Well, we have arrived. Where you may ask, well we have made it to 2018. Lived to see another midnight when the last digit of the date changes, doesn’t feel too much different though. Numbers are arbitrary, we could start a new year or a new this or that any day, but sometimes the New Year is a good kick in the butt! It’s a time to reflect on everything that has happened in the past year and realize what we want to change. For me, 2017 was a huge year of growth and learning. Because, at the end of 2016, I was lost. Certain events in my life left me with little hope for the new year, but I was given the gift of opportunity to learn through these unplanned situations. I experienced so many new things, but most importantly I experienced myself if that makes any sense. I realized that it is important for me to be happy with who I am right now and where I’m at, instead of worrying so much about the future. That doesn’t mean trying not to improve every day, but it means appreciating the process. Life is such a roller coaster and so is my brain, so you might be able to imagine how those two things work together. I have no doubt that it will still be crazy and there will be good times and bad but I’m ready.

One of the best things I did in 2017 was start “Unbreakable Voices,” even though I didn’t post consistently it was a highlight. I learned the amount of passion that I have for this. Passion is one of the few reasons I am doing this, only a few people even see these posts. When I started this I realized how small it truly is, I thought how could I make a difference? Why am I even doing this? These questions were answered when one of my friends told me how much something I wrote about meant to them. They thanked me for doing this because it made them feel less alone. That’s when I got it. I understood that everything I had been merely saying meant something. The quote above sums that up perfectly. Out of all the people in the world, only the tiniest fraction have seen this blog, but it was enough for someone and that’s what truly matters. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that the amount of people who see this isn’t important. Only that it positively affects those who fully understand the message that I am conveying.

I’m sorry the last thing I posted was in August because that's not what I intended. I could list a plethora of excuses as to why I didn’t post, but I guess the reality is that this wasn’t a priority. I have so much passion for what I am trying to do here that I have it on the top of my list for this year. Yet, In this new year my passions will be driven toward making this dream a success by being able to help everyone through inspiring words. ~Sarah

P.S. OOPS!! Hooray for me talking about the beginning of 2018 on the 13th of February after saying this was a priority. I’m so hypocritical

   

We aren’t made to just grow into labels that we currently have. Often, it feels like we must be who we have always been, that’s not the case. Recently, I heard someone say, that when we grow or change in a positive way, we are not changing who we are, but becoming more fully who we are meant to be.  I had never heard it like that before and it really made me think about the ways I am not living as the person I am meant to be. I had to ask myself why am I living the way I am right now? Part of it is fear, a lot of it is labels and the way people currently see me. I thought of all the things I could do if none of that was in the cards and I realized how much more I could accomplish. The only reason I could create Unbreakable Voices is because I ignored those things. Parts of me tried to stop myself from starting this and continuing it, but somehow, I am doing it. Every time I have been able to achieve extraordinary things, it has been because I have delved into to who I really am without caring about the thoughts of others. Each of us were created to follow a completely unique path and we were also given the dangerous gift of free will. That is awesome, yet free will can keep us from doing the things we were meant to do. There are so many things we can accomplish, but we stop ourselves because of excuses and labels. As we get older these labels come by choice and not by choice, but never the less they are there. Sometimes I feel as though I could never change any of these labels, yet I can. So many people never thought I would do something like this because I don’t follow through with ideas, but I did it anyways. I broke a “label” about me, you can do it too! It is such an empowering feeling. Some of us have labels much deeper and heavier than the one I just mentioned, but those can be broken too. You can make it out of the hole you are drowning in. I am not saying any of this is easy, but it is so very worth it. They say the truth hurts, and the hardest truth to face, is about ourselves. How can you be more fully who you are meant to be?

~Sarah

I'm sorry we have been inconsistent recently with posting, things have just been a little hectic. Well, in today's society that's not really a valid excuse because everything is always hectic. All I'm getting at is that I really have no excuse and we will try to do better. What do y'all think of what we have done so far? Is it what was expected? I really want this to be an interactive experience, so I would love feedback! We are trying to cover a different topic every week, if you have any topic suggestions please let us know! If we use your suggestions, we may even ask if you if you would like to collaborate with us. You can contact us through the comments below to DM us on Instagram. This is basically just an update post with no topic that I really didn't have to make and aren't sure why you are reading it. I mean, I don't even know why you have been reading our blog in the first place, its just two teenagers thinking out loud through creativity. I don't know man, our lives are just as mess as yours. Thanks for sticking with our mess, keep spreading it cause you're awesome!

