2017 - My Intention

2016 has been a great year! Never before have I felt so deeply connected with myself and with my loved ones. Never before have I felt as grateful as I do now, especially after the birth of my child.

As I step into 2017, I sense a shift within me. The obsession that I have had over so many years to improve, to transform, to become somebody more than who I was, this obsession, I am sensing now, has subsided. I feel at peace with who I am. I feel connected to who I am. I feel that I am enough.

In 2017. the only intention I have is to be me, every single day, every single minute. I pray that I continue to connect with my sense of self, and step into my power, my potential. To continue to live my values. to continue to love fully, to be curious, to listen, to learn, and to serve. To be playful, to be present. To be courageous. To live my purpose, more than ever. And to be kind and gentle, above all.

2017 - I welcome you with all of my heart!   

Becoming Vegan

I have often thought about becoming a Vegan. I experimented with it briefly last year and went without dairy for about 3 months. At that time, I definitely felt more energetic and would have continued, but for some recurring stomach aches. I was having way too much spice and not having curd, I think contributed to the stomach aches

Now, I feel ready to be vegan. I plan to limit salt/spice intake and this should help with my continuing vegan diet. This shift in my diet directly contributes to some of my most important 2017 goals:

1. This will help me become the healthiest and fittest version of myself

2. This will definitely boost my energy levels - I want to be my most energetic version in 2017

3. Instead of talking about Animal Cruelty, I get to act and take a stand on it

It feels right turning vegan and I hope this helps in 2017 becoming my best year so far

3 Step Process to Self Transformation

I believe that there are 3 fundamental steps that is required if we want to transform our lives. 

1. Discover our values and tune into them

Our emotions are governed by what we feel at a particular point in time. When we are not in tune with our deepest values, we let our emotions drive our behavior. This would mean reacting as opposed to responding from within. For example, if we are not in tune with a deep value (Eg: Love), then we would respond to differences with anger. On the contrary, when we are deeply in tune with ourselves, we can learn to look at the situation from a different perspective. We will still feel the initial emotion but will move over to your higher sense of self.

2. Re-wire our beliefs through perspective shifting

By operating from our highest sense of ourselves, we can tune in to our beliefs and check as to whether the beliefs are empowering or dis-empowering. For example, if we believe that the other person is completely unreasonable and/or that the situation has no solution, guess what, there will be no solution. But instead, if we can believe in our heart of hearts, that any problem or issue can be solved, then we will learn to see through differences and genuinely try to find common ground. Most importantly, we will be able to operate from a sense of compassion, even for those we disagree with. Overall, we will start discovering the freedom to take action, even in challenging situations.

3. Change our Habits to step into Action

Once we re-wire our beliefs, we need to identify habits that are holding us back and replace them with empowering habits. For instance, if we have been habituated to not taking action and express our voice with those we disagree with, even after our beliefs change, we will wait and question ourselves on whether we need to express ourselves. We need to change the way we perceive pleasure and pain and associate pain with not taking action and pleasure with taking even the tiniest of actions, however difficult it may be. 

When we do this on a consistent basis, our habits will start reflecting our beliefs and our values and eventually change us into the person we want to become. 

Learning from Babies

Ever since I had my first born kid a few weeks back, I have been seeing baby videos all over facebook. It got me thinking about the amazing qualities of babies that we can imbibe as adults.

1. Babies express their emotions fully

Be it frustration, anger, sadness or joy, kids express each of their emotions fully and without any inhibitions. There is no self judgement and there is no need to judge other kids! As adults, we often bottle up our emotions within ourselves and often judge ourselves, almost all the time! This leads us to not enjoy the full feeling of our emotions apart from causing issues in our life. We can truly live your life to the fullest by imbibing this quality. Of course, we have to choose the right outlets to vent out your emotions (For example, you do not want to shout at your boss, right :P)

2. Babies do not carry any grudges

Have you seen babies fight? They push each other, cry, shout but within minutes they are back in each other's arms! How amazing would it be, if we can do that in our adult relationships? Of course, we need to swallow that elephant in the room called ego. Considering the upside, why not? If we can completely be comfortable in our own skin without seeking any approval from the outside world, then we can develop the ability to reach out and heal relationships.

