A Miracle Happened When I Called Out For Help

Something happened to me last week, and I feel really compelled to share this with you. Because the more I think about the chain of events that took place, the more I realize there is a message I’m supposed to tell.

To catch you up to speed, I walk dogs as a way to raise extra money to put towards my children’s book business that I’ve spent the last 12 months building. Last Friday, when I arrived to one of my dog client’s houses, I arrived to a very sick dog.

I hadn’t realized how bad the situation was at first, just that the dog had thrown up while waiting in his crate for my arrival.

He’s a puppy, so this can be common. So I took the giant puppy, and his big Husky brother, outside as fast as I could, figuring it best I just take them for a walk now, and I’ll clean up the vomit when we return in about 30 minutes.

Except, we didn’t return in 30 minutes.

On a normal day, our route spans about 1.1 miles out and 1.1 miles back, so just a little over 2 miles round-trip. We walk around the neighborhood streets, which are usually quiet and empty during the day while everyone is at work. Some houses are unkempt while others appear to be their owner’s pride and joy. It’s a mixture of sights, a rollercoaster of a visual ride if you will, that so accurately represents both the pride, and exhaustion, of America’s working class.

Half the block is usually shaded, while the other half takes direct sunlight, so the dogs and I crisscross the neighborhood streets accordingly. Rarely do we see people. So the dogs (and myself) often enjoy fully uninterrupted strides of silence as every bush is sniffed, every mailbox is marked, and every loose piece of food on the ground meets the belly of one of the two beasts at the end of my lead.

I do my best to look like a professional dogwalker, maintaining control over 130 pounds of solid animal, with a few extra pounds of poop flinging around simultaneously in my hands as well. The lack of distractions always makes it easier, of course. But insert an unexpected person or 3rd-party dog into this equation and, well, God help me.

And then last Friday happened.

We were about halfway into our walk when the first squat occurred. It was the giant puppy. In which out came a giant pile of brown soup. (Sorry). Never fun to pick up, I gave it my best grab and on we went. Until the giant puppy squatted again. Pure liquid. Ok this isn’t good. Any shot of me picking up poop at this point was out the window. So we carried on, almost to our 1.1 mile mark. And then the third squat came. Pure blood.

Oh God no. Ok, I’ve dealt with this before. It will be ok. I just need to get this dog back home. No more walking for him. He just needs to drink water right now and rest while I call his owner.

He pulled over on the grass again. More blood. Then again. More blood. It was coming out like a faucet.

At this point, I had a lot of concerns, but dehydration was quickly rising to the top as we were a mile out in 95 degree weather.

And just as if the giant puppy had heard my concerns about dehydration, he looked back up at me with sad, distressed eyes, and projectile vomited everywhere.

Holy sh—t. Oh my God. I instantly grabbed my phone to call his owner.

Instantly….grabbed….my……wait……my phone was gone.

No! No. No, this cannot be happening. My phone isn’t here. I had it at the beginning of our walk, and now it isn’t here.

In total denial, I turned the drawstring bag I always carry with me upside down, shaking every last item out of it, refusing to believe my phone went missing. Everything spilled out of my bag, none of which was my phone.

The giant puppy was miserable and trying to hug me again. He no longer wanted to walk. He was terrified. We both were terrified. Even big brother Husky looked terrified. Here we all were, a little less than a mile from their home, in the dead of the Florida summer heat, having a medical emergency. With no phone, or anyone in sight to help us.

We were at a standstill. Literally.

So I called out to the only other person I knew that could possibly help me. The only person who I still had faith was with me, because, isn’t that what He’s always promised?

It went like this:

God? I know you’re here. I’m not doubting you. I’m not asking IF you’re here, but I’m calling out to you right now because I KNOW you are here with me. With that, I need your help. Like, right now. Please protect this dog and help us get back to the house safely. His safety is my #1 priority right now, even though I have no phone, no computer, no wallet, no nothing to figure out how to help him. I am completely alone, but I believe you are here with me.

The giant puppy had really slowed down by this point, but I kept praying. I had faith in God and felt that we should keep trying to walk slowly back to their house. I felt this push, almost as if He was walking behind me, his arms politely forcing me to move forward. House by house. Street by street. We inched along until we made it back.

Thankfully both dogs rushed over to their water bowls and started drinking feverishly. Thank God, I thought to myself. Thank God they’re drinking. This is a good sign.

I raced around the house hoping to find a landline phone, a laptop, anything that would give me some connection to society. But there was nothing.

Maybe there’s cameras.

I hadn’t seen any in the past, but figured it was worth a shot.

I started running around the house yelling for help, flailing my arms all over the place, hoping for once that my clients WERE crazy helicopter parents who just might be watching my every move.

But still, nothing.

I looked at both dogs, and both dogs looked back to me for help. And as if on cue again, the giant puppy looked up at me with saddened, distressed eyes and projectile vomited, again. This time it was all the water he had just drank.

Oh. My. God.

I had two choices at this point. Find the closest vet, with no phone, no wallet, no GPS, and no way whatsoever to notify their owner. Or, get in my car and do one last attempt at trying to find my phone in the neighborhood.

I looked at both dogs. I looked up. I prayed once more. And I ran out the door.

I accelerated. I braked. I drove down the left side of the road, I swerved back to the right side of the road. Never once looking in front of me, but instead scanning every inch of sidewalk and grass our feet and paws had touched. Accelerate. Break. Scan. Accelerate. Break. Swerve. Scan. The fact that, still, nobody was outside was the only way I was able to avoid an accident.

I had finished driving our route. No phone.

I drove it again. No phone.

I was literally helpless at this point. I had nothing. I was completely alone. And I was out of options.

God, I NEED your help right now. I know you would never forsake me. I know you are with me in this moment. I know you helped get the dogs and I back home into the A/C. But right now, I don’t know what else to do. My phone is gone. My wallet is gone. YOU know what I need in this very moment. You are with me right now.

Please God, help me get out of this situation. I cannot do this without you.

And then, a garage door opened.

About one house down on the left, in front of me.

A man walked outside on his driveway, and I quickly shut off my car and ran over to him. In that short distance of a run, I lost it. I broke down crying as I approached him, somewhat startling him.

“Sir! I need help. Can I use your phone?” He looked back at me, a bit uneasy. “I’m a dogwalker here for a neighbor down the way, and one of the dogs is having an emergency. I lost my phone and wallet while walking them, and I can’t find it in the neighborhood anywhere.”

I promised him I was a good person, that I didn’t want to bother him, but I just didn’t know what else to do.

He responded with a slow, “Sure….” and took his time walking back into his house to get the phone. When he came back out, I tried to explain more, asking if he knew the owner, but he didn’t. Somehow in the conversation about dogs, he realized that I was, indeed, in an emergency, and he then quickly handed me his phone.

I called my fiancé in hopes he could get into my Rover account and find the owner’s phone number. But my fiancé didn’t pick up. I called again. Still nothing.

“Call your phone,” the man urged. My phone is literally always on silent. It’s not going to do anything. Reluctantly, I called it. No answer. No ringer. Just the letdown I was already expecting. We both stood and looked at each other.

“What about a vet?” I asked eagerly. “Do you know where the closest vet is?” He pulled up his GPS and started explaining to me how to get there. I was trying to make sure I fully understood the directions because again, I’d have no GPS if I couldn’t find it, because I had no phone.

I think he saw the doubt in my eyes as I looked back at him. He stopped talking and we both just looked at each other. God, please.

And in that moment, I heard a voice behind me say, “Excuse me, did someone lose a phone?”

We both flung ourselves around to find a girl walking up to us, low and behold, with my phone in her hand. “Oh my God, yes!” we both replied back to her. “I just saw it in the street. Here you go. Glad you got it back.” And just as the words “Thank You” could stammer out of my mouth, she got in a car and drove away.

The man and I both looked at each other, our jaws nearly hitting the driveaway. Who? Where? How??

Out of the 2 miles that my phone could’ve been sitting at. Out of the 100+ houses in those 2 miles that a garage door could’ve opened. Out of the 2 miles that a girl could’ve appeared out of nowhere and picked up my phone. Out of the 2 miles that I could’ve stopped and given my one last plea to God at.

Science would say there’s less than a 1% chance of this all coming together. Yet, it did.

And there He was, doing His work, right in front of me.

He showed up. Not just when, but WHERE I needed Him the most.

I quickly and graciously gave my thanks to the kind man and jumped in my car, calling the owner as I sped back to the dogs’ home. I ran through the door, grateful to see the two dogs waiting for me on the other side. No additional vomits. No additional accidents. Just two anxious dogs wondering what the heck was going on.

I explained everything to the owner, sent pictures, video, and ensured the dogs kept drinking water. The owner confessed to me that the beloved giant puppy counter surfed 4 chicken breasts the night before, and that this was likely the cause of his upset stomach. The owner, who also happens to be a flight nurse and paramedic, didn’t feel a vet trip was necessary, but I assured him I’d stay at the house until I felt confident the dogs were ok.

Over the next hour as I cleaned up all the mess, the dog’s panting subsided. The vomiting and diarrhea stopped. And both of them were drinking and holding water down.

Thank you God.

“See, I’m always here for you. I love you that much.”

On my drive home later that afternoon, as I was replaying the day’s events, trying to understand how that all possibly happened, I suddenly felt consumed by this immense feeling of love. As if I was being wrapped up in my father’s arms and hearing him say, “See. I’m always here for you. I love you that much.”

I literally swear I heard those words out loud, “I love you that much.”

Which is when it hit me like a bag of bricks. I’m supposed to pass this message on to you. This feeling of love, of being swept up in His arms, the comfort of knowing that in our worst moments, He is there, ready to give an overwhelming, overabundant amount of LOVE. Even when the odds are stacked against us.

He literally just did this for me. And I have this overwhelming feeling that I’m supposed to share this story to show you just how much God loves YOU and will be there for you when you call out to Him. I just know it. I can feel it.

And so just like He answered my prayer, I’m answering His.

He knows who needs Him right now, even if those people don’t realize it yet. And I bet He knew that if I shared this story, some of those people just might be reading this. So at His request, I want you to know, that you are SO loved. He loves you. He loves you SO much that He is constantly with you, watching over you, at all times. He knows what’s best for you, and He’s ready to help you as soon as you’re ready to ask.

Sometimes we go through really tough times, that in hindsight, actually happen in order to help others.

And you know what? I’m ok with that. I’ll take it. That’s part of our life’s purpose, after all.

Lately I’ve been hearing Him tell me to stop wasting time on certain things, and to instead spend it using the gifts He gave me. To stop worrying about things that don’t matter to Him. Just give to others the gift that He blessed me with - which I believe is the ability to write - and He will take care of the rest.

