![]() Thank you all for choosing to indulge in my blog after my long hiatus. My long hiatus was due to the state of my mental health, my hectic schedule, and significant life changes. Since my last post on 7/7/2020, so much has changed in my world and it doesn't feel fair to dive into blogging again without addressing those shifts in my universe. Many of my previous blog posts attempted to raise awareness for mental health in the Black community while aiming to provide strategies and tips for coping and minimizing the impacts of mental health. In the fall of 2020, I was forced to face my anxiety which at times manifests itself as depersonalization. This face to face encounter with my anxiety led me to begin my therapy journey. Future blog posts will definitely cover topics covered in my therapy sessions along with tools that I have gained from this journey. This past spring, I moved out on my own for the first time and am still learning how to exist in this space by myself especially on days where my anxiety flares up and I require a little more reassurance. Through all of this I continued to work a full time job as an educator while being enrolled in graduate school. As life happened and my schedule remained full with obligations, I had very little time for myself at the end of the day and found myself eating unhealthy, not working out, feeling depleted, experiencing Myasthenia Gravis flare ups, and trying to save everyone else. In the midst of this journey, I lost sight of myself and the lifestyle that made me feel balanced. This post is dedicated to others who feel out of touch with themselves and need help finding who they were before the chaos. To kickstart my journey of "getting back to the old me", I started a cleanse on July 5th that was dedicated to connecting with my old routines, habits, and people that made me feel like the highest version of myself. The purpose of this cleanse is to get back to the old me, fall in love with myself again, pour into myself, and manage stress and anxiety. I have divided up this cleanse into several categories and will provide that template for you all below. As you develop the structure for your cleanse, I encourage you all to first identify the purpose of the cleanse and what outcome you are hoping for then, align the categories and tasks based on realistic life changes that will guide you through your cleanse. This cleanse should embrace individuality and will look different for every person. My idea of a cleanse may look totally different from yours and that is OKAY. Below you will find each category of the cleanse I am following along with the tasks that I hope to fulfill. Physical - Walk or exercise at least 3 times per week - Water and green tea only - No food or snacks after 8 pm - Dessert only once per week - No alcohol - No sex Mental - Therapy sessions every Tuesday - Stress and depression management workbook in Therapy - Read "Well Read Black Girl" - Work through a guided journal (Let That Sh*t Go) - Recite at least 1 positive affirmation per day (Check out the Unicorn Affirmator Cards on Amazon). Spiritual - Sage apartment once per week - Charge crystals once per week - Register for a meditation course Social - No social media (i.e. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) - Unfollow accounts on social media that don't align with the self-work I am currently doing. - Publish at least one blog post - Connect with at least 1 friend that I haven't connected with in a while Organizational - Clean out phone (i.e. pictures, videos, emails, and contacts that no longer serve me). Must do tasks I am not going to list my must do tasks, but this could include scheduling appointments (i.e. doctor, dentist, hair, wax, massage etc..), planning upcoming events (i.e. parties or time with loved ones), and completing tasks for work or school (i.e. scheduling meetings or registering for classes). If you are finding yourself in a space of feeling disconnected from yourself and your old routines, a cleanse could be beneficial. This cleanse could also include making a list of people you wish to repair relationships with or who you wish to remove from your life because their relationship with you no longer aligns with your higher purpose. Be open to accepting that some aspects of "old you" might not be meant to exist anymore and that is perfectly fine. It's okay to lose yourself sometimes and to feel uncertain in yourself and your purpose, but always remember to find yourself again and open your heart and soul to evolving versions of yourself. With love, Jay
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![]() To be an educator in America today means to be a person who acknowledges the fact that our children are living this reality as well. The recent killing of George Floyd has served as a reminder of the racial injustices that Black people are still facing and has ignited many strong feelings for people over the country. I recognize that our children suffering right now. Their realities have shifted. They're experiencing trauma. And they need ways to maintain their mental health. For my fellow educators, I am attaching a message and a list of activities that I have shared with my students. I hope that you find use of this and that your children are able to recognize that their feelings/ emotions are valid and there are ways for their voices to be heard. " I know that as children it can feel hard to speak on how you feel when it comes to the racial injustices in our country. It can be especially hard at a time like this when our normal routines are not in place and this combination can cause a wide range of emotions. I have made a list of activities for ways in which you can deal with the feelings/ emotions you are experiencing and a list of ways to have your voice safely heard in your community or amongst your friends and family.
