2023 Year in Review: Listen to your purpose, not your desire

The end of the year is a good time for reflection and looking back on what you have accomplished. It is also a time to remember or choose new goals for the future.

This year, personally, I reaffirmed my passion for writing and I created more content for my blog. I started a new career path, and exercise taught me more discipline than in any other year. However, I often felt fear. Fear of change, of new experiences, of making mistakes, of wasting time…

Making decisions that take you outside of your comfort zone is not easy, but whatever you do, a new path opens up that is full of challenges, but also comes with opportunities.

With the new year around the corner, it is a good time to think about your long-term life project as well as your short-term goals. In the coming year, there will be days when we lack motivation. In these moments, remembering your life purpose gives you the strength to move forward. Perhaps writing your life project down or making a vision board (like I do) can help you keep it in mind. So when you need a push, you can turn to it.

Listen to your purpose, not your desire… As Nike said in one of its marketing campaigns ‘Just Do It’. Sometimes we don’t need to think much, we need to take action so that our plans move forward.

Finding a purpose is not easy but having it as a reference point on bad days is key. The life project is the destination we want to reach. It requires planning, strategy, discipline, and sacrifice. Therefore, every year you move closer to your lifelong dreams. I hope that each 2024’s resolution brings you closer to the destiny you wish for.

Un Resumen del Año 2023: Escucha tu propósito, no tus ganas

El final de año es un buen momento para reflexionar, hacer un balance sobre lo logrado y para recordar o elegir nuevos propositos.

Este año, personalmente, reafirmé mi pasión por escribir y creé más contenido para mi blog. Comencé en un nuevo sector profesional y el ejercicio me enseñó más disciplina que en cualquier otro año. Sin embargo, sentí miedo a menudo. Miedo al cambio, a lo nuevo, a equivocarme, a perder el tiempo…

Decidir quitar el modo automático y tomar decisiones que te saquen de tu zona de confort no es fácil, pero cada vez que lo haces se abre un nuevo camino lleno de desafíos, pero también de oportunidades.

Con el nuevo año a la vuelta de la esquina invita a recordar tu proyecto de vida a largo plazo, y tus propósitos a corto plazo. El año que viene habrá días malos en los que no tengamos motivación. En estos momentos, recordar tu propósito de vida es como un punto para coger fuerzas y seguir adelante. Quizás escribir tu proyecto de vida o ponerlo en un mapa de visualización (como lo hago yo) sea una buena forma de tenerlo presente. Entonces, cuando necesites un empujón, puedes recurrir a él.

Escucha tu propósito, no tu deseo… Como decía Nike en una de sus campañas de marketing ‘Just Do It’ (Solo hazlo). A veces no necesitamos pensar mucho, necesitamos actuar para que nuestros planes avancen.

Encontrar un propósito no es fácil pero tenerlo es importante para que en esos días malos sea el punto que te dé fuerza. El proyecto de vida es el destino al que queremos llegar. Requiere planificación, método, disciplina y sacrificio. De esta manera, cada año te acercarás más a estos propósitos que no tienen fecha de caducidad porque son para toda la vida. Espero que cada paso del 2024 te acerque a ese destino que deseas.

This month we celebrated Earth Day! This post is dedicated to it

There are many things that humans we are responsible for… it could be; to ear enough income to live, to study, to stay healthy, etc… But have you ever look up from our lifestyle to see the bigger picture?

Do we appreciate the perfection nature has created for us to live? It has given us countless beautiful views, millions of intelligent species of animals and magic oceans. All of them are need each other them for a perfect ecosystem.

For example, if bees or ants disappear the ecosystem can fall apart. However, If we took humans out of this planet, this extinction of humans may very well benefit everything that exists on earth. This is how valuable and special the life of animals are. So if we believe that we are superior we should take care of all life on earth.

Realistically, is there anything that you or I can do as individuals to make a significant difference? The answer is yes, because little things can make a big difference.

10 simple ways to help our planet

1. Be mindful in what you buy: there are many companies which offer sustainable or recycled products. You also can buy in second hand stores as another way to recycle products you need.
2. Recycle: I think we don’t have excuses to don’t do it.
3. Get reusable bags to buy in the stores you shop in.
4. Buy stainless steel straw: you can bring it with you and use it with any drink you buy.
5. Say no to plastic bottles: switching to stainless steel, you can prevent harmful carcinogens from leaching into your drinking water.
6. Ride your bike or walk: this is a win win action that lessens from cars and buses emitting toxins caused by gas.
7. Become a vegetarian: it is clear beyond a doubt that beef production has a significant negative effect on the environment.
8. Donate clothing you don’t use anymore.
9. Airtight food containers can be reused, sandwich bags and plastic wrap cannot.
10. Be a leader: the chance starts with you and you can be example in your family, in your school, in your workplace or even anywhere you go. You don’t know the ripple effect of you example can have.

Maybe we individually can’t change the whole situation our planet is in, but if we can all be conscious global citizens, take responsibility for our impact on the earth, then our action will counts in order to make a place where future generation will be able to live better.

We need to give back to the planet, our home, that clearly deserves more than it receives.

