As the confetti settles from New Year's celebrations, we unfold the emotions and experiences that come with the fresh start of a calendar year. Join us in this episode as we share and discuss the adventure of new motherhood and personal development, tackling the societal pressures that come with the January 1st mindset. This heart-to-heart dialogue isn't just about resolutions; it's about understanding that personal evolution isn't tied to a date, but rather to life's natural ebb and flow.
Within the strategies of goal setting, we share snippets from career endeavors, shedding light on the necessity of setting achievable milestones, while Armine reflects on the profound shift of becoming a new mom. This episode peels back the layers on work-life balance and the pursuit of holistic wellness. We advocate for the art of presence, embracing adaptability, and discovering joy in the day-to-day journey, which often steers us toward our most authentic aspirations.
We delve into the liberating process of letting go, allowing life's serendipitous moments to provide unexpected opportunities and learning to celebrate in the present. We share personal tales of gratitude and the transformative effect it has on our lives, leaving you with optimism and encouragement to face your own goals and dreams with an open heart. Join us for an episode that promises to inspire you to embrace the year ahead with grace, gratitude, and patience.
CareeRise: www.careerrise.org
CareerConfidence: www.mjcareerconfidence.com
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As the confetti settles from New Year's celebrations, we unfold the emotions and experiences that come with the fresh start of a calendar year. Join us in this episode as we share and discuss the adventure of new motherhood and personal development, tackling the societal pressures that come with the January 1st mindset. This heart-to-heart dialogue isn't just about resolutions; it's about understanding that personal evolution isn't tied to a date, but rather to life's natural ebb and flow.
Within the strategies of goal setting, we share snippets from career endeavors, shedding light on the necessity of setting achievable milestones, while Armine reflects on the profound shift of becoming a new mom. This episode peels back the layers on work-life balance and the pursuit of holistic wellness. We advocate for the art of presence, embracing adaptability, and discovering joy in the day-to-day journey, which often steers us toward our most authentic aspirations.
We delve into the liberating process of letting go, allowing life's serendipitous moments to provide unexpected opportunities and learning to celebrate in the present. We share personal tales of gratitude and the transformative effect it has on our lives, leaving you with optimism and encouragement to face your own goals and dreams with an open heart. Join us for an episode that promises to inspire you to embrace the year ahead with grace, gratitude, and patience.
CareeRise: www.careerrise.org
CareerConfidence: www.mjcareerconfidence.com
Follow Us on IG!
Follow Us on LinkedIn:
Hello everyone.
Speaker 2:Welcome back.
Speaker 1:It is 24 January and we are excited to be back on Coffee and Career Hour.
Speaker 2:Yes, we are, armin. I heard you have a gift and a present for us.
Speaker 1:Yes. So for anyone who's heard our past two episodes, we've talked about how I was going to become a mommy and I'm happy to announce that the baby has arrived and I've been a mom for about three weeks now and I'm here. I'm back as a whole new person.
Speaker 2:You are, and it's taking every ounce in me not to leave this from crying, because every time I see Armin and guys or hear her voice, I just cry because I haven't seen her in three weeks. But she is, she's a mom. She's amazing at it. So far, her baby already told me she's just great and we are excited because in one year your baby will be a year old and we'll be doing this episode all over again.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, like last January when we first started the podcast together, we did a new year goal setting episode. Now it's been a whole year later. So much has changed and companies or businesses have grown, we've had new ventures and adventures, and now I'm a mom. And that's all just happened in one year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, you were already a girl boss, now we just add the title of mom girl boss.
Speaker 1:Yes, mom boss, I love it.
Speaker 2:She's awesome. She's awesome but yes, it is a new year and a new year brings a lot of different emotions for everybody. A lot of celebratory emotions, we want to acknowledge, but a lot of stressful and anxiety-provoking emotions. I've I experienced myself and have shared with some of you as well, that this that the new year. A lot of you resonated with my comment about it being very stressful and our in our episode about there's so much tension around the holidays and what it means to different people. But it is a new year which most of the world loves and enjoys and celebrates. I always say there's no reason. I never, I never see a reason in celebrating the new year because it feels like very much so. False advertisement.
