Why You Were Told to Shoot Your Shot in 2017

As we say goodbye to 2017 and welcome 2018 I couldn’t help but reflect on something that’s become “the motto” for myself and noticeably many others this year, AND very well could be the reason why 2018 is looking so damn promising. Is it just me, or was 2017 rocky as hell – like tip-toeing shoeless in the Grand Canyon rocky? If you’re like me, you had to dodge a few bullets and jump a few hurdles this year, but you’re ending the year on a high and ultimately thankful for the experiences that led you to today.

The motto I’m referencing is “shoot your shot”. If this is your first time hearing this motto, let me explain….the phrase suggests taking matters into your own hands. Instead of waiting on the opportunity to come to you, you go for it and shoot your shot! I’m not just talking about finally speaking to that person you’ve been crushing on. I'm also talking about taking risks and a leap of faith when it comes to career moves, enhancing your network, resolving conflicts, repairing friendships/ relationships and so much more. Really any situation in your life where you’ve been hesitant to make a move is where the “shoot your shot” motto can be applied.

Now just as a basketball player wouldn’t just shoot a shot without accessing the probability of actually making the shot, so should you. Do your due diligence to ensure the shot you’re shooting has the best chance at being successful. Confidence, logic and practice are going to be useful tools if you plan on getting through the net. Your confidence will be the main component allowing you to even consider taking the shot in the first place. Your logic will allow you to properly process the thought(s) behind why it’s worth taking the shot and access the alternative outcomes if you miss. Practice, as always, will perfect your execution and make you look like a natural over time.

Like with all shots, realize that you’re not guaranteed to make it. You’re shot may very well get blocked or you may miss entirely, but the energy behind the gall it takes to go for what you want is the same energy that’s needed consistently to fuel success. Do you know how many "no's" some of your favorite moguls had to hear before they got the "yes" that changed their life? A lot. Let any misses you may have continue to fuel you forward into 2018 – the year of the Level Up! Happy New Year, lets get it.

-Candace Elena
 

Soul Travel: How Catching Flights Can Add to Your Glow Up!

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” -Gustav Flaubert

One of the easiest ways to expand your perspective of the world (and all it beholds) is to expand how much of it you've actually seen and experienced with your own two eyes. With that said, how many of us are limiting our perspectives through lack of foreign travel? What is there to be earned from adding stamps to that little navy blue passport booklet?

From years of working in the public relations and special events industries, I had the opportunity to travel all across the country pretty frequently and was able to see the majority of this beautiful country and acquire a list of domestic "favorite cities". Thus, prior to about five years ago I considered myself to be "well traveled" even though I had only been to one country outside of North America - Canada. Niagara Falls, Canada to be exact, which was a family trip destination when I was about 12 years old. You didn't even need a passport to enter the country back then.

More recently with the social media era emerging and tons of photo/video sharing taking place across platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (if you didn't snap it, it didn't happen), I started to see a glimpse of the world that I'd never subjected myself to. As a matter of fact, I hadn't even really thought about doing so that much to be honest. You can't miss what you've never had right? Wrong. I began to have an itch and yearning to see the expansiveness of this beautiful world. Once I did, it was as if I'd opened my eyes to peace, understanding and love - so much love and gratitude for simply being granted the ability to be a small piece of the seemingly infinite world puzzle. 

Guanacaste, Costa Rica and most recently Havana, Cuba are just a couple of the incredible places that I've traveled since vowing to take at least one international trip per year. The various rich cultures that you get to step into temporarily, the people you get to meet and observing the circumstances that they are able to thrive happily in really provides the reality check needed to shift your perspective on life. Now every time I come back from a trip, I feel like I've added to my #glowup, not only physically (international tans are thee best), but spiritually and mentally. I feel like I've added to my cup and I'm filling my self up with the things that matter most - unconditional joy, inner peace and immense love for everyone I share this globe with.

So start your soul travel this year and add to your glow up! The benefits of catching more flights include expanding your perspective, making you healthier, enhancing your creativity, relieving stress, boosting happiness and so much more! 

