Connie 2.0 Experience

Brene Brown talks about the power of vulnerability. Being your most authentic self by recognizing connectivity and how shame can truly shape us. I want to talk about the power in "silence and timing". No one ever tells you how much shame and guilt is felt when you make the choice to walk away from someone. You are the one making the choice why is it still so hard and complicated? Well, first of all, another human being is involved. Feelings, time spent together, doubts about making the right choices. In my case, two littles. :: insert months of silence and waiting for the right time::

How often do we get a redo at life? How often do we get to start over and do things differently? To reinvent you? To revolutionize yourself and give yourself an upgrade to a new self?? Not often. Sometimes the potential loss is a great opportunity. A couple months ago, in April actually, I felt this kind of deep sentiment of "a redo at life".

I attended Mom 2.0 in Austin for the first time. I will admit. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a conference and really felt anything like this. A rebirth if you will. One of the presenters said "We didn’t get here by aiming low." And in my mind, all I could think is we didn’t get here by coincidence either. We were all in the exact moment we were meant to be at.

A few days before the conference I wasn’t sure I’d make it. Did I have the money to go? Was my mind in the right place? Why was I going? Did I really need to go? Without answers to any of those questions, I left Houston. I started my road trip by telling myself that I should go to Austin and enjoy my time away, regardless of how I felt. Something good must come of it I thought. And, that it did.

Feeling emotionally drained and exhausted I arrived a Wednesday afternoon connected with my roommate. An amazing Latina from Florida. And, tried to shift my mindset.

That night we headed out to our first event of the week and immediately my social sensors tingled. I was home. This is my place ya’ll. Not Austin. Not this conference. But this space, a place where women connect or reconnect, a space where we were all once strangers but thanks to the WWW we are now connected, a space where you can’t hide behind the keyboard and our insecurities cause guess what we are here IN REAL LIFE (IRL) y como dicen, a todo color.

The first set of encounters on that first night changed my mood and brightened my outlook.

I had a full itinerary for Thursday but again I wasn’t expecting much. Just being honest. Sometimes this is how I feel. Good but eh, we’ll see....

Thursday at the conference did not disappoint....It included a beautiful and serene breakfast sponsored by Dove where moms shared their birth stories good and bad. It was uplifting and a reminder that I’m not alone on this Mommahood journey.... or the Womanhood, Relationship journey. 

I went on to attend a diversity and inclusion panel which happened to have been moderated and lead by a Houston mom! It immediately reminded me why empowering Houston Latina women has become my passion. We’ve filled a gap in a niche that we didn’t even know how or if we could and would fill but now exist in all ways and forms. I’m proud of us and what we’ve accomplished in truly such a short time.

Then there was Brene Brown. :: insert the heavens opening up and angels singing here :: 

The words that came to mind as I took notes that afternoon at her talk were:

Magic
Sincere
Strong
Intelligent
Honest
Authentic

Real
Raw

Texan

Female

Voice

Power

Connection

Relateable 

She answered questions about how she got where she is today, you know the "breakdown", I mean spiritual awakening, how she felt about it all, that infamous Youtube video, her new documentary and how she walked away from working with Bo-prah. She reinforced my feelings of wanting to one day speak at TEDTalks and how she placed it in the Universe which I have done...just now....  

She reminded us to "stay focused and you will get there." It's hard sometimes to think of the amount of time you have to invest in your goals to accomplish them. But, you must stay on your path... She reminded us that NO is important, because "every time you say yes to something, you are saying no to something you don't know exist yet."  And, that the measure of how well you are doing is how many people you are pissing off. 

She's such a powerful thought leader making a great social impact as a  researcher-storyteller, or you know magic pixie! 

This trip was definitely a good one and I obviously came back very inspired by it. 

While in Austin... {Picture Recap of Austin Trip}

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Austin, with my company for a conference. You can read more about it here.  Today, I am giving you a little recap of what I got to see while I was there. It was more about business than it was a touristy type visit.

One thing that stood out to me were colors, I loved the colors in downtown Austin. As the guitar above states, it's a vibrant city. 

I walked a lot which helped with my daily step count. I even ventured out onto 6th Street the first night, like a Momma on 6th Street at 9 p.m., as you can imagine..... nope didn't work. I walked right back over to my hotel and got in bed. Not sure what would posses me to think, anyway. Along the way I found Mexi-Arte and decided I would visit on another day. Glad I did. 

The museum's current exhibit is Dia de Los Muertos altars. They are filled with colors, beautiful details and of course my favorite, LAS CALACAS! Houston has a similar exhibit which we have visited several times since the kids were little, you can read about it here.

Another friend suggested I visit, St. Mary's Cathedral, but I never made it during mass hours. So, I explored outside the building. It's a beautiful structure. I wish I could have gone inside. But, there will be October, when I return, for yet another Momma adventure... 

I kept walking and found small buildings with obvious historic background. 

On one night I made it all the way to the Capitol building. Which my Husband reminded me that I had already been and even went inside. I am now 34, my memory of 10 years ago, is not the same. Ha. This time though it was different. When you are older there is a different appreciation of the silence, the clouds, the structure itself and of course the History.  

I was born and raised in Texas and sadly tried to learn more about Mexico up until recent years. I guess, Mexico is a part of me, that I don't want to loose but I am proud to be Texan as well. This time, I was reminded of the other side of my roots. You know the side across the Rio Grande where I was born and raised, Texas/Tejas. 

To be standing in a place that will forever hold true Texas history, is such an inspiration. Finding the Tejano Monument made a great difference. 

I love reading about how Tejanos contributed to the growth and presence of our state. 

Until next month Austin, when we meet again....