I wasn’t quite sure specifically what He meant, but as I finished typing these last few words, I guess I just realized, this is what He intended all along.

All my love, and it’s good to be back. :)

Kristin

Three Reasons Your Career Has Hit a Brick Wall

Perhaps you can remember, quite vividly, the palpable excitement with which you started your current job. This was going to be it! This was going to be the job that launched your career into the stratosphere. It had the perfect balance of familiarity and challenge. The people seemed so talented, so supportive and so ready to guide you to the next stage in your career. Every day looked brimming with opportunity and promise. 

Then fast-forward a year or two and you find yourself off that high. Perhaps you notice yourself complaining about things a lot more lately. Maybe the complaints even sound similar to those you made at your last job.

So what happened?

In the majority of cases, inertia is what happened. We become competent at what we do, then we become exceptional, and then… we plateau.

And if an employer doesn’t have the ability to recognize this pattern and roll out an infrastructure to support and nurture their employees TIMELY, well eventually, they will run out of steam.

Or, perhaps the people who seemed like such promising leaders or coworkers when you first started at the company, leave.

Or, maybe others are even getting promoted above you. And then, the work you used to find so rewarding begins to turn into a grueling chore. The momentum that propelled you through your career grinds to a stop.

As a recruiter, I’ve seen this pattern and had these chats with employees over and over again.

But it doesn’t all come down to your employer. Rather, it’s important for you to recognize patterns and have an open and honest conversation with yourself and your manager in real-time, not when it’s too late.

Some things to watch out for…..

You’re coasting at work

Be honest with yourself, have you started coasting through your days? Have you stopped giving 110% at work? When tasks no longer feel challenging to us, we stop applying ourselves to them with the same level of passion and vigor we once had. And if your current manager wasn’t around to see the almighty and powerful you when you first started, they’re likely not going to associate you as that now. That situation happens a lot, I know. And I’m sorry. But again, important to recognize and tackle these things real-time versus in hindsight.

So if you’re wondering why you keep getting passed up for promotions, lateral progressions and other opportunities, it may be because you are perceived to be coasting instead of stepping up to the plate to take on more work. But I’m here to help you with that. Go check out the blog post I wrote, Internal Job Promotions: Why Some People Get Them and Others Don’t.

Maybe you’ve lost your passion for what you do

Your passion is what gives you the X factor. It’s what makes you, YOU. It’s that indefinable quality that adds something extra-special to everything you do. Employers, clients and customers alike can perceive its value. And when it’s lost, it can be extremely difficult to get back. 

If you feel like you’ve lost your passion for the work you do (I know, I’ve been there), perhaps now’s the time to look into making a living doing what you love on your own terms. You may assume that our current circumstances with the pandemic are a barrier to entrepreneurship. But in reality, the current climate brings with it a wealth of opportunities for enterprising individuals who want to engage their clientele directly as they navigate this “new normal”. 

At the very least, you owe it to yourself to try and reignite your professional passion. Even if it means taking your skills elsewhere.  I’m happy to talk more about this anytime as I made a massive pivot this year in how I decided to allocate my skills.

Speaking of looking elsewhere, be careful not to look for opportunities in the wrong places

Here’s one thing I’ve seen over and over again as a recruiter. An employee at one company starts looking for jobs at other companies to do the exact same thing they’ve been doing, at the exact same seniority level, for x,y,z reason, and then expects to find happiness. Now, there could be a very legit reason why this could make sense, but it’s limited to either you had to relocate or you are 100% not on board with the business your last company was operating.

More often though, it’s because people get bored, frustrated, or start to feel resentment without doing a serious inventory of themselves as to why. Is it the content of the work, the process, the manager, the customers, the company’s principles and what they stand for, the industry, the lack of new opportunities or challenges? The list goes on and on. But you need to seriously inventory this about yourself and your internal frustrations and desires because this will help you better focus your attention on an actual sustainable solution. Because just changing companies hoping for greener grass very often times does not work. Do not be a job hopper. I promise you it will hurt you in the long-run. You need to know why you feel the way you feel, so you make sure the next direction you take makes sense for you.

At the end of the day, if changing companies is what makes sense for you, then the world is at your fingertips these days with everyone being forced to figure out how to work digitally. And I’m not just talking about the obvious sites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Monster and Indeed. Recall that massive jobs hit we took earlier this year with COVID? States have really stepped up with their job posting capabilities and companies are taking advantage of it. For example, if you live in Arizona you can navigate to this website to check out a whole slew of professional level jobs. Same for other states and also professional organizations as well.

In Summary…

I think it’s oh so important that you inventory yourself constantly. I’m talking about your feelings, emotions, skillsets, performance, maybe even how others may be responding to you lately. This will tell you a lot about yourself and help you see the right direction for how to move forward. Again, don’t do this in hindsight, do this in real-time regularly, before you hit the brick wall.

Much love to you guys!

-Kristin

How to Make Money Doing What You Love

I’ve been saying for awhile now that we live in an age where anyone can literally make money doing anything. Between having anyone in the world at your fingertips through social media, to utilizing marketplaces like Etsy or Amazon to bring your craft hobby to life, to building a platform and brand of your own for the minuscule cost of creating a website, there is no excuse not to be able to start making money doing what you love. Even if it’s just pocket change and a fun little side-gig.

If you find yourself getting a little antsy in your day job, or just feeling like a massive part of you isn’t being tapped into the way it should (believe me, I’ve been there), then listen up. I’m here to help.

Here are my top recommendations for you to help you get started.

First, Do Your Homework

What is it that you truly love? What excites you or energizes you? Food? Travel? Jewelry? Interior design? Books? Football? Heck, gambling? Are there certain people you follow on social media that currently make money doing the same thing? Go find their backstories and read all about their journey. They started from somewhere just like you so it will very informative and inspiring for you to learn from them. Just remember, they went through a journey, not overnight success.

The next question to ask yourself related to what you love is, what’s missing? With the homework you’ve done, and the expertise you might already have in that area, are there things you wish existed that currently don’t? Do you see an opportunity for you to come into the playing field with a better option for people? Research, research, research, and spend a lot of time thinking through things.

Just like your favorite football team does with their competition, like in the case of these Chargers Super Bowl odds, time spent researching other players beforehand puts you at an advantage to know how you can come in, stand out, and one-up with your talents and skills.

Make Your Passion Known

You don’t need to have a full business model put together to get started. You need to start building yourself a platform, showing off to people how passionate you are about xyz, so that you can catch people’s attentions who just might relate to you. So get on social media and start posting about what it is you love. Show pictures of yourself doing whatever it is, or share pictures of whatever it is, so then people who realize they share the same joy will want to follow you. You need to do this over and over so you can start to establish a platform and brand identity for yourself.

Start Making Connections

Going off my comments above, start connecting with like-minded people or those in the niche/industry you love. Finding the right connections isn’t easy, and this part can be uncomfortable for many, but let me assure you, most people inherently love to help others, not screw them over. So don’t shy away from reaching out to people you think might be beneficial to your cause.

Connecting to people via LinkedIn, joining relevant Facebook groups, or attending local meetups or online events are all simple, wonderful ways to do this.

Consider Starting a Blog/Vlog

Again, going off the above, when turning certain passions into an income, you could find that starting a blog or a vlog is a beneficial way of showing people that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about something. If you want to work for a book PR company, having your own blog or vlog in which you review books is a GREAT way of showing just how much you love and know about books. Setting up a blog or vlog costs nothing, making it an option for anyone to explore.

A blog or a vlog could even become a money-making platform in itself.  If you get enough readers/viewers, it may be possible to monetize your blog or vlog through ad revenue. Some people are also able to make money via sponsored content. You can read these guides on how to make money from blogging and how to make money from vlogging for more information.

Find Your Niche

At this point, do ask yourself who would most benefit from your passion project that you’d like to turn into an income stream. Get pretty clear on this and start seeking out those types of people directly. It’s also a great way to understand your market and get an idea of what the demand might be like for your passion/skillset and where those people who might be seeking you are hanging out.

Lastly, Get Moving!

There’s a lot of people in this world and a lot of access for anyone to tap into anything. So you can’t sit back and just dream. Start pushing yourself to take steps forward. Be realistic with yourself. Expect that these things take time and there is a growth process to everything. Nothing happens overnight or at the snap of a finger. So make sure you love this particular passion so much that you will be in love with the process and the journey. That’s what living life is all about anyways. Now get moving!

-Kristin

How to Stop Anxiety - Read This

Some of you may know I have my first book that's getting ready to release soon.  My fiance and I have been working so hard at creating and publishing a new children's book series, Brudders' Books.   What a learning process it's been.  Yes, there is so much to celebrate and be grateful for, but I've had many unforeseen setbacks and challenges along the way. 

We're so close, we're almost at the finish line.  But to be honest, it's scaring me. 

I've been going through a lot of anxiety lately, being consumed with fearful thoughts of what-if this, or what-if that.

I've suffered with anxiety a lot in my life, always fearful of not being good enough or letting someone else down.  And while my to-do list in these final few weeks before my book launch is growing and growing, I'm feeling more and more paralyzed with anxiety and fear. 

So I prayed about it this morning.  Really hard.  I had nothing left to do.  I was stuck in this anxiety whirlwind that even I knew didn't make much sense.  Well, as it turns out, about 30 minutes after praying in complete desperation, I read something that couldn't have been any clearer of a response.  It immediately snapped me out of it.

I wanted to post this because something deep down in my heart told me there's someone else on here that needs to read this, just as much as I needed it. Here’s what I read:

"Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law:  Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults.  For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool.  But My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation…I, even I am He who comforts you.  Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die?...And you forget the Lord your Maker who stretched out the Heavens and laid the foundations of the earth.  You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor when he has prepared to destroy.  And where is the fury of the oppressor?...I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared.  And I have put My words in your mouth, I have covered you with the shadow of my hand, You are my people." (Isaiah 51)

How I interpreted the above:

Wowsers!  I mean the Lord makes a pretty darn good point.  All of these fears and worries I have built up inside of me…who and what am I really fearing?  Someone else's opinion?  My book's success rate?  The publishing process?  I could go on.  But the point is, all of these are just superficial things created by man.  So basically, I'm sitting here fearing what man thinks of me.  Yes, I'll admit, that's very accurate.  That's exactly what I'm fearing.

But to God's point above, that is just nonsense.  Man is just man.  He or she is no better or worse than you or me.  Man's power doesn't even come close to God's power.  Why?  Because God created man.  And He created all of us equally, so none of us are more or less capable or better than the other.  The only one we should be fearing is Him, as our Creator, since CLEARLY He is way more powerful than all of us. 