-Candace Elena

Is My Life on Deadline? How to Become Content and Confident in Your Journey

Have you ever found yourself wondering if you're on schedule for your own life? Do you find yourself comparing your life milestones and accomplishments to those around you, and contemplating if you're lagging behind? If so, join the club of everyday people who torture themselves with the limiting notion that they must check off certain goals by a certain timeframe in order to feel validated. Ask yourself, am I on deadline for my own life?

A wise individual once told me... "don't rush away your life. Enjoy the journey."

If life is in fact a journey, one that is unique to each and every one of us, offering tailored challenges, opportunities and interpretations then why is it so easy to find ourselves in subconscious competition with the next? If the finish line is going to be different for everyone, then what is the rush?

External/societal influences are one culprit that can increase the speed of someone's internal clock. Whether it relates to personal or corporate achievements, those around you may be having too much of an impact on your psyche. Things like your mother constantly ask you when you're going to give her a grand baby and you're single...or witnessing a peer from college land their dream job while you're still working in retail can make you overanalyze your own journey. Start to be more aware of these moments and if you catch yourself feeling down on yourself, remember that you're the captain on this ride and you are in control of your destiny. Acknowledge the actions you're taking.

Seeking validation in place of unwavering joy is another reason one may find themself checking the clock. Sure, the praise that we receive when we've accomplished something major in the eyes of others makes us feel warm and gooey inside, but who is the judge of what is major and what is not? Also, if the validation bar is always raised then at what point will you ever feel complete? In this sense, can one ever be "on time"? Before you share your accomplishments with anyone, stop and take the time to look in the mirror and say "good job", "well done", "I'm proud of myself". External validation should never be a necessity to have peace and joy, or a cause to accelerate your travels.

The fear of not being the best person we can possibly be is judgement on ourselves and plays a part in making us think we're on deadline for our own lives. Our values and experiences determine what is best for us and this is not something that can be measured by anyone but you. Enjoy the freedom of knowing that you're the the boss. Make up your own hours, put in hard work and reap the benefit this life has to offer for YOU.

Trust in yourself knowing that you're right where you should be, right now. You won't get there without being present, here.

-Candace Elena

How to Decide if Your Career is Right for You

People underestimate just how important being in the right career is. Your job is where you will literally spend the majority of the hours in your day every week, every month, for years - YIKES! Yet, it's mind-boggling to know that so many people are willing to endure a detrimental work environment for reasons that aren't always worth the stress, pain and frustration. 

Sometimes your heart is screaming for you to make one decision and your brain is convincing you to make another. So, what to do? Ask yourself these introspective questions to decide if the career you're in is right for you: 

1. When you're annoyed, pulling your hair out and your boss is working your very last nerve, what aspect of your job gets you out of bed in the morning? - There must be something about doing what you do that brings you joy. This is what you grasp onto when everything else is going haywire.

2. Are you able to see the impact (direct or indirectly) of your work and serve a purpose through your work? - It's reassuring to know who benefits from the work that do and it will give purpose to your role specifically.

3. Is there room for you to grow professionally and as a person in your career? - Unless you're the CEO of your company, it's almost impossible in this day and age to stay in the same role forever, so knowing what the possibilities are for your next level will help you make a decision for the present.

4. Is work/life balance possible? - You can't serve anyone without taking care of yourself physically and emotionally, so your career must respect boundaries outside of the workplace.

Take the time to honestly answer these questions and I guarantee you'll be leaning more towards a clear understanding of if the career you have is right for you. Not in your career yet? No problem, take this career quiz from The Princeton Review to see what careers fit your personality and personal interests. You'll be one step closer to figuring out your dream job!

https://www.princetonreview.com/quiz/career-quiz

-Candace Elena

Ingredients For The Recipe Of A Healthy Marriage From Four Power Couples

This is the question you ask yourself when you're staring at a photo of your grandparents (who were married for 50 years) and wondering, how'd they do it? It's the question all of us women (and men) ask ourselves after the demise of a relationship we thought was destined to be a headline story in JET Weddings or The Knot. It's even the question you may find yourself asking two years into your recent marriage - What does it take to sustain a healthy marriage?

