Rejection or Protection – It’s up to you

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Rejection sucks. There’s no way of getting around it. It is no fun to want something or someone and get a big thumbs down thrown your way. We’ve all been there. Still, rejection is not something anyone wants to get used to.

The thing is, sometimes we have to get used to being denied. We just have to look for the lesson in it. For me, one lesson came when I moved to Los Angeles with the mission of working for the Style Network. I applied for months before moving to L.A. I continued to apply for every job I thought I was qualified for at the network once I moved here. For various reasons, I was told no. Denied. Rejected. Ouch. I tried to make sure I learned something form each closed door. It’s easier to see in hindsight. That’s when the dots start to connect. I wasn’t as ready as I thought I was to work in network TV. There were still some things I had to learn. Had I been hired for the jobs I had interviewed for, there wouldn’t have been time for me to get up to speed. It would have been a total hit the ground running type of thing. Lucky me that those didn’t pan out, I would have probably fell on my face.

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The thing is, I didn’t give up. I chose to see the denials as simply delays. I kept looking for things that I was suited for. As someone in love with all things fashion, beauty and style, I was determined to work for that network. Fast forward, two years later and my fourth interview with the network and I finally got the job! It was a perfect entry point for me to learn as I grew there. Here are a few lessons I learned from that experience:

  • If you want it, don’t give up I recently read a blog by a woman who was nervous about not getting into medical school – for the second time. It is her dream to be a doctor. She was beginning to feel like if it didn’t work out this time, that maybe she should move on to something else.  By the end of the post she had convinced herself that this was what she wanted and there was no other dream. When you feel that strongly about what you want – DON’T GIVE UP!
  • Not now, doesn’t mean not ever  Even when things aren’t happening on the timeline you expect, don’t trick yourself into believing that it will NEVER happen.
  • If you believe in it, be willing to wait for itIn my situation, two years was a long time to wait to work for a network I had dreamed of working for. It was worth the wait though. My determination paid off. There’s no reason to believe that what you want won’t happen. NONE. Keep working and give it time.

How do you deal with denial? What dreams are you thisclose to giving up on? Tell me in the comments.

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Hey Ms. Perfect! What are you hiding?

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I’ve been told that I’m a perfectionist. I do like things to be a certain way. I’ll keep working on something until I have it just right. It might take me a little longer than I’d like to finish things because I’m busy tinkering.

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What I know is that I can be a procrastinator. All of that tinkering and “perfecting” only delays progress. I’m working on it and I’ve gotten much better. I’m so much better about saying something and doing something without the lag time. I’ve been thinking a lot about being a perfectionist and what that means. People throw around the word perfectionist all of the time. It’ s usually said as a compliment and worn as a badge of honor. Here’s what I think. On our quest to get things just right, aren’t we all really just procrastinating? Is it the need for perfection that keeps us tinkering or is it the fear of just letting things go and getting our projects out there?

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough – that we should try again.” – Julia Cameron

With me, I really do think it’s a little bit of both. I tweak things because I want them to be just right. I don’t want to look at things later and think of all the things I could have done differently. On the other side of the coin, I know that all of my adjustments only delay things. That delay is the exact opposite of what I want. It only brings on guilt when I know I should be done with something but can’t stop “fixing” it. Here’s what we all need to remember:

“Perfection is overrated. Success is not.’ – Lauren Zalaznick {tweet this}

So, I’ve decided for me that perfectionism is actually glorified procrastination. Being a perfectionist can sometimes hide the doubts we have about ourselves or what we’re doing. Are you a perfectionist? What is your perfectionism hiding? Tell me about it in the comments!

Ahem, You ROCK!

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I admit it, I’ve done it. I’ve set goals too big to wrap my arms around. Have you? While we work toward what we really want, the big Kahuna, things can seem like they’re moving in serious slow motion. With all that’s on your list of things to do, it can feel like you haven’t done anything when you’re checking them off one by one. Instead of looking at what you have left to do, make sure you make time to take in what you’ve done!

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If you’re trying to publish your first book, be proud of the outline you’ve created. That’s progress!

Starting a vegetable garden? Taking the step to get the dirt, and the seeds and the planters is part of the process. It’s the beginning of a delicious garden. Also known as progress!