So for me, to hold these anxieties and fears of someone else's opinion, of the process, it's pointless. I told myself to just stop.  It won't do me any good or any better.  And so I snapped out of it and proceeded with a new confidence.

Will I falter?  Yeah, probably.  But I've got the above message saved on my phone as a good reminder of where my head and heart need to be. Talk about a prayer answered.

Happy Sunday ya'll,

Kristin

Visualizing the "Future You" Transforms Your Abilities Today

“Anyone who’s ever done something great with their life had to transform themselves from who they were to who they became.” 

-Dr. Benjamin Hardy, PhD

Photo by Sharon Pittaway on Unsplash

I just re-read this line from the book, Personality Isn’t Permanent, because I have been STRUGGLING a bit lately with major self-esteem and productivity issues.  And I keep asking myself, WHY? 

For the last two weeks, I feel like I’ve been paralyzed.  From a work execution standpoint, that is.

Ok, I am a bit hard on myself, but what can I say?  I happen to be a perfectionist, and I feel like my work productivity has gone to crap.

What happened, you might ask?

Allow me to first set the scene with a little known fact:

Let’s say someone wrote a book, and that someone is getting ready for its big launch day. Well, in order to get publicity around one’s upcoming book launch, one needs to write a press release.  Or several press releases.  Catered to one’s intended audience. 

You may ask, doesn’t the press write the press release?  To which I’ll proceed to shock you…No!  Said person, who needs the press release, must write the press release!

Mind boggling!

Then, the press skims through massive pools of poorly attempted press releases to search for the news-worthiest of them all, and may, or may not, decide to pick up and publish one’s press release.

Encouraging, right?

So I have a book that is due to come out in a month, and I NEED to write a newsworthy press release.  And let me tell you that in my opinion, writing copy, or writing for the press, is SO much harder than writing an actual book.  In fact, it took me LONGER to write the book description that goes on Amazon than it did to write the first part of my actual book. 

So needless to say, I’ve been frustrated.  I’ve been irritated, doubtful, driving myself insane on whether I think my press release angles are catchy enough…You name it, I’ve felt it.

…sigh…

(and apologies, by the way, for my less than stellar attitude about this)

BUT, let’s rewind a few months back to June, where I was…wait for it…unstoppable!  I felt like I could do anything! 

Me, fearless and unstoppable

In fact, I already saw myself as an epic, published writer who was knocking down what once were barriers and taking names while I was at it. 

I was like a Dachshund taking on a Doberman.  Questionably fearless. 

But what I realize now is, that attitude is how I was actually getting things done! 

The vision was there.  In MY head, I was already there.  And because of that, I was confident.  I was executing flawlessly!  Whatever goals I wrote out the night before in my planner, I got them done the next day.  Without fail.

So, theoretically, Dr. Benjamin Hardy was right.  His philosophy stated above just proved to be true in my case (and I’m sure in many cases, he’s a pretty smart guy).

Literally the ONLY difference between me being able to get things done swiftly back in June and me not being able to get things done now, is that in June, my actions and behaviors were those of the FUTURE me, not the less experienced past or present me.

Gnarly, right?

Perhaps this also resonates with you?

Well I have good news.  Dr. Hardy lays the steps out in his book quite simply.  And for everyone’s sanity here, well mostly mine, let’s take a walk through those steps:

Dr. Hardy says that basically anyone who has ever transformed into doing something great with their life, had to go through this process:

1.       They had to see something new in their mind.

2.       Then convince themselves it’s possible.

3.       Then act courageously beyond their current personality and circumstances

4.       To eventually do and become what they became.

So what does that mean for you if you are at Point A in the process?

1.       You must have a new goal.

2.       You must call it a purpose worth pursuing.

3.       To which you’re then pretty much forced to develop new attributes and skills. (ahem, like writing press releases)

4.       And then you have curated transformational experiences! (like what happened to me yesterday, I’ll fill you in soon!)

So if you find yourself in somewhat of a similar rut as me, take some time out this evening to just think through all of that. 

It really is a simple, yet profound equation.  I can see where it’s worked in my life versus the times I hit a stalling point.  I’m happy to say I’m back on track now, full confidence steam ahead!

And as always, comment anytime to let me know how things are going for you!

Have a great week,

Kristin

How To Listen To Yourself and Others

Do you ever stop to listen to yourself?  Like really stop to quiet the mind’s chaos and listen to yourself. 

I’ve been doing this a lot lately.  And wow.  It’s amazing the things you hear when you take the time to actually listen and acknowledge what your inner self is trying to tell you.

Did you know there are actually three levels of listening?  They’re called Levels 1, 2, and 3.

And in this post I’m going to introduce you to the three levels of listening, show you the benefits of expanding your listening to the deepest level 3, and finish off with showing you exactly how you can go about putting this into practice.

Most people are stuck at Level 1.  It’s the surface level. 

Whether you’re in a conversation with someone else, or you’re just trying to get through the day but can’t hear past the noise in your head, that’s you listening at Level 1. 

At Level 1, you have only your conscious, self-centered thoughts as your frame of reference.  And I don’t mean that in a bad way.  What I mean is that, what’s on your mind in the current moment dictates how what you are hearing will impact you, whether it’s from someone else’s mouth or in your own head.  You are your frame of reference in the conversation. 

Level 2 listening is listening with more than just your ears. 

It’s focused at a much deeper level, listening for emotion, expression, perception, or perhaps underlying values or frustrations.   When you listen to someone else at Level 2, you’re noticing more of the underlying things behind what they’re saying.  You can apply this to yourself as well.

And at the deepest level, the root of it all, is Level 3 listening.  

Level 3 is when you listen to information from all angles of the universe at once.  You tap into your deepest intuition.  And beyond listening, you’re able to draw conclusions.

Most people listen at Level 1, because statistically, most people aren’t trained therapists, counselors, or coaches.  Level 1 listening is totally normal and to be expected.  But learning to listen to yourself and others at Levels 2 and 3 can bring some MAJOR benefits.

For purposes of this blog post, let’s hold on the benefits to others and spend this time talking about how this benefits YOU, specifically if you find yourself in a rut about something. 

Let’s start with an example, and I’m going to kind of embarrass myself here:

A scenario at Level 1 Listening:

I binge eat the daylights out of my kitchen in the afternoons, and unfortunately, this brings about a number of negative consequences.  I blow through my groceries budget way sooner than expected.  I’m eating way too many calories a day.  And it’s unhealthy, any way you look at it.  Not to mention, I feel like a complete failure every time I do this.  Failure in the sense that I can’t stick to my intended meal schedule, and that I have no control, no commitment, no strength, no nothing!! (stomps feet like a 2 year-old at this point.)

Ok so yes, this was a daily occurrence for me.  And yes, there was a LOT going wrong in that thought process I was having.  Thought distortions, meta views, the list goes on. I can elaborate more on those topics another time, but the point here is that all of the above is me Level 1 Listening to myself. 

Because I’m focused on the very surface level issue here (binge eating), and the impact it’s having on me at that superficial level (frustration and failure).

If you’ve heard of the weight loss Noom app that’s based on psychology and making major waves, a lot of what they teach in that is this exact concept. (I joined and it’s been a Godsend to me).

But here’s what Level 2 Listening would look like if we replay the scenario: 

Ok, I’m getting very frustrated on a daily basis because of this.  Why does this keep happening?  If I listen more closely, with ALL of my senses, I can actually see that there are several triggering events that happen that cause me to run to the fridge desperate for snacks.  (And none of them are hunger, by the way). 

In Level 2 listening, we start to see patterns and trends. When something with work comes up that I either don’t want to do, or I don’t feel comfortable or confident enough doing, I try to avoid or procrastinate doing it by getting up and going to the fridge for food.  Listening to myself at this level, I can also see that having a bowl of snacks sitting next to me is oddly comforting to me during those more difficult tasks I have to do.  WEIRD. 

But now, let’s go a little deeper into Level 3 Listening: 

It seems that I’m using food as a crutch to get me through something I deem to be difficult.  I seem to lack confidence in my ability to complete more time-intensive tasks, or those for which I might not have an immediate solution.  I’ve realized that I like finishing things quickly.  If not, it seems I fear the time and effort it takes to find solutions for people. Interesting.

Starting to see something here? 

Now look at how insane this Level 1 conclusion was compared to Level 3!

Level 1 Conclusion:  I keep blowing through my budget and eating way too many calories a day because I’m a total failure who clearly has no control or commitment to staying healthy!

Vs. Level 3 Conclusion: I like completing my work and finding solutions quickly for people.  I seem to lose confidence in more time-intensive projects, and in those instances, I use food as my crutch to get me through the task.

Wowsers. Quite a difference.

Can you imagine if you listened to yourself at Level 3 more often?  Can you imagine if you listened to your significant other, coworkers, friends, and family at Level 2 or 3 more often??

But really, this is so beneficial to understand, especially if you’re someone who beats yourself up a lot, OR just as importantly, if you’re someone who gets frustrated with other people easily.

So how do you start to make this a regular practice?

1. It starts with you being aware. 

And you can check that box because I’ve now made you aware of these listening concepts.  But also, take this awareness and apply to your own personal thoughts and the conversations you’re in with other people.

2. Stop and seek silence. 

I stumbled into this practice when I started going out to the dock first thing in the morning as a new way to set my mood for the day.  The longer I sat out there, the more still my mind became.  Of course it wouldn’t last more than one hour into my work day, so I started going back to my quiet place during my lunch breaks.  And then again after work.  I made a habit of seeking this silence multiple times daily.  Because there is no way you can think clearly when the usual distractions are right around you. 

So find your silent space.  Preferably outside your house somewhere.  Or maybe in your bedroom if it means there’s no TV, phone, or work distractions.  Or, if you’re home alone with nowhere else to go, just sit in the middle of your living room with your eyes closed and imagine yourself somewhere else entirely.

3. Ask out loud into the silence for help with your specific issue.

Some may call this asking the universe.  For me personally, I call it asking God.  And others might just call it talking out loud to themselves.  But I’ll tell you this, after two solid months of doing this daily, I can go outside to my God spot, ask my question, and I hear an answer come right back to me.  And not only do I get an answer, but I get a step-by-step understanding of my situation, myself, and others involved.  With all senses.  At all three listening levels.  It is pretty bad-ass. 

4. Do not underestimate the power of what you just did.

Do you know how rare it is for people to feel listened to or understood?  I’m sure you’ve said the same thing yourself! 

