Soft on the Outside! Hard on the Inside!

The Kim"isms" are back!

What do people say when you ask them who they are? Many times you will hear "I am somebody's mom or wife." Or "I am a nurse, or accountant."  Maybe you hear, "I like playing golf or every weekend in the summer I spend time on my boat." Those are great descriptions and pieces of individuals identities. But every mom, every accountant and every boat owner handles life's surprises and their journey's very differently! To me, realizing and accepting this is a great step to earning personal self confidence.

I kind of like Shrek's description, "I'm an onion, there are several different layers to me." I like this because it's truthful and not avoiding the emotional characteristics of who he is. I also think it's truthful for all of us. We all have different layers and all of our layers end up differently than the people around us.

Since we are on to the topic of food, awhile back it dawned on me that I am the opposite of a bagel! I'm soft on the outside and hard on the inside! On the outside I struggle physically and sometimes I need help. I am sensitive, so I cry easily and wear my heart on my sleeve. I come across like I trust easily and tend to be very agreeable with others. I am very lovable and others tend to open up easily to me. On the flip side I have realized that there isn't much I can't overcome as an individual. It takes a lot for me to give up on being successful or achieving a goal I set for myself. I am independent almost to a fault. I do have people in my life who are helpful, kind, fun and friendly. However, I depend on very few! Even though people view me as soft and easy to warm up to I feel like I will listen to my instincts be aware of my threshold for when I am being taken an advantage of or heading down the wrong path with someone.

Rather than saying what you do or what you enjoy, think about how you would describe yourself. What type of food are you?

The Path Narrows...but the Plot Thickens!

First off I have got to say - thank you for reading and following my journey!

Last weekend was a 3 day weekend. A few days before that I was really thinking hard about where my career path was headed. After the long weekend I feel my path is really beginning to narrow! I looked up how to improve  my blog and got some really good ideas that I want to start using. I dipped my toe into looking at new immediate sources of income. I updated my LinkedIn account. Nothing really felt right, I just felt more stressed. At about 10pm Saturday night last weekend an idea popped into my head that sparked my passion. I have realized that I just have to trust my intuition and keep making the dreams and ideas an actual reality.  As I was researching how to improve my blog, I asked myself "Why don't I just create The Siesta Hut as an online blog or business?" I can make interactive quizzes or survey's (which is a tip for blogging - make it interactive). By Tuesday night after advice from another professional, I was suddenly getting advice on how to create a website with a role of being a life coach. I began creating my website Wednesday night and have made little changes to it this weekend (it's not yet published). But instead of feeling stressed out by working, I find this all very exciting and slightly nerve wrecking. As I gained ideas for the website and polishing up my ideas, I found myself thinking about the 2 professions I have a college degree in. I feel passionate about this - like it's my creation!

I've learned to make a successful personal business I need a motto and a mission statement which is about as far as I've gotten so far. Once I thought of a motto, it just didn't slip my mind. The motto of The Siesta Hut is "Holistic Approach. Productive Results."

I still plan on maintaining a balance. Friends and family time are important to me. So is sleep.  I actually broke down and hired a helper for cleaning and other things around the house. I did not miss cleaning the bathroom one millisecond this weekend!  But I am hoping that some of my Kim time will be spent fulfilling my passion. If this is the path I am headed down I must practice what I preach!

                                               

Stop That Stinkin Thinkin!!

Or at least know that Gratuity goes a long way! Having negative thoughts over and over changes the outcome and course of ours lives. Thoughts are powerful and provide more control than what we all think.

From https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/gratitude it is described that gratitude can increase well being, happiness, energy, optimism and empathy. On the website http://jamesclear.com/positive-thinking it is stated negative emotions program your brain to do a specific action and therefore the rest of the world around you does not seem to matter. This means negative emotions narrow your mind and focus your thoughts. Negative emotions closes your brain off from the outside world and focuses on the negative emotions of fear, anger and stress. On the flip side positive thoughts have the opposite effect. When you have positive emotions your sense of possibility broadens and your mind opens up to more options. Positive emotions also enhance ability to build skills and build skills for later in life.

The past few November's I have noticed people posting about what they are most grateful for each day for the entire month. I think this is a good way to practice and build positive thoughts. It's also nice when people are able to put a gratuity journal next to their beds. I tried this sometime about a year and a half ago for a few weeks. I still feel like I have subsiding effects from that exercise. My narrow mindedness, lonely days or yucky days have lessened the past year. It's not easy and it does take practice, focus and effort. But internally I feel like I have noticed a difference.

I realize that some of my recent posts have been somewhat "alarming." She has an amazing job where she helps kids with disabilities, that allows her to support herself and she gets summers off, what's her problem?

The point of this post is to say I KNOW all of the above are true!

On the flip side you can never know what people are going through until you've been in their shoes.

Other facts running through my mind regarding positive thoughts and gratuity include the fact that there is a large number of people with disabilities who are unable to be employed for various reasons. I am on the other side of that statistic which is a thought that runs through my mind often. I'm eternally grateful for this. The majority of my work week I work with several compassionate, dedicated, friendly, loving people. Some of them may end up being present in my life for a very long time to come. I never get caught in traffic on my way to work.

I have also begun to realize it's okay to be grateful for having the mind, passion and drive to allow myself to keep wanting more when it comes to exploring what paths my education and current work and life experiences could take me down. This is how I will expand my horizons and become a unique individual. I am grateful for the stability I do have so I am able to explore my passions and things that are interesting to me. I'm grateful I chose a profession that has a variety of areas that I like to learn about. I'm grateful I have the attitude to think about things in this perspective rather than complain or react due to fear or anxiety.