Acting UP for 40 Days: Week 1 - Finding Balance

The word balance has been haunting my brain for the last 2 weeks. The word in bold letters will blatantly show up in my mind's eye lingering and begging for attention. 

BALANCE..

                 BALANCE...

                                 BALANCE.....

As much as I try to ignore it, out of no where the pesky word starts to itch on my frontal lobe like a Texas-sized Mosquito bite on the worst part of my body... the ankle. 

BALANCE...

                 BALANCE.....

                                  BALANCE.........

Without even me putting thought to it, my subconscious keeps screaming the mantra...

BALANCE...

BALANCE......

BALANCE..........

OK!!!! I get it! My life is in disarray. I can't help it if I'm a passionate person who believes I can take on 5 totally different projects all at one time, going at it 100%. It's my gift of multi-tasking. It's not that bad is it?? HA! These days it honestly feels like a passion of horror. I recently realized that I have this false sense of belief that I can do anything and everything in this world. No, it's not a bad thing, but it is when it's 10 different things going on at one time.

I was recently introduced to a 40 day Personal Revolution program hosted by a local Houston yoga studio. It couldn't have come at a more perfect time in my life. As we all try to piece our lives together after the holidays, January is the best time to reflect on what has happened and where you want your life to go. Starting in October, my life felt like it was spiraling out of control. The past and all the things I was ignoring started to come back and haunt me like an angry spirit stuck in limbo. All things that I pushed to to back of my mind started to creep its way to the forefront and it was pretty relentless.

This experience has taught me a lot about myself. I now have a full understanding of "presence." It doesn't only mean that you have to physically be there for someone else, but you also have to be there  most importantly for YOURSELF. A strong foundation is what keeps a house standing for hundreds of years. You will not last 30+ years of your life if your foundation is falling apart. Mine was getting pretty unstable.

My intentions for these 40 days is to find BALANCE. I want to be able to balance a healthy lifestyle with my ever consuming thriving business. I want to balance peace and joy in my heart so that I can spread it to others around me. I have big dreams in my life and I'm tired of just thinking about it, I need to be living it. Prioritizing and balancing the things I love to do will help me create that foundation I need to grow as a human being. This first week of 40 days is coming to an end and already I'm starting to feel the changes in my soul. I was excited for day 1 and now I'm thrilled to see who I become at day 40.

Random Act of Kindess

So yesterday, I experienced a gratifying and uplifting emotion that I've never felt ever in my life. For the Holiday Season, I picked up work at Lululemon again. I worked there last year because I needed extra income, but little did I know that I would actually LOVE it! Who knew?? Who actually loves working retail during the holidays?!?! Seriously... this company is amazing! My goal is to create an enjoyable atmosphere with my business that reflects on what I love about Lulu.

Anyway, so this year's holiday theme is #FuelHappiness. Despite the stressors that this time of the year brings, we should find a way to make not only ourselves happy, but others as well. With all the crazy that's going on in this world, we tend to forget the simple things in life like smiling. Along with the theme, the company gave each employee gift cards to pass out to random strangers to help them "fuel their happiness".

Yesterday I was approached by a young lady wearing an LA Fitness shirt. She was asking me about the tops and the gym bags. I showed her a bag and explained why it's so useful. Then we talked about Lululemon fabric and the way it's supposed to fit. I asked her if she worked for LA Fitness and she excitedly said yes and went on to tell me that she had lost 28 lbs. She told me all the workouts she does and that her goal was to fit in Lulu. The first time she came in, she was unable to fit into the largest size, so she was eager to try again after her recent accomplishments. I was inspired by her determination and joy to be in the store that I felt I needed to do something for her.

I knocked on the fitting room door that she was in and I handed her a gift card. I admired her hard work and told her that she deserved a little something for her achievements. With a huge smile on her face, she gave me a hug and thanked me. I had to go on break, so I didn't get a chance to help her with her fit session. When I came back I was given this:

"Fit into the clothes happily."  - That right there got me. How inspiring is that?! I'm sure she still has more goals for herself, but to know that she can happily wear something with confidence is pretty life changing.

I was told that when she was paying for her items, she was teary eyed and very grateful for my kindness. She tried to wait for me to say thank you, but she had to go. After reading the above gratitude note, I myself was overwhelmed with emotion. I enjoy inspiring others and helping them to achieve that feeling of accomplishment, but this was the first time that I didn't have anything to do with their hard work, but I was simply recognizing it. To know that I helped someone feel confident in their own clothes encourages me to be a better person. It will truly make you happy to see that you played a part in another person's happiness, especially if they are a stranger.