Got a big goal? Don’t forget about the little things along the way. No need to wait until reaching the big goal to celebrate. The so-called small things count too. Celebrate! Every.Single.One.

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Here’s my view on it all. We all have to take baby steps to get o where we want to go. You need each and every small grain of sand to make a majestic sand castle. So no matter how small your steps are, keep walking. It will lead to something great, majestic even.

What goals are you working on? How do you make goals less overwhelming?

You CAN’T be what you want!

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“The biggest fallacy on earth is that you can be anything that you want to be. You can only be what you were meant to be.” ~Oprah Winfrey

When I first read that quote, I had a big question mark on my forehead.  Then I read it again and it totally made sense. Everything I want isn’t always good for me. That goes for relationships, food AND ambitions.

When it comes to relationships, sometimes people show us who they are from the beginning and we have the choice and the chance to walk away. At other times, we learn who they are the hard way. It’s not always easy to know that some relationships just weren’t meant to be.just be you facebook

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Growing up I wanted to be a singer,  a supermodel and a writer. Well, I don’t have the nerve to get up in front of people and sing. I’m too shy that way. I did, however, have the nerve to get up in front of people sometimes half naked and walk a runway or take photos.  Even still, I’m no supermodel. That industry wanted more than I was willing to give and I gracefully bowed out. So I guess one out of three ain’t bad.

I am a writer and have been for what seems like forever. Writing is what I was meant to do though. Motivating people, is what I’m meant to do.  Still, getting to that place of figuring out what I want and if it’s what’s meant for me took some trial and error. It took me auditioning for a choir and realizing my voice refused to meet me at the audition for me to finally accept that as much as I love singing, I wasn’t meant to do it on that level. Sometimes it takes having jobs that make us miserable to realize it’s time to do something else. Whatever the case, realizing we have the choice and the chance to be EXACTLY what we are meant to be is exciting and worth the journey.  What do you think about Oprah’s quote?

 

The Power of Disney, Dreams and Why Not?

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When you were a kid were you told you could do and be anything you wanted? Were you encouraged to reach for the moon? As a kid,did you believe anything you imagined was possible? If the answer to any of these is yes, know you’re not alone. I was that kid too. I thought I would be following in the footsteps of my favorite singers and taking the world by storm with my powerhouse vocals. Only my vocals don’t pack much power. Still as a kid, you could not have convinced me that I didn’t have a shot a stardom.

There is something to be said about blind faith. We have it as a kid. Somewhere along the way we lose it. It kind of falls away, bit by bit. I think part of it is because the older we get, people stop telling us the world is ours and instead invite us to step into the “real” world. As an adult you are told and often forced to get your head out of the clouds. While this is a good thing, it’s also crazy confusing. How is it that the world is your oyster as a kid but as an adult you have to accept that that oyster had an expiration date and (sucks for you) you missed it?

I get growing up, but what does that mean for your dreams? Is it just kaput once you hit a certain age? I think of this all the time. Probably way too much. I am one of the few that still believe in the power of dreams, no matter how out there they seem.

Dreams Have No Expiration Date

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My family and I recently took a trip to Disneyland. It was a dream come true for my nearly four year old son. He’s been wanting to go there for the last two years. While we were there, immediately, I felt the bubbling up of the Disney magic. It was such a feel good environment from the minute we entered the gates of the park. I inhaled and took it all in.

As we strolled through the park and squeezed through the crowds, I couldn’t help but feel perkier than I had when we walked in. It could have been all of the music I heard that took me back to a childhood of endless possibilities. It could have been that I was surrounded by fairy tales where all the stories have a happy ending. Whatever the case, it was enough to inspire me to not only keep dreaming but to dream bigger and believe that dreams can really come true. Maybe it’s childish. Maybe I need to snap out of it and pull myself out of the clouds. Or maybe that land of make believe was all I needed to make me believe in a bigger way. I have seen too many of my dreams come true to not think that “Impossible things are happening every day. ~Cinderella”

I never would have thought a trip to the happiest place on earth would be just the re-boot I needed. While my son is still talking about the magic of seeing Mufasa in the Disney parade, I have my own bit of magic tucked away. The question is how do I hold on to these good vibes?

Stay positive!