Do you know how powerful it is when you can actually hear your intuition (or God) speaking?  Where you can hear it so clearly that you have the confidence to act on it?  (By the way, if our intuitions didn’t come from something bigger and more powerful than our earthly physical bodies, then we’d never have any worries, stress, fear, or uncertainty, would we? Just my thought.) 

So this is an amazingly powerful thing!  So take this information and your time spent in silence, listening at all levels, very seriously.  It can be life changing.  Actually I’m going to come right out there and tell you it WILL be life changing. 

And don’t forget to thank yourself for this time spent listening at all levels.  It’s one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself and for those around you.  Give it a try and let me know what you think in a comment below! 

Have a fantastic week! On all levels ;)

-Kristin

Doing This One Simple Thing Will Ensure Your Cover Letter Is Actually Read

Ah, the dreaded cover letter.  I’m not going to use this post to defend or debate one.  But what I AM going to tell you is that if you spent the time writing one, it could very easily get overlooked.  EVEN if the company required it.  Why is that? 

Take note of this very important detail: 

When you apply through a jobsite and are asked to upload your resume and cover letter, are you uploading two separate files, or one file that includes both documents? 

Here’s what happens in the company’s recruiting system when you upload two separate files.  First, you and 100 other people applied to this job, meaning there could very easily be 200 files for the recruiter to open and read through.  Chances are the recruiter is going to go straight to the resume since that’s been the standard way to represent oneself. 

Then, the recruiter may or may not also open, read, and save your cover letter to their files.  And even if they do, your cover letter might not get submitted to the hiring manager with the resume.  Inadvertently, due to the sheer volume of files.

If you wrote a kickass cover letter straight from your heart, then make sure you do this one simple thing:

Save your cover letter and resume into ONE pdf file and title it, “[your name] Resume & Cover Letter”.  In that order.  Then, in the pdf file, make page 1 your cover letter and page 2 your resume. 

Ok, but that’s flip-flopped, you say.  Yes.  Intentionally. 

First, the recruiter’s eyes will automatically be drawn to the filename's first word, “Resume.”  That’s what they really want to see.  Then, upon opening the file, the recruiter’s eyes will go to page one, which happens to be your cover letter.  This will force them to at least take a glance through your letter while they scroll through to page two, your resume.

What if the company requires two separate file uploads on the application site?  Still, do the above.  Merge both cover letter and resume into one file like I advised above, then upload into the "Resume" upload box.  Then upload your cover letter into the "Cover Letter" upload box, if this is required.  So your cover letter is in theory uploaded twice?  Big deal.  Doing this will guarantee that both documents you worked so hard on will make their way through the recruiter’s review AND the hiring team's review, no matter what. 

Give it a try, you’ve got nothing to lose!

-Kristin

A Letter to Childhood Me, And Every Other Kid Who Doesn't Yet Know Social Media

Dear Younger Me,

You’re going to have some tough years ahead of you.  Right now, as a child, you believe you can conquer the world, and for starters, you're doing great so far!  You get good grades in school, you've stayed extremely athletic and fit thanks to mom's obsession with the gym.  You eat anything and everything and (ahem, just a heads up) those eating habits are most definitely NOT going to change. 

But the coolest thing about you, young K, is that you’re 10 years old and you believe you can do ANYTHING!  You don't look sideways for approval, you just do it!  You believe you can be anything you want to be.  You took those teachings all throughout your elementary years to heart.  You had a dream, maybe too many at times, and next thing you know, Mom and Dad are looking behind them like, holy smokes did she just do that??

But it ain't always going to be that easy.  Right now you have total confidence in yourself because it’s 1994 and your life consists of you, your family, and your circle of friends.  You know, the people you see and converse with every day. 

But in a decade or two we're going to go through a tech boom and suddenly the entire world will be at your fingertips. 

Sounds cool, right?  It is. 

But it's also going to test the waters of your life.  Because you'll have access to everyone else's lives at the same time.  In fact, everyone will be able to see everyone always!  Isn’t that nuts??  

But you must be careful.  Because you'll start looking at other people's lives a little too much, finding yourself oooohing and ahhhing at how pretty their pictures are, how successful they seem to be. 

You might find yourself scratching your head in confusion, looking at them and wondering, how?  Given how hard you work, why aren’t you seeing rapid success?  And sadly after some time goes by, little K, you might start to think less of yourself. 

You know you’re entrepreneurial now.  You’re 10 years old and you already have tons of great ideas spinning in your head.  You even took first place in the school science fair!  You KNOW the strength and dedication it takes to achieve what you’ve achieved even as just a kid.  Two pats on your back kiddo.

So do you think it’ll get easier as an adult?  Logically no, right?  How would that even be possible? 

Yet you’re going to see in pictures and videos that so many people seem to get so successful overnight so easily!  Do you think acting on an idea or building a business means you either get successful overnight, or it’s a bust? 

Ha!  You’re giggling little K.  That’s silly talk, isn’t it?  Well get ready.  Brace yourself.  Because in a decade or two that’s how oh so many people will choose to see things.  And when they exert a little effort and don’t find instant gratification, money, fame, or fortune overnight, they will literally beat the living sh—out of themselves and call themselves a failure.  

Isn’t that crazy??

Yes, it will be just that ridiculous! 

You will also get bombarded with email subscriptions on how to gain massive followings, money, and fame in as little as 30 days!  Step by step plans on how to build your business and 10x your revenue!  Your mouth will be drooling because you’ll think to yourself AHA! THAT is the missing piece!  The answers to my problems! 

You’ll spend the money, you’ll learn a ton, you’ll take notes, and then you’ll lose them.  You’ll gain momentum and then get sidetracked and feel like you’ve failed.  If you’re “lucky”, you’ll gain a loyal following who loves you for you.  And that part is awesome.  But you’ll also lose consistency, and potentially your following, if you allow your mind to get sidetracked in a million directions. 

It will be tough for you because you have the mind of a creator.  You can’t sit still.  You never have.  Complacent is the adjective that you shun.  But one day you will come across a genius concept called, “The One Thing.”  Where the greatest lesson you’ll learn is that you cannot catch a single rabbit by chasing after two at the same time. 

You’ll have to force yourself to focus on achieving one thing at a time.  There is NOTHING wrong with that.  You want to see success, right?  You’re just a kid and you already know how to achieve that.

You turn your head away from the distractions.  You write your goal in massive letters and hang it in front of your face at all times.  And when your creative mind thinks up many more amazing ideas, you will add them to a notebook and stow it away, only to be taken out once you’ve completed and achieved your previous goal. 

You will dedicate all your time and effort into achieving that one thing.  You know the time and commitment it takes.  You’ve already done this as a kid.  And you’ll need to remember that the exact same thing holds true, even 20 years from now when you see pictures of people achieving “instant success.”

So Younger Me, don’t be a silly-minded adult. 

Don’t be like the million other people will be in 2020, beating themselves up for not living as glamorously as the stranger on their Instafeed.

Don’t be an unrealistic fool.

Turn it off.  Ignore it all.  Listen to yourself.  The feelings and thoughts that jolt you awake in the middle of the night, THOSE are the ones you must listen to.  Those are coming straight from your divine creator, reminding you of your purpose. 

You must take those thoughts, those ideas, and get up the next morning and figure out a game plan to make them your reality.

Social media will most definitely NOT get you a game plan.  We already went over what social media WLIL do for you.  Goal setting and execution plans are not part of social media feeds’ agendas.

YOU think through your game plan.  And if you need help, you go knock on the door of the old gentleman or lady down the street from you.  The one who built their business from scratch in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and you ask them how they did it.  How they stayed focused, how they believed in themselves, how they maintained their grit, stamina, beliefs, and confidence, and you do EXACTLY what they advise you to do. 

After you’ve done that, THEN you go onto social media and you find someone who will handle the marketing for you.  Because you must understand, social media WILL become the greatest advertising mechanism of all time.  It’s insanely efficient, you can target with precision, and it barely costs a dime.  It’s one of the greatest things that will hit our time. 

But you must know its place in your life.  Use it appropriately. 

It’s 1994 kid.  You already know TV commercials are staged with a purpose.  Remember this always.

-Adult Me

Internal Promotions: Why Some People Get Them, And Why Others Don't

So you work for a company, you’ve been in role for a bit of time, and perhaps lately you’ve been going home at night, a bit frustrated because you know that you’re capable of more.  You hear about a position opening up in your company and you think to yourself, “I could totally do that.” 

You picture your coworkers’ resumes and convince yourself that you have so much more experience than them.  I mean, just think about all of the extra work you’ve done this year, how many late nights you’ve put in, and all of the compliments you’ve received from your manager.  Surely if anyone is fit for a promotion or new opportunity it’s you, right?   

Ok cool.  I’ve been there.  And as a recruiter, I’ve spoken with hundreds of employees who have been there themselves.  And over time, I’ve noticed six very common trends among those employees who actually get the promotion versus those who don’t. 

Trend #1: They Are Open & Communicative

Open communication photo from Unsplash

From. Day. One.  This type of person takes the time to deeply think out their hopes and dreams and has completely open, professional lines of communication with their boss about these ambitions, because it’s that important to them (as it should be). 

This starts with setting serious time aside during that goal-setting period at the beginning of each year and (very important) at least quarterly throughout the year to meet with their manager on how their current job is aligning to their goals.  If there are gaps, these types of people research and discuss certain project ideas that could help get them back on track.  These types of people know they own their careers and will speak up and ask their managers when they need support.

Trend #2: They Are Very Honest With Themselves

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

This is interesting because unbeknownst to many folks, we (interviewers) and hiring managers can actually tell with good accuracy and precision how much you really want (or don’t want) the job.  Are you interviewing for that promotion because it’s the obvious next step with your typical career path, or perhaps because you’ve put in so much time and “deserve it?”  Or, are you interviewing because you really want this particular job? 

Allow me to share a personal story.  Almost two years ago, I sat down with our CAO who had hired me and I told him, in the most professional way possible, that I wasn’t happy.  It wasn’t the job.  It wasn’t the team.  It was the fact that I truly felt I was in a position where the best version of me wasn’t being utilized.    

Now, that was highly summarized for the sake of this blog post, but did I rush into this conversation with the CAO?  Heck no.  I spent a couple months trying to figure myself out first.  Specifically, what made me unique, what part of my job did I love, and what part just didn’t feel like me.  And only after figuring myself out first, did I go to him with a few possible solutions.  I did NOT go to him to vent.  That’s simply unprofessional.  I went to him with my situation, some specific examples, and proposed a few solutions on how I thought I could bring more value to our company.        