3. Babies live in the Present

This is a no-brainer! Of course, considering the way our mind ebbs and flows, this is obviously the toughest quality to imbibe! There are many ways with most folks prescribing meditation, being in silence, being focused on whatever we do. I for one, find it only when I am in flow, doing something with all of my focus and energies. There is a long road ahead, but so completely worth it!

As my baby grows, I hope to grow the child within me and also trigger the child within you, when we connect :) Lets say aye and enter the world of babies together!

Emotional Mindset - The Key to Achievement

I have been thinking about the gap that I have observed between the goals that I set and the ones that I achieve. There is bound to be a gap (Nobody is perfect) but this has been bothering me quite a bit, of late. Like many of you, I set my goals following the SMART model (Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and Timely) but have often ended up missing a number of them. This often has lead to a lot of self blame, negative self talk and an overall dip in my energy levels.

What about you? Have you blamed yourself for your failures? What has been the outcome?

Of late, I have been wondering the reason for that gap. The personal goals that I set are close to my heart and they definitely have meaning in my life. So it is not the lack of 'Why' that has led to that gap. I am highly emotionally invested when I set these goals. I am excited and raring to go and make it happen.

The critical difference that I have found is my emotional mindset between the time when I am setting the goals and the time when I am acting on the goals. When I am acting on the goals, I often focus on the 'Doing' and not so much on the 'Being'. 

This has led to self talk of 'I should do it' rather than 'I am born to do this'.

Do you feel this way? Does the activity start burdening you as opposed to exciting you? 

When I observe athletes, this emotional mindset is evident. They act from a state of being. The emotion within them propels them to overcome all the barriers and achieve what they set out to do. Emotional mindset is the key that will lessen the gap between setting and achieving the goals!

What are the questions that we can ask ourselves as we head towards the end of the year?

Who am I when it comes to my goals? Who am I becoming? What's my emotional mindset on a day to day basis? What's the emotion within me when I visualize the end game? How do I amp up my emotional quotient? 

I believe that as I discover the right answers, my emotional mindset will carry me across the finish line! And I hope that it gets you to your goals and dreams as well!

Saying YES to and Saying NO to

I will say YES to:

- Coaching
- Speaking
- Reading Books
- Writing
- Research
- Exercise

I will say NO to:

- Facebook/Twitter/Social Media
- TV
- NetFlix
- News/Politics

Dealing with the addiction of news

When I look back at the amount of time I have squandered away on following news, it gives me a sinking feeling in my stomach. For the last several months, I have been addicted to following every single news especially pertaining to the US political election. I keep switching between CNN, FOX, MSNBC and following news online through FiveThirtyEight, Politico, Washington Post and others. I do not know whether I have become any wiser but I have clearly seen the negative effects of this addiction. I feel that my mind is getting cluttered and I have been struggling to focus on anything for more than 30 minutes, sometimes even lesser than that.

I feel the need to get away from the noise and to deal with this addiction. I read in an article in Quora that winners are creators, not consumers. I want to create more and consume less. Here is what I plan to say YES to and to say NO to for the next few months in 2016:

I will say YES to:

1. Still my mind as soon as I wake up by meditating for 10 minutes

2. Continue Journaling and Daily Affirmations in the Morning

3. Write/Blog every single day (Quality does NOT matter - It is the process of writing that is key)

4. Reading/Listening to Audio Books and Videos on Personal Development

I will say NO to:

1. Checking Mobile Phone every other hour (I will check Social Media only once a day)

2. Following News in TV and Online every other hour (I will follow them only once a day)

3. Spending any time on Netflix Drama Series

I am deeply committed to making this happen and ensure that 2016 that has been a great year ends on an even greater note!

Daily Journaling

One important habit I have picked up recently is Journaling. I spend 10 minutes a day every day in thinking about and answering the following questions:

1. What are 3 things that I am grateful for?

2. What would make today great? What are the top 3 focus areas?

3. Affirmations: I am

At night, before I go to sleep, I introspect and answer the following questions:

1. What are the amazing things that happened to me today

2. How could I have improved today? What can I do better tomorrow?

It is already creating a shift in my thinking and the way I am approaching each day. It is a habit that I feel deeply committed to doing every single day. And I hope to spread this habit to my family, friends and anybody who wants to improve their mindset and be happier.

Feeling the Fear and Doing it Anyway

Over the past one month, I have been taking baby steps towards key personal initiatives and every single time, I have stopped short of making any meaningful progress on them. I have thought about the reason why I am sabotaging my own efforts and came to a realization about my fear of change.

