Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

What is Hustle? How do you know if you have it? Here's my story!

Hustle is known to most of us as working your butt off to earn a dollar. For me hustle is working my butt off to create a better future and career for myself. Like me, I'm sure you feel the same way. How do you create a life you are proud of and how do you make money doing that? Well, my answer isn't short but I promise it's meaningful.

Hustle for different people comes in different forms. Did you know for most of my life I've had multiple jobs?

Read my story: SORRY IT'S LONG...

Let me share a little about how I got my hustle. Since I was really young, I've always had expensive taste. I can walk in to any store and usually the first thing I pick up is one of the most expensive items in the store. Growing up, I would constantly ask my parents for things. They never gave much allowance ($10 a week if you finished my chores) nor did they give us lunch money (we had plenty of food at home to bring and they didn't care if that wasn't cool). Little did they know, by being this way- although it did annoy me- they drove me to be extra motivated to work for the things I wanted (thanks mom and dad). 
At 15, I got a job (under the table) serving pizza at lunch time at Dominos. I made $5, got free lunch and also saved money by not having to buy lunch. Right when I turned 16 I wanted a job. My parents weren't so fond of the idea, as I played 3 competitive high school sports along with competitive travel soccer. I convinced them that I could balance it all and got a job. I now had money to go to the movies, buy clothes, etc. The summer before college I got my first 40 hour a week job to save for school. 
The first year of college I didn't work, because I was a Division 1 athlete and my parents wanted me to focus on school and track. I absolutely hated it. I wanted my own money to spend and it felt suffocating to not have that freedom. I think this time in my life was HUGE in showing me if I want something bad enough I can make it happen. After that year, I decided track & field wasn't for me. I stayed full time at my college, but decided to go back to a sport I love (soccer) for fun. In order to play soccer, I had to also be full-time at the junior college I was playing at. This is where my hustle really took off. I went to 2 colleges full time, played soccer and worked at a restaurant. I was making money, in school learning and getting fit. All the things I love. This for one, showed me I could do anything I put my mind to and also taught me I can have fun doing it. I did this for 2 years and loved it.

After that, school was in full force working on my B.S. in Kinesiology, interning 3 days a week and I worked at a nice restaurant bringing in a good amount of cash, HOLLA! I worked on this blog in my free time and was also pretty much a fitness freak. I figured, if I kept doing things I love I will be all set!

Soon after I graduated college, I got a full-time job working at a physical therapy clinic 40 hours a week. The pay was absolute sh*!. I literally was making $12 an hour and most of my money was going to rent. I decided, why not keep your waitressing job? I loved it and it brought in extra money, score! I did this for about a year, and decided it was wearing on me. Between 2 jobs, working out a ton and feeling like I wasn't learning anything.. it was time for a change.

I decided to apply for corporate wellness jobs online. Fitness, health and people are what make me feel alive. Helping people reach their goals is so fun for me. I got my dream job at one of the biggest tech companies in the world running their fitness and wellness programs. This was an absolute dream. I moved to San Francisco for this job and was SHOCKED by not only the cost of living, but just the cost of everything in the city. My job took up most of my time, so I didn't really want a whole other job. However, about 6 months in to working there a life-changing opportunity came up for me.

I got asked to be a personal stylist. Oddly enough, I have always loved and adored fashion and with my 2 year stint being full-time at 2 colleges I even took a full years worth of fashion classes. This opportunity to be a personal stylist allowed me to be creative, do something I love and help this person feel great when they get dressed everyday. I felt like I was on to something and over the last few years this client turned in to 4 clients and 2 outside personal training clients. Making the time (on nights and weekends) for this seems to some as too much work, or not manageable. I beg to differ. When you're doing something you love it doesn't feel like work, and it opens so many other doors for you. I've learned the more apply myself, the more people I tell, the more opportunities arise.

Now how does my story let you know if you have this hustle?

My life experiences have pushed me to hustle at a young age, but you don't need to have the same experiences as me to find this. What it takes is goal setting and resilience.  You have to believe in yourself so much that failure is not an option. Of course little failures will happen, but you have to pick yourself back up. You have to take setbacks with poise and keep pushing for what you want even when you feel it may be nearly impossible. 
Figure out those goals, write them down, make a plan, go get them & don't give up!



