Work Happy

Another reunion has helped solidify once again that doing what you love (whether a hobby, job, etc.) is so important. As I made my rounds last night I probably heard the word finance 70 times (there were roughly 100 people.)

Now, I’m not criticizing this field at all. If you truly enjoy it, great, you do you, but the number of struggling faces I saw last night was appalling. I ran into one of my friends who was a shell of his former self. After 2 years of a financial job he finally quit and joined another friend for a start up. He now feels a lot freer and happy.

Caution small rant: If you think that the point of a reunion is to brag about your job and status in life, then you need a reality check. It’s not good to have such a vertical outlook in life (only thinking about moving up in the workplace,) and better to think horizontally (how you can spread and share your assets with everyone around you.)

With all my friends I did talk to, a common statement I received was, “That’s so great you’re happy doing what you love, and I’m glad you are really happy.” Work Happy, live happy! Keep living your life and doing you. 🙂

You’re Worth Everything

So this blog post has stemmed from an interaction I had while playing a video game. It is a game that requires cooperative team play in which you and four other players choose characters based on their classes and try to make a well-balanced team to claim victory. The classes are as follows: Damage; these players try to take out the enemies as quickly as possible dealing the most damage, flank; where you try and sneak up on the enemy from behind or the sides and pick them off on-by-one, tank; you’re the one who absorbs the most hits and tries to secure the objective, and lastly support; you spam heals so that your teammates stay alive and can protect you.

I personally play as the heal/support type, so when I said to my teammates I’ll choose the healer, I had the unfortunate chance of receiving in response, “Yeah that means you’re useless.” Instead of letting this get to me, I decided to show him I would be the best healer he has ever seen, and I did just that.

This experience had me thinking, however, that this seems a little like real life. Some people can be aggressive and try to take charge like the damage units. Some people are pretty good at standing up for themselves but sometimes need to stay reserved and sneak around like the flanks. As for the tanks, maybe someone is a little less out going and tries to build walls to protect themselves. And then there are people who are the healers, the ones who try to support others and make them feel better. It’s too easy to get hurt in this world, and we need people who are willing to help others so we can all grow and move along in our journeys. You’re never worthless; you’re worth everything!

It’s Only The Universe Trying to Tell You Something

I now think in a way that embraces that the universe is trying to tell me something or that everything happens for a reason.

I was on my way home form getting a gift for my brother. I was trying to get home as fast as I could, so I had my “in-and-out” mission planned to me quickly buying the shirt, heading back to the subway, and returning to my apartment. I just missed the train and the next one was coming in 15 minutes.

Normally I would have started swearing, but this time I thought maybe the universe didn’t want me taking that train. After patiently waiting 15 minutes I got on the train, and as I was listening to my music I heard my name called from across the car. Two of my students were sitting there and started waving and smiling at me. As they got off the yelled enjoy your Spring break, and I yelled back you, too! And then I thought, “Oh, that’s why I missed my first train.”

I used to get angry over the most trivial occurrences, or I would react negatively to a job decline or even missing the train. Reacting this way only feeds the negatively in your life, so I think it is important to try and look at tiny mishappening through a positive lens or how you can learn from it. My girlfriend taught me to try and look at life this way, and it has really helped me stay positive!

Don’t fret over the small things; it’s only the universe trying to tell you something. Go out, stay positive, and keep enjoying your journey through life.

 

Believe In What You Have

Sometimes I wind up comparing myself to others or wish that I were a better form of myself. I’ve had asthma my entire life, and it really has put a limit on how I perform, especially with sports. Another thing that ignites this envy of mine can be talent shows (I think that talent shows are phenomenal, but sometimes I find myself at the peak of these thoughts here.) I start to wish that I were “better” and to think that people will find me uncool. Here’s a list of some of the things I think of sometimes now and when they started:

Why can’t I be a faster runner? (High School)

Why can’t I be taller and stronger? (High School)

Why can’t I be a better dancer? (College)

Why can’t I play an instrument?

Why don’t I look muscular?

