Inspiring You to Uncover and Design a Meaningful Life
It’s easy to forget.
We temporarily forget about the blessings in our lives—the many little things we take for granted—and about our most coveted hopes, goals and dreams. When we forget it’s because we’re too focused on the weeds.Continue Reading
As I’m sitting by the poolside on a condo rooftop in City Center, Las Vegas, I keep on thinking about how crazy life can be, and how quickly circumstances can change when setting intentions and letting go. Our short, synchronistic stay right on the strip—as pretentious and flashy of a reputation the city may have—feels oddly appropriate.
It’s a larger-than-life reminder that anything can happen. While there are inevitable losses along the way, there’s also the chance to win big with some strategic risks, persistence and a little bit of luck.Continue Reading
I was recently reminded of the importance of energy chargers each day. Ironically this was during a time that was full of excitement.
The past week has been a blur. My husband and I were in Portland for a conference called the World Domination Summit. While it’s been super great to connect with other likeminded people, I found myself extremely drained as an introvert. To add to the craziness, I wasn’t getting as much sleep with the later nights and so much more going on.Continue Reading
The worry we experience is never driven by external factors. It’s taken me a long time to truly understand this.
As tempting as it might be to blame the situation, the weather or someone else, what’s going on externally is never truly the culprit of what’s going on inside. Outside factors may contribute, but they’re never the main source of the angst.
I used to think my unhappiness and stress were solely driven from my full-time job in finance. While my disinterest in the field certainly didn’t help, working in finance wasn’t the main reason for my stress.
Really, the issue was within me.Continue Reading
Every once in awhile, I find myself wondering.
Wondering if all the changes I’ve made in my life starting in 2014 have been for naught. Wondering when the work I’m putting in will pay off. Wondering if my husband and I are making the right decision for us.
Most days, I’m great. I have faith that I’ve made the right decision to quit my job and embrace uncertainty. I don’t ask if the platforms we’re building will be successful; I generally believe it’s a question of when.
But we all have bad days. Continue Reading
How ironic that my last post was about patience, and these past few weeks have put me to the test.
With traveling and other factors, I found myself overwhelmed, pressed for time and seemingly unable to put words down on a page. Times like this happen, and when it does, I’ve found it best to respect my limits and move on.
Amidst everything going on, I also realized I neglected to mention a key aspect—the role others played while I brought my idea of quitting my job to take a sabbatical from fruition to realization. So here goes!
New ideas are exhilarating, full of promise, and the best ones may seem a little crazy or even absurd.Continue Reading
2014 was the year of change. Within that year, I worked up the courage to quit my job and take a six-month sabbatical without a plan of what I was going to do afterwards.
Before my decision to quit, I was on a soul-crushing career path within corporate finance.
Six months before I turned in my notice, I debated for, and against, the leap over dozens of sleepless nights. Two years ago, the thought of quitting my job without a plan was a laughable joke—a ridiculous and irresponsible whim only fools would consider.
Sometimes, you’re just not feeling it.
The simple steps seem gargantuan. You can’t bring yourself to do much of anything, although you’ve tried it all: listening to upbeat music, drinking lots of caffeine, bribing yourself with treats. Or you find yourself doing everything except getting that important thing-that-must-not-be-named done.
I’ve been there. Many times. The worst of them seem to be during transitory periods of my life.
Sometimes, it took all the self-control and resolve I had to complete the littlest of tasks. Sometimes no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to take action. There were mornings I could barely drag myself out of bed. The mind can be very convincing in its variations of procrastination, avoidance and preservation.
After coming out of a particularly existentially challenging rut about half a year ago, a friend asked me, so how’d you do it? How’d you get out of it?Continue Reading
Even for the simple things, everyone benefits from a reminder every once in a while.
I’ve found I need to remind myself of certain concepts around happiness, simplicity and mindfulness when I start to feel unbalanced.
This happens when something unexpected throws me off guard. When receiving some bad news. Or perhaps when there’s been a long string of hectic days or weeks.
Sometimes you just feel down. Tired. Frustrated. Or perhaps just plain unmotivated to do anything.
Whatever it is you’re feeling, don’t try to suppress it. It will only make it worse. It’s much more productive to let yourself feel with intention—without any apology, explanations or guilt.
There are too many people who believe if certain things don’t fit this or that, then something is wrong with them and their lives.Continue Reading
I’ve tried to avoid them, but there’s no way around it.
No matter how hard you try or how good you are, you’ll face criticism at some point.
Critics, naysayers and judgers will always be around. And they aren’t just other people; our inner critic is often the most relentless and vicious one of them all.
Criticism isn’t always bad. It’s a natural part of the process.
It comes along when you take a stand for something, do something new or start doing something of significance. If you don’t have any criticism in your life, perhaps you’re playing too small.
Yet it’s tough to deal with any type of criticism. I’ve battled with my internal critic and dealt with a good number of external critics since taking the steps I’ve made in the last year.Continue Reading
