2012 Book List!

I've been trying to encourage myself to read more often and pick up a book instead of turning on the television so often, so here's a list of 10 books I definitely want to read this year! I am actually ashamed that I have not read some of these already, but I am determined to finally start/finish them. :)

1. The Help
2. Water for Elephants
3. The Hobbit (a must read before the movie comes out! Already started it :3)
4. Fight Club
5. Choke
6. The Hunger Games
7. War Horse
8. An Elephant in the Garden
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
10. Gone With the Wind (on my bucket list to read and complete)

Reading can be a challenge in college when there are so many assigned readings, projects and papers that constantly keep me busy. I've been thinking about buying a Kindle lately, but I haven't decided. I'm a fan of books and the way books feel, so a Kindle might rid me of that pleasure.
Regardless of busy college life, hopefully I can find time to sit down and relax with a book that I want to read every once in a while!

How to conquer disappointment

It's no fun to look back at a year and think about how many times that you've been let down and how many times a simple disappointment is the cause of so much frustration and sorrow. I've done a lot of thinking today about how this new year needs to be different from that, so I wanted to share some of my thoughts about how disappointments can be overcome.

So with anything I start thinking about, I always look at quotes about it to see what other people have said. After reading many quotes about disappointment, I came to a conclusion that with disappointment, there is a big question that you need to ask yourself. Is the disappointment worth the pain or suffering? Should you learn how to let go of the disappointment, or hold on with the hope that things will get better? Depending on the situation, some would agree to the latter. Sometimes people choose to be hopeful because they want something or someone to change. They want things to get better. They hope these things, but there is no certainty that this hope will destroy their disappointment. Hoping can lead to even more disappointment, perhaps an even bigger disappointment than the first. Instead of constantly wanting something to change and hoping it will, sometimes it is better to come to the realization that the disappointment is not worth it. Moving on can be the best thing for someone dealing with disappointment, and this is coming from someone who has always hoped things would get better.

Some people may disagree with me and say that this is wrong. Perhaps it is in some situations, but having hope for something or someone to change is setting yourself up for even more disappointment. Instead of hoping for disappointment to fade, you can be a stronger person by actually coming to terms with the disappointment and doing something else to get over your sadness instead of sitting around, hoping that your disappointments will eventually fade away.