015. Take Action

Take Action



  This photo has nothing to do with this article, but I love it.

I have a phone interview tomorrow for an internship at an amazing online magazine/organization.

I found out about this internship about a month ago. A day prior to finding it, I was thinking about writing for an online magazine/forum. I want to focus on all the "isms" and injustices in the world, while focusing on the positive and providing real-life suggestions for change. My vision is pretty clear based on the content and name of this blog.
Anyway, when I came home from work that night and logged onto Facebook, the first post was for an internship position. Granted, it's not writing BUT it's a foot in the door to an amazing website that I truly feel connected with. When I read their "about" page, it seemed as though they took the words out of my brain and put them on the screen. So, I started writing the cover letter and polishing up my resume. I even invited my sister over to help contribute/proof read and give me feedback. Guess what I did next? I didn't submit my application for almost 4 weeks. "Why?" you may ask. The answer is simple and complex; I allowed the inner voice of self-doubt to creep into my little head and talk me out of hitting send. What if the founder doesn't like my answers to the questions she asked for the cover letter? What if I'm not qualified enough? The questions continued and I didn't proceed. More and more self doubt overcame me. The self-doubt then created an underlying current of anxiousness. I ignored my anxiousness and did nothing.
Fast forward to this past Sunday night. I was watching the series, "Bomb Girls" on Netflix and I suddenly felt the urge to take some action. I grabbed my laptop, quickly read over my cover letter and resume and finally hit send. I felt relieved. My anxiousness subsided. I then went to bed and awaited a response.
The next morning I received an email from the founder of the organization. She wanted to set up a phone interview with me. It sounds cheesy but I literally became teary-eyed. I was teary-eyed because this was the universe's way of gently reminding me that "I am enough." Ah!

Okay, so this leads to this weeks small change. It's simple. Take action. Take action with something that scares you. If you are self-doubting, gently acknowledge those thoughts and put them away in a large figurative trunk. Then, take action.This almost always cures whatever issue I am dealing with. There are times when I am so stuck in my stuff, that I forget the simple answer to help get me out of my funk. Action.
-Ashley

014. Simplify Your Life. Do What You Love.

 

These two and I have recently become best friends. 

Written By: Ashley Solis 

About two months ago, I came across an inspiring article about living more simply. As soon as I finished this article, I wrote down on a blue post-it what I wanted my life to look like. This list included writing full-time, traveling, teaching classes, more yoga and other things that I find valuable. I felt calm, focused and more clear on my intentions for my life. 

A month later, I signed up for a writing class with Tammy Strobel, the same author whom wrote a book about simplifying her life and whom the above article is about. I have always enjoyed writing. Ever since graduating college, almost 2 years ago, I have done less and less writing. I needed to find a way to inspire my creativity. My sister and I have been contributing to this blog as a way to keep up with our love of writing. But at times I find that I have to force myself to write more. I tend to get distracted by Facebook,  Instagram, shows I have recorded, my extremely stressful job, and life in general.

I kept referring back to that article about living simply. One question that stuck out to me was, what do I "want" and what do I "need." Some may wonder, what's the difference? We all have the same basic needs, food, water, shelter, human connection and so-on. I thought, "What is one thing I could live without and also save money while doing so?" The answer was simple, cable. I do not need cable. I work for a non-profit and have noticed that money has been tighter than I am used to. Also, cable was becoming more and more of a distraction for me. I was not doing all of the things I wanted to. Instead of writing, I was getting sucked into watching marathons of "48 Hours Mystery."

On Wednesday, I cancelled my cable subscription. After being on hold for 15 minutes, a representative answered the phone. I told her I would like to cancel our cable. She asked with her scripted, "Is there something wrong with your cable connection or have you had any issues with the service?" I chose to give her the reason why, "No, it works fine. We decided that we want to save money and would like to spend our free time not watching TV." Her answer surprised me. She said, "My husband and I recently got rid of cable. We realized we were spending too much time watching TV. Now we read more, listen to music and even talk to each other, what a concept!" It was refreshing to hear her response. She's a salesperson, but a person first. We talked for about 10 minutes and she made the process simple and painless. It has been a few days and I do not miss it at all. I thought I was going to have some serious withdrawals. In reality, I have been writing more and focusing on that blue post-it. I am back on track.

This week's change, what is one thing that you do not need and can get rid of? What is your reason behind it? Is it wasteful? Saving money? Bettering yourself? Lifestyle change?