Step 4: Support

In order to get where you want to be, you will need a team.

My supervisor told me something similar and for some reason, after he mentioned it, the thought sunk in.

Think about it: Think of one celebrity... with amazing talent (or not) ... they made it to where they are because of the people who helped them build that road.

Beyonce: She has her manager, stylist, choreographer, etc...

Lets open this up now: Think of the one person who you admire, look up to; I am going to talk about my mentor. She is the co-founder of her own non-profit, pursuing her passion to empower women of color, thriving to where she wants to be.

She did it with the support of others! Of course she had the drive, but in addition to her motivation, she had her mother giving her useful advice, her cousin, brother and friends to help volunteer with events. Her other friend, who she collaborated the non-profit with.. I could go on and on but you all understand my point

Be open to those who want to help you, ask for help when in need. Surround yourself with people of great energy. You need a team to support you, whether that may be your family, co-workers, or friends.. Yes there are times you may think (because I know I sure do) that you can do it all with no help! (I am superwoman after all lol), and what I am saying is YES you can, but be open to let others support you, if they really want to extend their arms to you... understand that you need them just as much as they need you to help you grow to your maximum potential.

Yes you may be talented, yes you can be the most intelligent person walking on earth BUT those who are there for your best interest will help lift you higher. 

 "Only by binding together as a single force will we remain strong and unconquerable"
- Chris Bradford

12 tips on staying inspired..

Found this on Pinterest and wanted to share with you all, great tips!:

• My favorite is #10!: My advice is when have a ton going on (stress), feeling gloomy or before you go to bed, do this! It helps :) 

Receiving a daily dosage of inspiration is a beautiful thing, enjoy <3 xoxo

Step 3: Sharing is caring

The last blog posted stated "Step 2" was based on the essence of how writing the things you like/dislike are important.

Surrounding yourself with those who know more than you is extremely important. It can be a wise person in your family or a person who is well experienced in a certain industry (just waiting for someone like you to ask them questions!).

Informational interviews are such a great way to not only build new relationships but learn so much from the person who is extremely experienced. If you are sure about a certain career path then make it your goal to speak with at least 5 of those in the industry.

• There will be people who:
1. Will love to be interviewed: "people love talking about themselves", something I have heard over the years.
• There are some who would be flattered by you asking to get to know them and how they got to where they are in their careers. 
2. Will not want to be interviewed, or even want to speak to you in person: And do not take it personal, just try again with someone else. 
• If they are cold, you want to stay away from these types of people anyway lol 

• You will notice those who are willing to be interviewed will be happy enough to share any information they can, to help you! They will appreciate the fact that you went out of your way to get to know who they are and what they do. 

Sharing information down with others is the beginning of forming a legacy, they will appreciate it as much as you will.

We fail to realize those who are older in our family have so much advice they want to give and pass down too (Mom, grandparents, aunt,etc), start listening up! (and of course take notes!).

"Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality"
-Dalai Lama

Roadblock

A ton has been on my mind these past few weeks; Roadblock. I went through it and with support I am lifted and up again...

Life can throw you upside the wall many times, when you least expect it, it is up to you to take what life throws at you and program yourself to persevere and jump above those hurdles.

Staying positive 100% of the time would be great, however, we are not robots (ha) we have emotions. You get hurt, you feel pain. You win the lottery, you feel great. Yet, even though we are not robots, you have a choice in how you react to certain circumstances that life throws at you.

Re-Program your thinking: When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. (cliche much?)

• Under the worst situations you can face, instead of dragging with those negative emotions, (stress, anxiety,etc) think of different ways you can change that certain way of thinking. (easier said than done, but ITS POSSIBLE). 
• You are the only person who is holding yourself back from the achievements you can create. 
• Baby steps (as I have been told, and have done) create big change.
• You can do anything! Once you first believe that you can...

So stop holding yourself back and jump when those hurdles appear. Take small steps to acknowledge when you are experiencing those negative emotions and reprogram your way of thinking, how you can change those negative circumstances into positives. Let your hurdles lift you higher....

"Doubts in your mind are a much greater roadblock to success than obstacles on the journey"
 -Orrin Woodward 

Step 2: Write, write, and (oh yea) write!

I  was into deep thought and realized, everyone is always trying to improve their lives and trying to find meaning to life (Their purpose). So these words, and my recent posts could relate to you even though you have or have not graduated. We all have our own journeys, but may experience the same type of emotions, so we can all relate.

That being said; I have been reflecting and my next step is to write! Write everything down, what you dislike, like, what brings you joy, what is the environment you find most helpful and happy. Write everything down until you have at least a page worth of things you thought were important. Write as they come to you, do not feel pressured to do it at once! (ha)

Then after you have written everything, take a chance, glance and ask yourself, what lifestyle do these things parallel with? What can you embrace in a career path? Acknowledgement is key, having an awareness of the things that would give you great discomfort or pleasure would bring you one step closer to what to explore.

I am going to take my own advice (ha) and start writing those things I love, hate, like, etc. Then I think that next step would be to explore a bit and do some research. I will keep you all up to date on how that will go, til then we are a step closer to fulfillment and a step closer to that 'purpose'.

“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it” 
― Gautama Buddha

Step 1: Joy in solitude

My mind has been running with different ideas to get inspired and do something new, following up on the "trying to find myself" last post. I thought the first thing was to write one personal goal;

• To find the joy in solitude.
• This is very important!

First-step: I have been noticing that ever since I have been back home, I have not been able to see my dearest friends as I had when I lived off-campus. I miss my friends. After thinking and browsing websites (like the one posted on my last blog post) I have decided; time spent alone is...  not a bad thing, its necessary. 

• Lonely, the feeling of disparity between you and the rest of the world (lol) Everyone feels it sometimes yet when you are experiencing the emotion yourself, you feel as if no one could understand! You against the world.

The key: Finding the joy in solitude makes you aware of the things. (Things you have done, want to do, dislike, etc.) As I embark this journey of "adulthood" (ha) I will try to disregard the cold emotion "Lonely" and embrace it with "joy" [when I have a day that I am off from work and have no plans]. Go to the beach, go watch a movie, take a walk, ALONE! (Ha that sounds a bit crazy, maybe a bit extreme). Nonetheless, the bond between you and yourself is important because then you become comfortable under your own skin, and if you ask me, that is one step closer to finding yourself and finding those things you may want to do to create (big or small) change. 

Think positive and you can view the world differently. With this I leave you with a quote that sums everything up well... 

“Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Finding yourself

For some people, knowing what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives was easy and simple, lucky them right? For the rest of us lol We are left trying to find that niche, the purpose of our life. 

Graduating college= was the big UHMP! for me... ever since I was a child, I knew to receive an education was the biggest dream and key to moving a step forward to success in the future. Now that I finally achieved one of my life goals I am stuck in an odd transition.

Post-graduation (about a month to be exact ha)= All of my friends are looking for jobs and I am home, trying to take some time to relax. I wonder sometimes, should I be online right now looking through the career page of some company? (Even at this moment instead of writing lol) The economy is horrible what am I doing thinking of taking a brake? It takes about 5 months to a year to get a job!!!!!! (That is the saying anyway).

Finding myself= Truth of the matter is.. I want to find that niche! (of course, doesnt everybody?! lol) .. but I have been so caught up [tunnel vision really] with my academic career that I did not see in between the start and finish line. I know I want to will be successful but now the question is.. in what?

For now; (thanks for reading this mini-bible post ha) here is a website (thanks Google!) I found that could be of use to those feeling a similar way.. Good stuff!

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Yourself