Speaker 1:Sure, yeah, the new year brings so many different emotions and we kind of touched on it last time too in our previous episode, so I feel you on that. I do personally still kind of like the new energy of a new year, but I definitely do resonate with it kind of being a little bit overwhelming and kind of adding extra pressure on us that we don't need to, to feel like we need to change things up, we need to evolve, we need to become this whole new person just because it's the new year. I feel like social media also really contributes to that, because everybody has their new year new goals, new year new me posts and everything, and it really can take a toll on somebody.
Speaker 2:Very true. I like that you use the word energy. Energy, I think, is something that you can carry with you and it'll fluctuate depending on where you are in your life, I also think, where you are in your year. So I think you bring up a very good point about the new year brings like positive energy into the world, but I feel like it's for me. I'm like I want that energy year round. You know, I don't just want it at the start of the year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that, definitely that's true. That's smart to think that way, because otherwise what happens is like we get this hype when it's the new year, right, and then life happens and we get into our daily routine. We don't achieve whatever it is that we set to achieve, and then it actually we crash. I feel like once you don't reach the goal that you set for yourself like probably already by the end of January a lot of us crash and we're like, okay, I'm back to. You know my regularly scheduled programming and that sucks. So I do think that it would be ideal if we could have that energy year round where it's like it's a new day or it's a new week and I'm going to start this week off with a positive mindset, or I'm going to start this week off with taking little steps towards the goals that I have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. Goal setting is something that a lot of people do around the new year especially. They use the word like resolution and I feel like resolutions and goals have two different meanings. Goals are something that you want to ensure that they are attainable, something you can achieve and obtain. Resolution, I personally feel, is changing a part of who you are, maybe in a negative sense. It's like looking at something of what you do or who you are or have it and changing it to be positive, and it almost feels for me like it's not accepting your whole self, the way you are, Whereas a goal you're striving towards something, something more positive. I don't know if that makes like perfect sense. I just don't like the word resolution.
Speaker 1:No, it makes a lot of sense actually, you're right, because there is this whole pressure to be this whole new person, right? I mean, people say, in your year, new me. I'm guilty, actually. But yeah, it kind of implies that you're going to completely revamp into this whole new person. But that's pretty unrealistic, right? We change as human beings. We evolve over time, though not with the snap of our fingers. Just because a new year came around doesn't mean we're going to automatically become a whole new version of ourselves. I think the idea behind all of this is that people want to improve and want to make changes in their life that are positive, that are going to help them become a better version of themselves. But that should be, like you said, year round, as opposed to just when the new year is happening.
Speaker 2:Yeah, new changes, that's huge and it's so funny because we work in an education environment. So for us it's not really like the new year. Maybe for like a lot of companies it's like a new quarter and it's a start, like that. It really does feel like the new year. But for us I'm like man we still have two quarters left and a semester school. We have one semester left, so it's like the middle of things, so it doesn't really feel like the new year, which is strange that way.
Speaker 1:It feels like fall, you know the start of like September, october, depending if you're on a semester or a quarter school. Those are the months where you feel like that's a new year for us, right, and usually like the schools will kick off the new academic year with festivities and activities and things like that for the students. And, yeah, students will come in and say like I have a goal for this year. I want to accomplish X, y and Z. So our timeline is a little bit different in the education setting, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's so funny. I was working with a couple of students this past week and we were talking about that. Well, they, they, they firmly believed. They shared with me like, oh, like I it's the new year, mj, like I'm going to be different, I'm going to do this, I want to hear Excel in this way. And I was like okay, like tell me what the new year means for you. And they're like, you know, like I just got to be this, like different person, like a better version of myself. And I asked like well, you know, like what's wrong with the current version of yourself? Why do we have to like change anything about you? I understand the improvement part, like I want to not change, but just evolve right, evolve in different ways. But what is wrong with the current you? Why can't the current you be present and positive and all these other things? So it was really interesting to get their perspective too. And I mean I I'm just probably someone who's like the grumpness of like the new year, because I just don't like it.