Love always, Ms. Jada" -The Jay-Word ![]() As I approach the end of my soul cleanse, I have several thoughts and new outlooks on life that I hope will alter the way I navigate my life. Looking back at my previous blog post, I mentioned that this year has been incredibly transitional for me and although I had many positive changes and opportunities I didn’t feel completely grounded. This cleanse was initiated for several reasons. The first one being that death had become much more realistic for me as I realized people who were young and vibrant just as myself were susceptible to being killed. Of course, I was always aware that death was a part of the process, but the experience opened my eyes to how I needed to alter my ways of living to prepare for that process. Also, I hoped to improve the overall quality of my life by engaging in activities that served purpose in my life and by removing activities that did not serve purpose in my life. This cleanse was a test of my self-love, self-worth, and overall strength. I gave up things that society portrayed as being vital to a happy, functional, and meaningful life. I gave up alcohol, clubs/ bars, caffeine, and social media. I forced myself to mend rocky relationships with people that I never imagined ever reaching out to. I challenged myself to improve meaningful relationships. The changes I made this past month allowed for improved productivity, peace of mind, knowledge, sleep, and healthier interpersonal relationships. Similar to many of my followers and friends, I enjoy social media and the many positives that it has to offer, however I am not blind to the many negatives associated with it. Recently, Apple released an update that would alert users of their phone usage. My average daily phone usage was about 7-8 hours per day. That is a typical shift for a full-time job. When I processed my daily phone usage I couldn’t help but to think of all of the tasks I could complete in that amount of time. Along with being more aware of the amount of time I spent on social media, I began to notice that I was willing sacrifice sleep for extended social media time. I began to notice that I was limiting my productivity because I was more entertained by scrolling through a timeline and much more satisfied avoiding actual responsibilities. Considering that I was in a huge transitional period of my life, I knew that social media would have to be removed from my life entirely in order to complete tasks that would allow me to move to the next phase of my life. I have been without social media for a month and the changes in my lifestyle are significant. Instead of scrolling through my phone in the morning, I hop out of bed to get my day started. Instead of scrolling through social media before bed, I drink herbal sleep tea, listen to music, and started reading “the sun and her flowers by rupi kaur.” On my commute to work, I make a to-do list for the day while listening to a podcast (typically Ted talks related to self-help, mental illness, and success). As I approached the end of my cleanse, I downloaded my social media apps to filter the content I posted and the content I absorbed. I decided to delete all of my photos and to start fresh with meaningful content that represents where I am post-cleanse. I chose to go through the Instagram accounts I followed to be sure the people I was following were posting content that supported the goals of post-cleanse Jada. As I previously mentioned, a crucial part of my cleanse was to mend rocky relationships. This was probably the most interesting part of my cleanse. I initiated this phase of my cleanse by making a list of people I felt I had rocky relationships with and hoped to take ownership for the aspects of the relationship I may have played toxic parts in. This list wasn’t extremely extensive because I attempt to create as many positive, meaningful relationships as I can. However, I am not perfect and am still learning how to navigate different people who have had different upbringings and who move through life with different purposes. When reaching out to the people on this list, I explained my reasoning for reaching out and I apologized for moments in which I may have reflected my insecurities, unhappiness, or toxic ways onto them. A huge part of healing is understanding how YOU were toxic. People often don’t want to take accountability for their actions, but there is no room for growth if you aren’t able to see how you added fuel to the fire. I had no expectation of hearing back from some people and quite frankly no response was the best response for me. Thank you to those of you who understood my journey and who allowed yourself to be a part of my journey. I am hopeful for healthier relationships. Right now. At this very moment. I feel grounded. I feel secure. I feel capable. I feel thankful for every moment that I am able to work toward my aspirations. I feel at peace. I encourage all of my supporters to consider a soul cleanse. Adjust the goals and features of the cleanse to best fit your lifestyle. Ensure that you are mentally prepared to take on a cleanse. If you’re not mentally prepared to take on a complex monthly cleanse, try altering one thing in your routine every month. For example, try doing one good deed every day for a month or try going without caffeine for a month. Start piece by piece then build your way up to step-wise soul cleanse that tackles several aspects of your life. You get to restart as many times as you need to. Thank you to my friends and family members who supported me during my cleanse. Thank you for respecting my limitations. -The Jay-Word "We need to change the culture of this topic and make it ok to speak about mental health."5/17/2019