Your #1 goal should be to always WANT the best version of yourself to go to work each day.  So think about what really makes you happy, what makes you tick, where your current job falls on that scale, and where this “next step” that you’re going for puts you on that scale.  Then, go back to #1 above and have an open, honest conversation with your manager.

Trend #3: They Put Themselves Out There Early On

I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to develop good, lasting relationships with everyone you meet.  You simply cannot wait to start networking with people only when you need them the most.  Why?  Because there are probably ten people who have already started that networking well before you, knowing that one day they could leverage these relationships to help get them to that next step in their career.  

This isn’t using and schmoozing people.  It’s simply introducing yourself, learning about others, letting them know who you are, what you do, and what your goals are.  It again goes back to developing and maintaining open lines of communication and good relationships.  

Trend #4: They Start Acting In-Role

How to get promoted. Photo by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash

Adding to #3 above, these people will simply ask if they can volunteer their skills and passions to start gaining some experience in the role they are eventually hoping to be in.  This is a must, especially if you’re trying to move into a role whose scope, functionally, is quite different than your two most recent positions. 

Why do I say most recent positions?  So ten years ago you were in a similar role to the one you’re trying for now.  Surely you’re qualified, right?  Perhaps qualified, but not COMPETITIVE.  Things change at rapid speed these days which is why a hiring manager will want to focus in on your RECENT experience and how quickly that can translate over to their requirements. 

So my best advice to you is to ask for stretch assignments in this space and volunteer your time on projects so managers can demo your capabilities without having to take on the risk of hiring you full-time.  Yes, this is in addition to your current job, and yes, you’re probably like “Volunteer my time? What time??”  Unfortunately, you’ll need to figure out how to make time.  And the easiest way to do this all goes back to #1 above.  Have an open conversation with your manager to see how you might be able to shift work around to fit some side projects into your schedule.   

Trend #5: They Are Grateful for Everything

Happy Coworkers by Ali Yahya on Unsplash

This sounds silly, but I’m speaking facts because I’ve seen and heard it a hundred times.  There is a distinct difference in character in those who get that next opportunity and those who don’t.  Those who do are grateful for every piece of experience, even if it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.  They have an attitude of gratitude.  If something doesn’t go their way, they don’t see themselves as victims of unfair circumstance x, y, or z.  They appreciate everything, big or small, pleasant or tough.

So how, you might wonder, does this translate to actually making any sort of difference in reality?  Well for starters, these types of people are just more pleasant to be around.  They’re uplifting, they’re contagious, and they help bring positive light to any situation at hand.  Who wouldn’t want someone like that on their team? 

Secondly, they see every situation, no matter how crappy, as being a +1 to their life.  A horrible day at work equals just another learning experience to add to their toolkit. 

Contrast that to the victim-mindset where nothing is ever good enough.  Where a horrible day at work equals a “why me” mentality.  Rather than learning from tough circumstances, these types of people choose to spend their energy venting over why those circumstances are happening to them in the first place.

Can you see the difference here?  Don’t beat yourself up if you’re the latter, most of us are.  It’s human nature.  But you’ve heard the phrase “practice an attitude of gratitude.”  And that’s because, frankly, it takes practice.  But look at the difference a simple shift in your reaction can make to your outcomes.  

Trend #6: They Are Never Entitled

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

If you think you will automatically be offered a promotional role because you’ve been on the team, are friends with the hiring manager, or whatever other reason might be floating around in your head, think again.  Because news flash, you are not the only person interviewing for the role. 

The successful person will prepare themselves as much as possible because they know they might not be the only contender. They can’t risk being the silver medalist because they want the job that bad for their career.  Even if by chance they know they are the preferred candidate, they see the opportunity to interview as a learning and development experience.  A way to further refine their presentation skills. 

They come to the table 100% serious and prepared to give it their all.  And that tells the hiring manager that this person can be counted on to always give the job their all, no matter the circumstance. 

In Summary:

These six trends came to me pretty quickly as I was preparing to write this post because I’ve seen over and over again what sets those who move forward apart from those who don’t. 

Now you might think to yourself, “I totally meet all of the above, but I was still rejected!”  And that’s where recruiting is tough, because at the end of the day we could have multiple amazing candidates, but only one person can get the job.  And my best advice to you in that case?  Go back to #1 above on communication and ask for open, honest feedback so you know how to improve for next time. 

If you guys know someone who might benefit from this article I’d love if you could share this with them and your network. Thanks so much for reading!

-Kristin

Coping and Recovering: Following an Accident

At the moment you thought you had your life together; you're succeeding in your career, you’ve just started dating someone great and you’re planning to take a step-up on the property ladder. Then everything is brought to a halt, an accidental injury occurs. It could be whiplash, a sprained ankle, or fatal injuries imminently rendering the next few months of your life turned upside down. Incapable of picking up your life where you left off, opposed to drowning yourself in sorrow and frustration, let the tough times develop you. Once you have mentally accepted the event, there are things you can do to cope and recover, to build a better stronger you during after your injury.

Change Focus

Your mind and/or body are most likely incapable of completing your routine basic and complex tasks, such as; getting ready in the speed of light, power walking to work, handling meeting after meeting with ease, speed and efficiency. This is when it’s time to refocus your energy on you, which means taking time to rest (a lot), slow down, live purposefully, feed your body nutrients and fluid you've been lacking in your busy lifestyle and adopting a relaxed approach to living. The truth is, without your able body and mind, you will no longer be able to do the things you used to unless you take a step back to let yourself heal. You never know, after some refocusing you may choose to give up your old life altogether, and accept a slower way of life dedicated to your health and wellbeing opposed to clocking in overtime at your corporate job.

Ask For Help

Now’s not the time to be prideful, you need your family and friends so don’t be ashamed to ask for and accept help. Think of it as if your mom or best friend had gone through the same thing you are, you would want to help get them back on their feet. Besides, love, support, and company from your loved ones, you will also need experts. Whether hiring a specialist, therapist or physiotherapist, there are an abundance of professionals who can advise you how to recover from your injury and psychological trauma, advise what medication you need, and what stretches and exercises to do in focus of keeping your body flexible and moving.

Above all, providing you can’t work for a short or long period of time, you will likely be missing money that enables you to keep a roof over your head and food in your stomach. Contacting an attorney is in your interests if an injury caused is as a result of an accident that wasn’t your fault. Professional legal advice from an attorney will establish whether you might be liable for compensation, this money will hopefully fill your bank enough to take care of you’re out of work. Bare in mind to choose an attorney that has experience in similar cases to your own. For instance, contact a motorcycle accident lawyer for motorbike incidents, a work-related injury lawyer for an accident that happened at work and so forth.

Following an accident, it’s essential to take a step back and refocus all of your energy on taking care of you, furthermore accepting help from family and the experts who can support or advise you through a difficult time. Together these elements will help you both cope and recover following an accident.

Tired Of The Corporate 9-5? How to Pursue Your Passion

Is the 9-5 corporate grind getting you down? Ok yes, I totally hear ya at times. But, it’s important to remember that before you go making it onto the Top 10 List of “Greatest I Quits Of All Time,” the corporate company you work for DOES in fact pay all of your bills, your medical benefits, and likely provides a much needed service to you or at least someone you know (ahem, Starbucks, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon). So the fact of the matter is, unless you’re swimming in money, you probably need your 9 to 5.

NOW ON THE FLIP SIDE, as long as you wake up, work your 9 to 5 each day, and then come home, go to sleep, and do it all over again tomorrow, well, that is in fact what you’ve set your life up to be, and ALL that you’ve set your life up to be. If you want your circumstances to change, then what you put into each day better change. So rather than flat out quit, perhaps it's time to consider how you can start adding some of the following options instead.

Set up your own company

One way to evade the constraints of a 9-5 corporate job is to step out and set up your own company as an entrepreneur. Then you can have total control over your business's culture and make it as relaxed and as creative as you want. Ha, well that’s obvious. BUT, statistically is it realistic for everyone? Probably not. While this is a VERY oversimplified piece of advice, if there is something that’s been nagging at you that you’re truly passionate about, and you’ve got the drive, then guess what, you CAN in fact make it be just that simple.

Why, how, and what do you mean Kristin? Here’s one thing I’ve learned over the last couple years. You see that last sentence in the paragraph above? Do what you love to do, KEEP DOING what you love to do, and do it BECAUSE you love to do it. Repeat, repeat, repeat. If you are creating something that truly represents you, everyone will admire it and nobody can match it. Repeat, repeat, repeat some more. Do it you because you LOVE to do it, and eventually you’ll start to figure out how and where you can really bring value to others.

Become an artisan

On that note, and also a real departure from the traditional suited and booted 9-5 corporate role (or sneaks in our case, folks), is to become an artisan, someone that makes an elite product usually by hand.

Of course, this can take a significant amount of time to get to a point where you can even earn enough money to live on, let alone match the salary you can expect to see in the corporate world. But like I said above, if it’s a talent of yours, and you really love it, you can set aside say 5-10 hours a week working on this while you keep your day job. Learn how to earn extra money online at the same time while you practice your art. This can help keep you afloat while you establish your businesses and customer base.

And seriously, if you were born and blessed with artistic talent, the world deserves to see it!

Learn a trade

A smart alternative to artisan work is to learn a more traditional hands-on trade such as plumbing, being an electrician, or even a painter. You know, things that every day people need, EVERY DAY! The advantage of these sort of careers is that they tend to pay a lot more than artisan roles, and are in constant demand as well, ensuring that you will get enough business to make a decent profit.

Of course, they are entirely different from the corporate world because you will travel to client locations, and deal with specific and various issues there, most of which will require hands-on work and lateral thinking.

It's also much easier to train in these types of areas as opposed to artisanal pursuits because there are plenty of schools or online resources that offer short courses, allowing you to get up and running quickly.

Help others

It's not that people in the corporate world don't help others. In fact, some roles focus on this, such as human resources and recruitment. Woohoo! (that’s MY 9 to 5). However, how awesome would it be to help others for YOUR cause?

If you are tired of showing up to a job everyday that you don’t feel a tangible connection to, choosing a job where you get to help people for more altruistic reasons can be a much better choice. Start by making a list of everything you love and are passionate about. For example, animals, nutrition, keeping our earth clean, certain vitamins, etc. etc. How could you help contribute to these companies, whether through your time or something else unique your skills and talents could offer them? Start by doing this on a volunteer basis, keep doing it consistently and you’ll get really good at it, and sure enough after a solid, consistent amount of time, I guarantee you someone from these organizations will want to include you on their team in a more formalized manner.

