friends. 1. Relax.      I had no idea how stiff and scared I was last May when I started dancing until someone pointe...

       Over the course of my year as a twenty-one-year-old young adult, I have taken many risks.     I dressed up as my CEO on Halloween. I placed a live crab on top of a cake for a white elephant gift. I baked cookies for a guy and gave absolutely no reason at all.      These small but significant actions were some of the most creative risks I took.      All of them caused me a bit of nerves the night before and a bit of nausea the day of, but I made it through them and lived to tell the tale. These were not foolhardy risks like jumping off bridges or setting things on fire or any of that textbook dangerous type of risk.      Instead, with each risk, I set out to be fully myself and not hold back.      In doing that (and surviving), I freed my mind to be comfortable with a wider range of situations. (I kept my position as an intern and got hired full-time afterward because of that Halloween stunt....

      Good day, readers! Last week I didn't post *gasp* because sometimes less is more . And I needed a little more in other areas of my life.      This post only has one image. Because less is more .      I'm skipping two social commitments tonight. Because less is more .      "Just put the tiniest bit of lotion on. Less is more," I was told this weekend. Yes, I nodded, less is more. But why?      Less chaos, less clutter can lead to more peace of mind and more focus on the truly important things.      At least, that would be my minimalist mantra if I was inclined to have one.      I'm thinking about minimalism today because a year ago I made this video and somehow got college credit for it after posting it for fun.      I've created an updated capsule wardrobe video , this time featuring the newest stage of life I've entered: the professional world. You can watch ...

       I walked into the shoe store at 6:43, knowing they closed at 7:00 sharp.      "Hey, I know y'all close at 7, and I'm sorry to come so late, but do you have time for a fitting? My friend and I walked here."      "Um, fittings usually take about 30–45 minutes," the hesitant salesman replied.      "Does it help if I'm super decisive?" I asked, eying the three pairs of shoes I already knew I would want to try on if given the chance.      "Yeah, that certainly helps," he said, still doubtful that he'd get to leave work at a decent hour.      Fourteen minutes later, I left the shoe store. On a bench outside, I shoved my old tennis shoes into a box and tied the new ones on my feet.      "Let's try to avoid puddles on the way back," I told my friend, gingerly stepping around the mud in our path. I juggled the box of old tennis shoes with a light heart. I finally had shoes that we...

       January can be dreary — a long month as bland as plain Cheerios. February is shorter, and halfway through it, there's a holiday. Even so, for many it may not be a celebration.      And so the months pass, January and February, with little else to recommend them but their indoor hygge , which makes it easier for me to get through a thick stack of library books. For those into winter sports, these months offer a unique outdoor experience too — crisp white snow.      When these wintry months hit, how do you survive? How do you thrive?      For me, if I find something that works to keep me sane, I hold onto it and try to share it with others. In this way, it may just be "saving my life," as Anne Bogel of  Modern Mrs. Darcy says.      Without further ado, here is what's saving my life right now. Please share yours in the comments below!

       These days, I have a tight schedule. Before I know it, sleep and work have sapped my energy and stolen my hours away. 7:00 — 7:45 a.m. Get ready for work 7:45 — 8:30 a.m. Commute 8:30 a.m. — 5:30 p.m. Work 5:30 — 6:00 p.m. Commute 6:00— 10:00 p.m. Decompress from work & get ready for bed 10:00 p.m. — 7:00 a.m. Sleep      This schedule leaves little room for error. If I don't go to bed by 10 p.m., I won't get my peak nine hours of sleep. My hour-long lunch break is just enough time to eat, call one friend, and breathe some fresh air. And I must carefully guard my evenings on weekdays if I want to have a single second to myself.      I've been making the most of the time in these ways...

       For the past several years, I have had the structure of semesters as a college student. Each fall, spring, or summer yielded new classes and routines with an occasional new roommate or internship.      Even when I knew changes were coming, I had to carefully ease into the new experiences. My mind, body, and soul are so closely linked that forcing myself into a new season would be jarring for all three. And trust me, freshman year I learned that the hard way.      Now I am learning to understand a transition that is not marked by semesters, calendar years, school years, or even global pandemics. It is instead marked by a new opportunity without an end date: a full-time, 9-5 job. As I anticipated this transition, I tried to be proactive in the way I arranged my January, knowing that I would be learning a lot and working even harder this month as I adjusted.

       Every year, as December rolls around again, I get excited by online content about goals, resolutions, or intentions for the new year. When a favorite blogger announces her word of the year or Verily  and  Darling magazines publish articles about reflecting on the past year, some giddiness wells up inside me.      My process for creating a purposeful year begins with these very vague inspirational posts, but then I put the abstract ideals into concrete steps. These are the steps I take between Christmas and New Year's Day to begin January 1 with a clean slate. 1. Reflect on the previous year with journal questions.     As much as I love freewriting whatever comes to mind, reflecting on the previous year is better done with deep questions that jog one's memory and organize scattered thoughts. Especially in a year full of ups and downs as this one has been, journal questions provide much-needed direction.      He...

       The most wonderful time of the year is here at last, and in 2020, it's what everyone needs. While the striking of the clock on January 1, 2021, will not even marginally change our situation, we are all longing for it.      I know I am eagerly awaiting the new year — but about the same as usual — since New Year's Day is my favorite, despite it being one of the most underrated holidays . I've even claimed that it's better than Christmas .