The feel good music in Disney was a mood changer. Keep yourself surrounded with positive people, positive quotes, affirmations and a  little feel good music never hurts.

Believe in happy endings 

While life can be kicking your behind at every turn, know that happy endings are real. I always say, “Everything is all right in the end. If it’s not, it’s not the end.” {click to tweet}

Know your power 

If you tell yourself something is impossible, then it is. You’ve already set it up to be that way just by speaking the words. Why not live in a place of why not? If you want to try something new, instead of telling yourself all of the reasons it’s not possible, simply say “Why not?”

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How do you keep yourself motivated? Tell me in the comments!

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Six Ways to Break out of a Rut

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Feeling stuck in a rut? It’s time to do something! Making change to make you feel better can be as simple as doing something small. For me, that sometimes means having enough time to sit down and paint my toenails or even go and get a pedicure!! Whoot whoot! My time is tight, so while these are little things, they can feel like a big deal. The small things can make big changes in our life and the people around us. Here are a few ideas on where to start. Try these top six ways to get you out of a rut!

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  1. An act of kindness never hurt anyone. Pay it forward by paying for the order of the person behind you at Starbucks. Everyone talks about karma when someone does something shady. But karma works both ways, people! You do something good, guess what’s headed your way? Warm and fuzzy goodness! Yup!
  2. As we’ve move on into adult hood, sometimes it’s hard to make new friends. It can be hard to let new people in your circle. How about we drop that wall and let someone in and make a new friend! You could be just the buddy they need at that time and vice versa.
  3. Make a new connection that in some way gets you closer to something you really want. This connection could be a person or something that’s been on your long list of things to do. Take action and move closer to whatever it is you want.
  4. Bucket list wasn’t just a movie. Make your own bucket list and then make a plan to check something off that list. What are you waiting for?
  5. When you’re in a rut and feeling down on yourself, one definite way to boost your mood is to make a list of your accomplishments. You’ve done far more than you remember. Once you start writing things down, you’ll see why you can give yourself a little pat on the back.
  6. Really feeling like something needs to change? Are you ready to do something drastic? Try making a move and change something. Change your hair, change jobs, or an even bigger change – move! There’s nothing like a change of scenery to inspire and change your mood!

What do you do to pull yourself out of a rut? I wanna hear your suggestions in the comments!

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Five Ways to Keep Your Happy

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This past weekend was a really good one. It was simple and that’s where its beauty lies. My family and I had a little lunch date and spent time at a local park running, climbing and racing. It’s the kind of day I want to have all the time. It’s the simplest things that put me in my happy place. Once in my happy place, I’d like to stay there. I can’t be mama on a mission if I’m not doing certain things to keep mama going. So, I thought why not write down the things that will help me keep my happy.

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1 – Facing my fears

Starting off the year, I decided to focus on doing bold things. I’m more of a reserved type of girl, so this is a big deal for me. In taking small, but bold steps, it’s easier to get closer and closer to whatever goals lay ahead. Doing small scary things make the big things far less scary

2 – Choosing Quality over Quantity

While this could apply to so many areas of life, it REALLY applies to friendships. Choosing to have a few REAL friends instead of a slew of fair-weather friends is the way to go.

3 – Doing a cleanse

I have been wanting to do a physical detox for a while. It’s on my list and I’m looking forward to it. Of course a detox doesn’t have to stop with the yucky stuff in your body it could also mean getting rid of the yucky things in your life. That could be any relationship that is bringing you down instead of lifting you up.

4 – Embracing the uniqueness

Accepting your uniqueness is one of the first steps to really loving you. There’s no point in being a carbon copy of someone else. The world would be a boring place if no one had the courage to just be themselves and be good with that. You are the only you this world gets. Don’t cheat the world or yourself out of your awesomeness! (tweet this)

5 – Trusting the gut

The older I get, the less I second guess myself. I think it has something to do with being a mom as well. I can’t be too wishy washy. I have two little people depending on me to make good decisions. That knowledge has made me more sure of myself.

These five things are sure fire ways to keep happiness in check. We all know, if mama’s happy, everybody’s happy!

What’s making  you happy these days?

