Keep Growing

Spring is sprung, and hot dang, It smells normal! Crowded restaurants, overbooked flights, and no parking spaces, to name a few. Perhaps ‘normal’ is not the correct term, but I am delighted to put a handful of convos on sleep mode —covid and social distancing— to be exact. Move along, children; time to focus on a whole new set of crazy… dictators and gas prices—big sigh.

Take It Off

So I am curious, now that we are ridding of masks and getting uncomfortably close again, how are you? How are you emerging? Have you evolved? What did you learn about yourself? Can you share some of your lessons?

Pause for thirty seconds to ponder: Press Play

Do tell, how ya doin’?

Based on your answers, one of the following is likely to apply…

Now, chillax, I am not dismissing the gravity of your life’s hardships; valid, I am sure. Instead, I am here to chat about mindset and point out the obvious. Evoking change can only come from a solid recognition of personal tendencies, hence why I am trying to put you in a corner. Too often, we confuse and interchange realism and pessimism. Realistic peeps seek objectivity and truth, deal with things head-on, and strive to move towards a viable solution. Pessimists get stuck looking at the world in ways that emphasize negativity and rarely offer solutions.

Why It Matters?

Ok, you got me; I am not Brene Brown, and my test is loosey-goosey; nonetheless, I stand by my observations and assert that a growth mindset is critical to success. The self-belief that no matter the situation, a lesson and solution exist. Also, to explore new levels of greatness, one must continuously raise the bar to yield meaningful rewards- not monetary necessarily, more like- ooh, I just did that, a pat on the back is in order, you go, girl! Undoubtedly, my mindset, do better, be better, is directly linked to my happiness meter.

It Ain’t Complicated

Ready for this, I am doing it; I am coming in for a big, fat, juicy K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid)

We are what we believe. If we think we can, we will. The flip side is equally powerful and accurate. If we think we can’t, we won’t.

Calibrate your mindset to the person you want to be, and the universe will deliver handsomely.

Mic’s Emergence

So, how did I emerge from all the crazy? I am incredibly grateful and hopeful for a resurgence of compassion but primarily amazed by the landscape of possibilities. Bonus: I can wear lipstick now, like all the time, if I want.

My Rainbow

YES, to the opportunities! You may have heard that Elon Musk donated Starlink terminals —satellite internet service— to Ukraine. Wow! This got me thinking about the incredible duo of technology and education; if used honorably, the sky’s the limit. So even though education took a giant sucker punch, I am confident that teaching will revolutionize thanks to the Covid-era. Consider the benefits of virtual learning; the freedom and flexibility are priceless for students and teachers alike.

My Unicorns

I have been daydreaming about technology and came up with a tall order. First, I need to convince the best minds in education to design a rock-solid virtual education platform; then, I need Apple Computer to produce a ton of tablets. Elon, I will need more satellites, please; I’ll also have to call Bezos; hmm, I wonder if my Prime account covers drop ships using drones to remote parts of the world…Boom, Drop the Mic, every nook and cranny in the world covered —immediate access to education for millions.

Phase two of my master plan includes Virtual Headsets…have you tried them? Mind-blowing, I tell you. The software is relatively new but compelling, and to think it can only improve. Can you imagine a kid in a small village in Central America strapping on one of these suckers and instantaneously being transported to the Vatican to study the intricacies of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, goosebumps, anyone?

Obviously, there are tons of holes in my ‘virtual world.’ First and foremost, I don’t know any of the peeps mentioned above, but I have no doubt a Buffet type will sort it all out, and by type, I mean the brilliant type.

The future is bright, and I have a ridiculous amount of optimism.

BE IT

Holding firm to a growth mindset and optimism is a choice I must actively practice. See, I wasn’t always this way; I spent my share of time in the doom n’ gloom club. Trust me; I get the appeal of this club. For starters, minimal effort is necessary; the only muscle that requires training is your index finger, used to point to a stack of evidence —see, the world sucks, or they are the reason for my demise. Also, the doom n’ gloom clubs throw many pity parties; the room fills quickly with like-minded people and their stories of injustices. So, you are never alone in playing the fear factor game. Unfortunately, most members are on autopay and realize the significant damage caused by being a member all too late.

As I see it, we are like trees, deeply rooted, symbolizing family, genes, childhood, environment, etc. The trunk results from our roots, ‘how we show up in the world.” I spent a lot of time protecting and justifying my trunk: this is my life, this is who I am, I must accept it, this is how we do things, but then I realized my trunk is strong, I am not here to withstand the storm (put up with life), I am the storm (I am meant to grow fierce)

I had to rewire my brain, which required deep diving and cutting out roots no longer serving me. This gave room for new roots and new growth. To be the girl with rose-colored glasses, growing healthier and stronger branches.

It boils down to a shift in mindset. BE the person you want to be. The fastest way to BE IT is to start saying YES to the things the new you would say yes to. A healthy person eats more nutritious food and moves. A financially sound person spends less than she makes. A marathon runner runs. I think you get the gist…BE IT.

Say Yes! (there is always a lesson)

Thing 1 (my oldest) reminded me of the power of saying yes. So this happened: My laid-back, pragmatic, introspective, pre-med kid joined the university boxing team and gets hit regularly yet refuses to be defined by results.

As much as I want to BE IT, I am learning that it takes practice. My biggest stumbling block is fear, it creeps up in situations, and I have to call B.S. and give it the boot.

Point in case, just this week, my friend texted to ask for a v-blog to share my philosophy for ToGETherJOY; I was inclined to let fear take over. Nah, I don’t do videos, I don’t have any equipment, I am not comfortable in front of the camera, I don’t have the voice for video, I am not techy; the list of why this is was a bad idea was very long. I immediately texted back, YES, I will do it.

Why? Accepting that I have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable is the only way to progress.

How about you? Are you saying yes to opportunities? Are you answering the knocks on the door? Are you getting in the ring? I know it can be challenging and scary; there is a chance you fail…but wait, what if you don’t? Say yes to something that scares you this week, or at the very least, tell fear to take a hike.

And then it happens

We all have a choice; we can either remain stagnant or grow new branches. Which one will you choose?

Great answer, grow!

And then it happens: You find yourself standing tall and strong, expanding with knowledge, and producing the most glorious branches.

Xo-Mic