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month
-The Jay-Word ![]() The New Year has fallen upon us and with that comes many conversations of New Year's resolutions and goal setting. There are many people who don't believe in setting resolutions and instead prefer the term of goal setting. I am one of the many people who believes we should aim to set goals rather than resolutions when going into the New Year. New Year's resolutions tend to be broad, vague, and often don't have a time period for completion. Goals tend to be more specific and typically follow a time frame. In 2019, we will focus on the importance of goal setting, the benefits of goal setting, and I will walk you through my goals for this upcoming year. Goal setting has become a task that I find myself engaging in on a frequent basis and has become something that I believe everyone should engage in. Every day and week, I set short term goals that will prepare me for achieving my monthly and yearly goals. I'm sure there are people who are not 100% in support of setting goals because sometimes life does not go the way we hope it will go, but there is much significance in setting goals and it benefits us in many ways. Goals are one way in which we can measure our success and growth. For example, as a person looking into graduate schools, I have set short term goals to achieve the long term goal of being accepted into graduate school. With graduate school applications having a set deadline, I am forced to evaluate my daily and weekly goals in respect to the overall long term goal of being accepted into graduate school. When we are able to measure small goals against a larger goal we are able to visualize the areas that require improvement or more dedication. Goals prevent us from falling victim to procrastination. When we set goals for ourselves we make ourselves more accountable to complete the task because they allow us to focus on what is important. Research shows that procrastination is often positively correlated with stress and suggests that by setting goals we reduce procrastination which in turn reduces stress levels. When goals are achieved, we experience personal satisfaction which activates the reward pathway in our brain. When we experience personal satisfaction from completing a goal, neurons fire in our brain and bursting chemicals are released to activate our reward pathway and tells us that this experience feels great and that we would love to experience that feeling again. The importance and benefits of goal setting are endless, but it is a process that requires dedication, patience, and motivation. As I mentioned before I set daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Daily and weekly short term goals are the building blocks for my monthly and yearly long term goals. As we walk into 2019, I have set several short term and long term goals that I hope to accomplish with patience. I will focus on one long term goal I have for this year and walk you all through my thinking process for achieving that goal. The most significant goal I set for this year is to get accepted into a Doctorate of Physical Therapy graduate program. When I set this goal for myself I knew that it was massive and it would require several short term goals to achieve that long term goal. The short term goals I have set include; completing the prerequisite course requirements by June 2019, studying for the GREs every week up until June 2019, complete 100 total PT observation hours by February 2019, reach out to professors/ a licensed physical therapist to obtain letters of recommendation by May 2019, outline my personal statement by May 2019, complete my personal statement by June 2019, and to complete all applications by July 2019. These short term goals will allow me to see where I am in respect to my long term goal and will be need to be completed before I can achieve the long term goal of being accepted into a Doctorate of Physical Therapy graduate program. In 2019, let's stray away from setting resolutions, but instead let's set meaningful short term and long term goals. With goal setting, comes accomplishment, success, growth, reduced procrastination, reduced stress, and personal satisfaction. In 2019, I am gearing my goals toward fulfilling my purpose in life, living the life I want to live, and finding meaning in life. I am