It’s been an interesting week to say the least and to be honest, my life and the opportunities that I’ve come across this week continues to grow.  No, they are not all job opportunities but they sure are important ones – opportunities to meet new people, to be introduced into different insights and perspectives, to be challenged in ways that I did not test and to learn – each and every experience deemed unique and exciting in their own way.

But none of this would have ever been possible without the love of and support of AWESOME people.  Surround yourself with awesome people, not just when you need it, but all the freakin’ time!

Say hello to,

• Friends that know nothing about your work and you can just be silly with
• Friends who know every single thing about you and can read you better than you can yourself
• Friends who will be straight with you and set you right
• Friends who will throw down some beers when life is a female dog
• Friends who you do stuff with with because you just love their company
• Friends who you haven’t talked to in years but that’s okay
• Friends who you can call at 4am because sh!t went down
• Friends who will just listen because you have to vent
• Friends who will have career talks with you because you need to figure things out
• Friends who tell you they have no idea what to do but will share  their experiences, mistakes and learnings with you
• Friends who genuinely care
• Friends who are half way across the world and find a way to get updates
• Friends who believe in you
• Friends who will introduce you to their other awesome friends because they think you’re awesome too
• Friends who will give you a hard time if you haven’t called in half a year
• Friends who do not judge
• Friends who are mentors but have become real friends
• Friends who are work friends that will care when you’ve parted ways
• Friends who will call you in the middle of busy season just to say what’s up
• Friends who will be there through thick and thin

… and these my friends, are what I call awesome people, you!

Thanks for all the support and love – emails, text messages, dm’s, phone calls, telepathic messages (haha) – I got them!

Cheers to the AWESOME people in your life and a second hooorah to my heroes!

I, Cheryl Ho, will make you and me very proud (:

- C

And what I am looking for is a career that I am passionate about – one with ongoing opportunities for growth, challenges that keep me learning and thinking in different ways, and a great team, environment and culture that puts the icing on the cake!

It has taken a lot courage to step back and start again, but this time refreshed with a sense of optimism and a new perspective.  The past few years have led me to a few interesting job opportunities – all of which I am thankful for and learned lots from – but knowingly not the path I had envisioned for myself.  What I do know is that I want to work with brands in a significant way – I want to touch the lives of people and create a nostalgic/emotional impact every time they experience the brand.  That to me is a success; when I can say that I’ve touched millions of consumers and helped them create a good awesome memory with my brand.

And so my journey starts…

Over the past few weeks, I’ve met with a handful of very great people over coffee (thank you so much) and it’s been one self discovery after another.  It’s refreshing to meet people who are genuinely passionate about their job, are real with you AND are successful too!  True passion  inspires me and I want to be someone who loves to go to work everyday, full of creative ideas, different ways of thinking and the magic formula that ties it altogether. And trust me, I will be that person.

Today, I took the time to update my LinkedIn Profile, connect with a few recruitment agencies, apply to job board postings and  set-up a few more coffee chats for this week.  And what I’ve learned so far is that it is super important to meet with people who are where you want to be.  And surprisingly, beyond my expectations of this entire networking process, most people are more willing to meet with you than you think.  Of course, you need to come from a genuine approach and referrals are often the golden ticket, but so far so good.  In the end, you really do need to have a good heart and hey, I can always attest to that!

I also bought my first Moleskin notebook today, after having a mini freakout at Chapters when I couldn’t find them.  Who knew that Moleskin notebooks had their own shelf!  I stood for another 15 minutes deciding which one to buy; the new Volant series really distracted me with their bright blue, pink and green shades, but I ended up purchasing the new soft cover legendary notebook in black, haha boring I know.   But I am pretty excited to use it to document my journey, and more importantly, things I learn from people at my coffee chats.

“The legendary notebook of Hemingway, Picasso, Chatwin.”

My first!

Hmm… and yes, LEGEN… *wait for it*…DARY it will be!

Until tomorrow!

- C

Maybe because it is the year of the Tiger or maybe because 2009 was just a rough year and I’m looking for so much more, but I am confident that 2010 will be a good year, my year.  I’ve always believed in living a passionate life and doing things that make me happy but I haven’t fully followed through… which leads me to the things I need to work on to live the life I want to.