Speaker 1:That's okay. That's okay. It's valid. As to like why you don't like it. There's a real reason for that. So you know, for our listeners, I encourage you all to really think about, like, what energy do you go into the new year with? Do you go in with these high expectations of yourself to change and evolve dramatically? Do you go in with goal setting and then kind of feel like those goals over time and decrease in relevance? How do you like approach the new year and what emotions is it arising you? We'd love to hear from our audience too. We've shared, like I do get some excitement with the new year, but I also have experienced like where I didn't achieve the goal and then in the first month I'm like already you know, feeling discouraged or disappointed. That's happened to me before. Mj shared, you've shared how you feel about the new year. So we'd love to hear from our audience how you guys feel about the new year. Feel free to send us your comments and emails.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's exciting. I know some individuals have reached out to us already and shared like how this can be stressful or overwhelming, or it's almost overrated as well. So, please, let's hear from other people. We love hearing from you guys. One. It's a way of engagement and it shows us that you're loving the content we're also sharing too. So what does the new year mean for our listeners? Goal setting let's talk about. You said something, arminay, about having a goal and not achieving it. When you use this specific example of within the first month of the year. And goal setting is really interesting because in our field, of course, we look at people's career goals and their life goals, of course, but goal setting is something very challenging for most individuals and they have a hard time defining what the goal is, why it's important to them and, most importantly, how to get there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean, there are all these strategies for goal setting, right? Some of you out there may have heard about SMART goals or different other techniques to help individuals achieve their goals, but the reality is it works differently for each person. Goal setting can be something that's more short-term. That's why I use the one month example, because I've noticed that, at least for me and a lot of the people that I know, goal setting, even though we set a goal that might be more long-term, like for a given year, like, for example, the thing I was specifically thinking about was my workout goals Every new year it'll be like okay, january 1st I'm gonna start working out, et cetera, and that's supposed to be a long-term goal.
Speaker 1:But then broken up into a short term where I think about okay, I'm gonna go to the gym three times a week, et cetera, et cetera, and then we go back to work, we go back to school and our daily routines, we get back into routine, and then I noticed that in the first month it kind of tapers off. But goal setting can be either long-term or short-term and I think usually with people it's intended to help the person become that better version of themselves in the long run. But when we don't see the results immediately, we lose that motivation to even continue working on that goal. And then, before we know it, we're back to the whole year has passed and we're like, okay, I'll start again next year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very true. I love that you brought up the short-term and long-term goals, because sometimes our goals are long-term and we have to break them up into short-term so they can feel achievable and attainable for a lot of us. I know there is a long-term goal I'm thinking about for this year and we're gonna have to break it up into little parts. I'm not gonna share it just yet because I'm not 100% on it. Arminne knows exactly what it is but we'll see. We'll see how the year goes and work and things like that. But there is a long-term goal I have and I've been thinking about how can I divide up the pieces and steps that I need to take to achieve this into short-term, attainable goals, because each time I do that I will feel motivated to continue working towards the long-term. As some of you know and have, of course, heard on here, I love the working out and the fitness and stuff. So when it comes time to the new year, I just remind myself that this is a goal that a lot of individuals for themselves holistic wellness is what I like to refer to as. So I usually do the opposite, arminne, actually, because I do the working out and the eating well and all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Normally I do the other parts of wellness. So this year, specifically this month there's only been two weeks, I mean realistically I've been focusing on work boundaries, for example, eating, eating on time, eating at an appropriate hour, not going without food for more than six hours, taking enough water, walking outside and getting some sunlight and the different things. Leaving the office at five o'clock. I am well-known in our office and our building for not leaving on time, so it's been kind of strange for people to be like oh, mj's leaving at five o'clock, that's really weird, but that's good, because I'm now telling other people, like, are you ready to go? Like, let's go, it's five o'clock. Whatever needs to be done, it can wait till tomorrow. So I always think about how my holistic wellness has to do and what pieces specifically do I wanna work on. That don't have to necessarily do with physical activity and like wellness that way, because I already do those pieces.