  This post is the fifth of five in a series that I am calling Imperfectionism. It's about holding ourselves to a standard of God's grace, not perfection. Read 'em and let imperfection seep into your priorities.      Regret is no one's friend, and perfectionists bear the brunt of regret's pain. One of the techniques I practice as an imperfectionist is ordering my priorities before making decisions, which I mentioned in yesterday's post . This allows me to choose the most important things in my life and filter every decision through that lens.      Recently, I was taken aback by the extent of my imperfection in having properly-ordered priorities...I'm not good at this right now.

This post is the fourth of five in a series that I am calling Imperfectionism. It's about holding ourselves to a standard of God's grace, not perfection. Read 'em and reap [excellent decisions].      Making a decision between two good options is one of the most difficult scenarios for a recovering perfectionist. These decisions may or may not be large life decisions, but they are often overwhelming and even paralyzing in the moment. That's what we're tackling today.

This post is the third of five in a series that I am calling Imperfectionism. It's about holding ourselves to a standard of God's grace, not perfection. Read 'em and leap!      This is the joyful part of the road. It's the road where we stop reflecting and begin practically living. The question on the table is this:       How do I take the pressure off of myself in daily life?      If you're a recovering perfectionist or are, like me, choosing to be an imperfectionist, there are a few techniques we need to learn to win the battle for our minds. Expectations, pressures, and your own impossible standards need to exit the building...but how? Enter past, present, and future selves.

  This post is the second of five in a series that I am calling Imperfectionism. It's about holding ourselves to a standard of God's grace, not perfection. Read 'em and keep [the lessons you learn].      Welcome to this series on "imperfectionism," a word you can definitely find in the dictionary. ;) I hope you enjoyed the imperfect poem I published yesterday. Today we'll be diving deeper into what I mean by this made-up word.

  This post is the first of five in a series that I am calling Imperfectionism. It's about holding ourselves to a standard of God's grace, not perfection. Read 'em and deep[ly]. She believes in God's truth to her core, Yet everyone says She's the "good girl," And she wants to be more. More than a stamp of approval, She desires the standard's removal. More than a test, She yearns for grace and rest. Not to be too much or too little, Her life will be a bit messy in the middle. She rolls out of bed and greets the day, Without too much thought to her way. When her teachers would applaud, She wanted to shrink. "Don't give me laud, When it's of God you should think." Her life may be wrecked, Yet perfection He doesn't expect. She is perfectly sought, In freedom, she thought: "I will leave it today, A bed unmade." ~Madeline

       "What is the worst thing that could happen?" I asked my friend on the phone.      Fear tends to cripple us with that question —all the ways we could fall, could fail . But when we speak the "worst possible scenario" out loud, it suddenly sounds silly and small.      So speak it.

      I saw  The Age of Adaline  the day it came out in 2015! Since April of that year, this has been one of my most popular posts on this blog. Today we're celebrating that with an updated version.      If you have not gotten the chance to laugh and cry at the movie theater over this character, you should!      The main character Adaline Bowman reminded me a little bit of myself, except ten times more educated, sophisticated, and all-around boss! She's flawed yet cheeky and clever.      Here are six ways to live like the one, the only Adaline Bowman:   1. Learn a new language (or Braille!). Adaline knows Portuguese and a dozen other languages. She even starts learning Braille even though she isn't blind. To Adaline's intelligent mind, everything is a learning opportunity. 2. Work at a library/an archive. Adaline has the  coolest  day job ever! She's surrounded by books and is the...

     I had been talking about taking a huge step for months. It should not have been a huge step, but that is what it feels like for most people my age. I had to get out of a relationship that was turning toxic before it actually started messing with my head. I didn't just delete the app from my phone this time. It was time to cut the cord.      On June 21, 2019, I deleted all of my social media accounts, including Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

     Fear of someone or something is the most powerful motivator       besides love .      I believe this with all my heart, based on observation, readings, and experience.      Fear makes us hide in the corner of a room at an overcrowded party. It limits us to our habits and makes us the sum of our activities. Living afraid, we grit our teeth and silent scream in loneliness.      Drowning in responsibilities and wondering why we did this to ourselves, we wonder if anyone will notice. Will anyone notice our trembling hands, our whispers in the dark?      And fear makes your heart beat 120 beats per minute.      But do you know what else makes your heart beat that fast? Love. "Perfect love casts out fear." (1 John 4:18) ~      If I say, "Don't think about a giraffe wearing a top hat," what do you think of?      A giraffe....

Dear Marie Kondo,      I read your book when it was at least warm off the press, and now every college student I know is curious about your new Netflix series.      I stand all of my clothes up in my dresser drawers, and my dorm room is cleaner than ever. You're right - it's harder to fall back into old habits when you're focused on keeping the things that spark joy. I haven't fallen back into clutter, and I've seen my three closest girl friends each catch the tidying bug.      But it takes time.

     Recently, I was in a conversation with my mentor, and I mentioned my love for New Year's. As the conversation progressed, I realized it was more of a passionate speech on my part.      I was spreading my love for the overlooked holiday without even trying.      "It's all about new beginnings and creating the best year yet," I said. "There are precisely seven days between Christmas Day and New Year's Day, during which no one will invite you to a holiday party because they'll assume you're out of town."      She smiled, and the wind blew through my hair, making me sit up even more eagerly.      "But you're not. You're not out of town. You're cooking up goals for the new year and choosing a word that you want to learn about. You're summarizing the past year in the last few pages of journals and selecting which journals you'll fill next."      With so many fresh starts,...