Hi! Maybe I should have written this post 1st but…too late for that 🙂
I’ve read that talking about yourself should be easy, since we know our story well. But I don’t think that’s always true.
I’m a millennial, but just barely. I was a happy kid. I grew up with a bunch of boys, and we ran around making all sorts of trouble. My mother tried her best to get me to wear dresses and be a proper lady, but I found that quite boring, so I was having none of that. I love them now though, many years later. Sorry, mom. I was born with bi-lateral cleft lip. My palate was OK though, thankfully. I might do a post later just dedicated to that. I’ve had a few surgeries throughout my life to try and correct it. For the most part, even though I was self conscious about it, I didn’t get bullied. Most kids were just curious.
I discovered I loved reading early on. I love traveling too, and spending time with people I care about. Some of my friends are basically family. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Awesome beaches are usually a short drive away. I used to go whenever I could. And I wish I would have listened when I was told to wear sunscreen.
I think I was always very rational. A friend of mine calls me ‘hyper-rational’. And if I had a badge for that I’d wear it with pride. Of course, when you’re a teen, even a rational one will have some angst in the mix. I’ve had to learn to understand that some people are quite the opposite, and to just let things be. At some point I discovered weight training, and I’ve been doing it ever since. ‘Adulting’ often gets in the way, but I usually make my way back. It’s like therapy, but better. Aaand, having a friend that trains with you is an added bonus. Oh, and food, I love food.
Fast forward to when I graduated high school…I had no idea what I wanted to study. After some ‘guidance’ from family members, I tried Architecture for a while. Whoo boy. I didn’t know what a good college experience was supposed to be, but it wasn’t that! I tended towards the creative side of things, and that’s the only part I liked. The rest felt like torture. I eventually switched to Engineering, which I like better. But of course, as I got closer to graduation, jobs seemed like a distant myth from past times. Eventually, I did land a corporate style job. I thought I’d made it! I finally had a cubicle! At first, I was completely unfazed by the very loud comments my coworkers made about hating their jobs. Not even the office jerks bothered me. I was earning my money, and I was living the dream on my own. I met some really great people too, my partner included :). And then, things changed, at least for me. I eventually read a book called ‘Corporate Confidential’ and it was an eyeopener. Things made more sense after that. But an unhealthy work culture can eat away at you. If you feel like your soul is dying, it’s time to leave. It doesn’t matter whether your friends and family support you. If you can, you should always have an emergency fund. It will allow you to leave and take some time to recover and try something different. It made a world of difference for me. I established a small biz for myself, and I’ve spent all my time after leaving reading and taking steps to make it work. I was fortunate, and was offered a job with a different company. I’m in it for the long haul though. Doing your own thing means doing it at your own pace, but doing it nonetheless. Again, you don’t owe anyone any explanations about what you do with your life. You will find that people who don’t even know you will root for you. At this point, I’m planning how I’ll continue to learn and grow my little project. It makes me happy, to have something I want to put the time and effort into. I don’t even have to think about the rewards that much, I know they’ll be worthwhile. Especially for someone like me. I think I showed signs of being independent before I turned 1.
My life isn’t perfect, but that’s OK. I try to keep my mind in the now, instead of thinking about how I’d like things to be. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you should stay true to who you are. Some people will like you, and some won’t. It’s fine. We all have our own brand of awesome.
All the best, M
PS – If you’d like to connect, feel free to look me up on LinkedIn. Here’s the link – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariamoledo/