Speaker 1:I love that you're right, because sometimes when we think about healthier living we immediately think about working out. But there are many other aspects to healthier living and I'm so proud of you for having these new boundaries around work and your personal life. So I look forward to seeing how that actually shapes out and evolves. Maybe we'll do an episode in a few months See where we're at with these goals.
Speaker 1:For me it's been I've been kind of taking it one day at a time because my entire life has changed this new year. It's actually been for me. It's been a new year, new me type of situation, having had a baby and the first baby. So I have this new identity as a mother. So for me it's. I wouldn't say that I have any goals set right now. It's more for me just learning this new identity and taking it one day at a time and seeing how it shapes me and allows me to evolve for sure. But in a few months we should do a revamp episode where we check up on MJ's goals, see how she's been doing with her boundaries and see how I've been doing as a mom.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think something you're really good at Arminate before you were pregnant, during you were pregnant and now too, I think is being present, and that's what you're getting at, by one day at a time. You're very good at being present in the moment and taking the moment for what it is. So I know that, whatever the goal is you are, the identity is just gonna evolve as you go to, because you're really good at being present, and that's something that, within our careers, we struggle with, because we're always thinking forward, we're thinking future or we're thinking past, like, oh dang, I messed up or I should have could have done that. And with goal setting, it's hard when you want to think, moving forward, but you do a really good job of remaining present and appreciative and showing always a lot of gratitude with what's happening currently, and that's something I've always admired about you, because I'm someone who's like okay, what's the next thing and the next thing.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Yeah, honestly, naturally, I think I was never present. I remember in high school, one time I was talking to one of my teachers and I was like I can't wait to graduate and like go to college and, you know, be in that phase of my life, and I was probably like 16 at the time and she was like, so would you want to graduate early, like you know, start that life now? I was like no, I don't, like I still want to go through, live that experience or whatever I need to live until I'm there ready to be a college student. But I remember, like I wasn't, you know, present of I'm 16, I'm in high school, like I was always thinking, okay, I can't wait till I'm like 19 and I'm in college, like God. I don't even know what I expected for my college years or what I was thinking at the time, but I remember I was not present. It was always about what's next? What's next? I can't wait till this next phase of my life.
Speaker 1:But somewhere along the road, I think it's when I started to allow myself to feel accomplished, or the things that I have accomplished, when I started to feel that way. And actually I would say meditation has helped me a lot, too, in being present. So it's allowing myself to feel accomplished, and just regularly doing guided meditations has taught me that skill of being present. So, even though, like I think about the future and I'm like I have these goals within this general timeline, there are, these are the things that I want to accomplish. I allow that to just be like a long term goal in the back of my mind, but I'm, like I you know, right now like there's so many great things happening that I should be focusing on, you know, I would say meditation, and that sense of accomplishment has helped me. So I wish that for everybody to allow yourselves to feel grateful and feel accomplished for every little thing that you achieve, so that you can be present. And when you're grateful, I've learned that more things come your way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. I think that's something I've been trying to learn how to do even since last year. I mean, just meeting you myself, I was like whoa, this is some energy that I need of learning to like feel enough with who I am and what I have Not necessarily materialistic, wise, but just within my life. Right, like the things like my education, the type of skills that I have, the work that I output, right, all of these different things. And just feeling like enough. And I know that that it comes from being a first-gen person. Right, we always are trying to strive and live better, but it's also just I think we all have it innately inside of us. Right, we struggle with being enough and being like, okay, I'm good, and we always say like I'm good for now, and what does that really mean? And just being really truly grateful for who we are and what we have and what we bring to the table, right, those values that we have as well. So I've always loved to see that in.