As someone who is newly engaged (grinning) this is something I've always pondered hard about, so I sought out four married, thriving power couples to share with us ingredients for the receipe of a healthy marriage! These four power couples are just as in love today as they were the day they walked down the aisle, here's why:

Michael & Teneshia Warner | Married for 8 Years

Teneshia's Thoughts | CEO, The Egami Group
1. Friendship - It's a beautiful thing to be married to your best friend.  At the end of the day,  you want to have friendship at the center of a marriage.
2. Kindness - Remember to always treat each other with kindness.
3. Commitment -  Marriage will be filled with ups and downs; through everything, you must be COMMITTED to your marriage. 

Mike's Thoughts | COO, The Egami Group
1. Communications - Communications should be used for not just telling your partner your desires but also utilized to listen to what matters to your partner.  You must master listening to sustain a healthy marriage. 
2. Commitment - This is the thing that will keep you together when everything else is not working. 
3. Caring - Every human being needs to be cared for, and marriage gives you the ultimate vehicle to care for another human being.  It also is the perfect vehicle to receive love and care from someone else.

Errol & Joi Gordon | Married for 21 Years

Joi's Thoughts | CEO, Dress for Success Worldwide
1. Endless laughter - It requires you to be able to laugh at yourself and each other and never take it or make it that serious, it never really is.
2. Friendship - Knowing that your mate is someone who would have been your best friend if you would not have married him.
3. Finding the common thread - For us it is Fishing.  It is the one thing we both enjoy and we find time often to share the joy of it together.  Nothing like having a fishing buddy to share all the "big fish that got away" stories with.

Errol's Thoughts | CEO, Gordon's Limousine Service, Inc.
1. Individuality - We never stifled each other's growth. There was no competition between us- we had our own lives, friends, careers and always wanted the best for each other but never envied what the other had. Success for both of us looks different - we are both successful and we celebrate that we each are trailblazers.
2. Respect - We rarely argue. Someone has to be the bigger person. Patience can make someone a great businessperson but also a great spouse. Never degrade each other with your words - words are powerful and it is easy to destroy a person.
3. Travel - Explore new things together as often as you can. Big trips are great but dinner out once a week is even better. A long drive can be a journey in and of itself. It is important to make memories and spend time completely alone with each other.

Iftikhar & Sarah Nadeem | Married for 25 Years

Sarah's Thoughts
1.  Commitment to sustain - There must be an underlying commitment to persevere no matter what, in spite of.
2. Tolerating each other - There will be time you don't like your spouse, but the love and values that we share allows us to tolerate the things that aren't so like-able.
3. Thinking about the best for the children - At the end of the day our children are a part of the family that we've built and our actions have the ability to affect them into their adulthood. Think about them when things may not be at their best and ask if its worth it.

Iftikhar's Thoughts | Coach & Counselor, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
1.  Unconditional love - The more you make it conditional its never ending and you'll always be seeking balance.
2. Keeping excitement in the relationship - This also determines the quality of the relationship. If there is no excitement, that means you've been doing the same thing all of these years. You need renewal
3. Tolerating and supporting each other - Not living with or close to family can be positive. We moved into a new country, so we didn't have people around to complicate things. Too much involvement from family can have triggers, negatively on the relationship. We worked out our problems on our own and supported each other.

Edwin & Regina Lloyd | Married for 35 years

Regina's Thoughts | Teacher's Aid, Millstone River School
1.  Commitment - Be committed to each other and the relationship.
2. Compliment each other - Know that you are complete in God and confident to that end while the other person needs to compliment you.
3. Sacrifice - You both must sacrifice for the well being of the whole and the goals you have set for the institution.

Edwin's Thoughts | Retired, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
1.  See a legacy - You both have to have a greater purpose than the relationship itself.
2. Knowing what matters - Know that everything is not worth fighting over. Are you healthy, are you safe?
3. Commitment - We live in a disposable society where if we're not happy with something we just move on and discard it. The grass always looks greener on the other side, but there are a lot on onions on the other side. Sometimes my wife gets on my last nerves, but I like her.

Take these pearls of wisdom to heart and see where you can apply the value of their words to your situation. Perspective is sometimes all we need to see what we weren't able to before. Cheers to love!

-Candace Elena