It all starts by you identifying what really makes you happy, and then you getting creative with the skills, talents, and passion that you’ve already got. You will do your best work when you are in love with it. So if that means doing it for a couple hours at night after you’ve already worked a 10 hour day, then it’s still a win-win for you right? Do what can support you, and do what makes you happy. If you can do both of those in one job, then great! If you can do both of those in two jobs, then that’s still great! As long as that happy part is in there, then you’re living a life worth living.

Much love,

Kristin

How to Start Writing In Your Spare Time

When that inkling to write creeps into your heart and mind, that feeling never quite dies. You might graduate college and go a decade into your career, much like myself, but eventually that desire to create expressions through writing will be knocking harder and harder at your insides, so badly wanting to come out.

Let’s face it, writing is the product of SO much passion. When you love to read and create and get lost in an imaginary world, it’s only natural that your mind will often come up with characters and ideas, plots and twists. So whether you were a budding author as a child, or you were someone that just wanted to write features and stories and snippets from your life, you will still have that feeling until you put pen to paper. Or, perhaps more aptly, fingers to keyboard.

So, let’s say you ARE interested in writing in your spare time, maybe even with the intention of turning this into a career. Or selling a story. How do you do it and where do you even start?

First, Just Start

Right now! When you’ve finished reading this post, open up your laptop and just get writing. Brain dump is what I call it. Brain dump whatever it is on your mind and don’t worry a second about grammar or organization. Just let the creativity flow. Getting started is often the hardest part, so if you just do it, you’ve beaten that hurdle.

Set Aside The Time

You’re pumped, you’re motivated on Day 1, but then life takes over again on Day 4, and you stop. Ya’ll, clearly I’ve been mad guilty of this lately. Hence, why I’m writing this post. Find time to write by first determining what’s a doable amount of time to write each day (I did 20 minutes starting out), and then get real with yourself to determine what time of day your brain is most capable of doing this. Perhaps it’s the wee hours of the morning when the world is quiet and it’s just you and your coffee. Or maybe your lunch break when you need to vent about your day. Whenever it is, just schedule it in and make a habit of it. When you’ve got the time set aside for it, you will write.

Kick Into Routine-Mode

You know what they say about the number of days it takes to make a lifelong habit. Do it for those 21 days straight and guess what, writing just became a glorious part of your daily life. Consistency is key to make it big, they say. So make sure you’re being consistent. Again, I have epic-ally FAILED at this recently. Ergo, this is a seriously important reminder on how much you’re capable of achieving when you’re in a routine. AND, the more of a routine you get into with your writing, the easier and more natural it will become.

Take It Seriously!

Like no joke, if you wrote for 20 minutes a day, you are capable of being one hell of a good writer in a matter of months! Umm, hashtag bosscard! And then there may come a time where you feel ready to take this whole writing thing to another level! Maybe you want to look at online jobs from home where you can write to make money and then write in your spare time creatively too. Or, maybe you want to think about getting a pitch together for a book proposal? Umm, my dream! So keep up the consistency and things WILL get serious for you.

Go Big and Without a Care!

Do NOT over-analyze and be hard on yourself. That’s not why you’re writing. You’re writing because you LOVE IT. You’re writing because it’s a God-given TALENT. You’re writing because it releases feelings, emotions, and creativity that make you feel whole each day. THAT is why you’re writing. And when you remind yourself of that each day, you WILL be consistent. And what did we say above? When you stay consistent, you will get really damn good. And when that happens? The possibilities are endless my friend. Go BIG. You deserve to.

-Kristin Leigh

What is a Pinterest Community?

So glad you asked! This feature is literally just days old, right off the presses. (Off the presses - are we even allowed to still use that term? Sad!)

Ok so basically Pinterest Communities are like Facebook groups, BUT BETTER. Here’s why:

1. You are joining a group where your feed is full of beautiful pictures of things YOU care about.

2. You don’t have to sift through everything else you could care less about to get to what you ACTUALLY want to see. (Ahem, Facebook & Instagram)

3. Bye-bye annoying political posts that we’re all sick of seeing. There’s a specific Community for that.

4. Your phone will not be exploding with notifications about literally everything.

5. You can create posts for the group using your own original content, OR you can simply PIN and share other content you love on Pinterest! (Yay, no work!)

6. It’s like Instagram with the pretty pictures, but without the annoyance of fake accounts, follower/like obsessions, AND you don’t have to be the one posting everything, everyone can! (sigh of relief).

7. It’s also better than Instagram because each post contains LINKSSSS! So you can access more information instantly. Praise the lord, hallelujah!

8. There’s way more benefits, I’m literally only 8 hours into using it.

Ok so how do I SEARCH, JOIN, OR CREATE a Pinterest Community?

Literally, the easiest thing ever.

1. First, open your phone’s Pinterest App. Look at the bottom center of your screen. Do you see a Community icon with a heart in the center like below? If not, all you need to do is update the app and then you’ll see it.

2. You have to first JOIN a community in order to be able to CREATE a community (if you so wish to create one).

SEARCH and JOIN communities by clicking that Community icon and inputting your search terms. Or, to make it easier, simply join these two communities right here:

https://www.pinterest.com/community/sneakers/

https://www.pinterest.com/community/career-tips/

3. Now that you’ve joined a Pinterest Community, you can CREATE a Pinterest community in one easy step (if you want to). See that + (plus) sign in the top right corner of my previous screenshot above? Click that to CREATE a new community. And then all you need to do is add three simple pieces of info - Community Name, Description, and a Cover Photo. Voila! You’re now the admin of your new Pinterest Community!

4. Now that you’ve joined a couple communities, feel free to start sharing content! You can upload your own pics OR you can post from pics you’ve already pinned on Pinterest! (This feature is amazing because now YOU don’t always have to be the creator of the content).

Just click the “Write something” field, start writing, and if you want to upload a photo or Pin, just tap that section at the bottom of the screen. And boom, all your recent pins, or your phone’s camera pics, are right there for you to choose from.

And that’s it!! Make sure you join the Sneakers community I just created because I want to meet you and we can share our favorite new kicks!

-Kristin

Why I Disappeared From Instagram

Well hello.  I’m back, after two months Instagram-free.  I didn’t exactly give you guys warning that I was going to do that.  In fact, I didn't even know I was going to do that.  But the truth is, life happened.  And quite frankly, life was happening all around me.  My dog was in front of me wanting to play.  My job consumed me for, no joke, 14 hours every day.  I had family to see, friends to catch up with, and myself to try and pick back up again. 

Life.  The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter.  Pretty much most things on this earth, other than the material electronics we spend so much time scrolling through and tapping. 

The truth?  Instagram makes me feel really uncomfortable.  Before I signed up for it I thought I could be anything I wanted to be.  I thought I could build a website, contribute to the world with my writings, and inspire people to be themselves every day.  I had a vision.  I saw the end product.  I would be CEO of Suits & Sneaks, the movement that would inspire each person to be themselves, even if working in the corporate world for someone else.

But then, I signed up for Instagram. 

I heard it was the social media platform to be on to help advertise and grow my brand.  And sure, it definitely got my name out there and was very effective at redirecting traffic to my site.  But for the first time, I saw everyone else.

I saw tons of people that looked more successful than me.  I saw girls that were in perfect shape.  They could pull off any outfit they wanted because they looked so young and vibrant.  There was no way I looked like those girls.  I was 34 and exhausted.  I had just spent months pulling all-nighters to get my site up and running.

But these girls?  Their angles were perfect.  Their lighting was perfect.  Their color scheme and flow of their feed was perfect.  They had hundreds of pictures of what looked like every day normal shots.  Don't get me wrong, my photographer  puts out some great shots.  But like, do these girls seriously just walk outside and snap pics of themselves, and look that good daily?  Will I eventually get there?  I hoped so.

For quite some time I completely sucked at getting a good looking Instagram.  How the hell did these girls do it?  Maybe they’re just naturally pretty, and I’m not.  Gee, that was depressing.  I wanted to be as successful as them.  I go all-in at everything I do, so when will I look like these bloggers and win at Instagram?

You guys, what the f---.   

Once upon a time I was so happy with myself for unleashing what I truly believed was a God-given writing talent.  And now, I’ve amounted myself to nothing more than what I believe is an ok photo that doesn’t even come close to the bloggers who have “made it.”  

That is seriously frightening.  A sane person, once myself, could sit here and say how ridiculous that is to destroy your self-worth in such a sad, useless, and non-realistic way.  But for so many Instagram users, this has become our reality.  And it got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore.

So hi, I’m Kristin. 

And I’m made up of 34 years of hardships, wins, losses, and blessings that have made me into the actual person that actual people see, every day.  Without a camera, I’m actually quite confident in myself.  I know how to navigate the corporate world.  I have a kick-ass work ethic.  I love to inspire and motivate people.  And I am over the moon about the career change I made last year, going from being a CPA to a recruiter.  I have the most amazing beagle-basset hound God has ever created.  And we have quite literally saved each others’ lives, multiple times.  I am really close with my family.  I have the perfect boyfriend.  And I love to wear sneakers. 

But, I’m struggling with my weight right now and my self-esteem is at the lowest it’s ever been.  I deal with endometriosis and food addictions that constantly consume my life.  I’ve come face to face with death two, almost three times.  I was saved by the grace of God, and I’m forever indebted.  But most importantly, I try my best to be forever appreciative.

And yet, with this little app called Instagram, I somehow had dismissed all of that.  How stupid, right? 

So here’s where I stand with Instagram:

First, I no longer give two shits about having who I am validated by the frequency of posts I make or the number of likes or followers I get (or lose) on Instagram.  And neither should you.  Now that I've spent two months away from it, I realize Instagram, in theory, is quite meaningless. 

However, on the flip side, I’ve received some of the nicest messages ever from followers on how I’ve been an inspiration to them.  And THAT is what continues to give me purpose with Suits & Sneaks.  For those of you who were inspired by me, I want to stop here and truly apologize to you that I selfishly disappeared when I could’ve otherwise found ways to continue being an inspiration to you.  Seriously, f---- me for that.  

Second, staying “on brand” actually is really important.  But I have to remember there is more to my personal life than the brand on my, well technically my BRAND’S, Instagram account.  And vice versa, right?  My brand will many times stand alone from my personal life.  My first go-around with this was a bit of a hodgepodge.  I did sneakers, but then I also did my dog and daily life.  Like, do I want Suits & Sneaks to be a brand?  Or do I want it to be me personally?  I’ve had mixed feelings and received mixed responses on this.  I’m honestly open to any feedback.  But I think I’ve kinda figured a way forward with this.  Bear with me.