I believe, however, that this way of thinking is very detrimental for your journey. It creates an opening for negative thoughts and prevents you from growing. It’s too easy to become envious of others and forget what you already have. Maybe you’re not the best athlete or student, but everyone has a gift and can work on that gift to help them become someone unique. You need to start saying, “How can I…” which will incentivize you to try and improve what you’re already good at. I may not be the best or even that great at anything, but I know deep down that I’m pretty decent at those things.

So don’t worry about what others have and what you don’t, and make sure to work on what you do have and harness those skills. And without a doubt, there’s someone out there that thinks you’re the coolest person in the world.

Embrace Spontaneity (Thoughts While Subbing)

As I was subbing for the middle school science teacher my first initial thought was, I might get to do some actual teaching (and luckily I did!)

The teacher had asked me to do a lesson on the respiratory system, and I was provided some slides to go over with the class. It finally came to class, and I was going along with the lesson plan–Kids were reading some of slides; we were all having a good time and working well with each other–when all of a sudden I look up at the clock after finishing the work sheet, and boom I still have 30 minutes left.

I didn’t want the class to know that there wasn’t any material left from the main teacher, and I knew I had to stay calm, so I began to think quickly on the spot. “Wait a minute,” I thought, “I can teach them something else about the respiratory system. I have asthma!” And with that I was able to go into an in depth conversation on not only the overall workings of the respiratory system, but also what happens when you have asthma and how your body works differently. Luckily the kids had several questions, so it turned into a really great lesson.

I think spontaneity can be a great part of ones journey. Not is quick thinking good for jobs, it can also be nice to call up loved ones randomly and say, “Hey, let’s go on an adventure.” I’ve suggested this in one of my blog posts before, but just walking down random streets while traveling can be some of the most fun parts of the trip, for you never know what you’ll find! I believe that it is always nice to have some sort of structured plan, but sometimes opportunities in life call for us to be a little spontaneous, so follow your heart and mind and keep living your journey.

Thoughts While Subbing: So What’s Your Real Job?

I had the fortunate opportunity to substitute in Kindergarten last week. I had not yet had this age group of students, so I was really looking forward to my day with them. It was a lot of fun being back in a room I hadn’t been in years, and I interacted really well with the kids and told them about my adventures as a Kindergartener with some of the same teachers that they have.

As I was walking the kids to lunch, we got onto the topic of jobs, and one of the students asked me, “if you’re subbing, then what’s your real job?” The head of early childhood happened to be walking right next to me, and she quickly replied, “He’s just trying to figure that out!” I calmly responded, “exactly, i’m just using this to help me figure out what I want to do.”

Now I am well aware that substitute teaching does not come close to carrying the same weight as full-time teaching, but whether you’re substitute teaching, part-time as a sales assistant, or flipping burgers, I think whatever you’re doing in the immediate time frame will always help guide you to your ultimate destination (if you really want it to.) Sometimes we don’t have as much luck as others and need to take a part-time position to help us through our journey, but that doesn’t mean it is valued less than your friend who is working full-time.

Small decisions and jobs can lead to bigger things. If you have a dream or a goal in mind the little things will help you grow and feel good about yourself. Believe me, if you were desperately called at 6:00 AM to rush in as a last minute substitute for another teacher who is sick, you too would feel like Superman.

How Do You Value Yourself?

How do you value or measure your current situation in life? Do you measure it with numbers such as an income? Through the satisfied faces of your bosses? Or maybe with the size of your house or how expensive your fancy car is? Well, what if we didn’t measure our lives that way and valued it through a different process, one that is less materialistic and more meaningful to us on a personal level?

I just finished reading “How Will you Measure Your Life” by Clayton Christensen, and I think that it is an interesting and motivating read for everyone. It teaches you how to move away from the materialistic or calculated side of valuing what you are doing, and steers you towards a way of reflecting on how your job adds value to your life and in what way.

I used to think that it was important to prove my worth through high salaries, having a fancy job title, or owning expensive things, but that is definitely the wrong way of looking at it. You need to ask yourself questions such as: Is this adding any value to my life and if so in what way? Am I happy with what I am currently doing? Do I see this opportunity as useful? Etc.

