Friendly pumpkin joy. A journal.
As I get older and life gets busier it becomes harder to find the individual experiences, things and people who bring me joy. To me, joy is the unit of happiness and as I search for the secret to a happy life it is in the joyful moments that I find hope.
Join me as I document the [joyful] days of our lives. The moments that make life worth living. The little gestures the universe makes to reminds us that we matter. I’ll capture the things that put a smile on my face, bring me back to good times or give me hope about our humanity. No matter how small or brief those moments may be, I will highlight them as another battle won against apathy and loneliness. Let’s get started.
Monday October 2, 2017
In my job with the Women Entrepreneurs of NYC I’ve met magnificent humans. Our program has reached more than 3,000 women since launching in late 2015. From the recovering entrepreneurs turned venture capitalists to the ones that are still hashing out their big business ideas, the women I get to serve are extraordinary. I have been struggling however to understand the exact impact of our interventions. We run great programs but I have personally questioned if they are the right ones. As I hear from women at one of our mentor sessions today, one of them mentions her recently published book. Another one of the participants asked, “How did you do it?”. I could have not expected what came next. It turns out that one of our former mentors coached her through the process of publishing a book. As I sat there listening to this woman talk about her journey, I couldn’t help but to feel a great sense of pride. I finally felt like we are doing something right.
Tuesday October 3, 2017
The first time I entered the Momentum Education classroom through those iconic red double doors I had hit rock bottom. I showed up over an hour late and I was drunk. One of my closest friends had recommended the organization after seeing me struggle with worthlessness. “I don’t know much about it but I think this may help” he said. I listened to what was left of the presentation and just couldn’t wait to get out of there. I never would have thought that today, almost a year later, I was going to stand in front of the room at a very similar event as a joyful, vulnerable and connected woman. My Momentum journey has been one of the toughest and most rewarding experiences of my life. I agree that the curriculum is not everyone’s cup of tea but I genuinely believe that everyone deserves to have a Momentum-ish experience. If you’re looking for a place to work on your goals and rebuild your relationship with love, check it out and attend an info session. To my Mo Family, I’m grateful for every single one of you. Thank you for making feel like I can fly :)
Wednesday October 4, 2017
Life is short y’all. You don’t always have the time to tell people how much they matter to you. I know from struggling with self-love that at times I had no idea of how much my presence, my words and my actions had an impact on others. If you’re waiting to say how much people mean to you…don’t. Today I had a chance to celebrate one of my friends on his promotion. I also took the opportunity to apologize for a previous incident and recommit to being a better friend in the future. Friendship is a verb and it’s such a rewarding practice. As an immigrant, friendship took a whole new meaning in my life when I found myself far away from family. It is my friends who can actually see when I’m struggling physically or emotionally and the ones that will show up on demand when I need them the most. To all those friends turned soulmates: your presence brings me joy beyond measure.
Thursday October 5, 2017
Throughout this week I’ve been battling a really nasty cold. Today, I put myself first and decided to stay home. This is HUGE. Like most people of my generation self-care does not come easily to me. I was raised to work and work hard. My team is currently understaffed so staying home and unplugging felt like a selfish act. But my body has been screaming at me that I need to slow down. I’ve been getting lower back pain, headaches and now a bad cold. Self-care is real and extremely important. We live in a world that is designed to squeeze us for resources. It is up to up to set boundaries, love ourselves first and get ourselves in order before going back out there. Self-care is a difficult but joyful practice. You should try it.
Friday October 6, 2017
Oh vulnerability. Not exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of joy. In fact when you look up the definition of vulnerability the words weakness and threat come up. I have struggled with vulnerability all my life. I strongly believe that people with tough childhoods in particular develop this hindrance disguised as a superpower. We are required to toughen up real quick. That strength is what allows us to get to places even when we may not have all the ducks in a row. It’s what fuels us to move on after abuse, to be functional after major loss and to push through abandonment. It works but it comes at a price. Asking for help becomes such a foreign concept that even when we have good-hearted people to rely on we’d rather not to. Admitting to yourself and others that you need something other that what you can provide for yourself feels like defeat. Today I was fully open and vulnerable about a situation at work. It was scary and exhausting but I’m sure it positioned me in a better place to build meaningful connections with people that I genuinely care about. Spoiler alert: you’ll see vulnerability come up more and more in upcoming posts.
Saturday October 7, 2017
Shonda Rhimes. Yup, she brings me joy. Today I caught up on the season premiere of Scandal. Like most people in the United States I still have PTSD from the 2016 presidential election. To imagine a world where a woman takes over the Oval Office and hires a black a woman as her Chief of Staff is so refreshing. If you have never watched Scandal do yourself a favor and go watch this season’s premiere. You’ll get hooked immediately.
Sunday October 8, 2017
It’s pumpkin season! While I’m not exactly a latte person I do love pumpkin pie. Here’s the thing: where I come from we don’t use pumpkins in desserts. Calabazas or Auyamas are used in savory dishes like soups and stews. Imagine my delight when I moved to this country at the age of 19 and tried pumpkin pie for the first time. Ever since, I’ve been hooked to all things pumpkin and while you can probably find them all year-long, there’s nothing like a seasonal treat to remind you that time is dynamic and we need to cherish the season we’re in.
My sources of joy this week were a sense of impact, friendship, my Momentum family, self-care, vulnerability, Scandal and pumpkin pie. What were yours? Let me know on social using #JoyByJuli
