Things to keep you 'going' when the rest is exactly 'not going'

It has taken me a few months to get back to my blogging. However, there are a few reasons for this. First, I must admit that I was suffering from laziness and lack of discipline. Secondly, I also think that the topic that I have chosen has become a bit more difficult than it was intended. Why? Well, since I had been lacking inspiration, I thought I would sound like a hypocrite giving advice on how to 'keep going' when things are exactly 'not going' for myself or anyone else in this rough economy.

So, without much more ranting, here is a list of things that have inspired me during the last few months of "blah" moments. These are just THREE simple things, but they have helped me to stay focused when for some reason or other, there seemd to be no light at the other end of the 'tunnel' we call life:

• Running: I have found that running is not simply about becoming a marathon runner and staying fit. Running is something that requires not just discipline but also releases endorphines that have been proven to give you a natural high! If you want to learn more on how to stay physically fit and young through my favourite sport, I will be including a separate link via this blog both to my Twitter account and other Nike+ self-motivating challenges in the next few weeks.

• Learning new things: When I was 25 years old, I found myself without a job and with a bit too much time at my hand. Ever since then, I have noticed that learning something new or focusing on a hobby that intersets me has provided me with not just disclipine but also a desire to stay young in my mind.

• Recovering from "The blues" (we all get those some times!): When feeling uninspired or simply a bit "under the weather" I have self-prescribed myself with "positive 30-day callenges." What does this usally entail? 1) Reading stuff that makes me smile, such as the  The Blue Day Book by Arthur Trevor Greive. From personal experience, this is a must-have for anyone's book collection. Not only does this book help me just smile a bit, but it has somehow always managed to give me a different perspective on other not-so-perfect things in life. 2) Coming up with at least ONE THING each day that serves to be as positive "affirmation." Hell, if a little kid can do it, I can too! 3) Helping other people who need inspiration or mentorship has always helped me appreciate the things that I have sometimes taken for granted. Perhaps, one's "backward" moments are about taking a look forward at the change we can make in someone else's life :)

Do you have any other tips on how to stay positive? If so, please share on! As I have mentioned before, my main goal in starting this blog was to create an idea-sharing forum :)

"Not Having Enough UK Experience" - Learning to deal with rejection

This particular entry was inspired by one of my friends who posts about her job search rejections on Facebook. If she is reading this, she probably knows that I am targeting her with this post. Nevertheless, another reason why I am writing this is because I think most articles out there treat job rejection as part of life, as  as a "c'est la vie" approach that one has no control over. Maybe I am just a stubborn person, but I will do my best to explain why taking a “c’est la vie” attitude towards rejection is not very proactive nor reactive approach.

If I had a penny (or should I say "a pence") for every time that I've been rejected for a job in London for "not having enough UK experience"  in the last two years, I think I would have already paid for my expensive postgraduate degree in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science. So how does one become immune to such words and cope with constant rejection whether it is within the UK or anywhere in this world for that matter? Well, simply put, there is no right way. No one likes to feel rejected.

What I have learned this year is that rejection sucks and you either let it put you down or you just get back up on your feet and do as the Brits would say "Keep Calm and Carry On". I am not saying that I never feel angry, sad or bitter each time that I have gotten rejected.  On the contrary, what I am trying to say is that rejection will always hurt and that the best advice that I can give to anyone dealing with today's "job hunting environment" is to simply change their attitude towards rejection. Here is a list of three things that I have found to be quite useful. If you have any more to add, please feel free to comment on here...the more I can add to this list, the better!

1. When you get rejected for a job (or for anything else for that matter), ask for feedback. Sometimes all we need is a little bit of insight on the things that we could OR SHOULD be improving. 

2. Develop new skills. So, you have "no UK experience" or NO EXPERIENCE AT ALL for that matter... What are you going to do about this? My theory (and maybe I need to follow my own advice on this one): Read what others have done in the field that you wish to pursue and try to find out the necessary steps needed to build the experience that will get you where you want to go. We live in a world where you can pretty much teach yourself anything thanks to Google…so take advantage of this to learn new things EVERY DAY, not just when you are looking for a job!! As cheesy as this may sound, knowledge IS POWER. 

3. Get innovative with how you network. Networking is no longer just about attending networking events and bringing a fancy business card or CV/Resume to promote your accomplishments. Social media just made the concept of schmoozing even more complex. However, if you ask me, I actually think that websites such as LinkedIn have made it easier for jobseekers to have access and make connections with those who one may have never had the opportunity to meet at a normal networking event. C'mon, do you really think that you could have met the Global Marketing Director of Nike on your own? Maybe some of you have access to those kinds of AMAZING CONNECTIONS.  However, to those of us who don't, I think that LinkedIn is the best thing ever invented, particularly if you learn to use it correctly. Heck, LinkedIn even offers free training sessions, which are aimed to maximize your use and exposure within their website. Check it out!

Other than this, if you have any additional advise on how to deal with job hunt rejection, please feel free to comment! I am sure that my friend who I mentioned earlier on this post, would be more than happy to read what you too have to say…and why lie, your comments might help me too!

Nomenclature: Defining a Calli-fornia Girl

If this blog is meant to inspire readers then perhaps I should explain its nomenclature. To be quite frank, coming up with a "Blog Name" was a little bit more time-consuming than I had expected.  Let's just say that having worked in the marketing and advertising business for about seven years means that I automatically over-analyzed its readership as well as how the blog's title would take on a "brand name." Yes, I am a geek and proud to admit it!


So what's the deal with this Calli name? Well, I had to dig deep into my high school memories from Hamilton High School, when I read portions (AND NOT ALL) of Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey.  I guess some things do "stick," for there was a Greek goddess of poetry who just happened to be the inspiration behind Homer's writing. "Calli-fornia Girl" is a combination of two meanings: Calli represents Greek mythology's Calliope and California, my "real home." By combining these two names into my alias, I hope to perhaps personify what I wish to accomplish in my future entries:

1. To share my ideas on career planning...and perhaps inspire those in similar situations along the way. Let me be honest here, I am not sure how to "empower"anyone just yet, but who knows, maybe I will become the next Latina Oprah Winfrey. But wait...I think Cristina Saralegui already beat me to this! Either way, who says there isn't room for another Latina dynamic woman, right?
2. Share articles related to life transitions, cultural experiences, health, love, and above all, just learning to adapt to all of those random things that come our way without losing focus of what's important. 

In case I have not been clear, I the end goal of my blogging career as "Calli-fornia girl" is not write for the sense of writing but to also learn something about myself and others along the way.

Thank you all for helping me in my blogging journey!