The summer is the time of year where I get to reflect, reevaluate, and rejuvenate my life, self, and business. It is is also the time where I do what I like to call “encore reads”. I select the top books that have created movement in my life and reread them with intention. Meaning, I read them again to refresh and focus on select topics and come up with a way to implement or shift directions in any given area in my life.
One of the books that I am reading for the second time is “It’s Rising Time” by Kim Kiyosaki. This book empowers women to rise up from any situation and gain independence and financial freedom. Truly a great read!
A key point that really resonated of me this time around was the idea of being “true” to oneself. The past couple months, I have been doing a bit of soul searching trying to figure out true purpose and the struggle of work/life balance. Yes, I am a teacher {and a pretty darn good one, if I do say so myself! :D}. Yes, I am an entrepreneur who manages and produces multiple weddings per year. Yes, I am a loving daughter, sister, friend, hustler, you name it. I am all those things and then some. But, what has been keeping me up late at night, is the idea that I am not doing enough.
Kim Kiyosaki makes a great point about being true to oneself. She compares it to sickness and health. If you continue to do something that goes against who you are at the core, it will cause conflict. This inner conflict will in turn, cause disease with the body, spirit, and mind. And that my friends, will kill you (figuratively, that is). When we experience something, anything, that is out of sync with our personal values and ethics, it creates a battle within us. That is why we must make sure that whatever we decide to do, we are doing it for us and not anybody else. And how do we know when we are being true to ourselves? We are happy, content, enjoying life, and things are going our way. There is no conflict or disease taking over.
Eureka! I thought. This all makes sense now! The feeling of inadequacy has taken over me because I am doing TOO much, all the time. I am not appreciating and celebrating the strides (big or small) that I am making because I am too busy worrying about what is next on my list. Has this ever happened to ya’ll?! I am certain we have all been there, done that.
So what comes next? I am working on doing things with more intention. What that looks like is balancing life and work in meaningful ways. Here are the top 5 things that I am doing to live a life that is true to me.
- 1. Be Aware: What does your authentic self and life look like? What fires you up? Are you living that way? Research and gain clarity of yourself, values, strengths, passions, dislikes, etc. Create a new mindset that motivates you to work toward seeing your life with these truths highlighted and present in your life.
I am aware that I need to balance work and life in meaningful ways. I want to produce 100 weddings a year but realistically, I can only pour my heart into 20. I want to relax at the beach, so I schedule it on my calendar and make it happen vs. telling myself that it will one day soon. Know what you want and plan a way to make it happen!
- 2. Commit: What shift or change in your life can you make to get you there? Make a list and make it a goal to check off 1 thing daily or weekly. Get used to what that feels like and know the difference between your new mindset and the one you were conditioned to living.
Keeping a planner and a journal is key to staying organized and getting things done. I carefully plan out my days, workouts, meal plans, excursions, goals, and things I need to make happen. I make lists for just about anything and everything and crossing off each item gives me a huge sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. At night, I dump my brain in a journal and reflect about my day (good or bad). This is very therapeutic and helps me sleep at night with a clear mind.
- 3. Seek Guidance: Having a coach or mentor guide you through this path is a great investment to consider. That extra push and accountability will ensure that you develop and grow with consistency.
When I struggle with anything, I usually go to friends and family and seek guidance. Although these people are amazing and I love them dearly, they aren’t always going to be unbiased and frank with you. They will tell you what they want you to hear or they tell you what will protect you. It is important to surround yourself with others that are like minded and doing similar things that you are doing in your life or business. Seek guidance from a people who have been in your situation and are now thriving from it!
- 4. Service and Inspire: Be aware that acting in service to others can bring the highest form of life fulfillment in life.
For me, teaching my students and watching them grow is the greatest satisfaction I can experience. Creating and producing dream weddings for my clients, brings me great joy. Inspiring and empowering entrepreneurs to create businesses that thrive with authenticity and love is the cherry on top. Do not be afraid to collaborate and help those around you!
- 5. Be Thankful: Consistently give thanks for being alive and well. Acknowledge and praise those around you who make a difference in your life.
I wake up every morning with a heart full of gratitude and go to bed feeling super accomplished and happy.
Now that I am more aware of what it means to be true to myself, I realized that I do not spend enough time just mellowing out and focusing on my health and relationships outside of work. I acknowledged that I don’t have to tackle everything and that checking a couple things off my list a day at a time, is pretty much still okay. Sometimes letting go of control is needed and perfectly healthy.
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
-ee cummings
So, figure out what fires you up! What dreams do you have? Are these your ambitions or who are you doing them for? How are you staying authentic to yourself?
Comment below and let me know what you are doing to be “true” to you!
Hi Cristina,
What a wonderful post! This post was definitely meant for me. I’m currently in the process of rediscovering myself and stay true to who I am, and make a change on habits or behaviors I would like to change. Business wise, I’m journaling everything my original vision for my company is rather than the fear driven version of my company which leaves me frustrated. With the new vision for my company, I do agree as you mentioned in your post that there needs to be a balance between work/personal life. This is something that I’m continuously working on as well. Do you currently offer coaching services? If you do, I would love to have further discussions with you offline. Thanks once again for sharing this post. Hope you have a great long holiday weekend!
You are so welcome! I am very certain that you will get there…all in perfect timing! Fear is an ugly thing only if you perceive it that way. For me, it only motivates me to move forward. I am working on developing online courses in addition to our current workshops and coaching is also coming soon. Would love to chat with you soon!