Next post: What do I want to do in life and how do I get it? This post will be about narrowing down on what goals you want to focus on. 

Monday, January 12, 2015

DIY Girls Night: Vision Board Party

This past Saturday night I decided to host a Girls Night In. I decided to do this after reading a pretty inspiring article in Marie Claire about how goal setting the form of a vision board has worked a ton in helping people achieve their goals. My girlfriends and I wanted to see what this was all about, and decided to make a night of it.

We all prepped a healthy dish, brought a bottle of wine, scissors, and magazines. We spent our night flipping, cutting, drinking, blasting pop music, and talking to each other our wildest dreams. In the end, we all were shocked to see how different our boards looked. Not only how they each looked creatively, but the contents plastered on them. One of our friends didn't realize until she finished her board how focused hers was on marriage and having a family. Another friends board was filled with travel destinations and food. What will yours be filled with?

I encourage you to spend time to 1. think about your goals 2. put it on paper 3. try making a vision board.

Mine is finished, and I ended up hanging it right by my light switch in my room. I see it when I go to bed, wake up, and every time I leave the house.


What you need:
Glue sticks
Scissors
Magazines (home decor, fitness, travel, cooking, mens magazines, sports/yoga, lifestyle, fashion)
Poster board

Saturday, January 10, 2015

My Resolutions For 2015

This year I got a little more specific with what I want to acheive in 2015. The more specific I am with my goal setting, the more likely I will put in the work to acheive my goal. Some of these might seem silly to you, but my goals will look different than yours. After you read my specific goals take a look at yours to see if they are specific enough. 

Thea's Goals For 2015

Personal:
Say no more often (practice not over committing and not feeling bad when I can't make it somerhere)
Go on 2 dates a month even if I don't want to or want to use an excuse like I don't have time.)
Read 12 books (I gotta be realistic & choose a # that I will actually read)
Paint & redecorate my room (paint bought, now time for the work)
Cook more often & invite people over for dinner instead of eating out (it's good for my soul)

Physical: 
Hike more (1x/month min) 
Drink lemon water in the morning
Continue to workout 5-6x a week (change up routine a bit) 
Continue to eat clean 85% (measure or portion foods at work) 
Be comfortable walking around in a bikini by end of May (by eating clean, drinking less, and workout out on a routine)

Financial: 
Keep saving each month for retirement and Roth
Check in with financial consultant 1x a month
Increase emergency savings by 3% each month

Travel: it's been my goal the last two years to go to 2 new places a year, so I have to keep up with it! 
Go on a 2-3 day California hiking trip
Australia, Bali, or NZ or all 3 :)
Hawaii

Career: 
Actually renovate blog (meaning ask for help, which is hard for me to do)
Get professional photos and launch new website
Get another sponsor (in 2014 I partnered with Jlab audio and Fabletics!)





Thursday, October 9, 2014

Start Living Your Wildest Dreams

  
I was chatting with some friends last night over dinner about travel. Not just vacationing, but exploration. Travel is all about taking yourself away from everything you know, to swap it with the unknown. It's about putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation, so that you give yourself a chance to learn and grow.

I've found that the more I travel, the more I know ... and I then realize there is so much more that I don't know!  It gives me a sense of curiosity when I see what I'm missing out on around the world. It can be so easy to get caught up in our own routine - with  the typical day to day routine, that we forget to live. It's easy to lose sight of what's outside our "bubble". 

Take some time to write down what you want to explore. What are some of your biggest dreams, goals, and aspirations? Now, make a plan to remove yourself from your "norm" and set a date to get away and do something new. This doesn't have to be something that is going to cost you an arm and a leg. It could be something like camping out of the back of your car, hiking at a new spot, or touring around a new city you've never been to. But  it could also be something like planning your dream vacation! 