There is a dichotomy here. On the one hand, I really want to change certain habits and on the other hand, the more I try to change them, the more my fear sends me in the opposite direction, right into my bad habits. I feel terrible procrastinating and slipping into my bad habits, over and over again. 

I also understand that I am human and I am forgiving myself for my missteps. This is the way it is meant to be. Change is meant to be slow and painful and it involves feeling the fear and doing them anyway. This month, I am going to breathe into my fears and going to take action every single day!  

Snakes and Ladders

I recently went through the list of goals that I have been setting and pursuing for the past few years. On one hand, it gave me a deep sense of gratification seeing how far I have come. On the other hand, I saw the hallmark of each of the Big Bang goals that I had pursued. It was like a sine wave with falls after highs, again and again and again. It was almost like I was the protagonist in the game of Snakes and Ladders with one catch - I could never reach the finish line.

I tried to make sense of it all. I felt a real sense of apprehension that I may never be able to live up to my expectations of myself. That, my sense of achievement is always meant to be short. That I may never be destined for greatness. That I may never live my life purpose. When I allowed myself to feel these thoughts, I felt heavy. I felt shortness of breath.

I tried to shake it off. I tried talking myself out of it, that it was just a phase and that I will hit upon real continuous momentum soon. I couldn't shake off my thoughts. 

That was when I tried a different approach, a different perspective, as advised by my coach.

What if I was meant to fail, again and again and again? What if the whole objective is not the outcome of the goal but the endless pursuit of it? What if the meaning of the big picture was not what I had achieved but Who I had become? And as a result of Who I am being, what gifts could I offer to the people around me?

This felt powerful. I felt deep compassion and self love. I vowed to myself that I will not lower my goals, that I will keep pursuing my dreams. And if I fail and fall, that is a learning that will make me who I am meant to become. 

As August comes in, I write a new page in a new chapter in my life. This is a chapter where wins and losses, achievements and failures do not matter as much. In this chapter, the only thing that matters is the next step. The next baby step. And I am ready to take that next step

Goals for July

The first half of the year is over. Looking back, I realize that I have jotted down too many goals to show quick progress on any of them. I also understand that each of these goals are important to me. So what can I do to move forward?

The key is to be 100% me and bring the best of myself every single day. I believe there are 2 goals that stand out and that will require my complete focus every single day.

1. Focus on Fitness (30 - 45 min activity every day)

This could be jogging, biking or gymming but the key is everyday! When I look back to the times that I have felt sluggish, it has never been on a day when I have exercised! Physical fitness will allow me to bring 100% energy to everything I do and am excited to pursue it with all of my heart!

2. Focus on Writing (~30 min a day)

I feel fantastic every single day I write, be it in my blog or in my journal. It makes me feel centered and connected to who I am at my best. This in turn will allow me to play all out in every other goal in my life! Super excited to write every single day!

By focusing all my energies on these 2 critical goals, I hope that I will continue to make progress and move closer to my dreams!

Being is through Doing

I have often been guilty of having a 'To-Do' list and then failing to get the items completed. Not only will I not complete them, I will end up feeling guilty and frustrated as hell pretty often. This was an oft repeated theme in my life that led to a lot of self blame and a lack of self esteem. 

But then, Coaching happened. It was and is one of the most beautiful things that happened in my life and one that I am forever grateful for. As I learned to coach, I also got coached. Often. Slowly, I started to see the patterns in my life and the false stories that I have been weaving around, owing to my lack of doing. Thanks to Coaching, I developed a strong sense of self, my values, my purpose and most importantly who I am being.

The difference between Doing and Being is the key bridge. I realized that all the things that I have done in my life is when I have been myself, when I have deeply honored my values. That is when I have felt truly alive. When we look at doing from a perspective of longing and desperation, doing becomes all the more difficult. When we look at doing from a strong sense of self and from a perspective of our identify, doing becomes easier. Not easy from an effort standpoint, but easier from a mindset standpoint.

Every day, I am realizing that Being is through Doing. To make progress on my blogging/writing goals, I have to first believe that I am a writer and approach writing from a perspective of a writer. To make progress on my public speaking, I have to believe that I am a speaker and put on the hat of a speaker. 

Being is through Doing. Coaching is one of the tools that will strengthen our sense of who we are. And as we become more of ourselves, we will do more and move closer to achieving our dreams!