Doing Cool Sh*t

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Recently, I was strolling around the web. I came across this article and from the title – it had me.  It’s “Why You Should Stop Making Excuses and Start Doing Cool Sh*t”. That gets your attention, right? It’s about a book by a woman who details how she pretty much took control of her life by following her passions. As a result, she’s found a way to live a life that’s true to her and make a difference along the way. Cool Sh*t, indeed.

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It made me think of my own mission. While I continue to be about making my dreams come true and following my passion, I want to help other moms do that as well. The article didn’t mention whether the author of the book had kids or not. For me, it doesn’t matter, I think her message is universal. I think it is especially important for mothers to find and follow our passions. We tend to put what we want on the back burner or take it off the stove all together! By no means do I think we need to be “me me me Moms” and only focus on our goals. I do think that taking some time to focus on what we want as women makes us better moms. I think it’s even more important to do once we become moms because there are little eyes watching our every move. Why not give them a front row seat to us pursuing our passions?

Pursue_your_DreamThe author of the book had some pretty big goals. She opened up restaurants in New York and Las Vegas and founded a company with her sister. Everybody’s goal doesn’t have to be a restaurant or a business. I think our passions, like fingerprints, are as unique as we are. {tweet me}

Everybody doesn’t want Beyonce success, some people would rather be in a local chorus. Everyone doesn’t want to be a New York Times Bestselling Author, some want a blog as an outlet for their thoughts. Whatever your passion is and no matter how small you may think it is… it’s a big deal. It’s yours!

What’s your passion? How did you find your passion? Still searching?

 

Mom-Me Time? What’s That?

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Once a month I had an appointment with Tanya. She’s a guru when it comes to waxing. Every two weeks I had an appointment with another Tonya. She was my hair stylist. Every morning I got up just before 6a to get to the gym before work. After working out for an hour, I’d make my way back home to get ready for the work day. Those days were a long time ago! This is just a glimpse of my life before my name changed to mama.

mom-me-timeI used to do so many things just for me, without a second thought. These days it’s hard to wedge in time to pluck my eyebrows let alone schedule a wax. I have been finding ways to steal some me time though. Every time I find a sliver of time to do something just for me, it’s a mini-celebration. It’s not that I don’t absolutely love my life as a mom. It’s just that I realized that it’s the little things, like a spontaneous pedicure or a shopping trip to Target all by my lonesome, are pretty special. It’s the small ways I take time out for me that make me a better mom and a better wife. It’s true what they say “happy wife, happy life”. I’d also like to add, “happy mama, way less drama“. {tweet this}

All these little things we do for ourselves can be described as self care. That can be anything from finding time to read a novel or a magazine. It could be as simple as enjoying an ice cream cone as you walk alone through your neighborhood. For me, I find that I need the space sometimes to just worry about taking care of nobody but me. I gladly give my family most of me, but I save a little for myself.

Share in the comments: Do you have any things that you do just for you? What’s self care look like for you?

Who is in your cheering section?

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I was talking to a friend yesterday and we talked about  a conference we were attending. The conference was for moms who wanted to build create success on their own terms. Listening to the stories of the other women left us feeling empowered. As moms who have made the decision to build our future, our way, these women’s stories resonated with us.
It’s always good to know you have company. No matter how crazy  your goals are, it’s always good to know someone else out there has those same kinds of goals. It’s comforting to see other people run into issues and how they deal with them. It’s even better when they share those issue with you as well as how they over came. Sharing is something moms do well. We share our stories, our experiences and our struggles all the time.
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Since entering the world of motherhood, I’ve noticed something. We tend to support one another. We have a bond that we need not speak about, we just get each other for the most part. When a mother is trying to build her future and create a life that allows her to spend more time with her kids we rally around her. Even if that support comes from a place of wishing you could take the leap they’re poised to make. Look at the success of Simple Mom and Pioneer Woman. That’s moms supporting each other. Even my own blog, though not as huge as the ones mentioned above, has been totally embraced by moms.
That support is critical when stepping out there. Having your tribe and accountability partners help to make the wildest dream a reality. Having that sounding board and that cheering section can make the difference in following your dreams and sitting on the sidelines.

I have managed to cultivate a pretty sweet cheering section. They have my back and let me get all of my thoughts out there without reining me in and telling me what I want is impossible.

How about you? Who’s rooting you on? How has that support helped you?