not changing, but I am going to give myself clarity and constant reassurance of endless possibilities in 2019. I encourage you all to set long term goals , but break them into several short term goals, believe in all things magic, accept failure, CUT TOXIC BEINGS OUT OF YOUR LIFE, engage in relationships that establish reassurance, and just live your damn life! -The Jay-Word MOOD for 2019- ladies we are sprinkling black girl magic everywhere and taking everything we came for! As we approach the end of another rollercoaster year, I have decided to dedicate a blog post to 2018 as it was for me. In 2016, I began putting my goals into writing with the hopes of holding myself more accountable for my success. At the end of each year, I review my goal list and check off the goals that were achieved. For the goals that weren't achieved, I evaluate the different factors that may have prevented me from achieving that particular goal. Also, I make a list of all positive experiences that I have encountered throughout that year. Each year comes with its unique set of ups and downs and 2018 is no different. This year's experiences have made me more self-aware and has provided clarity for what is to come in my near future.
As I went into this year, I had a list of goals that were broken down into the following categories: financial goals, academic goals, personal goals, and goals as an RA. Some examples of the goals I set for myself include: maintaining a 3.00 GPA, saving 50% of each pay check, detaching from social media, and being selfless. When a goal of mine is not achieved I don't view it as a negative aspect, but focus myself on the reasons this goal was not achieved. Did I have significant resources to fulfill this goal? Was I not committed enough? Was it something that I truly wanted/ needed for myself? Was I prepared mentally to take on a goal of this magnitude? These are all questions that allow me to better understand where my lack of completion came into play and allows me to alter this goal into one that is more achievable. For 2019, I will establish the same template for goal setting because that is what works for me. When reflecting on 2018 the list of positive experiences seems to be overwhelming. The most obvious positive experience was my ability to graduate from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology and a minor in Psychology. Graduating from college has been one of the most humbling and bittersweet moments of this year. A college degree doesn't equate to extreme wealth and immediate success. A college degree doesn't equate to booming happiness. This experience has been bittersweet because I have spent the past several months doing things that I enjoy which includes working with children. Stepping away from my field of study may have been the best decision I made this past year because I have been able to spend time with loved ones, prepare for graduate school applications, and fulfill one of my many purposes in life. One of the most rewarding positive experiences from 2018 was the creation of my blog. I have always been successful at expressing my thoughts throughout text, but not as successful when verbally expressing myself. My blog has become an outlet to express my thoughts on serious issues while connecting with other bloggers. I attempted to live the life that I hoped to live. I spent money to see my favorite artists live (e.g. Beyonce/ Jay- Z, Sam Smith, and H.E.R). I established many meaningful and supportive relationships with coworkers and college friends. The highlight of these relationships happens to be the strong bond I have built with my cousin. I spend most of my time reflecting on positive scenarios and experiences because they are the moments that I remember most and are the moments that have made my year so amazing. The good seems to always outweigh the bad. I briefly mentioned that 2018 has made me more self-aware and has provided clarity for what is to come in my near future. For some reason, this year made me more aware of the many purposes I have in life. This year has allowed me to definitively visualize what it is I hope to do in life and what I must do to achieve my future success. 2018 has forced me to interact with diverse groups of people through my experiences as a Resident Assistant, Physical Therapy Volunteer, Teaching Assistant, Student, and Camp Specialist. I have pinpointed where I would like to see myself 5 years from now and how I hope to achieve meaningfulness in my life. I am a strong supporter of putting your goals into writing and following up with those goals on a consistent basis. It's important to know where you are in the process, what is going well, and what could be going better. It is also important to acknowledge the positive experiences that are present in your life. These positive experiences can serve as motivating forces even on days when the negative forces seem to be winning. As the new year approaches, I will be writing a new set of goals and hope to share those goals with you all. I also hope