Measure Your Life with The Wheel of Life
Money. Why 4/10?
Not many people will admit their income in such a public space, but I want to be transparent. In 2018 I made under $15,000. Now, in Canada, to be considered as a low-income earner, you must be earning less than $23,000 as a single person. But also, I was officially a full-time freelancer, securing gigs, and transitioning fields - away from the not-for-profit sector. With my low income, I managed to move out of my mom’s house, travel to South America and USA, contributing to my investment accounts, and still pay my bills. Sure, it was a struggle, sometimes I spent money unwisely, and I often had breakdowns about money, but I also know I can survive off of $15k, so when I make more it means I can thrive.
Ten Lessons in 2018
I have a secret. Don’t tell people, okay?
When I very little funds in my bank accounts, I have an internal crisis. I ask myself questions like “What is my purpose?”, “Why am I even here?”, “How am I meant to help change the world?”, “What’s the point?”, or “Is this all there is?”. I might as well be having a mid-life crisis. But then, an invoice is paid or a new opportunity falls into my lap, and I’m my productive and motivated self again. This happens to the best of us - we stray from our path, but then find it again.
Raise Your Hand If You're A 20-Something & Are Scared Of All The Potential You Hold.
Dreams give us a direction but they stay in our heads.
We need to change dreams into visions that have actionable steps behind them. A person can dream for days but nothing will get done until you take the first step.
Need some help? Here is a snippet of an article that I read this morning that got me motivated:
2) Use "Minimum Viable Effort"
Want to floss more often? Okay, just floss one tooth. Sound silly? That’s fine. Just like your mom told you: focus on baby steps
Pfffft! Resolutions?!
I've given up on New Years Resolutions a few years ago because they were usually all the same (lose weight, have fun, save money, etc.). At the end of the year I would feel discouraged when I looked back on my list realizing I didn't fulfill most of my goals.
For more flexibility, I started utilizing __ before __ from the blogosphere around my 21st birthday. The __ before __ list has simply laid down a path for me to follow but I know I am free to stray from this path when more enriching opportunities and possibilities pop-up (or even ignore the path if necessary).
A Sunday with Catherine Hernandez
Right after check-in Catherine introduced us to the concept of muse and ego. With artists our muse is also known as our intuition - where we trust our instincts and create whatever is necessary in the moment. The ego often hinders the creative spirit of the muse by re-enforcing socialized norms and rules. The activity required us to be vulnerable, make eye-contact one at a time with other participants then bust out a movement we were feeling in that particular moment. We did this three times to three different songs and I realized my ego is hella dominant. Simply "going with the flow" and "trusting my intuition" was tough for me - I was afraid of embarrasing myself by making the wrong type of movement. Thankfully, we will be doing two more workshops in the upcoming weeks, so I can learn how to quiet my screaming ego.
Strange Sisters: The Insatiable Redux
Leaving on a Jet Plane
21 Before 22
I was inspired by A Beautiful Mess to make a goal list of 21 things to do before I am 22.