Inspiration from Chef's Table

Thanks to a friend, I recently chanced upon this series called 'Chef's Table' in Netflix. Each episode talks about a particular world renowned chef's journey from where they started to where they are, now. I caught up a few episodes and ended up watching them over and over again. It was deeply moving to watch the protagonists go through their struggles, at times insurmountable odds before triumphing on their own terms. I came out with a number of insights from this incredible series:

1. It is not enough to have Passion and Drive; In the face of insurmountable odds, Strength of Character and a deep sense of Values and Purpose make the difference

2. Reaching the destination matters but more important is the process; The rigorous process that the chefs fall in love with, and imbibe, defines who they become and defines their journey

3. No achievement is possible without a team that makes it possible; Creating a culture that is empowering and sparks creativity and leadership within every team member ensures success

This series is not just applicable for aspiring chefs, but for every single one of us who aspire to become more than who we are today. I hope that you watch it soon, get inspired and start working towards your dreams!

Transitioning to a Growth Mindset - My Struggle, My Resolve

I was super inspired after reading 'Mindset' from Carol Dweck. It spoke about a concept around growth mindset and how anybody can learn anything, irrespective of their past experiences once they transition into a growth mindset. I immediately resolved to put on my growth mindset and inculcate the belief within me that I can learn anything if I set my mind to it and manage my inner critic effectively. 

Two weeks later, I am struggling with my inner critic. I know it is not the real me, but my mind is so tuned to it that taking any even tiny action against it seems really difficult. I just realized how much of a fixed mindset I have when it comes to learning outside of my comfort zone. My resolve is to keep up the struggle, manage the negative emotions and come out the other side conquering this piece of me which keeps me in the fixed mindset. 

It is not going to be pretty but I truly believe in the concept of growth mindset with all of my heart.  I see so many people around me constantly getting judged and in turn limiting themselves and their potential. This is not just about me. It is about human potential and the possibility of personal transformation, not just for an elite few but for every single person who can develop the belief within themselves! But it starts with me. And the people around me. One of my greatest strengths is to see the best in people. It is time I start seeing the best in me!

Dealing with our Inner Critic

'You are not good enough!'

'You simply cannot succeed at this!'

'This is beyond you!'

When I prepared for CAT and failed year after year, these voices kept getting louder and louder. I found myself waging a battle against myself. When I cleared CAT finally, I was relieved and exhausted that my battle with the voices in my head was finally over. But NO, the voices went on and on, often pulling me down, when I screwed up in exams and later when I screwed up at work. It is not just me. I often hear people blame themselves, when they screw up, at times. 

'I am terrible at public speaking'

'I always screw up in interviews'

'I am just not good at parenting'

Do you feel that way? Does your inner critic blame you for screwing up? At a time when are emotional, when you need the maximum support, when you feel like you need oxygen to breathe, have you felt your inner critic drag you down deeper? Crushing your spirit?  

The key question to ask is 'Is this true or is this a story that you are making up'?

Let's be clear. The emotion is real. We do feel sadness and/or anger when we fail, when we screw up. We feel miserable, disappointed, dejected, even depressed. We also feel frustrated and angry. But is the story, that we make up, about ourselves, in that moment, really true?

Why not separate the emotion from the story? 

Let us all think about the stories that our inner critics had thrown at us, when we went through tough times. And the next time we face our inner critic, let's ask these questions:

What is possible, if we treat ourselves with compassion, when we screw up? 

What is possible, when we allow ourselves to feel our emotions fully, without blaming ourselves?

What is possible when we voice it out loudly to ourselves 'This story is not true!'

I, for one, will be keeping a close watch on my inner critic! I hope you do too!

Re-Calibrating my Values and Goals

It has been an extremely average last few weeks for me. I pride myself on setting stretch goals but after 2 weeks of continuous missteps, I feel the need to re-evaluate. I feel that my priorities are changing and some of the goals that I have set for myself does not make sense to me anymore. Also, while I know for a fact that pursuing goals as part of a group has better chance of success, I have not set goals for myself from that standpoint. 

What are my core values that I deeply identify with, that's my oxygen that keeps me going??  

What goals best embrace those values, that makes my life meaningful??

As I introspect, these are the values that I feel deeply connected to, with all of my heart.

| Energy | Overcoming Limits | Growth Mindset | Mindfulness | Connection | Playfulness | 

Through these values, I envision myself moving closer towards fulfilling my potential.

