Weekly Reflections

Looking back isn't the hardest thing to do, and I choose to look back for positivity, growth and appreciation for what I have today. Some of the things that I struggle with today seem so minimal when I really think about what I went through 5 or 10 years ago. As I said here, I want to take time to reflect on memories to help appreciate today for today!

// My Hubs Career
As hard as it is to think about, less than 10 years ago, the Hubs and I (at the time- the fiancé and I) were in one of the lowest lows financially we have ever been in. He had the opportunity of a lifetime to intern in the weight room at Oregon State University, so we packed up our goods and 2 doggies and hit the road from Cali to Oregon. I left my full-time job and he left his high school coaching job to endure this journey which we had no idea would lead to. Almost 10 years later, we survived many months of being more than broke, away from our family, and in the midst of busy football seasons! Today, I'm so proud of where he is with Nebraska Huskers, and we are blessed to own our first home with our first baby!

// Learning is my Game
I was in school for what seemed like a lifetime! I loved (most of) everything about it... from the new term school supplies, to my classmates, to my professors, to just learning new theories and research about topics I was passionate about! School brought me lifetime relationships that I still hold onto dearly today, from classmates to professors. Nobody understands the hustle and grind other than the peeps that surrounded me day in and day out. To my surprise, I'm still in the educational setting, but this time I'm the one teaching. There's something about education that is new, exciting and ever-changing!

// Professional Coaching
Coaching has always been a fun topic in my books! I love helping people in general, but to actually help someone help themselves is on another level. I worked quite a bit to get through coaching training, and then thereafter with clients to actually practice coaching. What I would love is to continue that journey and coach student-athletes towards career goals upon graduating and playing ball.

TBT: Dear 2013 Self...

Reflection is such a beautiful thing! It helps remind you of the good things that has happened in your life... it helps to reminisce about the struggles you had which helped you get to where you are today... it helps you realize the growth you made from where you were yesterday, last week, last month, 5 years ago compared to where you are today!

I often reflect back on my old blog [la la Love, Learn, and Laugh], and laugh, cringe and find myself sad at times. In honor of throw-back-Thursday, I thought it might be interesting to read back on a post I wrote, and reflect on how it impacts me NOW. I had so many moments I shared in my life that were representative of a new beginning. It was a bit over three years ago when I was excited for this new beginning I wrote about in Faith Conquers Fear. I had just finished my journey of graduate school, had my PhD in my hands, and had been job hunting for 7 months at that point. I thought I would never find a job... better yet, my first shot towards my career I had worked and studied so hard for for most of my life!

If I can go back to 2013, I would FIRST hug myself! Then I would give myself some words of advice:

// Enjoy yourself and take a mental break!
New graduates often find themselves in the stressful situation of job seeking immediately after graduating. However, in hindsight, if I would have taken a break to just BE... visit family, friends, travel, and maybe even take up a hobby, I might have just discovered that my next career move would have been something I wasn't expecting.
     TIP: It's never too late to do some soul searching for what you're passionate about and what makes you happy. Even if that means ditching your degree for a bit!

// Explore your options with your "part-time" gig.
Most students work while going to school. I sure did... all throughout my school days. My supervisor, who was also a former professor, knew that I was graduating. However, what I failed to do is explore options of working for her on a more full-time basis.
     TIP: If you're working AND going to school, make it a point to discuss potential career paths while you are investing your time and effort into work at the moment.

// Chit chat with those in your local community.
I talked on the phone quite a bit at this time in my life. Being in Oregon, and my professional contacts being in California, I was on the phone a lot discussing my job-search process. What I didn't realize is that I should have discovered local chapters or groups of memberships I had joined [read here all about professional memberships].
     TIP: Search for opportunities to become involved in your local community. The more you get out there and talk to local business owners, professionals and people you don't know, the more your networking community grows and word spreads about what you can bring to the table!

Where were you three years ago? What would you tell yourself back then based on what you know today?

Huskers to a Bowl

Tis' the season of bowling! As the football season comes near to an end (wahhhh), coaches and players begin to bask in their eligibility of playing in a bowl. 'Which bowl? What state? Against who?' are some of the popular questions that pop up in the football world.

Sadly, the Nebraska Cornhuskers ended their season last weekend with a 5-7 record. The numbers certainly don't tell the story of the season, but rather the game film and the score of each game we lost. I honestly feel that this season was meant for the new coaching staff and players to get acquainted with one another, from the play calling to the execution of each play. We can only rise up from this point!

Anyhoot, if you know a thing or two about football, you know that with a record of 5-7, it doesn't necessarily constitute us as being bowl eligible. According to NCAA rules, a school must have at least 6 wins to secure a spot in a bowl game. BUT this year, they fell short of the 80 schools to play in a bowl game. Only 75 schools won six games (or more), which means they are short 5 teams to play. After this weekend, they will have a better sense of who is playing where since there are still a few major games to play.

What does this mean for our Huskers? WELP, it means that NCAA will now look at each school's APR (Academic Progress Rates) to determine how players stand in their academia. Since Nebraska is at the top of that APR list (WOOOOOP!!), we will be bowl eligible even with our 5-7 record!

Morale of the story? Academics play a huge part in student-athletes' lives... from start to finish. This is only one of the many rewards student-athletes can bask in, especially if you prioritize your classes and school work. I am proud to say that our Husker players have rose to the occasion and should take great pride in stellar performance on AND off the field!

Un-Becoming...

How many of you have ever thought you just HAD to finish what you started? Not because you actually had desired to do so... but because you just felt you had to keep going since you already began to take steps towards something?

I went through school non-stop (like most of my colleagues did). In my senior year of undergrad school, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do for work and figured that I still had some self-discovery to do. I thought that graduate school would open many doors of opportunity for me... I would be able to learn more about psychology in ways I didn't have a chance to while earning my Bachelor's Degree. I also knew that if I were to take a break and work full-time after I graduated, it would be difficult for me to return to graduate school (at least that's what people around me made it seem like). SO, I applied for graduate school in a Master's program, and BOOM! I started that Fall semester.

THEN... when I was in my freshman year of graduate school, one of my professors engaged in a conversation about why those of us who were enrolled in the Master's Program were not enrolled in the Doctorate Program. Her points totally made sense... we were all in the same classes (until later on), and she pointed out that we would benefit SO much more for putting in the extra 2 (or so) years to work on a dissertation and complete a Doctorate degree, especially when we would be looking to start our career.

Hence when I decided to switch over to the PhD program! Before I knew it... I was in school for another 5 years to finish up my Doctorate degree. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for that opportunity I worked very hard for, and I really don't regret pursuing grad school at all.

BUT there was not one time that I actually stopped to think or discover or ponder on what I was deeply truly passionate about. Sure I worked throughout all of undergrad and graduate school, but I can't say they were ever jobs or internships that I was so passionate about that I couldn't imagine doing anything else in life.

Like I said.. I don't regret any of my time in college. However, I'm certainly doing some self-discovery as of late in my career and life to think about what motivates me... what drives me to learn until I'm blue in the face... and I am totally okay with that, even if it strays from what I thought I would be devoting my career to while I was in school!

I encourage you all to think about your passions and how you might try to pursue them if you are able to! The million dollar question to ponder on is...What makes your HEART sing?