Appreciate the journey.

Somewhere along the way between coming out of university and working full-time has really changed the perception I have of myself.  It’s not that I’m not confident about who I am and my abilities to be successful but it’s more of an expectation that I have set hat I have yet to reach.  I am constantly feeling disappointed in myself because I want to get there faster without realizing that it’s just not possible sometimes.

2010 will be more about appreciating the journey to getting where I want to go and ultimately having more patience in the process.  I need to enjoy and learn from the experiences (good or bad) that will lead me to euphoria instead of giving myself a hard time when things don’t go exactly as planned.

Warrior > Worrier.

I worry too much because I care too much.  It’s probably not a bad trait but there is a big discrepancy between really caring and not giving a sh!t.  It’s not much of a problem when someone or something is on the other extreme since I do not spend more than a minute to ponder but if it is something important or I love you, then I’m crazy! lol

Seriously speaking I just need to chill and not let my emotions get the worse of me.  Be a warrior, strong and composed, instead of a worrier, flustered and annoyed.  If I find myself worrying, it’s better to take the initiative to control the situation versus letting the situation affect me.

Enjoy personal space.

Unlike most people, I do not enjoy personal time.  It’s not that I can’t be alone but I enjoy the company of people more than hanging out by myself always.  There’s nothing appealing about kicking back and spending time alone.  Even for something as simple as watching TV shows; I’d much rather watch with someone than not.

It’s not that I need to be glued to people but there is a comfort having someone there; and by there I mean in the house or just around in some way.  And although this hasn’t been much a problem in any way, I know that I need to be okay with it and turn that into time well spent by myself.  I think good things can come from it and I’ll probably be more productive.

2010 for me is about new experiences, new adventures and enjoying the journey in getting where I want to go.  So the challenge here is to find something that t I enjoy doing by myself and be okay that I am doing it alone because there’s no better way to get to know myself and find happiness within than to spend time alone. Will keep you posted!

You are your own rock.

Something was different about 2009. It was a life-changing year, different in every way and went through things that I never thought would come my way.  I am still very indifferent about how I feel about 2009 but in many ways I’m glad it’s over.

What I’ve realized time after time is that at the end of the day, you only have yourself to depend on and that your happiness needs to stem from your core.  If you depend on others for happiness you will be disappointed because that expectation is too much to be rested upon someone else’s shoulders.  It’s also not really fair to put that on anyone else!

Two things to remember that help is 1) accept the reality of the situation and 2) spend time on making things better not waste time moping over what you cannot change.  And so what it all comes down to is that you have to be the master of your life’s goals and overall happiness level.  If you want it, go get it, do it and make it happen.  Do not depend on others to make it happen for you (even though a helping hand is always appreciated).

“Everything is in your hands and your hands only.” @skanwar

I think having control of your own happiness is empowering and nothing and no one should ever come between that. So 2010, are you ready?  Because I’m coming for you!

Last but not least, I’ll share a few things that I’m looking forward to…

• Finding passion and happiness in my 9 to 5 (aka work)
• Skydiving (Summer 2010!)
• More traveling – cruise, NYC, etc.
• Seeing friends get engaged <3
• Boyfriend working in clinic
• DT Volleyball Championships (wooot!)
• Learning a new skill or improving a rusty one
• Planning/help to plan some kind of event
• Volunteering
• Rekindling old friendships
• Having countless girls nights in at best friend’s condo!
• Becoming a better chef
• and so much more!

And taaaaaaa daa, cheers to 2010!  Cheers to better tomorrows and backward smiley faces all around (:

xoxo

C

- Anatole France

Thanks to @DoOneGood for sharing the Finish Strong movie link (www.finishstrongmovie.com) this morning, otherwise I wouldn’t have found this inspirational quote! I’ve even written it out and posted it on my bedroom wall!

Lately I’ve been struggling a bit mentally, thinking about life in all of its aspects.  If you’re thinking about whatever it is you are thinking about, be rest assured that you are not alone.  It’s easy to fall when you’re already downhill (been there, done that – check check check) but what you have to realize is that it always seems worse than what it really is.

