Priorities + Goals ~ 2016 Edition #OneWord

As all the New Year resolution posts roll out, I resolved a couple of years ago to be different. And, just as life happens, every time I vow to slowly creep away from Momma of Dos and venture into a new area of life, well, LIFE happens. I am always brought back to this space. Where, yes, all the magic happens, kind of. All I know is that no matter what, I will be here. But, as the new year rolls on I also want you to follow us over at Houston Latina Bloggers. Where I feel the magic is slowly starting to rise. As we continue to grow our social media communities we want you to join us and share with us, and tell us what you think. We have an amazing group of talented writers and we love to share.

2016 promises to be different for me. In so many ways already. The New year  has definitely kicked in with a bang. Changes are already appearing in my life. Good, I hope.

A couple of years ago I decided on selecting ONE word, that would define and guide my year. Because I feel that we can make resolutions daily, to make the necessary changes. We can create goals and flip them in a matter of moments. I decided that this one word would help guide those resolutions and goals and OH boy. When I look back at the words, and the goals I set out to reach  for previous years, I feel good about my selections. I have accomplished my goals in SO many ways with simply providing that ONE word that would help me get through it all. Keeping that word in mind with all my actions. Carrying it in my mind and heart, referring to it and guarding it.

With all that in mind, this year my word is "Priority". My priorities have names- Ricardo, Camila and Santiago. As years have gone by I have done so much for them, for us and for myself. That's a given. Today, I feel my focus should be further on them as my priority. Sure I love attending events and being involved in so many areas of life. But, when I think about it more and more, my priorities shift as the year goes by and I don't ever want to lose that connection with my Husband and my kids. I feel 2016 will be one for us to further grow as a family. We are planning a couple of strategic moves, and fun trips for this year already. I want to keep them in mind when making my choices. 

And, thanks to the universe and me simply putting things out there so much has already happened in 2016 that has helped further  guide my  word selection.  

With all that is going on... the voices in my head keep repeating; "Quit while you're ahead Connie." But, for some reason, my heart and actions keep pushing me forward. I don't like to give up and I definitely don't like to quit. No matter what, or who, I can't give up now.

Some goals this month:

• For myself- seek my priorities and keep them throughout 2016. 
• For my family- seek their well-being and be there for them. 
• For my sanity-relax and let go of "doing" so much. 
• For my career- focus, be productive and find the balance needed. 
• For my blog- un-blog, write when needed and seek my priorities. 

2016 will be a good year!

What is your word for 2016??

::Change:: #ThursdayThoughts

Thinking about life and the future, allows me to be open to change. 

This year my life was centered around "focus". Focusing on my career. Focusing on life. Focusing on local opportunities. I feel I did well. I have done well. I have come a long way in 2015. We have exactly 2 1/2 months left and for some reason the word "Change", is stuck in my head. I am sure I have experienced it before and I have talked about it in the past. But, today it just feels like it has a whole new meaning. 

Not sure yet what the meaning is, or where it will lead but I feel that the focus has given me a new season of change. We have good things going on in our home. My Hubby is doing well at work. My kids are happy and healthy, school eh, that's a whole other post. The struggles are real, I say this often but thankfully, "the struggles" are not so bad. We manage. We make it through them. We survive. Things could be worse but they are not. 

Things could be better, this I know. 

This morning I was listening to Jotina Buck on Periscope, if you don't know her...trust me. You should follow her. Her #Periscope topic was; "There are no shortcuts." during the broadcast someone posted, "there is a blessing in the wait." All of it touch my heart and woke my soul up! It's true. Our society has become so accustomed to having everything at our finger tips and at the touch of a screen. Truth is, that in this life there are no shortcuts. We must work hard, daily, through our struggles, pains and woes to make it. 

I don't feel there is anything wrong with this. I thrive in the moments of struggle. I always have. For a moment, I might feel as if my ship is sinking but survival mode kicks in. And, even if I have to take the long route out of the problem, I always make it out alive. Not by taking shortcuts but by living and embracing the change. Right now, I feel that things are at a calm stand-still but I invite change into my life and stare it straight in the face. Ready. Prepared. To take the long route and not worry about where the shortcuts might lead me. I don't want the easy way out, ever. 

I want to take the route that will lead me to victory through strength, growth and life long learning. I have had countless moment in my life when I have had to wait. Where I have had to struggle. It has been painful. I have had moments, I didn't think I would make it out alive, but I have. It's in those moments that I have been most alive, most aware and that I have grown and learned the most about myself and about life.   

As the years go by and the time progresses, these moments become easier to face. I don't know what change you are going through right now, but don't feel pressured to use the easy way out. Know that the situation will pass, and you will grow from it. Have faith in your true abilities. Always let your light shine! 