Start living your wildest dreams, or they will stay a dream forever.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Achieving Your Fitness Goals

When you have set a goal for yourself, make sure you see it through. Some goals aren't realistic, so here's some ways to set goals you will can can acheive
1. Make sure it is maintainable with your lifestyle. Once you know that, make it your routine. 
- example: you want to workout 6 days a week.
       -Can you schedule this every week? Look ahead, and do it!
       -On days where you see a conflict, can you wake up early or go to bed later to get it in?
       -Put this goal as a priority, and put it before events or gatherings if they aren't important. Go to the events after your workout.
-example: you want to change your eating habits.
       -Great! Now what? Saying it doesn't mean you've taken action. Are you going to pack your meals everyday? Start planning out your meals and make sure you are getting an adequate balance and variety of food in your plan. You can even plan your "treat" meals if you know a special occasion you want to not have a planned meal.
       -Seek help from a dietician to quit the guessing game. You need to make sure you don't mess up your metabolism with eating too much or too little. David is the best, feel free to email him dmg2140@tc.columbia.edu.
- example: losing 10 pounds in 3 weeks.
       - yes.. it's doable, but crash dieting can really mess up your metabolism. What's the point in working that hard, and not earn lasting results. You will gain it back in half the time it takes to come off.
2. Make sure it's realistic.
-example: I want to look like Kim K.
       -Kim K. is bangin, but she's also genetically built different than you and I. With proper weight training and nutrition you can definitely build an hour glass shape, but you can't change your bone structure. Darn, I am 5'9 and Caucasian, it's just not in the cards for me.
-example: losing weight for my girlfriends wedding.
       -yes, you want to look good in pictures. My advice is to start early. Don't wait for the two weeks before. Your body needs time to adapt and adjust to your new habits. 
       - Juice cleansing isn't going to last. You lost water weight and feel lighter, but that weight is coming right back if you don't change the way you eat after the cleanse.
3. Re-assuring success 
- example: tell your friends about your goal
         -Your friends need to understand why you are doing what you're doing. Telling them you're on a diet, they will most likely tell you that you don't need it. Telling them you need to feel better in your skin is a whole other story, and I'm sure they will support you. 
          -If your friends aren't supportive, and only support your bad habits (or encourage them) it's time to reassess your friends.
- example: reward yourself
         -when you reach your workout and nutrition goals spoil yourself with something. Workout clothes, cofee or tea, makeup, a massage, mani/pedi, hair products, or something else you enjoy.


I hope these tips help you reach your goals! They help me with mine :) 

Friday, December 27, 2013

Cheers to 2014- How to set goals and resolutions you'll stick to

My email has already started to blow up. Clients are starting to feel sluggish, stuffed, and not like themselves. Statistics show that the average person gains 2lbs during the holidays.

These last few months may have gotten you off your healthy routine, but it's never too early or late to start back up. January is the most popular time to set new goals.

New Years resolutions are extremely popular. Holidays tend to put stress on people at work (to finish the same amount of work in less time), traveling and not being in your routine, finances sometimes become tight. People tend to eat more and drink more when stressed. 

On January 1st most people set new health and fitness goals, financial goals, relationship goals, and travel goals after spending months under unbearable stress. So what should you do about it?

Take advantage of the popularity, and make your own detailed resolutions. Check in with yourself every day for the first 21 days. It takes about 21 days to create a habit. After that check in every 5 or 10. Don't lose sight of what's important to you.

When you set your resolutions:

-Be Specific: write down detailed instead of broad goals.
-Make sure the goal is Measurable: how will you know when you reached it?
-Make sure the goal is attainable:  can you personally acheive this within the given time?
-be relevant: is it worthwhile? 
-make sure it's time driven: how long are you giving yourself? 


My personal goals:

Fitness goals:
January: and will re-evaluate and alter on feb 1
M: leg day and cardio
T: cardio and yoga
W: body rock 
T: upper body 
F: rest or body rock
S:rest or body rock 
Su: long run yoga 

Run a half marathon in February.

Nutrition goals:
Drink 1 day a week
Sweets 1 day a week
Limit eating out 2 meals a week
Optional: count calories

Blog goals:
By February have a new set up 
Blog 4-6 times a week 
Start advertising more starting in January 
Look in to fashion ads and email for sponsors in February 

Career goals: 
New fun cerification by march 
Get a promotion or recognition for changing policies at work 
January: boot camps with Lindsay on Sunday 


Financial goals:
Start an account in 2 months that I can't touch for 10 years.
Start to look in to investment options and meet with someone in February.

Travel:
Save to visit 2 places this year I've never been
Visit Brittany in Austin 

Other goals:
Volunteer at least 1x a month
Seek Public speaking opportunities 
Find a community or create one of women (with Lindsay)


I'm still milling mine over, but I'm curious- what are your goals and resolutions?!