🙌🏼🌏♥️

What will be your challenges in 2018?

This is the first post of this year and I’m looking forward for a new year with all of you and a growing blog community!

I’m sure we all will have so many challenges during 2018 and I have some tips to go through them during this year.

Here are 7 powerful tips:

1. Health: you need to be committed to working out five days a week and do something uncomfortable everyday because being in better shape requires effort and consistency. Eat as healthy as you can. Take care your body and take baths or longer showers. Practice gratitude and meditate to bring peace in your body and mind.

2. Relationship: be vulnerable and open yourself up to have deeper and better relationships. It’s also time to have uncomfortable conversations that you are avoiding and start a new year clean and peaceful.

3. Finances: keep track of money you spend and set up your goal for saving each month.

4. Vision: Set up your goals, it will bring you peace and focus to work on them. Set up a schedule and plan a strategy to follow.

5. Learn something new every day: I believe that learners are earners. So we will never stop learning and becoming a better person. I think interacting with people is the easiest way to learn, but there are so many things out there that you can use. For example: you can listen to podcasts, watch short videos on YouTube, Instagram…, sign up for a dance class or any other workshop, read or listen to books, etc.

6. Go on and enjoy an adventure: I dance in my living room to whatever song suits my mood. Moving my emotions through my body is a way of honoring them, and honoring my design. Sing, travel and have fun along your journey.

7. Leave people better than you find them: Serve people and help them to achieve what they want, then more people will be able to help you when you’re  in need and you will feel better if you help others. Always play win/win, then you will never lose again.

I declare this will be a year of abundance and prosperity for all of us and we’ll be open to receive blessings and love.

Your past does not serve your destiny

Sojourn Wei comes from China originally and she has been in New York for nine years. She realized her dream by working as a professional in one of the major banks. New York is one of the greatest cities in the world where everything is right outside of your door and Sojourn chooses this city because it meets her ambitions.

She is a very empathic woman who has an ambitious vision for the world, “A world with peace and love where good political leaders can stand up for themselves and their communities in order for everyone to share resources equally. Rather than focusing on competition we can work collectively”.

Talking about habits in life, Sojourn says her best habit is self-reflection. “When something bad happens I would dedicate time to reflect on what could I have done differently and how could I prevent it from happening again”. Her areas of improvement is procrastination, “there are promises I made to myself but I didn’t take action to achieve them. That’s when I feel frustrated and lost confidence on myself. She thinks consistency is an important habit to achieve success in life.

Many of us are just like Sojourn sometimes we want to be multi-tasking or perfectionists in what we do. However, Sojourn said, “we can always ask ourselves if we are doing the best in our life. If you are doing the best in life there is no regret or worry about being perfect. Perfection is a work in progress because we are growing each day”.

Three lessons to remember:

She learnt to be grateful and kind from her mother. By being grateful, “it helps me to come out of difficult situations or experiences by focusing on what we have instead of on what we don’t have. By being kind you connect with others, Sojourn says “she is passionate about helping people, being transparent, open and direct in communication”.

Her dad taught her to be ambitious. She said “This is a kind of ambition which connects with your passion. It encourages us to move forward. It will make us improve ourselves day by day and be a better leader in our community”.

Past and future

“Your past doesn’t serve your future or your destiny. Maybe you are attached to certain emotions or bad experiences and you can’t create a higher achievement by focusing on the present”. If you want to be more conscious and have breakthroughs in life she recommended trainings in Advanced Education or Vipassana (it is 10 days of silent meditation where you are isolated from the world) which helps you to listen to your inner voice more clearly.

The second opportunity

She thinks that everyone in life deserves a second opportunity. Sojourn says “we are humans and we make mistakes from time to time. It takes courage to forgive and it comes from a deep compassion to let go of the past, to trust and forgive in order to offer a second opportunity for ourselves and others”. Seeking forgiveness and acknowledging you made a mistake is being authentic and people deserve second opportunities.

Here ends our post. Hope you enjoyed it.

See you soon and thank you for following #thecornerofinspirstion

Dream with the biggest picture for your life

In this post we will talk with Stephen Gironda. He has been working as a coach for 27 years. When he was in College he started as a sports coach for children in high school. Afterward he worked as a coach to teaching how to be effective in a job interview, then he went into the hotel business, where he applied and learned new coach skills and finally he was be able to created his own business.  Steve didn’t think to create a business until he did a leadership program in 1988. After that he was more committed with his career and was able to create a coaching company he named, Torch Pass.

“Give new meaning to the word living”

As Steve puts it: “Gratitude is appreciating how much you have focused on what you have and not on what you are missing”. The dictionary defines “grateful” as: “expressing or showing thanks for someone or something”. After listening to Steve and reading this definition I came to the conclusion that: Abundance will show up in our lives when we choose to be grateful for what is in it. It could be very possible that we already have abundance but we need to be grateful in order to truly see it!!
Dream big!!!

Thinking in terms of scarcity can stop you from dreaming big, but it takes courage to have a bigger picture of the life you want for yourself and you must be willing to make that dream come true. The big picture “is not only about yourself, it’s about how you can contribute to others by living a life of abundance.”