Speaker 2:Arminay is a person that I like, the things that she does, like meditating. I've tried. It's hard. I have to like really put a lot of energy into it and the hardest part is starting. So, arminay, whatever tips you have, just throw them away for me and everybody else listening. Who's trying to start to meditate this year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, great question. It is hard because you do actually have to focus and put in a lot of energy and it's hard because our minds are running right, like I'll notice. Even sometimes it still happens when I'm trying to meditate, especially if I'm really stressed, I noticed that I'm not even present in the meditation. I'm thinking about what I'm going to be doing next, but the breathing techniques have helped me. Like, when you focus on your breathing, essentially you have to listen to what the guided meditation is telling you to do and just keep doing it until your body gets to the place of calmness where you can actually focus. It's just an acquired skill, but I've been doing it since like seven years now. So it takes a while, but I would do it like when I lay down in bed every night. I would do that Sometimes, if I don't have the energy to focus on the guided meditation, I'll just do affirmations.
Speaker 1:So those are guided videos of just positive affirmations in the background. You don't actually have to spend a lot of energy on focusing on those because you're not doing active meditation, but it is like subconsciously. Those affirmations have been really helpful for me too. So I think if you're not in the space where you can focus right now on the meditation. Maybe those affirmations can be helpful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've tried like the short, like the less than five minute meditations because I feel like I can focus better. I was smiling when you're talking about listening to the guided person because I'm like, okay, great, I'll have to just follow directions. I can't even follow directions.
Speaker 1:No, it's okay, it's, you know, just like anything else, just like when we talk about writing a resume or doing an interview. It's just an acquired skill. The more you do it, the better you become at it. But you have to like. You have to only if you enjoy it. Right. Like it's not, maybe. Maybe it's not for everyone. So if you don't love it, then maybe meditation is not the way to go, but you could find other ways to help you stay present.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that goes for everybody. If a goal, if you're working towards something that doesn't feel authentic, that doesn't feel like something you like and you're trying to not to be not authentically you, that's something to pay attention to too. Right, If you notice that you like. Let's say, one of your goals is being somebody who wakes up super early in the morning and it's seven days in and you're like I really hate this, I don't feel my best self at 530 in the morning and I'm struggling by nine and I'm on my fourth cup of coffee. Maybe it's it's okay to say hey, I'm not a morning person. What can I do during the day or even in my nighttime routine to feel more energized or still accomplish the things I want? So that's also something else to note with the goal setting is, if it doesn't feel right, maybe we should think about that, reflect, and maybe it isn't right for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when is that goal coming from? Maybe it's coming from external sources of pressures you feel from family, friends or or so on, and maybe it's not a genuine goal that you want to accomplish. That could be too Like why sometimes we don't reach the goals that we set for ourselves because subconsciously, like we're blocking ourselves from reaching it because it's not genuine to what we want.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, there's. There's no shame in not being a new person in the new year, right? Like, no matter what is happening, it's okay to stay you. The you from last year, the you from last year, the you all year round is enough and is is just awesome the way you are. People, I think, often seek evolution and wanting to develop and grow, and they remain futuristic, right, if any of you know Clifton strengths, right, Futuristic is one of the strengths, and those are people who are constantly thinking about the future, and I'm I'm. That's in a strengths format I'm thinking. Presently, people struggle with, with who they are now, and always want to try to do better and be better. But it's, it's okay. It's okay, there's no shame in just being you and being the best version of who you are now and staying that way as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%, like, if there are things in your life that you're content about, just allow yourself to feel grateful for those things and and and just immerse yourself in that gratitude and then let life happen. Right, like, let life happen, and when, whenever, it doesn't have to be during the new year whenever in your life you feel that motivation to change something, whatever it is that you want to change or evolve, do it. Then could be the middle of the year, who cares? Right, it does not have to be at a certain time because it's the new year or whatever. So if you're not feeling that surge of motivation right now or you're content with where you're at, that's great. Just allow yourself to enjoy that contentment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think actually I was thinking about this the other day like we go as human beings through phases. There will be times in our lives where things are a little bit more just subdued and like you're just doing your thing. It's regular, regular stuff is happening, right, and those are the times to just kind of enjoy, enjoy yourself, enjoy your life. And then there will be times where big changes happen and we go through those different cycles. So maybe it's just a matter of us kind of reflecting on which cycle am I at right now and making that decision? If this is the right time to set new goals or maybe not, and that's okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that. Yes, it does not have to be the first of the first of 2024. It can be April 23rd for all we know, right? And if that is when the time feels right, definitely do it and do it. I don't know how to explain the right reasons, but I hope you can understand whatever the right reason is for you. That's why you want to do these things as well.
