As if surviving the pandemic wasn’t hard enough for my career, the end of 2021 had another thing coming. I left a job that I once loved, did some consulting and I took some major risks. In some ways, I feel like I have been mentally preparing and manifesting this moment. In other ways, I feel completely lost and uncomfortable as if I never saw this coming but, here I am…living life. 

This career shift has nearly pushed me off my pedestal of confidence just in time for my fears of failure, insecurity, judgement and “not being good enough” to slip right back into my life. && sheesh, I heard them loud and clear, BUT being my own worst enemy is really getting old so it’s time for me to boss up, face my fears and GROW through what I am going through.

Gabby Bernstein once wrote, “the feelings that make us the most uncomfortable reveal to us what we need to heal.”

&& taking time to HEAL is exactly what I need — so, I decided to change the narrative of this unknown, scary time and from this point forward, I am only referring to it as a mental health break that the universe knew I needed. && you know, I love a good rebrand so who knows…maybe, the “great resignation” really is the “great re-evaluation” after all?

Arianna Huffington of Thrive Global shared on LinkedIn that “what people are resigning from is a culture of burnout and a broken definition of success. People are affirming their longing for a different way of working and living.”

&& I couldn’t agree more. For years, I was chasing the high of burnout and success. Clearly, that way of life only worked out for my bank account, not my mental health. Now, that I have an opportunity to pause and reevaluate, I’m reflecting inward and figuring out what it is that I really want in life. I am doing some serious soul-searching and I am in search of finding my purpose and self worth. && hopefully on my journey of self-discovery, a career that supports my life aspirations will come along when I’ve had time to heal and I’m ready to enter back into the workforce. 

With my chin up, I’m honing in on gratitude and making it my ONLY attitude. I am humbled and proud of the sustainable life I’ve built this far so that I can afford to take some time off from work. During this self-staycation, I am focusing on being vulnerable, overcoming my fears, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, and growing in the process. 

1.) CONGRATULATE & WELCOME CHANGE:

Isn’t it wild how when you have a career change, people congratulate you? While I was personally experiencing this, I kept asking myself WHY are people congratulating me for leaving my job? This doesn’t feel right? My feelings of guilt felt terrible, how could I possibly find joy in this? BUT, once I started to accept my reality and welcome this change in my life, I started to feel a sense of relief, excitement and happiness. I became open to the endless possibilities my future has in store for me. This pause in my career might actually be the opportunity of a lifetime because one thing is for sure. I don’t want to miss out on all that life has to offer. In my past work life, I slaved my life away climbing the ladder only to achieve material success. Don’t get me wrong, I do like nice things BUT I would take happiness and having a meaningful sense of purpose over material success, any day! Harvard Business Review defines this feeling as significant success && recognizing that I want significant success in life is congrats-worthy in my book so just like the lyrics of Masterwives’ Superbloom…

I deserve congratulations
'Cause I came out the other side
I've been having revelations
And I'm gon' let them shine
I deserve congratulations
I'd never thought that I'd survive
If you tell me I won't make it
That's when I, that's when I
Superbloom, superbloom

2.) PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT INSPIRES YOU & WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL AT YOUR BEST:

I am by no means a morning person, but I can tell you one thing…oversleeping does not make me feel good. It would be easy for me to sleep in late each and every day of this mental health break…but I’m not. I am doing my best to pay attention to the little things that inspire me and make me feel good. One of those little things is my morning routine — Everyday, I wake up between 8-9 am, I give myself a high five in the mirror just like @MelRobbins would suggest, I set an intention for my day and say an affirmation out loud, and then, I get ready to go for a walk outside while I listen to podcasts hosted by people who inspire me the most (S/O to @KaciaFitzgerald, @JayShetty, @GabbyBernstein, @MelRobbins && so many more!). By doing this morning routine every single day, I pump myself up, kickstart my day and I feel good about doing it…sleeping in simply would not give me this same satisfaction. 

On a weekly basis, I do a weekly checkin and reflection with my roomie @StephanieMarie and my homie @MarBog. We sometimes like to call it “church” because we get together on Sundays to talk about our weeks (what we learned, what we grew from and how we’re going to improve, etc.) and we do a few card readings to help us welcome the next week. Haha, not exactly the traditional church setting, at all. This is also when we whip out our journals and planners to write down all of our takeaways and make a game plan for the upcoming week ahead. Naturally, we stick affirmation stickers all over our journals and planners to get us really pumped up and motivated. The action of doing this week after week has taken such a positive toll on my mental health. It makes me feel so good about myself and my situation while also giving me a sense of accomplishment, inspiring me to be creative and encouraging me to show up and face the obstacles that life throws at me.

Hands down, what I love the most about our weekly practice is that it gives me a chance to connect, nurture and deepen my relationships with my friends. Having these vulnerable conversations about the good, the bad and the ugly and being considered as a trusted source for my friends truly gives me a sense of gratitude, fulfillment and purpose. “Going to church” has helped me identify that one of my true aspirations in life is to help people and guide them through the process of change and personal growth. 

3.) CHALLENGE YOURSELF:

My glow up is a total work in progress — New beginnings require a new mindset so you don’t fall back into old patterns or habits. Being comfortable with the uncomfortable reality of my mental health break and building a new mindset has taken a lot of grit and resilience. 

I’ve challenged myself to accept the things that I cannot change and give myself the grace to change the things that I cannot accept. I’ve had to find new ways to keep my mind busy — I’ve started to think differently, feel my feelings, manifest affirmations, learn new skillsets, write more, create more content and be a more authentic version of myself on and off of social media. I am actively practicing gratitude and I am feeling the power of forgiveness. I’ve also challenged myself to not give up because I finally realized that being miracle-minded, believing in yourself and having faith means that the work of self-love never stops. Nurturing a good relationship with yourself and the people around you requires a daily grind full of love and being present.

&& as irony would have it, I recently pulled an affirmation card that gave me all the feels to just “be.”