What I Learned from Tyler Oakley

          If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you'll know that I recently got the chance to hear Tyler Oakley speak at the University of Nebraska in Omaha and take a selfie with him!  When I first got that awesome text from my UNO friend, I immediately knew that I had to go.  I've been a huge fan of Tyler for a long time, and I wasn't going to let a chance to actually hear him speak live pass by.

            So instead of studying for my Communication Theory test like I was supposed to, I spent Sunday driving to Omaha with my amazing anonymous roommate who endured my crazy fangirling the entire way there and back (bless her soul).  I didn't really know what to expect when I arrived.  I was first surprised with how good of a storyteller Tyler was.  He honestly talked the entire time and I never found myself getting bored!  He does a really good job of keeping everyone engaged and entertained (I applaud you).  I was also surprised with the fact that he stayed to take a picture with as many people as possible!  I'm not 100% sure he was able to achieve a selfie with everyone, but he sure did try his best!

          After hearing Tyler speak, I learned two really important things.  The first thing I learned was to never give up.  It's really easy to start something: a puzzle, a new job, a blog.  The true test, though, is whether or not you'll stick it out for the long-run.  I think we can all admit to starting something and giving up.  Thankfully, this blog was not one of mine.  I'm sure we can all identify something I gave-up on? Yup, my YouTube channel.  As much as I'd love to continue making videos, I just don't have the time during school to film and edit them.  I barely even have time to update my blog on a weekly basis! Deciding between the two, I've chosen blogging over vlogging, but I do wish I would have stuck it out for a little longer.  Giving up too early can lead to regrets and a lot of what if's.  What's the worst thing that could happen?  You fail?  There's a lot worst things that could happen to you.  

          The last thing I learned was that everything someone does can have an impact.  Even if you only impact one person, the effect is still there.  You don't have to change the lives of ten thousand people with one blog post or video.  When I first started blogging I was writing to my family and friends (a crowd of 20-30 people), but at least I was doing something.  I was impacting them just like I'm impacting the crowd of about 100 people who will read this after I post it.  Sure, I'm not changing the world or anything, but changing even one person is good to me.

          If you've never seen any of Tyler's videos, I recommend you take the time to watch them.  They're hilarious and definitely worth the time to watch and laugh!  I also recommend for you to check-out The Trevor Project while you're browsing the web.

          If you're heart is moving you to donate or volunteer, please do!  However, don't think that just sharing the message isn't helpful!  Informing people that this resource is here is still a priceless gift that I'm sure The Trevor Project will still value.