I envision myself as representing the energy of the wind that keeps blowing every second of every minute of the day. By overcoming my physical limits, I will achieve my goals of completing biking marathons, hiking difficult peaks and developing a lean and fit body. By overcoming my mental limits by imbibing a growth mindset, I will achieve my learning goals in a range of topics including Coaching, Leadership and Entrepreneurship. I will be mindful and fully present and will connect deeply with like minded people. Above all, I will develop a playful mindset that will keep me happy and grounded, amidst all of the growth.

Accordingly, I am tweaking my daily goals along these lines:

- Daily Morning Routine of Practicing Gratitude through Journaling

- Daily Prayer, Surya Namaskar and Meditation

- Deep and continuous focus for 90 min twice a day on key learning topics

- Daily Running or Daily Biking for 30 minutes

On weekends, I will focus on connecting with friends and like minded folks and on having fun.

I am excited in setting these new goals that I feel resonates with me and confident that this will take me in the direction of leading a life of my dreams!

Incorporate 'AUM' in your life!

                                                  

'AUM 'is a sacred sanskrit mantra that is revered in ancient Indian scriptures. I first came to know about it, 15 years ago, when I attended my first Yoga class in India. We used to chant 'AUM' (pronounced 'AAAHOHHHMMM') 3 times, at the beginning of the practice. My yoga master, Venkatraman sir had an interesting explanation about what each sound in A-U-M represents. The 'AAAH' sound stands for Creation, the 'OHHH' sound for Preservation and the 'MMM' sound for Destruction. 'AUM' represented the endless cycle of Creation, Preservation and Destruction!

As I was chanting 'AUM' mantra this morning, this thought around creation, preservation and destruction floated in my head. It set me thinking on what I want to create, preserve and destroy in my life.

I have been installing a new morning routine that revolves around Yoga and Meditation. I would love to add Journaling into that routine. Having an additional 30 minutes would greatly help and I am going to install/create a new habit of Journaling. There is no doubt that Journaling every day would put me in a great frame of mind in the morning! It will help me have clarity around my key values, understand what truly matters and ensure I focus my energies around that!

What do You want to create in your life?

I am grateful for all the love and happiness that is present in my life today. However, I am prone to a lot of distraction that sometimes inhibits the amount of attention that I give to my loved ones. I would love to preserve all the beautiful relationships by truly listening to them, giving 100% attention to every conversation that I have with them!

What do You want to preserve in your life?

I have had a history of starting on new initiatives and not pushing them on towards the logical completion. Even as I continue to put in all of my energies in becoming better and installing a new self image of sorts, there are the negative voices in my head, the limiting beliefs that crop up, from time to time. I want to destroy the limiting beliefs in my head that slows down my growth and achieve my goals faster and reach higher!

What do You want to destroy in your life?

Here's to YOU to create and preserve those values that are most precious to YOU and to destroy those values that inhibits YOU from realizing your potential!

Recommended Read - Presenting to Win

One of the clients who I was working with, highly recommended that I read this book called 'Presenting to Win' by Jerry Weissman. I have always been fairly comfortable both preparing presentations and presenting them, whenever I got the chance. Hence I was a little reticent to try this out initially but when I had some time last weekend, I decided to read it. Am glad that I did and to be honest, I found the book not only insightful but filled with lots of specific case studies and examples.

Check out a few key pointers below that the author recommends for an effective presentation:

• Every communication has as its goal to take the audience from where they are at the start of your presentation, which is Point A, and move them to your objective, which is Point B; To reach Point B, you need to move the uninformed audience to understand, the dubious audience to believe, and the resistant audience to act in a particular way

•             Mastering Audience Advocacy means learning to view yourself, your company, your story, and your presentation through the eyes of your audience

•       Building a presentation is a creative process. That means starting with the right brain; Let the right brain complete its stream-of-consciousness cycle before applying the left brain’s structure

•       There are proven techniques for organizing ideas in a logical sequence to create a lucid and persuasive presentation. These techniques are called Flow Structures; Eg: Chronological, Problem/Solution, etc.

•            There are many opening gambits to draw the audience attention; Eg: Analogy, Quotation, etc.

•       Less Is More should be your guiding principle when you are creating your presentation graphics

     These are many more key pointers with specific examples to help drive the 'Why' piece of the pointers. This is a recommended read for anyone (especially if you are in sales or consulting) who aspires to improve their presentation skills and persuade their customer towards the intended objective. A must read!