~Sarah

Well, where do I begin....there are so many different things I could say about reflections. First, and foremost, they can be distorted. When we look in a mirror, we are seeing ourselves; but are we really? I challenge you to think about who, or what, you are looking at in that mirror. Is it yourself? Is it someone we do not think we belong to? Are we picking out everything we hate about ourselves? Do we think we need to change ourselves physically? Do we look in the mirror in awe of who God created us to be, or is that reflection something we hate?  This is project is all about getting people to think.

So stop and think about that for a moment.

How ever we look at ourselves in that reflection, is the version of ourselves we are putting out into the world. If you think you are ugly and not good enough, someone may not look at you and think "that person is ugly," but they could see that you think you are not good enough. If you get my point, you may realize that not all reflections are physical or tangible, but they can go much deeper than that. You put out a reflection on the world whether you like it or not, but you do have the power to choose what that reflection looks like. When I look out into the world, I see the reflection of myself in those around me, the bad parts, and the good parts. I then reflect back on myself and see what I can do to better my reflection everyday. I don't do this to become better than those around me, but so I push myself to reflect the best possible version of myself into the world. I know reflections can change the world, so if I reflect how I desire for people to treat me, maybe others will have similar reflections, thus creating the ripples. Ya know, mirrors are one of the most powerful things in the world, literally and figuratively, in both good and bad ways. I mean, you could easily blind someone with one, so I would say that's pretty powerful. As I mentioned before, mirrors show reflections of ourselves, we could use that reflection for good and bad. Well I now have an analogy, let's look at the world. Imagine the only mirrors in the world are ones that people have on themselves. You can't look at yourself in the mirror you carry but only the ones other people have. That means, the only reflection of yourself is the one you see in other people. Since you are looking at yourself and them at the same time you  may begin to compare, but that is what has to stop. If you stand in front of a mirror, you may say things to yourself that you would never say to anyone else. But if you are standing in front of another person, that can see you as you study the reflection of yourself, will that change how you look at yourself and those around you?  

~Sarah

If you are reading this I am probably freaking out. It means I took one of my many elaborate dreams and turned it into a reality. I do not know how well I will be able to do this or if anyone will even like it, it may be a complete bust, but I am going to try my hardest. Although, I do hope a few people will stick around to see what happens. Let me tell you how it all started, on April 27th, 2017 during my shower thoughts, I came up with the idea to do this. I always wanted to do something meaningful with my ideas and the things I was creating. For the past several months I had been twiddling with some ideas, strongly considering starting my own YouTube channel but I was still unsure. That Thursday night, I finally decided that this is how I am going to accomplish what I want to. Immediately after my shower, I texted my best friend, Katie, about my idea, she loved it! She has been so supportive and is now my partner in this project. My sisters can attest to the fact that I could not contain my excitement that night. I was SO SO SO excited and still am! I knew what I wanted to do and at that moment I did not have a single bit of doubt in my mind. I knew this is what God wanted me to do with my thoughts and ideas, at least for right now. I grabbed a notebook and starting writing down all my ideas. As you can imagine, I went to sleep pretty late that night because my brain was flowing with creativity and anticipation! I felt so full of purpose, but I thought this was going to be an easier process than it turned out to be. Soon the doubt crept in, I wondered if I could possibly do this, what would people think of me, and would these ideas actually turn into something good? Of course a bunch of other questions filled my mind, but I knew I could not let those thoughts stop my ideas. I would have been so disappointed in myself for not even trying, I would have never gotten anywhere. This may turn out to be a complete fail but at least I tried and I will have a good story to tell. Failures are just a step in the process to achieving greatness. Also, I am young so I have plenty of time to figure it out. I could have waited to do this because of my age but, I know the world does not wait for me to take my time. Each day I have on earth is a gift from God, so I should live each and every one to it’s full potential, serving Him. For the past 2 months, I have been working very hard on creating Unbreakable Voices, this means so much to me and I would love to have your support. Basically, this project is my best friend, Katie and I expressing our thoughts and ideas through creativity, with the help of others. Our older sisters have also been helping us and will contribute their talents to our content. I want to inspire other young people that are just as lost in this crazy world as us. In the society we are growing up in, who we are as individuals can be lost. Each of us has a very unique story, that is our own and we should not be ashamed of it. No one has an easy life because life is not meant to be comfortable, but at the same time nobody has an unbearable life. I want people to know that Everyone’s life is valid, your dreams and ambitions are possible. I want people to know that. This is an uncertain journey we are embarking on, but I am willing to try my very hardest.  Our goal is to put out content at least twice a week on here but I believe in the saying “quality over quantity”. Please understand that we are human and busy so I am not sure exactly how consistent we will be while still figuring everything out. I would love for you to subscribe to our email list to know when we post on here. Welcome to the beginning of Unbreakable Voices, I hope you will stick around and share what we are doing with your friends! Thank you so much for checking us out! Your support would mean the world to me. ~Sarah