Aquatic Dreams

While I was growing up, my family spent many vacations at our condo in Florida. We were a close drive to the beach and many magical attractions. I had been to SeaWorld a handful of times, always admiring the trainers. I would daydream about what it would be like to swim with dolphins and orcas whales. I mean, what 90’s kid didn't want to be best friends with an Orca named Willy?!  

A few years ago, my boyfriend and I went to SeaWorld in San Diego. We had a long weekend therefore it was time for an adventure. I was reminded of how much I love getting to know the animal species from the ocean. It’s a whole different world, mysterious and magical. And lucky for us, our ticket came with a year free of park admission! We made our way back a few months later. This trip was a surprise birthday gift for me. And what a way to spend my 25^th birthday! Because we had free admission, my boyfriend registered us for multiple animal encounters.

All of my aquatic dreams came true!

We started the day at Dolphin Cove to meet some of the swimmers. We learned training tricks and spent quality time with adult and baby dolphins. We got a little wet but to have a dolphin do a flip because you signaled it to, was an experience I had always imagined. The second encounter for the day was something special just for me. I slipped into a SeaWorld wetsuit, climbed into Arctic water, and met the most wonderful Beluga whale! I was in the water hugging and training the Arctic’s sea canary. We bonded so much that she even gave me a kiss! And after our interactions, we ended the day relaxing with a delicious dinner by a private training pool for the Orca whales. Just on the other side of the glass wall were the beautiful creatures. The close proximity to this animal was just enough to make tears of joy trickle down my cheeks.

This my friends, is a once in a lifetime experience; a dream of mine that I never expected to reach. I know you have them too, goals or dreams that are so fun to think about but you feel that you may never get the chance to actually reach it. That’s why it is so special when you have a support system. Sometimes you need help reaching a dream, and sometimes the journey is that much better when you work with someone else. In these moments, when you catch that intangible dream, be grateful for whatever got you there! Remember how blessed life can be.

What dream did you catch that you never thought you would?

Patience is a Virtue

These days we have everything at our finger tips. Our society thrives off of instant gratification. (I know I absolutely do!) Our smartphones are right in our pockets with knowledge and access to a global community with opportunities only a click away. And now waiting has become difficult.

Mother always said, patience is a virtue!

Dictionary.com has a great definition for patience - quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence. These are all great words to consider when you are reaching for a bigger dream. Sometimes it takes time and you need to be patient, you need to trust that it will work out. That’s not always easy! I have struggled with patience for a few dreams of my own.

So how do YOU get through it? 

1. Daily or weekly reminders of the bigger picture. Remind yourself of why you are reaching your dream; what is it that gets your blood pumping with excitement? With intensity? With ferocity? 
2. Distract yourself from rolling it over in your head a million times. Stop thinking so much about how eager you are to catch that dream. Find fun and challenging activities to consume your days. Don’t waste your precise life by waiting for your next dream. Go out and do something!
3. Meditate, as cliché as it sounds. You don’t have to be a holistic pro, just take a few minutes out of your day to sit, close your eyes, and take a few deep breathes and feel the muscles in your body. This allows you to keep calm and focus on the moment. (Instead of when you’ll reach that dream).

These might work, but maybe you’re thinking ‘no way in hell will these vague tips work for me”. Well here are a few more ideas to really get your mind to be more patient:

Get in the longest line at the grocery store

Watch the 1996 film, Hamlet (242 mins)

Suck on a never ending gobstopper

Take a drive during rush hour

Watch still water turn to a rolling boil 

Listen to Jethro Tull "Thick as a Brick" (43:54)

How do you practice patience? It’s a difficult concept so every tip and advice is sure to help! 

The Voice In Our Heads

You know that voice in your head that interrupts your dreams and goals. It’s the voice that reminds you that your idea is stupid or that you couldn’t possibly reach it. Well I hear it ALL the time! I call it my Mean Girl – she’s always tearing me down for NO reason. It’s so hard to quiet this voice or to not listen. You start to believe what its saying and become discouraged. You start to feel worthless and incapable of reaching your goals so you stop dreaming.

Never stop reaching for the stars!

Feeling incapable and inadequate is unfair; there is no reason why you can’t reach a specific goal. There will always be a way so NEVER stop believing! There are a few tricks that I use to shut down the voice and remind myself that I CAN DO IT.

Why Not? Listen to what your voice is saying and ask why not; figure out what is holding you back. Usually what’s holding you back is not genuine, it’s something that you can easily fix or solve. Or it’s a little bit of fear getting in the way. Just take a moment to come up with a plan to find the courage and eliminate the obstacle.