Coming off of Cloud 9, back to reality...

First off,  the conference I was in Austin for last week, was for my new job. I don't usually disclose where I work. I can tell you though that, I worked with a company involved in the Oil and Gas industry prior to this, for 2 years. The job was a very good experience, some of the people there, not so much. But, I learned and grew in so many areas. It has now brought me to where I am today. I am still somewhat in Oil and Gas. I am a coordinator for a large organization and it is allowing me to learn about conferences and I will be doing some travel. 

My experiences last week were very unique to my career. I  embraced it all and am so happy to have been able to go to Austin to my first conference with this company. Through blogging I have been able to attend several conferences. But, being on the opposite end of assisting with the logistic, running the registration office and connecting and communicating with the vendors. It was all new to me. I loved learning it all. I look forward to being further involved. We go to Vancouver in 6 months, that I am sure will be an experience all in itself.

My 2 years prior to this job, were definitely an experience, I hated that I couldn't just settle and be happy in my job at my old company. I tried. Time and time again. I adjusted my attitude, changed my perspective, and moved into a different position, just to make it all work. At the end of the day. I felt like giving that all too well known "break-up" speech, "It's not you, it's me...". Truth is, it could have been a little of both. The company was large. Some of the employees that I interacted with daily, lacked social skills and didn't know how to separate "home from work". The company is so large and production drive that culture truly lacks.  And, the focus is not on creating employees that can work together and instead focused on; how much more money can these people make us.

Today. I am in a completely different spectrum of all that non-sense. I have creative freedom, autonomy, and employers who want to build you up as an individual to create a productive employee who will grow with the company. I came back from a great trip and conference experience to the through of, "now what?" As if I have reach the peak of my current experience and am ready for so much more. I am being propelled forward and motivated to do so much within my position. And, then I thought, I have lasted longer at jobs I didn't like, so why I do feel that this job is propelling me to go further? Maybe even into a bigger and better position else where?

I realized that this is what you call a "career" high. Finally for once in my life, I don't feel like a company  isn't giving me enough motivation, they are giving me so much I want to fly. But, instead I should step down from my cloud and pace myself. Do my job and prepare for what's next. Be reminded of the realities of life and deal with it all, one day at a time.

I need to refocus on my current tasks, step off of cloud 9 and settle back into reality. Taking it slow and truly learning what is required of me.

How about you, are your current career choices making you love your job or do you have regrets?

How to Walk Away Gracefully... #StartingOver

I honestly don't believe the decision to walk away or leave is simple or made over night. I feel that it's made over time and after a lot of thought. Regardless of what the situation is. Leaving, removing yourself from a certain place, person, situation, area. To me it happens over time. It's something that is planned. You plan in the back of your head. You take all the actions needed to move forward. You take the steps that will allow you to leave with the most respect, most humbleness.  Depending on the situation you want to leave without hurting the other party involved and without feeling guilty or bad about your decision. 

Of course some situations are extreme and you do leave and don't care what is being left behind or who is being hurt. And, you might not care about the ties being broken. Those are different situations. 

For me, it wasn't something that I thought of yesterday or 3 weeks ago or months ago. Unfortunately it happened day one, over 2 years ago now. It was my job. My "career". But, from day one I didn't feel that it was for me. In the back of my head, I have my friends words with me when I told her where I was working and what my duties were. She said to me "Connie, really?! It's like putting the sun in the closet!!" 

She was so right. It was. 

I gave up after a while. Most days, I felt horrible. Because it was my job. I wanted to do my best and did most days. But some days, I just didn't care anymore. 

I looked for a long time and then I let it go. In the beginning of this year I decided to focus on my job and do well. Forgetting about the idea of leaving and even received a promotion. Months passed and I still didn't feel right. From one day to the next at the end of June, I had an interview. Suddenly, it all fell into place.

For the first time after a job interview my Husband said, "do it." If you know my Husband you know that he analyzes everything, within minutes you will know what he thinks and how it will all play out. So, for him to agree with what the new job was offering was a "sign" if you will. 

To me because things happened so quickly and just happen to all work out, it meant something.  I start my new job next week...

Whether or not its a new perfect situation. I don't know. But, I do know it's a new perfect situation to start over. To be myself again. To be renewed in who I am and how far I have come. At 34 being given an opportunity to continuously excel. To find myself again, because along the way, I lost who I was. That creative, happy being that LOVES working and meeting new people. Hence my blog thriving. I constantly seeked to be validated and renewed through my blog and all the events I attended. Filling that emptiness that had been created. 

An opportunity to do my best again. 