There are so many other vital aspects to a job or extracurricular that can add more than a numerical value to your life. If you only focus on the money or the perks that a job offers you, than you will easily miss the core values and lessons that you can gain from whatever you are doing. Don’t focus on the wealth related tangibles of a job, and try to really grasp the lessons and knowledge you gain from what you are doing and how they can improve your growth for the future.

Lessons from Traveling-Iceland 001: Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite

I took a lovely trip to Iceland last February, and I had an AMAZING time. If you haven’t been I highly recommend traveling to Iceland, for its a beautiful country and quite accommodating to foreigners (especially if you speak English.) I only went to Reykjavik for 1 week, but I was able to do and see a lot within that 1 week thanks to friends and transportation.

I could go on and tell you about some of the amazing restaurants and cafes I went to, the pretty bodies of water, and tons of fun activities, but this post is about a valuable lesson I learned during my stay.

First of all, I learned that it is always necessary to take care of yourself. Whether you’re feeling a little pain somewhere or you just feel that something may be off with you. If you are not 100% sure what the cause is, go so seek medical attention.

Now you might be thinking, “aren’t you overreacting a little bit?” And my response to that, which also happens to be the second thing I learned from this trip, is, “ALWAYS CHECK FOR BEDBUGS.” Yes, I had the unfortunate encounter with bedbugs at the hostel I was staying at. I woke up on my second day and all of a sudden I was super itchy. My initial thought was that I was getting hives from something. So I took my allergy pills, and I researched possible things in Iceland that I could be allergic to. Several people talked about the water, so I went a day without contact with the water, and my “hives” got even WORSE.

After 3 days of excruciating pain and itching, I finally went to the emergency room to see what was wrong. I was then told that I wasn’t experiencing hives, but bites of some sort. My fears were correct, and I had bed bug bites.

Therefore, if you’re ever traveling and don’t feel well, if you want to try and do a little bit of self remedy and find that your symptoms are going away, great! Then you’ve saved a bit of money on medical expenses. If you’re symptoms are not going away, however, go and seek outside help! Keep traveling, loving life, and finding yourselves, but don’t let the bed bugs bite.

Don’t Fear the High School Reunion

I was recently invited to my high school holiday party as an alum, and at first I had mixed feelings about it.

I had been MIA to all of my high school alumnae events, and my fellow classmates were well aware of that. Having kept in touch with only a couple of my peers, I was quite worried of what the rest of them would think of me at the holiday party after all this time. Would I be “not good enough” in their eyes? (I graduated with the third highest GPA in the class) Will they bully me like some of them did in high school?

A slew of negative thoughts rushed into my head as it got closer to the event, and then I quickly thought, “Wait a minute. What am I doing? Why am I thinking negatively all of a sudden? That’s not what i’m about! I need to stay positive, for the event will probably be quite fun.”

I couldn’t have been more correct. Only two of my classmates showed up, but I had the greatest time catching up with them. Also, they loved that I was enjoying my life as a teacher and couldn’t have been any more supportive.

Never be afraid of who you are and where you’re going. If you don’t like where your journey is heading, change something and try something new! We’ve all grown up and changed from our high school days (in a positive way hopefully,) so don’t be afraid to catch up with some old mates and enjoy life’s journey with them!

Anger: An Unnecessary Reaction

I believe that anger is one of the worst producers of negative thoughts and actions. It can cause us to do very silly things and say things we wish we had never said.

In this post I’m going to try to help you overcome this peace disrupting emotion.

NEVER mull it over. If something has made you angry and you think about it for even one second more, it will only exponentially rise. “Well, maybe if she/he hadn’t..” –Just no. STOP. You’ll only make it worse for you and the other person.

Do something that completely distracts. Watch a TV show or cartoon where you can jump into someone else’s life for a little while as you calm down and escape the current situation. You will start to cool down. You could even earn a lesson from the protagonist that will help you cool down! Sometimes even playing a video game might help, but careful, don’t play any PvP (player versus player) or you might just get more angry.

If you’re anything like me, trying to calm yourself down when angry can be physically painful, (as in you just want to scream and go super saiyan) but trust me, you’ll thank yourself once you’ve calmed down and haven’t said or done something you will regret.

Stay positive and happy!