Who Says? You can also ask yourself who says; figure out who told you you can’t reach that goal. Most likely you’ll come up with yourself, the media, or maybe even a friend. If it’s you, that’s just fear talking again (find that courage!). If it’s the media, remember that those ads and everything else are marketing; they trick you into feeling a certain way so you will believe them and buy their product. Nothing is real in the media, it’s all exaggeration! And finally, if it’s a friend, go talk to them. Find out if it’s coming from a good, caring place or maybe a place of jealousy. Talk it out! 

Just remember, it’s your dream and nothing but your heart and soul matters!

I know I’m not the only one with this voice in my head. What does your voice say? What do you do to keep it from sharing it's opinions? Comment below! 

That Time I Ran a 5k

The mundane life of a cubicle employee…

I had been working full-time for about a year as an Administrative Assistant. I had only known part-time jobs and school semesters; change was always happening around me. So being in the same position doing the same routine each day was getting old. Boring! I was grateful to be working full time but I couldn't help feeling like I wanted more. My solution was finding instant gratification. What could I accomplish quickly to feel purposeful and re-energized? 

My solution: Running a 5k!

High school was my athletic years. I had played soccer, danced on the Dance Team, and was a part of the track team! I ran the 800 (twice around), the 4x8 (twice around with a relay team), and occasionally the 2 mile (8 times around!) I figured that I had trained with the distance team so I knew I could gain that muscle back and could accomplish a 5k, which is a little farther than 3 miles. This was never a dream of mine, but I needed to bring some excitement into my life. And I am SO happy I made it a dream!

I trained for about 3 months. I went online to find tips and a workout plan. I felt strong and healthy and was starting to realize more benefits than just instant gratification. This was turning into so much more than changing my mundane life. It was hard, and I struggled on a lot of days. However I kept going, I didn't want to add failing to my dream check list! I found a support system who could keep pushing me on the days I couldn't push myself. 

And that gloomy August morning I ran and I ran and I ran! The adrenaline pumped through my veins and my pace was quicker than I planned. All I wanted to do was finish without walking. And that's what I did! 

Mid-run, posing for the picture! 

The feeling of accomplishment was invigorating. I was so proud of myself for setting a goal, working hard and never giving up, and finishing it with a smile! I received a medal at the end and that medal will always signify strength to me. I did something for myself; not to prove anything to someone or to win a spectacular prize. I did it to empower who I am. And that kind of goal or dream is irreplaceable!

How do you empower yourself? Comment below and maybe I'll add that to my list of dreams! 

Career Change Decisions

Remember when I told you that change is okay? Well I had to remind myself of this recently. A few months back I had created a specific plan with check-points and goals to reach my dream of owning my own clothing store. At the end of February, I was at a turning point. I had planned to make a career change to allow myself more time for school and to further educate myself, through work, on the retail business.

After reviewing my budget with a job offer in consideration, I realized that I needed to change my plan. Switching roles was not going to support me financially like I had previously thought. So I had to come up with a new plan. I am no longer planning to make this career change so that I can save enough money to start up my business sooner than anticipated!

However, this change did not come easy. I spent two days as an emotional wreck. I wrote about 5 different Pros and Cons lists as I flip-flopped with which decision to go with. I had conversations with family members and friends in hopes that their opinions could help me navigate the thoughts in my head. I was realizing that neither decision felt right but I couldn’t find option 3! So what I did was modify my options. I stripped them of any and all emotions and focused on the big picture.

It doesn't matter how you get there, as long as you get there!

I may not be 100% happy with my decision, but I am 100% about changing my plan. I know that this will be more beneficial for me and my business.

My advice for you:

Strip the decisions of any emotions. When you make your Pros and Cons list look at the items and figure out if your feelings are driving it. And I mean all emotions, good or bad. Look at the reality. This was the hardest part for me!

Modify the options. Try to adjust them so that they fit your big picture plan as best they can. My job offer did not provide enough compensation so all I did was ask if it was negotiable. Come to find out it was, they offered me more and they even offered me a different position that provided even more compensation than the second offer!

Talk it out. Present your decision to family and friends who can look at it from a different angle. They can provide their opinion and help you understand more Pros and Cons for your options. You’ll find incredible support by doing this. But remember, the decision is yours and yours alone. Do not let anyone else make it for you!

I know I’m going to have many more of these “forks-in the-roads” so I’m going to need to hear from you! How do you make extremely hard decisions? Comment below.