Speaker 2:So, goal setting, I mean overall, have a plan to have a plan of execution. It's really fun, I want to say, to create like a vision board and you know, have a Pinterest folder or a like on your phone, like have a folder of pictures or things that you want to bring into this new year, but it's also okay like to set an action plan to achieve these goals, right. You want to be able to give yourself the tools and the access needed to be able to meet whatever you set, right. So that's something that's something to think about as well, and how you want to go about creating that plan for you and for those around you and to build that action plan around your current life as well. That's something I've learned.
Speaker 2:I can't just create new goals in the middle of like randomly and then just have this obnoxious action plan that discounts every other identity that I have. Right, I have multiple different identities in the world of work. I can't just be like, oh, I'm going to travel every three weeks to a new place for four days, like that's just. You know, it's not really attainable and achievable and active for the current life that I have to. So it's also you want to think about it holistically, how those goals are going to impact and seep into every part of your life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1:I love that you brought up vision boards too, because those, those are really motivating and they can be so fun, so much fun.
Speaker 1:But, yeah, you do want to have like a follow up action plan as to how you're going to achieve those goals and take it to that next level of like what you're saying.
Speaker 1:I'm J considering all the different things that that reaching that goal might impact. Right, might impact your life, or might impact the career goals or or where you live, your living situation, your finances, all those different areas of your life. Your friends might change too as you reach these new goals, right. So it's really thinking about how it's going to impact all those different aspects of your life as you embark on these bigger long term goals that you've set for yourself. But vision boards are a great way to kind of see those long term goals right, like the, basically the vision that you have for your life. But these could be things that happen like years from now, and so then, breaking it down into, okay, where am I in my life now and what areas of my life would change or what need to be impacted for me to like get to this vision of my dream life, basically, yeah, it's, they're fun.
Speaker 2:they're fun, armin, we should do one next year. I didn't even think about well, I mean, of course, you're you're give, you're too busy, you know, giving life. Next year we should totally do a session where we do vision, vision boards and share it with our listeners, and probably do like a cross activity where you guys can do one too and share it with us.
Speaker 1:We could do it sometime during this year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, of course doesn't. I mean, yeah, doesn't have to happen.
Speaker 1:But that would that would be a really fun session to do with our listeners. So we stay tuned for those of you who are interested in vision boards. Stay tuned and let us know if you are interested in vision board so we could get a feel for our audience and who's excited about this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. One thing I know you mentioned previously that I kind of want to come back to is is this idea of when you go into the new year with gratitude and patience is a word that I like to use around the new year to is not everything, and you and you mentioned you alluded to this not everything happens rapidly, fast, right, patient, gratitude, patients and appreciation.
Speaker 1:This whole world of life and new opportunity kind of hits you in ways you could not have imagined 100% every single time when I think back, like times where I've just let go, just let go, and I'm like this is where I'm at in life now and I embrace it, then like new opportunities and the really great things happen 10 fold. But I've learned that, like when you're holding on by by the nail and you're like forcing things to happen, they just don't happen because maybe you're not in the right timeline right now for that to happen in your life. So that's why I always like to say, like just let go. I've told you this 500 times.
Speaker 2:It's true, it's true.