The whole experience got me thinking about happiness. It's one thing to fuel the happiness of those that you love, but when you do it to a total stranger, it brings your personal happiness to a different level. I'm not always the "nicest stranger" or customer even, so it really made me think about my attitude towards others, especially those who just want to help. If we all just take the time to spread a little cheer to a random stranger or to the people we love, it doesn't even have to be a grand gesture, but a little bit of kindness in this world really does go a long way.

Thankfulness

It's the first Sunday after Thanksgiving. I have been so busy for the past 2 months that I haven't even had a chance to reflect on this Thankful holiday. Even though the original "Thanksgiving" wasn't really celebrated how we would like to think it was, it is still important to spend time with family and show gratitude for life in general. So with that being said, here is my top 3 of what I am most thankful for this year.

1. Health
Of course, I always have to be thankful for not just my good health, but also for my family and loved ones around me. I've seen so many people from a distance who have ailing friends or family members. For the most part, everyone has managed to stay healthy. My Aunt was diagnosed earlier this year with stage 4 breast cancer, but after months of chemotherapy and a radical mastectomy, she looks almost as if nothing has ever happened to her! Blessings from God for sure!!

Then of course there was Mama. She had to be taken to the ER twice this year. This lady.... there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. The first time, she didn't realize she took her medications TWICE. The second time she FORGOT to take her meds! Aye-yay-yay.

Here's a pic of the Carrido Family, it's not all of us, but it captures a lot of us for the most part. The only ones really missing in this is the Texas Family and of course those in the Philippines and Australia. Auntie Pinky wanted to capture everyone looking as healthy as possible before Auntie Lala had her surgery. Papa would be proud of what we've all become.

2. Sticky's Chicken
Yes, I'm thankful for the prospering business my brother and I created from practically nothing. This by far has got to be the toughest year that we've had. I feel like I've experienced more ups and downs with this endeavor than anything else in my life. We have had 3 official offers and 2 unofficial offers for partnership on opening a restaurant and possibly turning it into a food chain. We were recognized throughout the year on different sites; thrillist.com, yelp, papercitymag.com and other local blogs and sites. We also landed a partnership with UberEats Houston! Even though we had to turn down an opportunity of a lifetime in California, I don't regret any decisions we have made to continue in what we believe in. This year I learned the value of our company and how much it really means to me.

Huntington Beach, CA 

3. All the Little Blessings in Between

This year for some reason, my little prayers I've been asking God for have been answered. To others they might be insignificant, but for me they mean the world. Every single time I'm at my last straw on something, it doesn't matter what it is, but right at the moment I'm about ready to give up, God surprises me and he does it in a HUGE way. I can't be thankful enough for my faith in our Savior. He has helped me stay strong through every super low in my life. 

In conclusion, I'm truly grateful for my life. The awesome people that have come and gone throughout my life, especially this entire year have been the best supporters and have shown me love that I didn't even know existed. I'm truly blessed to have experienced this past year. I am now a stronger, more faithful and open person because of every experience and each person I've met. 

So, thank YOU.

There's ALWAYS Something

So today was the day that I've patiently waited a very long time for. I've prayed for strength and guidance for this moment to come so that I wouldn't get ahead of myself (like I always do). You can't even begin to understand my excitement when I got the text. It's almost a dream come true for me.... things like this don't usually happen.

I met him. Simply put, it made me happy.

Walking on Red

There are girls who collect purses, girls who collect clothes, or even makeup. I so happen to be a shoe girl. I love the way a nice shoe adds the perfect detail to a sexy outfit. Or the way a shoe adds character to an everyday look. It's always the shoes that pulls the entire "look" together. 

Yesterday I bought my first pair of Louboutins, it made me feel accomplished. Maybe it's the Filipino in me, but one of my life goals is to have an extensive designer shoe collection. I am by all means not a materialistic person, but I do however can appreciate nice things. For a long time, I have promised to buy myself a beautiful pair of shoes and it finally happened. 

Working hard pays off. It's ok to indulge and buy yourself something nice, you deserve it! Starting a business, getting fired from my "stable" job and then maintaining to grow our business in its second year.... I think I deserve it.

I will now go and walk confidently in my "red-bottomed-shoes" that symbolize my hard work and accomplishments. Until that is... I fall over. haha..