And lastly, I legitimately missed you guys.  There are a number of followers that have seriously put the biggest smile on my face with their kind words.  And there are a number of followers that I think I was able to help out as well.  And I freaking LOVE that. 

In my day job as a recruiter, I talk to hundreds of candidates, and at the end of every single one of my days, I get the most satisfaction from helping these people feel pumped about themselves and their accomplishments. 

So my Instagram mindset has shifted.  This platform will be for you.  Not for me to compare my stats to others to validate whether I’m "on track" or not.  It will simply be for you.  I wish I could talk to each one of you on the phone every week like I do with my candidates, but guess what, this is the next best thing.  Because now I can reach thousands of you to help you feel good about yourself, especially in your career.  As has been my purpose in creating Suits & Sneaks from Day 1 - I want to inspire you to Let The Real You Shine Through.

Love you all and am glad to be back.

-Kristin

Working With An Invisible Illness

An invisible illness could be depression, addiction, cancer, auto-immune disease, anxiety.  Basically anything internal that only you can see.  The problem is these are not one-and-done illnesses like a cold or a broken arm.  They're chronic.  And they're consuming.

As a current fighter of an invisible illness, I want to talk about the impacts it can have on your career.  And based on my experience, I can share what almost broke me, and what saved me.

I was failing at work.

This time last year was the absolute worst point of my career.  I had stabbing abdominal pains, massive blood loss, regular vertigo, 10 pounds lost, and a fainting episode.  You would never know it if you saw me because I didn't have a scar on the outside of my body to prove it to you.

What people did see, though, was that I started to miss deadlines; again, and again.  I'd disappear from work for hours because I was either sick to my stomach or having another dizzy spell.  "You should really consider short-term disability," my boss eventually advised.  I declined at first, but after a month of not delivering any work output and letting my team down, I agreed it was the right thing to do.

Except that, my insurance provider didn't recognize my situation as a diagnosed condition with a specified start and end date.  My doctors' offices were always too busy to ever provide the documentation that was requested of them.  Relative to their hundreds of older, more seriously diagnosed patients, I was pretty low-risk. 

But, they didn't see me trapped in the bathroom for hours scared out of my mind from the blood loss.  They didn't see me crawling on the floor back to my bedroom from the light-headedness, with nothing left to my vision but spots.  They didn't hear me crying on the phone to my parents or boyfriend for help.  To the disability insurance company and my doctors, I was just a young, non-smoker female suffering from either digestive or gynecological issues.  To be determined as to the cause.  

And therein lies the problem with an invisible illness.  I didn't yet have a diagnosis, so what exactly would I be covered for?  And the only way to get diagnosed, at this point, was through abdominal surgery.  No big deal, right?  Wrong.  "When is your surgery date?  Because we can only cover you for your time out during surgery."  So, aside from the hellacious symptoms I had been suffering through for months leading up to a tentative surgery date, I was also being pressured into having the surgery simply to prove to them I had an illness and be covered for job protection and disability.  This was my life last summer and it was very upsetting.  I had become so worn out and frail that I ended up too sick to even have the surgery.  And as a result, the third-party provider declined me FMLA and Short-Term Disability.

I suffered every day from severe abdominal pains and embarrassing symptoms that I had to admit to my managers in order to explain why I was late to work.  I mentally broke down and could no longer function.  I was literally one day away from throwing my hands up and quitting because I was so embarrassed.  Any good judgment I had left was just about gone. 

And it was at this worst moment when someone walked through the door at work, and without knowing it, saved me.

Here is what saved me.

I listened to her from the back corner of the conference room, sitting by myself with tear-soaked eyes, as she gave her presentation to my colleagues and I.  She was a top executive in our organization.  Yet, something about her just seemed so real.  She spoke with calmness, but I could tell behind her was a career of not just successes, but many hardships that made her into the person she was in front of me that day.  She endured a lot, personally and professionally.  I didn't know it, but I could sense it.

And for the first time, I felt an inkling of hope.  I sat there, and I looked up to her. 

She might have planned her presentation that day to say one thing, but the message I got that day was "stay." 

I then got very real with myself to try and understand what would truly make me happy as I tried to fight through this.  I loved helping people and I loved giving career advice.  I should be a recruiter, I thought.  

So I mustered up every last ounce of energy I had and interviewed for a recruiting position at my company.  It took almost two months of follow-ups but I ultimately got the job.

The physical symptoms of my condition were still there, but I no longer had the time to sit and wallow in pain because I was on the phone talking to people every day. 

Fast-paced interaction and quick wins are what worked for me. 

The nature of my prior Accounting life involved analyzing complex financial data for extended periods of time.  Because it was just me and my computer, I'd lose focus easily and find myself consumed in thoughts of illness and pain.  I was mentally making it worse for myself.

But this sudden shift to a fast-paced, interactive role changed things, because I no longer had the time or space for debilitating thoughts in my head.  I was now less focused on myself, and more focused on helping people get into the desk of their dream job.

Looking Back 

& Lessons Learned

As I look back on my experience, there are five major pieces of advice I have for anyone working through an invisible illness.

1. Hold your doctor accountable.

As you saw above, this was exhausting for me.  And in the end, it didn't even work out.  Your doctor needs to feel your pain and fully understand the impacts your condition has had on your life.  Otherwise, they will be of no help to you as you try to get relief from any short-term disability benefits.

2. Seek help quickly at work.

 Do not try to "stick it out" as long as you can.  If you know your performance is less than 100%, other people can see that too.  The more time you keep to yourself, the less time you spend getting help for yourself.  And in case you forgot, your time in life is finite.  Find a safe environment and someone you can trust.  Swallow your pride and remember, everyone has issues.  Humble yourself and ask for help.

3. Do a serious inventory of what makes you happy.

Make a list of things that really make you smile and laugh.  Start doing these things more often.  If it's certain people, start hanging around them more often.  When you spend more time with the people and things that make you happy, you will be distracted from your illness, and in turn will become a mentally stronger and happier person.

4. A job change could mean everything.

Taking on a new position that you're passionate about will instantly relieve the mental part of your illness.  If you can't change jobs, add variation to your normal work routine.  This sudden shift from the norms will require extra focus from your brain, distracting your thoughts away from any pain and illness.

5. Try to do work that involves quick wins.

Quick wins will inspire you to turn work around that much faster, which will leave you feeling successful that much more often.

I hope this can be helpful to you if you're currently fighting an invisible illness.  Keep your head up.  There will always be someone or some way to help make things better for you.  Even if just a bit.  Reach out anytime if you have questions or want to share your story.  Sending my love to you all!

-Kristin

Got an Upcoming Interview? I've Got 5 Pieces of Advice For You.

Hey y’all I’m back with probably the biggest interview tip I could ever give you.  You could be the sweetest, smartest, most hardworking person in the world, but if you don’t have this one skill, I’m really sorry, but you likely won’t advance in the interviewing process.  You have heard it before, but I can’t stress the importance of it enough. 

And so I tell you that, COMMUNICATION SKILLS are EVERYTHING.  Now, before your two-second attention span closes this window because you’re like, yeah Kristin I already knew that, realize that there is in fact a LOT more to this communication word than you might realize.  And you not being seriously self-aware and socially aware of each of the five points below could very well cost you the job.  I have seen it many times.

So without further ado, let’s examine the most critical parts of communication:

1.       Your energy

Communication skills are key

If you have naturally low energy, I implore you, I beg you, to do whatever it takes to up your energy level, even if slightly out of your comfort zone.  If you lose someone in the first few minutes, it will be close to impossible to get them back. 

Try your best to be dynamic and bring feeling into your conversation.  The reality is, it’s you and a handful of other people interviewing.  You need to come to the table with a level of professional energy that can outpace your competition. 

2.       Your flow

It ain’t just for yoga class people.  Strive for really good flow in your explanations.  Think chronologically high level with the ability to dive into detail where needed. 

Chronological, high level points will make it easy for the interviewer to follow you.  It shows them you know how to get the most important points across quickly.  Then, dive into detail when asked for specific examples.  This will validate to the interviewer that you’ve actually worked through your situations and can recap your processes and learnings for someone else as well.    

3.       Your questions

While there’s always a balance between quality and quantity, please at least have some questions put together for your interviewers.  A lack of questions will make us think either you don’t care, or perhaps you’re not as well-versed in the subject area as you say you are. 

Very important though, really think through how what you’re asking might be perceived.  For example, I cringe when I open it up for questions and the candidate goes, “what are the working hours?”  Seriously, that’s your first question for me?  Now there could be a legit reason you’re asking, i.e. you have kids to pick up at 4pm, but you need to ask questions demonstrating your interest in the role first, then you can ask logistical questions later.    

4.       Your tone

Be very, very careful with this one.  I’ve seen really good candidates mess this part up in the interview and instantly lose the hiring team’s trust.  If you have a tendency to let annoyance or sarcasm creep into your conversational tone, make sure you check that, and any potentially demeaning words in your vocab, at the door. 

Your ultimate goal for this interview is to remain as positive as possible.  Now sure, you will be asked about difficult situations.  And you most certainly should answer them truthfully.  But you can do this by explaining your difficult situation in a more neutral tone, and then wrap it up by explaining what you learned from that particular situation. 

5.       Your ability to read the room.

Learn to read the room

Otherwise known as social awareness.  Since nobody can be perfect, the next best thing you can do is at least learn to read your audience and adjust accordingly.  If you notice any of your interviewers' eyes start to glaze over, or they lean back in their chairs and sort of slouch, then you’re not talking succinctly or dynamic enough.  So try to make your points a little clearer and a little faster.  If you notice your interviewers suddenly raising eyebrows or looking uneasy, something you said is causing them to question their trust in you.  Don’t be negative and consider adjusting your tone. 

At the end of the day, you should always be you.  Just remember that technical skills can be taught a lot faster than communication skills can.  So as you prep for your interview and gather your technical skills together, use the five points above to make sure you can communicate your experiences to your interviewers as best as possible.

Good luck and as always, comment below if you have any questions!

-Kristin

How To Let Tough Times Develop You, Not Destroy You

I wrote this post for those of us who've had every good intention to start 2018 off on the right foot.  Yet for each of our own personal reasons, we just seem to be struggling through life's curve-balls and challenges.  So my blog post this week starts with a simple realization, then follows with some call-to-actions.  And by the end, I hope you've found a new way to look at these challenges in your life that you might not have thought of before.

First, Realize This: It's Your Round 1.

When we face a challenge, we usually consider it a challenge because, well, we’ve never BEEN through it before.  We’re not sure what to do. 