to persuade you all on the importance of setting goals and what benefits it has. - The Jay-Word We have all been groomed to believe that the ultimate goal in life should be to obtain happiness. We have been taught this concept by our parents, teachers, and society as a whole. When people refer to happiness they often refer to finding a career that pays good money and finding someone to share the rest of your life with. Does working a good paying job equate to having a job that has provided meaning and purpose in your life? Does spending the rest of your life with someone suggest that you have found a partner who opens your eyes to your actual story? Recent research is finding that instead of chasing happiness we should aim to chase meaningfulness as it provides us with a better sense of what our journey is and what our significance is here on Earth. I recently listened to a TedTalk podcast titled " There's more to life than being happy" which highlighted this exact theme I am focusing on today. In this podcast, Emily Esfahani Smith, said that there are four pillars of meaningfulness. The four pillars of meaningfulness include belonging, purpose, transcendence, and storytelling. Belonging is associated with being accepted for who we are in our familial, romantic, and professional relationships. Purpose refers to the way in which we use our advantages to serve others. This is your why, the reason you are motivated everyday, and the reason you are able to move forward everyday. Majority of people find their purpose at work, but you can discover your purpose through hobbies and volunteer activities as well. Transcendence is the way that we feel connected to a higher reality (e.g God). This can be experienced through prayer or even meditating. While engaging in transcendence we often lose track of time and become empowered by the higher reality. Storytelling is sometimes referred to as the most important pillar of meaningfulness. Storytelling relates to the story you are able to tell about yourself. You are the author of your story and can rewrite this story how you want to. You are able to erase plans for your future goal list and alter them to align with your purpose in life. Most people identify their purpose when writing and reflecting on their story. For example, my medical diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis allowed to me to identify a purpose I knew I needed to fulfill. I knew that I needed to be a voice for people living with this disease who experience extreme symptoms. I knew that I needed to consider conducting medical research on Myasthenia Gravis to increase the likelihood that a cure will be found. When I received the diagnosis, I was able to rewrite my story to fulfill my purpose. The concept of choosing meaningfulness over happiness is quite interesting and one that we should all consider. Meaningfulness is all about determining what you have gained and what you have lost in order to grow and love. Happiness is a state whereas, meaningfulness is a constant reflection on the past, present, and future. Meaningfulness suggests that you chose to give to others whereas, happiness suggests you achieved this state through receiving from others. A meaningful life leaves a lasting impression and a happy life becomes just a memory. - The Jay Word ![]() Last night I had the distinct honor of seeing H.E.R perform live at the Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia. Prior to seeing H.E.R perform, her music consumed much of my time and I found myself tuning into her interviews because I needed to know much more about the person behind this talent. Many people recognize her from songs such as Focus and Best Part (ft. Daniel Caesar), but her talent extends far beyond those incredibly heartwarming songs. H.E.R has redefined R&B for what is truly is and her music will remain timeless for this reason. H.E.R had redefined R&B by allowing her music to speak for itself meaning that she did not give into the social media fad and fame to gain popularity, but instead let her music, talent, and true voice give her well deserved popularity. Many new artists became popular for the way they presented themselves on social media and not so much on the quality of music they put out. It's important to remember that the presence you create on social media can slowly fade away, but real music is timeless and will be played through the ears of people for years. H.E.R music tackles real matters such as love, heartbreak, and social issues. One of the most meaningful songs off her "I Used to Know Her: Part 2" EP is "Lord is coming". This song presents itself as a true reflection of H.E.R's personal beliefs and feelings toward the many unfortunate situations in society. The song opens with a powerful poem that states her viewpoint on issues such as substance abuse, mental illness, gun control, immigration laws, and equality. Much of her music is a reflection of being passionately in love while dealing with a mix of emotions and heartbreak. Another deep song is "I'm Not OK" which highlights the fact that as humans we all experience pain in the form of heartbreak, death of a loved one, mental illness, rejection from personal and professional goals, and sometimes just not feeling good enough. As she said in her show last night, IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY and that's as simple as it gets. We all go through pain, hurt, and stress... we don't always have to be okay. H.E.R simply exemplifies everything and more of a true R&B artist. She brings a unique vibe and pure talent while playing instruments such as the electric guitar (or should I say ripping the electric guitar) and keyboard. She focuses on being her true self in speaking from her experience of love and pain while also touching on serious social issues. She revealed her music before she revealed her physical aesthetic. H.E.R will be played in my house 10 years from now while I cook and clean on Sundays. That's the power of H.E.R music. Jada's Top 10 H.E.R Songs (not order)![]() 1. Every Kind of Way 2. Hard Place 3. As I Am 4. Changes 5. Rather Be 6. Against Me 7. I'm Not OK 8. Let Me In 9. Pigment 10. Carried Away -The Jay-Word ![]() This past weekend I decided to watch the heavily talked about Netflix movie, Nappily Ever After. Five minutes into the movie, I knew I was going to love it and not for the reason I typically love movies. I knew that this movie was going to spark my creative side and influence a much needed blog post. This film reminded me how often we allow others to dictate the way we live our lives and how we often live the realities of what our parents and managers expect of us. Also, the movie touched on the idea that black women are limited in their expression and freedom in their professional jobs. The overall goal of the movie was to enforce self-love, destroy stereotypes, and uplift black women. In the film, Violet (the lead actress played by the amazing Sanaa Lathan) began living a lifestyle that wasn't unique to herself. As a black woman, her mother always enforced the idea of having straight hair and not allowing others to see her "natural hair." Her mother followed the motto of "act as the woman who attracts the man you wish to marry." The lack of self expression as a child and pressure to carrying yourself as a way to please others are both toxic traits that are commonly observed in the black community. Violet carried these ways of life with her into adulthood and allowed them to influence her relationships with herself and others. Her level of perfection became something that was always expected of her which never truly allowed her to be free and vulnerable. She became fixated on finding the perfect man that loved the perfect her, rather than finding the man that loved her in spite of her flaws and insecurities. The pivotal moment in this movie was the scene in which Violet shaved all of her hair off. Violet was then able to love herself and no longer live under the expectations of other people. She was able to find companionship in a man who loved her as she was. She was able to love herself again while being reminded of the goals and expectations she set for HERSELF. The film did an incredible job at showing how black women's capabilities are limited in their professional jobs. In the film, Violet worked as a creative director who often dominated commercials related to women's beauty products such as lipstick and hair care products. After shaving her head, Violent realized that her boss was not allowing her to express herself to her full creative potential. Violet attempted to turn the tables and work on a proposal for a beer commercial in which she was denied the opportunity to use her idea as her boss enjoyed the other employee's pitch. In this moment, Violet knew her worth and decided to quit her job. The purpose of this scene was to illustrate that we often times get stuck in positions that no longer allow us to grow. Just because we are good at one thing, does not mean that we are excluded from being good at other things. Don't allow other people's expectations of you limit the expectations you have for yourself. It is important to walk away from situations and careers that limit your expression, flexibility, and creativity as they inhibit your growth and limit your diversity as an employee. One of my favorite moments in the film was being able to watch the development of the relationship between Violet and Zoe (young black girl in the film). Initially, the relationship started off rocky as Violet insulted Zoe for rocking her "natural hair." Their relationship began to progress after Violet realized that Zoe's mother wasn't in her life and that much of Zoe's actions were a reflection of her desire to have that mother-daughter relationship. Watching their relationship progress quickly became one of my favorite moments as I realized how important it is for black women to mentor young black girls. It is important to remind them how beautiful they are despite living in a society that dismisses them as "beautiful." It