Sometimes,  it’s just a mental thing; and today it finally clicked for me.

Stay tuned because the girl who shouts from the rooftops, walks through walls, and dances in the rain is back. (:

- C

We’re always taught to look forward and pay attention  to the road ahead, but note that we are also reminded to check the rear view mirror every 20 seconds.  I definitely check my blind spots way too often then.

Pondering? Let’s continue together.

And yes, I am back…. attempt #3 at writing regularly.

Over the past few days I’ve had the opportunity to meet some incredible people and to say the least, I feel pretty lucky considering that this door opened very unexpectedly.  But maybe sometimes that’s the best part, when you’re caught off guard!

To keep this post short and sweet, what I’m saying is to simply take and make every opportunity something worthwhile.  I’m confident that I made a great impression but whether or not things turn out positively, I sincerely believe that it was definitely still a good experience.  It’s true, I am really drawn to passionate people… and yet again, I’ve been inspired (:

Happy Friday!

Anywho, #6 of Project Me is all about planning.  Naturally a planner at heart, scheduling, organizing and prioritizing my life has always been a very simple process to me.  I am never without an agenda (whether it’s Outlook, BB calendar, or notebook agenda) because for some reason I feel that it’s important to always optimize my day(mayble less now than before, but still)!  But for those who aren’t very organized or like to think that you’ll remember it later, a month or even a year from now, let’s be honest – it’s not going to happen.

The reason why this post made Project Me is because I really have to get back on track and ’stick to it’ (#3 below).  I haven’t been following my schedule simply because I think I have a lot of time.  My tasks feel less urgent  – i.e. job apps, studying CMA, etc. – but in reality, the more time I think I have is the more procrastinating I will do and the more cramming and regret I will later feel.  So here I am, making my commitment and sharing it with you!

I hope this helps!

Four Tidbits to Planning (/Managing Your Time)

1)  Write everything down! 
It may seem silly to schedule in  “Girls’ Night” or “Running errands” but the truth of the matter is that those things take up time, your time!  Whether it is work, an assignment, a volleyball game, lunch or BFF’s birthday – everything that you do should be written down.  That way, you know where the gaps are and exactly when and what you can reschedule, if need be.  Writing everything down doesn’t mean you need to go into excrutiating detail, it just means you can refer back to it.

2) Be realistic
In reality, “shit happens” and sometimes you need to reschedule plans that you already made.  A good friend/mentor once told me to leave Sundays open just in case things happen and need the extra day.  Whether it’s Fridays for you or  Saturdays for some, it’s good to leave a full day empty in your week.  This way when something comes up on Thursday, you still have time to go to the gym on Sunday!  And if all goes well that week, then you have yourself a day off!

3)  Stick to it
The hardest part of planning isn’t the scheduling/organizing part, it’s the sticking-to-it-and-folllowing-the-schedule-part!  Of course, appointments and fun events are easy to abide to but what about more daunting tasks like studying, or cleaning your room, or even cooking instead of take-out tonight night? Exactly.  Following through with your plans is the deal breaker; if you don’t, there wasn’t really a point in planning now was there?

4) Make it fun
Now that you’ve been good and stuck to your schedule, why not have some fun with it?  No one really likes routine, people are just comfortable with it (at least I think so).  To get out of the grind, change it up and fill your weeknights after work with different activities.  Whether it’s having dinner with friends at least once a week, or making time for the gym 3xs a week (without setting strict days) – whatever it is, change it up and make it fun!  (Make it fun also relates to making daunting tasks fun, so that you will stick to it!  For example, instead of just cleaning your room make it a project!  Clean your room so that you can paint or redecorate, this way you have more of an incentive to complete the task!)

Later days!

As a result, I’m asking for suggestions/ways/challenges – whatever you want to call them - that I can do to improve the professional me.  Leave them in the comment box, thanks! (:

All in all, Day 5 wasn’t a good day for me but a recent episode of How I Met Your Mother may have inspired me to do something truly unique. In fact, I think video resumes are awesome/inspirational – awespirational! lol Maybe not all of them, but Barney Stinson’s sure is!