Speaker 1:It's like and it's hard. I mean me to like naturally because, like I've shared with you all, naturally I'm also the person who like plans and plans and plans. I remember in college I would be sitting in one class planning my schedule for the next freaking semester, not paying attention to what's happening in class right now, like that's the level of planner that I am to, naturally. But I had to learn the skill of like letting go and it's still sometimes creeps up on me where I'm like planning, planning, planning my husband will point it out to like okay, you're, you're getting into your zone of like planning again. But that letting go has allowed me to just feel grateful, feel accomplished, just enjoy where I'm at in life now, knowing that there are still things I want to accomplish. It doesn't mean that, like, you forget about all your goals or all the things that you want to do in life. No, it just means that, like, for now, I'm happy where I'm at and life like allow you to get to those opportunities in the right time when you're ready.
Speaker 1:And I think back like that's, for example, big life events like when I got married, when I had a child, when I graduated my master's program those all happened in the right time that they needed to happen. But had I like if we had followed my timeline, it would not look the way it looked the way it actually happened right? Because in my mind it was, like I know, when, with my group of friends, we talked about, like when we were younger, we would be like I'm going to be married by this age, I'm gonna, you know, have a family by this age, blah, blah, blah Like a lot of us girls could probably relate to that too of like having those age and milestones that we've planned for ourselves. But when I think back on, like when I let go and just allow life to happen, it happened way better than I could have even imagined.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I'm just thinking about the big life events right now in this conversation, but it happens with little things too. You know, when you get a new job, when you I don't know meet, like when I met MJ, like it was like an amazing time when I met you because we were ready to like embark on this podcast journey together. Had I planned that, that would have never happened, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was. It's funny you mentioned meeting me, because I was just thinking about, you know, letting go and letting life, and I know this is something I said we would talk about, about like not leaving a job when you don't have one and that huge life lesson. But that's very. It's exactly what happened to me. I let go of an opportunity and I kind of was like, well, like I have two interviews and other than that, I'm going to keep job searching and let alone those three. I had three interviews I'm sorry, three interviews. Two of them I got this, the job and the same day, and one of them was the opportunity to work at UCLA.
Speaker 2:And that was something I never in my life would have imagined would have happened on the same day, where I'd go in in person, have like six different interview rounds and be called two hours later and said we want you to work for us now.
Speaker 2:And that was just the most amazing experience and I could not have planned that, because that was so uncertain and life for me was just not in the right place. And I don't think I was in the right place and was just really rejecting the natural flow of the universe in the moment because I'm so atypical and I have to make sure I know what my next step is and have a plan be. But we can get into that story for another day because that is a whole another life lesson and different tips and strategies there. But, yeah, absolutely, I mean I could not have planned working at UCLA over a year ago and how life has changed and evolved and everything the universe has set out for the both of us, because we both have grown together and what this has looked like. But yeah, it's all it really has to do with just letting go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%. When I applied to UCLA, I wasn't job searching at that time. I was working at another institution and all of a sudden I see a LinkedIn post about UCLA hiring in for a career counselor and that was it. It wasn't like where I was, like strategizing for years to how to get a job at UCLA or or anything like that. It just happened and you know, I already had another job. I could, I could have let the opportunity go, but it felt like the right opportunity for me at that time to just apply and see what happens.
Speaker 1:And every great thing that happened in my life, I would say, has happened with that same energy of just I'm happy where I'm at and I'm allowing the universe to bring you know. If there's something better out there, I'm open to it and that's, I think, that's energy that I would encourage everyone to try to have, whether it's for the new year, whether it's throughout the full year, whether you know wherever you're at in your life. That's what I would encourage. Yes, you still want to have your goals. You still want to have a general vision for what you know, what life you want to create for yourself. But in those steps that you're like working towards Doros goals, to allow yourself to feel accomplished and feel grateful, and those feelings will attract more positive energy over time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we wish that for everyone listening today and in the future as well. We talked about themes of setting goals, having a plan, being open to new opportunities, not feeling shame in who you are and entering the new year with a whole new identity, even though Arminay just did and she's killing it but really just walk into this new year with gratitude, no matter where you are, because guess what, in a few days, a few hours, a few weeks, months, a year, so many things could change. But you have to let go and let life and all will be fine.