I had created a stand still. Filled with excuses and allowing others to lead when I knew I could so much more. But, the frustration set in and I had given up. That was me. How was it possible that everything else had fallen into place but my career had taken a stand still. I applied to so many jobs and received a constant NO.

Today, I am filled with hope and inspiration by the simple and almost silent, yes. 

A strong, resilient YES! Don't give up, ever. Keep pushing forward and working towards your goals and dreams. Follow your heart. Listen to your gut. 

Do you need help keeping motivated and being Inspired? HERE ARE SOME POSTS THAT HELP ME CREATE MY VISION:

http://mommaofdos.blogspot.com/2014/11/time-changeseasons-motivationalmonday.html

http://mommaofdos.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-2015-vision.html

http://mommaofdos.blogspot.com/2015/04/mujeres-legendariashouston-event.html

http://mommaofdos.blogspot.com/2015/05/women-empowerment-series-houstonlatinas.html

http://mommaofdos.blogspot.com/2015/04/vestido-rojo-latinasgored.html

::2015:: One Word + Goals

It's been days since 2015 began. It has had a gloomy start but nothing will hold us back. Starting the year off by giving myself a "break" from last year. A little break from writing to help me focus on life. I say that lightly. I really don't know how to take breaks. But, I have been, thinking. Reflecting on what's to come and oh yes, focusing. 

Focusing on a life once forgotten. And, the future of what will be. 

::Focus::

It's my word for this year. In an effort to focus I created a new blog. Yes, I know. Hectic. But, we will see how far it goes. It's a focused blog on Women's careers', their passions and community. Latina Momma in Houston.

I also started a Vision Board on Pinterest to help me organize my thoughts. I am de-cluttering my home along the way and creating a better space for my writing and imagination to be more inspired and in tune with what really matters.

Focus, such a simple word. 

¹fo·cus

: a subject that is being discussed or studied : the subject on which people's attention is focused

: a main purpose or interest

: a point at which rays of light, heat, or sound meet or from which they move apart or appear to move apart;especially : the point at which an image is formed by a mirror, a lens, etc.

::Goals::

2015 for me will be one of focus, on not just my blogging topics but my career as well. As many of you may know, this is not what I do full-time and honestly, I like that I have  a full-time job outside of Blogging. Helps me keep a good balance. I discovered long ago that staying at home was not going to be an option for me, personally just can't do it. I prefer the chaos of work/life balance, the nonexistent down time and the network I have created through my jobs. 

Focus this year will be on:

- Obtaining a better full-time job, currently the situation is toxic. Not fun. And very much un-motivating. It just never seems to be enough. I have fallen into this place of complacency that isn't healthy. I am afraid to fall into a normal everyday routine, not because I want to but because I have to. It basically sucks the life and passion right out of me. Finding the best place for me has been a journey worth traveling. I have so far learned what I am truly worth, and I can't accept anything less. I have also discovered that I don't want the kind of job that everyone else has because I know that something better is our there. I truly crave a different kind of life. 

-Attending local and very specific events for my blog. Only taking those jobs I really want and find purpose in. Writing only about the things that motivate me and push my blog to a higher place not just what everyone else is doing because it's good for the business. I don't want to be a part of just anything. My blogging will probably be less and more purposeful and informative {due to prior conversations with other blogging and like-minded Momma's } as well as a journal type style about our everyday life. 

-Working with truly like minded people. That's all. 

-Writing at least twice a week on both blogs, January will be tricky but I think I can do it. 

-Finding a school for my children. My kids will start school this fall. Pre-K and Kinder. We will see how this goes. Lots of research in the works. 

-Attend Mixers and Networking events at least twice a month for personal, de-stressing purposes as well as to grow my network. {This is usually easier said than done.}

-De-clutter my home, very much needed. 

-De-clutter my brain and re-gain focus. Which will help in relieving my everyday life from thoughts and ideas that are not serving much purpose. 

I often find myself sighing at work, feeding off of the negative and frustrated air around me. I don't want that. It's not a good way to feel on a daily basis. I am usually a happy, positive person who wants to love their 8 to 5 job and feel good energy around them. These days , not so much. 

2015 must be one of change towards a more focused life.

Last year I craved peace. I now have peace. I have peace in so many areas of my life that once lingered. Those places that are so difficult you feel like you are the only one dealing with them. Thoughts of what others may think, no longer. I am at peace with myself and the universe around me. Discovered that when people are not at peace with themselves they like to make others think they are the problem. Truth is all they need is peace in order to find peace around them.

In all, I have some work to do and slowly by surely it will get done and 2015 will be amazing. We had a minor set back this week, but nothing our little family can't handle.

What about you, what is your focus this year? Do you have a word that you have chosen to make your focus for this new year?