• 
  

Toastmaster Speech - CC06 - My experience at the DMV

Early this year, I chanced to read upon a book on Presentation. The title is 'Presenting to Win' by Jerry Weissman. I loved the book and it helped me deepen my knowledge around presentation and how critical it is to grab the audience's attention and not let go.

I tried implementing the concepts at my toastmaster's speech and it went off, very well. I am sharing the content of the speech (I did make some off the cuff comments, but that is how it is for most speeches anyway :) )

Have you ever seen a video of a lion strutting about in the jungle? It moves in an absolutely self-assured manner, so sure of itself, almost arrogantly. There is no fear, no worry for the lion – After all, it is the king of the jungle! Well, this was how I went to DMV last year to give my driving test. After all, I had nothing to worry about. I have driven a car for 10 years! I was not a beginner!

My wife kept repeating to me – You need to practice and prepare well. Inspite of multiple reminders, I went to DMV with not much of practice. After all, why should a 12^th grade student worry about taking a 1^st grade exam? I met the DMV instructor who looked at me, much the way an army officer will look at a new joinee. Once the instructions were through, we started the drill. All through the drive, I had a smug smile on my face and towards the end of the drive, I thought the job was done. The DMV officer looked at me and said ‘You have failed’. I was shocked! I asked him why and he told me that I had made a dangerous maneuver. Dangerous maneuver! I have driven a car for 10 years! I was really angry when I headed back home. I told my wife that the Fremont DMV office was way too harsh and that I will take the next exam in a different center.

I walked in to the Tracy DMV office with a similar air of confidence. After all, one cannot make the same mistake twice. I conversed with the DMV instructor who was much more friendly. I proceeded to drive very carefully. At a particular signal, I had to take a left and when I took that left, I saw another lane to my right as well! The DMV instructor straightaway said ‘You have failed as it was a lane violation’. I was flabbergasted. As I went home, I was thinking of what to explain to my wife who had zero driving experience but had cleared the exam in her first attempt.

I had driven a car for 10 years! How could this happen to me??

And then it struck me the reason why am failing. It is the very fact that I considered myself above the bar and neglected putting in the time and effort. It is about having a beginner’s mindset and all about practice, practice and practice. 

I have to have a first grade mindset to clear a first grade exam!

And yes, as a wise man once said, it always makes sense to listen to one’s better half!

And so, I went back to the drawing board, not as a lion but as a deer. I practiced with a high degree of alertness and awareness and I practiced, practiced and practiced. Finally, I went back to the DMV office (Pleasanton this time) and went through the exam very cautiously.  When I finished, the DMV instructor proceeded to tell me all the areas that I could improve on. After some time, I interrupted with a simple question – ‘Did I pass’? She replied – ‘Yes, but I have to tell you the areas that you should improve to be a better driver’.

Phew! I was so relieved! It felt like I have achieved the impossible! At the end of the day, I have gained some important insights through this experience.

One – It is important to have a beginner’s mindset and Two – Practice, Practice and Practice more

These are qualities that I hope I bring into toastmasters and I wish for all of you as well. Thank you!

2016 - Becoming more of me

2015 was a terrific year full of discovery and learning about self. It was a year where I finally got a sense of clarity around my values and my strengths. It was a year where I finally made peace with myself and my past and around all the feelings of inadequacy that I had been grappling with. It was a year where I felt gratitude and love for all that I have been blessed with.

As I look forward to 2016, I sense a shift within me. It is not so much about what I want to do and achieve but rather who I want to evolve into. I want to become more of me and that means living my core values of love, family, compassion, service and personal growth. My deepest wish is that I live these values every minute of my life moving forward and not be side-tracked by focusing too much on the future and what I need to do to get there.

To focus on living my values, I need to simplify my life and remove the clutter so that I can truly focus on what is essential.Here is a list of things I will say YES to and a list of things that I will say NO to:

Yes to:

-          Being fully present in the moment

-          Deep listening

-          Being deeply curious and having a learning/exploring mindset

-     Volunteering and pro bono activities

-     Authentic connections

No to:

-     Time on Social media

-     Procrastination

-     Negativity

On this journey to become more of me, I hope to make a positive impact on the people around me.

I wish all of you a memorable and growth filled 2016!