If this was our Round 2, we’d be working through it with a little more ease, right?  This is an important concept for us to realize at the start of any hardship.  So let's cut ourselves some slack and accept that this is tough, and we therefore may not be our best selves right now.   

Next, Grieve.  Hard. 

Don’t try to one-up your hardship at the very beginning.  If your situation hurts in any sort of way, allow yourself to feel it.  Do what you need to do to truly feel the pain and grieve yourself through it.  This is a good thing. 

Why?  Because you VALUE that part of your life.  Life and all its happenings actually MEAN something to you.  

But When Is It Time For Me To “Get Over it” and “Move On?”

I personally believe you should never “get over” the loss of a loved one, a pet, a relationship, a job, or anything else personal that made up a huge part of your life.  Rather, you can learn to live with their memory in a new way.  Or, if you’re simply upset about something at work, school, home, or wherever, then remember what I said above.  At then end of the day we should let these difficult times develop us, not destroy us.

Ok, How?

If you find yourself in a continuous pattern of sulk where you feel like it’s destroying you or parts of your life, try this.  Zoom out and look at your situation from above.  Like a bird watching over you. 

Really try to understand the entire picture at hand, and how this current hardship plays into your potential 80+ years of life on this earth.  This will allow you to visualize from the entire perspective of your past, present, and future.  Not just from the perspective as you see things right now. 

Find your highs.  Your happy moments.  Your accomplishments.  Grab ahold of them to help you walk forward each day.

Find your lows.  What you perceive as weaknesses.  And while you’re zoomed out on your life at a bird’s eye view, the important thing to notice is this.  These are NOT in fact low points of your life, they’re LEARNING points. 

Because as each hour and day passes, you’re actually gaining something.  You’re gaining experience, strength, and a deeper appreciation for the things that mean so much to you.     

So take your challenges into the New Year as a person of strength.  Because as each day passes, you continue to learn how to live through them.  So that at the end of the day, we let the hardships we face develop us, not destroy us.

Make it a great 2018,

-Kristin

This is How I Toured Paso Robles Wine Country

What is up y'all!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the kickoff to the holidays!  This year I flew out to California to spend Thanksgiving with my boyfriend and his family.  I took the entire week off from work, UNPLUGGED, and thought what better way to kick off the week than with two days in wine country?  So I landed in LA Monday morning and hit the road immediately to travel the PCH up to Paso Robles. 

Why Paso?  Two reasons - 1) I LOVE Justin wine and 2) I LOVE Ancient Peaks wine.  If these two gems came from Paso, then I was excited to see what else this wine country had to offer.

Paso Robles: The Itinerary

While planning this out, I was warned not to make the mistake of getting "slammered," which is the act of scheduling way too many winery visits in one day.  Whether that actually happened is debatable, but I like to make the most of my days so here's how it went down:

Monday afternoon: Ancient Peaks winery   

Pit stopped into Ancient Peaks since we were driving in to Paso from the South.

Ancient Peaks sits at the bottom end of Paso Robles.  Since we arrived into the area late Monday afternoon, we thought this would be our winery choice for the day before driving into the heart of Paso and checking into our hotel. 

Ancient Peaks' tasting room is more of a storefront experience, versus sitting on sprawling vineyards.  But, I absolutely LOVED the interior of it, and our wine server was so awesome and knowledgeable.  They have a really cute outdoor area with little cask fountains and couches that look out to the streets of the quaint little town of Santa Margarita. 

The wine I went there for is the Oyster Ridge Cabernet, which is the final wine on their tasting menu.  Clearly I have good taste.  The wine that shockingly blew me away was their Chardonnay.  I'm NOT a Chard fan, but I was shocked at how light and airy theirs was.  The flight included 5 wines (1 white and 4 reds) for $15.  Overall good value and I recommend stopping in.  

Hotel: Holiday Inn Paso Robles

I researched a ton of different hotel options, but ended up using IHG points to stay for free at the Holiday Inn Express because it's located in the dead center of Paso.  We were 150% satisfied with the accommodations.  So after getting a much needed long night's sleep, we arrived to Justin the next day, bright and early. 

Tuesday Winery #1: Justin

20 minute scenic drive from hotel out to Justin

Justin sits way back there in the valley so have patience on your drive.  I highly recommend making this your first stop of the day given its distance, then you can work your way back in to town.

The inside of Justin has an open air, contemporary vibe to it.  We took a walk around and found our favorite Justin bottles staring back at us behind thick glass cases.  Justin enthusiasts, carry a napkin to catch your drool.  The Eighty-One and Isosceles never looked so good. 

They also have a restaurant on site that overlooks the vineyard.  We opted not to eat so early, so we instead found a spot outside overlooking their vineyards. 

Looking out from our table at Justin

Justin's tasting is 5 wines for $20.  The pours were average 1 oz as you can see below, and their wines are all SO damn good that even if we got stiffed some, it didn't matter.  In my opinion, their wines are standout in quality. 

Justin Wine Tasting - 1st pour

Enjoying the Isosceles Reserve at Justin 

The views were really nice, and it just so happened that sitting next to us were Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra!  This is me finally realizing why the couple looked so familiar.  No we did not do a group pic lol.  But Justin did have the most adorable fall setup at the entrance of their winery so Derek and I posed for that.     

Having a moment in Justin's fall foilage.

Having a moment at Justin Winery :p

Tuesday Winery #2: Daou

We enjoyed the same scenic drive making our way back towards the center of Paso.

Ok.  Now you want to talk about views?  Daou's views are absolutely breathtaking.  And their outdoor seating area has couches, blankets, fire pits, and spans multiple levels into the vineyard.  Everything about this place is beautiful and you'll want to spend the entire day here... 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Daou vineyards

Looking out from Daou's upper deck

...If you're the richest man in the world that is.  It is EXPENSIVE, with the wine tastings coming in at a measly $40 per person.    What??  Yes, $40 for 5 tiny pours.  Now it'd be one thing if the pours were generous, but they were by far the tiniest pours I have EVER seen in my life.  Like, so tiny I couldn't even tell you what the wine tasted like. 

I was pretty upset about this, but when I turned my eyes away from the 4 drops of a "tasting" in my glass and looked out at the 360 degree vistas, I felt better. 

We also ordered a $40 cheese and charcuterie plate (as if we had a choice lol), though it was pretty substantial, and really good I might add. 

Yes indeed I was having a moment :p

And then the bill came. 

Pay up at Daou.  $200 and change. That one hurt.

HERE IS THE SECRET TO NOT GOING BROKE AT DAOU:  Do NOT do the wine tastings.  Rather, you can order their best bottle for $65 and share it.  That's an entire bottle for you and your company to spend the day there soaking in the views, for a TOTAL of $65. 

Having a moment in Daou's vineyards.

Here's where it gets even better.  If you do the wine tastings, you're confined to their upper deck, so the server can keep watch on your status and tend to you better.  If you pass on the tastings and order either full glasses or a bottle, you can sit yourself wherever you'd like on the grounds.  And as I mentioned above, they have some STUNNING seating areas.  Trust me, this is 100% the way to go.   

A seating area in Daou's vineyard.

Tuesday Winery #3: Alta Colina

Alta Colina is just a short 5 minute drive from Daou.

Talk about some awesome estate wines.  It was really cool getting to meet this family, including the friendliest German Shepard pup I have ever seen - Honey!  Their wine tasting was $15 for 5 wines.  And it is here I finally bought a bottle to take home, in which they waived our tasting fee.      

Photo credit Alta Colina

This was one of those fun wineries where at this point you're loosened up and just shooting the sh-t with the owners.  Or, if you're like me, you're on the ground giving belly rubs to the family dog. (recall from my Instastories lol). 

Alta Colina's top member, Honey.  And she is absolutely as sweet as honey!

There isn't a view from the tasting room's bar, per say, but that's because the tasting room sits at the base of their vineyards, so the views expand backwards and upwards.  Regardless, it was one of my favorites spots we visited.  

Tuesday Winery #4: Bodega de Edgar

Bodega de Edgar is literally the driveway next door to Alta Colina.

This tasting room actually sits on the 2nd floor of another winery and distillery called Villicana Winery & ReFind Distillery.  So as not to cause confusion when you pull up, look for this staircase on the left side of the building.

Tasting room stairway to Bodega de Edgar

I love Riojas which is what I was hoping to get from this winery, however they didn't have any on their tasting flight.  Major bummer.  We ordered the tasting regardless, which I think was $10, and yeah I'll say the wines were good.  I'll also remind you this was our 4th winery soooo.....recall that term "slammered" above. 

Tasting Room in Bodega de Edgar

Now what I will say is the story of Edgar, the founder, is REALLY cool.  So if anything, I'd recommend reading the backstory to this winery.  And of course if you love Spanish reds, then swing on by for sure. 

Tuesday Winery #5 (barely) : Eberle

Eberle was a short 10 minute drive from Bodega de Edgar.

I mean, can I get a round of applause that we even made it to a 5th winery in one day on our own two feet?? 

My Eberle Wine

So Eberle is the winery with the totally awesome cave tours.  However, we showed up 10 minutes before closing time so the tours were done for the day.  I wasn't really impressed with Eberle's wine quality, however the tastings were FREE so the wine bar was packed with people.  And for as packed as they were, the service was still really good. 

We grabbed two full glasses of wine (for free!) and walked outside to check out the views.  Did we really need two glasses of wine at this point?  Absolutely not.  But the glasses served their purpose, allowing me to get the pretty cool shots you see here.

Sunset at Eberle.  We survived Paso Robles wine country!

Six Wineries in 1.5 Days....That's a wrap!

Whew!  We did good.  We had great weather, great wine, and great company.  Overall verdict - I would go back to Paso Robles in a heartbeat!  For now, I'm taking a teeny tiny break from wine lol.  Hope you all enjoyed this post, and comment below if you've been and want to share your experiences, have questions, or just want to say hi!

Keep doing it for kicks! - Kristin

Suits & Sneaks: We Are Live!

Hello friends and welcome to Suits & Sneaks!  Here, we're all about being modern, casual, and straight up simple in an otherwise complex working world.  So here are four things to know about our site so you get the best experience:

1. First, be sure to check out our About page to learn how we were founded. 
2. Next, subscribe to our blog where each week we'll post an article on career-related advice and an article on polished casual fashion. 
3. Third, make sure you follow us on social media so you can be in touch with the entire Suits & Sneaks community! 
4. Enjoy our site!  Leave comments, share with your friends, AND send us what you got!  Love to write?  Have some killer outfits?  Submit them on our Contact page and we just might be featuring you! 

Doin' it for kicks,

Kristin Leigh, Suits & Sneaks Founder