Where will your career lead you to?

There are a lot of articles written on where to start your career, and most of us get career advice at the beginning, when we are seeking a career for the first time. Rarely do we seek advice in the middle of our careers – and when we do, it’s usually when we are absolutely sure that we will quit someday soon, and want an alternate role.

It is important to think about where your career will lead you to at any stage and remember what you love and what you are passionate about.

So here’s a few questions I have for you:

ASK YOURSELF

Do you enjoy your role?

Are you succeeding in what you do?

Do you feel challenged?

Are you excited for what’s next?

If at any point you have stopped and answered no; then it is time to revisit your job and career. The reason why these are separated is because you may not love the day to day tasks of what you currently do, but you may be working towards something you are absolutely passionate about – and good for you!

We spend more time at work then we do at home with our loving families and friends. So it is important to do something you enjoy and look forward to.

No matter the stage of career you might be in, when you feel like it is not for you, it is time for a change!

What makes me an expert in this situation you ask? I have changed my career twice before I finally found what I love doing and am passionate about.

This is a tough decision to make, change overall is hard to go through, however I have till date not met anyone who has regretted changing their career for the right reasons, so I invite you to make that change and bring the colours of the rainbow to your life!

Please feel free to leave your answers in the comments. I would love to hear about your experience and your thoughts.

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A step towards a healthier you…

Many times we find ourselves wanting to commit to an extreme diet or workout plan and find that you lose interest by the second day, or second week.

And all of a sudden you stop and eat that Big Mac or Pizza that you swore never to do two days ago.

Well truth be told, everyone goes through these motions, you are definitely not alone.

What has worked for many is just taking a step towards being healthier… no need to jump into major changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Here are some steps that may be a good starting point:

1. EXERCISE – can be a walk down to the park every day, or choosing to walk to work, train station, bus station etc. Or whatever that works for you – going to gym daily is usually not a commitment that everyone can jump into right away, but if that floats your boat, maybe start off with a commitment of 3 times a week, and if you exceed that goal, good for you!
2. DIET – no need to starve yourself, or have protein shakes 3 times a day, instead, when you arrive at the food court, go with the healthier choice. Or cook with more veggies instead of carbs etc. every little decision makes a difference. The key is to stop and think before ordering or cooking the meal.
3. COMMIT TOGETHER – if you are lucky enough to be able to convince your partner or friend to join you – then my friend your chances of succeeding has doubled. Because when you come across a weak moment, you have reinforcement at that time, to choose the better option. (This can sometimes turn out the other way, where they will also cave in and eat junk food too, but at least you have a partner in crime.)

And once you feel good about yourself, take pictures, buy some great outfits for you, go out, wear something you feel good in. At the end of the day, a step towards a healthier you is a step towards loving yourself. Once you love yourself you find that you can be a better mum, dad, employee, sister, brother, daughter, son or partner etc.

Balancing family, work and me time…

Life can be very stressful at the best times, and most of the time you find yourself exhausted by the end of the day and still thinking about the next thing ‘you have to do.’

And then you bump into your friend, relative or colleague who looks like they have everything in order, happy and relaxed while getting everything done. This is when the question springs in mind, how? How can this person make it look so easy?

The key to everything is to get started, and stop contemplating or thinking too much about it. The worst thing you can do is procrastinate over it.

This is when the quote from Jana Kingsford springs to mind,

Balance and Happiness is different for all, firstly you have to think about what makes you happy and what balancing means to you.

Here is an example on how you can prep yourself:

Once you know what makes you happy, then proceed to plan, plan and plan!

1. Write a list of things you need done – divide it into sectors – for example: FAMILY, WORK, ME.
2. Divide your time to the different sectors and then on each task. ( be generous with your time on each task and realistic)
3. If you are running out of time, move it to the next day but never compromise the time for each sector, for example, if you are writing an article for work, and you find you ran out of time, do not take time out of your FAMILY or ME time. Instead – move it to the next day’s list.

The lists will not last forever, or can if you prefer it that way. All of a sudden you find that balancing becomes a habit.

In saying so, it does not mean that you will get it right first time, no one usually can. But in trying and starting you are creating the movement – and you will find yourself committed, if not the first time, maybe the third or tenth!

It is important to make sure you look after yourself as well as everyone and everything else in your life.

This applies to you in all your walks of life, being single, a mum, or a dad, white collar, blue collar, student etc.

We all feel overwhelmed sometimes, and this is ok! The last thing you want to do at a time like this is to stress over not being able to find the right balance in your life. Remember to make the most of life. The walks in life can be difficult but also very beautiful…

And it is never too late to ask R U OK? – this post is a dedication to R U OK DAY

Why do millennials choose to pay $20 plus for smashed avo?

It is interesting to note that until this date, millennials are still mocked for choosing to pay $20 plus for smashed avocado in a cafe rather than making it at home. News articles recently released claim that it is for this reason that the younger generations can not afford to enter the property market.

This notorious meme that started by Australian Social commentator Bernard Salt really points out the vast difference between generations, in terms of substance and the purpose in life.

If you think about it for a minute you will realise that this difference is not only in lifestyles but on views of how wealth is measured by each one of us.

Due to technology, we are now way more informed than before as well as way more entertained. All of a sudden money is not the most precious utility, it is not about what you own anymore.

The most valuable quantitative unit in this world is time. Our time is limited, it is the only variable that we as humans never have control of.

So spending it happy is way more important than counting every cent that everything costs. Having a coffee and a smashed avo dish with a friend in a cafe is way more enjoyable than going grocery shopping, purchasing each item required and then making it. Think about it for a second, how much time have you wasted on each of these tedious tasks, just to be able to say that you saved $10?

Not to judge Gen X and all previous others, just pointing out that there are reasons and explanations for all decisions that each generation chooses to lead with, this is just food for thought! On that note, enjoy your smashed avo next time, guilt free!