Navigating life's labyrinth one dive at a time.




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Gratitude…and more

Today was Sunday. I love my sundays. I found out this morning that my favorite workout teacher is leaving – she’s the one who got me into strength training. It was a big moment for me, but this coupled with the fact that people have been leaving at work, what a friend told me yesterday really drilled home – everyone’s on their on path. It’s so easy to forget it, but it’s the harsh truth. The brutal reality. At the end of the day, you need to do what’s right for you. What’s best for you – and staying attached can sometimes mean you’re being held back. You need to keep moving on. This doesn’t m mean ending it with your closest ones, but it does mean knowing what to prioritize in your life in this moment; the real ones will always stay.

me and my BEST FRIEND! you learn so much from everyone in your life

Beyond that, I met one of my best friends after 2 months, and we had a mega catch up session as always! Everytime I meet this girl, we always end up having a heart to heart – and she’s one of those people that I know has my best interests at heart. She’s got my back, and she knows I’ve got hers, anyday. It’s funny, we had a period of around ~7 months last year where we weren’t talking – and it was ALL communication issues! For a second, I thought I genuinely lost one of my people. But once we reconnected, I was filled with a sense of peace. A sense that everything really happens a reason, and there’s a reason for everyone in my life right now. Each person holds a space unique to them, and I’m grateful to have them be part of my journey. It’s so interesting how much your friends can change your way of thinking and feelings. She’s a huge, and I mean MAJOR influence! I love how much I learn from her everytime. And she’s just on her path and content with it – I don’t know how to express my admiration for that. It allows me to truly be transparent with her, she knows me inside out.

So what I learned from her today?

  • Gratitude is key: When you open your eyes to how much you have, you recognize you have so much to be grateful for. We both had a very transformative year last year, having to get housing, graduate, get jobs – become adults. In the process, there was a lot of pressure and anxiety, but this woman took it with stride. She got her milestones set at the last moment, and while she was putting in all the work, she said she was constantly being blessed by God. And all that she’s been feeling is gratitude. I believe this is the best outlook to have. Although I’d had the same milestones, I was constantly chasing the next thing, feeling constant anxiety in each stage. She taught me it’s important to enjoy every stage, because it’s a part of life. All you can do is enjoy it!
  • Focus on your path: One of the things that I struggle most with is comparison – feeling less than when someone is doing great, and feeling constantly behind in the thing we called life. I’m not sure if this is due to having grown up in a competitive environment, but I’m 100% it’s not responsible for any of my achievements. My friend, let’s call her Riya, explained to me the importance of knowing that what makes everyone happy is different. What might be right/best for me in this moment in my life, is gonna be different for her and every other person because we’re all different. Because someone’s doing amazing, never takes anything away from you – your worth comes from you. This should mean you can cheer them on, knowing how much it would mean to them. Focus on you, and don’t worry about the rest.
  • Be authentically yourself regardless: Riya explained the importance of knowing that you have your own strengths, and to every situation, you can add your own input. You have your own perspective, you have your own flare. Whether or not that input is honored/valued by those around you isn’t your job. Your job is to show up. Show up as you. Show up and contribute. You come from a fierce, strong, independent mom and are have self-respect. Are you really going to let someone else control your ability to learn and add value? Stay true to who you are, because that’s all that you can control.
  • Be curious & open: Riya emphasized how we’re currently at a stage in our lives, where we have the opportunity to find our brand, sell our specific skillset and be indispensable. I asked, “how do you know your brand?” – “Time and being open to everything”, she said. Now is the time to try everything out, be curious, learn as much as you can and be a sponge. Slowly, but surely, you will find that thing that’s yours. You’ll find what’s meant for you, but for now, do your part, try everything out and pay attention to what sticks. Make a list!
HIGHLY recommend!

And on the way home, as if I wasn’t feeling already so inspired, I listened to a podcst off the DOTC. It’s one of my favorite ones. Here are some things I took away:

  • Key to lasting satisfaction is to want what you have: Arthur talks about his time with the Dalai Lama, and how he emphasized that the key to happiness is to want what you have, and not the other way around. When you do, you put your all into the present moment, and you’re appreciative and grateful for everything that you have. When we do the other way around, we’re not present and we’re chasing something outside our control. But each phase of life is to be enjoyed fully, so be here, now.
  • Goals are Static, Progress isn’t: Given that it’s the new year, it’s the prime time for people to be for people to making all these resolutions and goals – and never stick to them. And Arthur talked about falling in love with the process and the progress you make, as opposed to the end goal, because they latter is never gonna keep you going. The fuel comes from the enjoying the progress, and doing it for yourself.
  • Finding meaning through 3 components:
    • Coherence: Everything happens for a reason
    • Purpose: Direction in life and what you’re walking towards
    • Significance: That you matter
  • Knowing your morals/principles: Something that really resonated, is that this explained what it means to live life on your terms. Many people are unhappy because they are living in a way that goes against their morals and principles. Or they’re living according to someone elses’. So a good exercise to get to know yourself is to write down what is right and wrong, to you. What matters to you. And live your life according to that. It’s this alignment that helps us live our authentic lives.
  • Anxiety is unfocused fear: As an extremely anxious person, this one resonated. I didn’t truly understand what it meant, until I did. I’m fearful of a lot of things I am not aware of, and once I write it down, and what I would do if it came to that, I believe I’d feel a ton better. So key is to write it down and what you would do. Recenter yourself.

And sidetrack, take the PANAS personality test to find out your type (I’m so into these haha): https://arthurbrooks.com/build (This is not sponsored even though I SO wish it was lol I SWEAR!)

Wow, what a wholesome day. SO much thinking. So much contemplation. So much gratitude, I’m here for it all.