is important to uplift young black girls as many of them deal with insecurities and plenty of self-doubt. It is important to remove patterns of toxicity previously observed in the black community to encourage self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-love in young black girls. Violet was this mentor for Zoe that many young black girls hope and dream for. So why must every black girl see Nappily Ever After? This movie reminds black girls how to love one's self, how to destroy and remove forced expectations, and how to uplift other black girls. Much of our true happiness is never achieved until we are living the lives that we want to live. Much of our true happiness is easily fulfilled by giving back to those in need and uplifting those in need. Much of our true happiness is obtained when we remind ourself of OUR life goals and continue to do meaningful work that allows us to grow mentally and spiritually. So do yourself a favor and watch this movie ASAP. -The Jay- Word "Positivity, confidence, and persistence are key in life, so never give up on yourself."-Khalid8/18/2018 ![]() After graduation, I was unsure about my plans for the upcoming months. I was torn between working at the summer camp I worked at the previous summer or obtaining a job in the healthcare field. I had conversations with many people and the most obvious decision to many people was to work at the summer camp. After weeks of reflection, I decided to work at the summer camp because it was likely that this may be the last chance I ever get to do this job again. As the summer comes to an end, I am beyond thrilled that I made this decision. This summer has proven to be one of the most rewarding summers filled with fun, friends, and networking (I'll get back to this concept shortly). I had many serious conversations with people who I now look at as mentors. I had a conversation with one of my directors about taking the leap of faith as I was hesitant to accept a new position. I had another conversation with another director about using the 1st year out of college to explore my options and keep an open mind. The first reason I consider this summer one of the best summers is because of the amazing children I got to work with and how much they kept me on my toes. Children always seem to remind me of my purpose in life and make me realize I have one of the coolest jobs ever. This summer I was able to learn more about myself and my capabilities. I was offered two promotions this summer, one being the OT coordinator and the second being an Activity Specialist for the senior campers. As I stepped into both positions, I was extremely nervous, unsure, and kept doubting myself. These feelings I experienced were 5 weeks ago and as I approach week 10 of camp I no longer have those feelings. I now know that I am capable of being a leader, conveying meaningful messages, thinking on the spot, and working with children from the ages of 3-15 years old. I now know that I am capable of adjusting my teaching style to different personalities. I now know that I am a person who is capable of influencing children and even counselors my age. I now know that it is okay to not always know the answer. I now know that it is okay to ask for help and often times people actually want to help you (MIND BLOWN). These promotions made me realize that I'm great at many things and I should utilize these skills going forward. I say all of this to say, take the leap, no matter how big, no matter how small. It's incredible what the smallest leaps and changes can do for your growth as a person. Now, back to the networking aspect of it all. My main focus going into work as a camp counselor was not "networking" , but somehow it became apart of my journey. Outside of working at camp, I have built meaningful relationships with my campers which resulted in multiple babysitting jobs outside of camp. This has allowed me to build relationships with parents who actually care about my future goals and aspirations. As a result of many close-knit relationships, I have landed an opportunity to shadow a hand surgeon, physical therapists, and physical assistants. This will allow me to pinpoint my future desires and gain experience needed for professional school. Throughout my 4 years of college I was constantly reminded of the phrase "It's not about WHAT you know, it's about WHO you know." At this point in my life, this is the one quote that holds a lot of weight. You choose your journey. Your path does not have to be a replication of the next person's path. Enjoy the journey, reflect on failures, and celebrate successes. Remain humble. Do things for YOU. Stop attempting to fulfill the desires of other people. This is your life and you have to live it. Prepare for the life you want to live. Use your resources. Network. Accept change. Help those around you. BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO WORK. NEVER STOP WORKING. Chase your passions. Tackle your bucket list. -The Jay-Word |
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