You should always keep ever present what exactly your big picture is because there will be days when you feel as though you are going backwards. Steve said, “the universe can push us back and it is a reminder to reset and begin again. Embrace these bad days or moments of fear because it will allow you to learn, grow and stay committed with your vision”.

Steve remind us what Thomas Edison did. He failed many times before he invented the light bulb. “He didn’t think each experiment was a failure. Actually, each experiment which failed, became a breakthrough for Edison in other scientific areas involving different things. Failures were just a stop to learn more information.”
A popular Edison quote is ¨I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work¨. So I say to you: Don’t be scared to fail, it is each failure that is leading you one step closer to success.

Always ask

Remember Steve’s final tip: “be always willing to ask the question, even if most of the time the answer could be no. You will be amazed when the answer turns out to be yes!

So it doesn’t hurt to ask! It could be uncomfortable but just ask… hey can I be in that movie, can I do this, can I have this job, would you like to go out with me, etc.

At Torch Learnigng Programs, provide experiential workshops for parents, teens, families and corporations using more than 25 years of success in executive and youth coaching. Contact them for more information.

Thank you for reading!

See you soon

High ropes workshop

You can live out your passion every days

Michael with his students in a school of Jiexiu, China.

Happiness as a purpose of life is what many people do and Michael is an example for it. Without being a graduated teacher he achieved to be one in China. Now he lives a life full of passion and purpose.

Michael is a 37 year old New Yorker and ex-sales employee and is now an English teacher in Shanxi, a northern province in China. Success is just being happy can be a statement of life for many people but sometimes it is not. For Michael, there was a time when he thought success was making a good amount of money to live. However, four years ago he changed that and now he lives with the purpose to be happy. Driving your life by passion is the key to success and it is what Michael does. He wasn’t happy working as a sales person for big companies like AT&T or Geico in the United States so he decided to change his job and he started to look for a job where he can live out is his passion for teaching.

Without being a graduated teacher, he went to Russia for a month to teach English in a camp for children. He loved the experience and he looked for other possibilities to be an English teacher abroad. He started to prepare to get the certification to be an English teacher, meanwhile, he got a job in the small town of Jiexiu (population 400,000) in China in May 2016.

Actually, he gives English classes 5 days a week to children between 3 and 15 years old. It’s sounds ironic, that he wakes up with a smile and goes to bed with an even bigger smile because I cannot imagine how he does it. I think it is because he loves what he does. Jiexiu is a small town where a teacher wants to make a difference for children and give them the opportunity to learn from a native English speaking teacher about American culture and their language. The fact that he didn’t study in a college to be a teacher didn’t stop from looking for possibilities to find his success and happiness as a man and teacher.

“I choose every day to create joy, passion and impact”

Leo Tolstoy

Marc Fein is a 31 year old New Yorker who is a mental health educator, facilitator and mentor. His dream is a world where everyone can express themselves authentically, be connected with each other and fully reach their potential.

Marc had depression episodes which made him relook at his life. This started as a negative experience but it ended up bringing positive change. Marc said “It was a wakeup call for me and it made me discover new ways in my life”.

Trainings in Advanced Education helped him create a mindset to achieve more and bigger goals. He also had wonderful mentors in his life. About that Marc said “It is valuable to have people with wisdom and experience to share with you while you are working on your dream”.

Marc told the following story “There is a person who would like to change the entire world. He realized in order to change the entire world, he has to start to change his city. If he wants to change his city he realized he has to start changing his community. In order to change his community he realized he has to change his family. If he wants to change his family he will need to start by changing himself”.

This story reflects what Marc thinks about having a big dream. “The first step is work with myself, then see how I interact with the world in the most direct area of responsibility. After will be steps I can take in order to share that with other people. There are a lot of small steps to build up a vision for  fulfillment of a big dream”.

Marc also said “I think it’s more important to have a dream that is so exciting it gets you up every morning and to create something with it every day. Everyone should have something that they are passionate about and it is important to start with small steps”. Marc, said “I get to choose every day if I want to focus on the fear and anxiety or if I am going to believe in myself and trust myself to create joy, passion and impact”

Difference between failing and learning

Marc said, “The only difference between both is failing makes you stop. When you learn you keep going. Then if you fail try something else”.

We can say if something doesn’t go the way you expected and you stop, then you failed because you let the obstacle stop you. If you learn that means you took something that happened to you, figured out what the lesson was and how it can support you in moving forward. Marc said, “I don’t need to be successful the first time but no matter what happens it will have a valuable lesson for me that supports me moving forward. So regardless of what happens I know I am going to keep moving forward. It’s a mindset of energy that supports me building momentum”

A message for the readers

Marc said, “It’s never is too late to start to have a big dream. I had the story in my own head when I already turned 30 I thought I missed an important part of my life. However I encourage everybody regardless of age that it is never too late to start to change your life, to choose a new adventure, to create a new personal identity…”.

Open yourself up to the possibility, maybe the world wants you to be successful and you will be surprised what turns up if you choose it”.