Winter Break.....Please come sooner! Thanks!

    

Merry Christmas Eve peeps! Here are a couple of pics from the LESGC Holiday Crafty Chicas event. My mentee wasn't able to meet, so I was paired up with a new mentee for the interim moment and had such a blast. We decorated Christmas bulbs to look like reindeers, made clove scented orange ornaments and decorated felt Christmas trees with buttons and glitter! I have to admit whenever I do crafting projects, I get so consumed with the process. I definitely want to integrate doing more crafting projects into my life for the New Year!

Tonight, Jason and I are celebrating Christmas Eve by getting dinner at the Strip House and then tomorrow morning I'll be flying into SFO to visit my family for the holidays. I am so blessed that this year I was able to see my family more than twice in one year- which is the usual for not living in the Bay. But before dinner and hitching a ride to JFK, I have to pack the rest of my ish.....since we're moving uptown! This weekend has literally been such a drag. When it comes to packing, especially when it's cold outside and Netflix is calling my name, I just want to sit on my ass all day and do nothing. If anything, I'll just pray for the willingness to pack and really give away the clothes I do not wear (I am such a hoarder when it comes to clothes)!

Anyways, just wanted to drop a line before the holidays commence and wish you all Season's Greetings, safe travels, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, etc.but before I leave, check out some of the sites below:

• Plum Alley- http://plumalley.co From ethereal jewelry to beautiful floral wreaths, eclectic still-life paintings and even modern furniture, this e-commerce site features products from female founded companies. 
• MOWA- http://www.mowa.me co-founded by Alex Zatarain is a start-up that utilizes photo sharing and hashtags to help users win coveted products for free! Click on the link to sign up and receive exclusive emails on how to enter photo contests.
• Wakefield NY- http://getwakefield.com co-founded by Chris Johnson, is a site that publishes and delivers daily emails to your inbox on companies, products and people in the start-up industry. If you're looking to land a job at a start-up, this is one of the sources that should be bookmarked on your PC or MAC...stat!
• Angel List- https://angel.co a job site similar to Indeed or Monster for start-ups.

Sorry for being so MIA....

Hello Everyone! Sorry I have been so MIA, with Hurricane Sandy, work travel, Thanksgiving and Christmas rapidly approaching, writing has taken a back seat lately!

In the past couple of months, I have joined two organizations; one as a mentor and one for recreational purposes!

The Lower East Side Girls Club (LESGC) located in downtown Manhattan focuses on providing girls and young women educational after- school programs that help foster and cultivate confidence. I first heard about the organization through Gabby B's blog and became interested in the mentoring program. I quickly signed up and became a mentor for the Crafty Chicas program where once a month I meet my mentee and work on arts and crafts projects. Last month we painted signs for the Sweet Things Bake Shop located on Ave. C. Since Hurricane Sandy hit Ave. C pretty hard, the bake shop- the only source of income for LESGC- had to close down. Our painted signs served as a Thank You to the many patrons for their support throughout the years. You can view more photos from the event here at the LESGC Blog

The other organization that I recently joined is Levo League. I first heard about Levo League through another site I subscribe to; Under30CEO. While reading my favorite segment, "Young Entrepreneurs" I read about the two co-founders; Caroline Ghosn and Amanda Pouchet and felt passionate about what their mission is- building a social community of like-minded professional people by offering career advancement advice, social etiquette in the workplace and setting up local events.

Last Monday, I attended my first Levo League event, which was a book club and we read "By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop" by Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilikis Wilson. At First I was apprehensive about the event because I did not know anyone, but as soon as the discussion started, I came to realize that I was surrounded by a group of young women who, like me, were either trying to figure out their next career move, in the the early stages of their own start-up, wanted career advice or to meet like-minded individuals who were passionate and ambitious about becoming successful based on their own terms.

  A person once told me that in life, she goes towards the people, places and things she wants for herself. After a couple of experiences of trial and error, a slap in the face from the "real world" and a humble beating to my ego, I started to define how i wanted my life to look, the type of people I wanted to surround myself with, the type of job I wanted (environment, team dynamic, location, boss, tasks, etc.) and also push myself to experience and find things that I'm passionate about. I am happy that I am starting to meet like-minded individuals and others who can impart their wisdom, dish out advice and relate on the struggles and triumphs of life!

Below is a list of sites I subscribe to and maybe you might find interesting or helpful as well:

• Honest Company- Natural and eco-friendly e-commerce site co-founded by celebrity Jessica Alba
• The Skimm- The top local and international news headlines written in layman's terms to help you delivered to your inbox daily. Think of the WSJ front page.
• The Conversationist- This blog is run by Amanda De Cadenet and focuses on content that honors the questions females ask themselves in this day and age. This blog also runs synonymously with the TV series, 'The Conversation' co-produced by Demi Moore and airing on Lifetime. You can watch episodes here.
• Poshly- a beauty giveaway site that allows you to enter to win beauty products by taking a quiz that automatically enters your name in the draw.
• Women In Wireless- an organization of women in digital and mobile media with mentoring services, local networking events, etc. I attended the WIW Holiday party at the Soho House last night and met great women ranging from careers in start-ups to big media companies like Yahoo! If you're looking to network with women who understand the need for more female leaders in the digital space or a career change, join this org!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

xo Lisa

Practice Persistence

The most valuable experiences are often the most difficult experiences. The biggest challenges bring out the best in you, and compel you to make your best even better.

Difficult situations are not much fun. Yet by working your way through them, you create great strength and value.

Even when your hard work is not fully appreciated or immediately rewarded, it still brings important value to your life. The experience of dealing with challenge can produce a lifetime of beneficial dividends.

When you know you have done it in the past, you also know you can do it again. That is the essence of true confidence.

The difficult experiences give you the opportunity to practice persistence. And persistence is a quality that is always in demand.

Though your efforts may not pay off immediately, they will pay off. Persist, and know that you are growing stronger and stronger.

-Ralph Marston

This quote by Ralph Marston holds true for me everyday and I try to implement the perspective he suggests to aspects in my life that I find myself resisting. It's easy to get caught up in the feelings of discomfort, wanting to check out, having a case of the "fuck-its", exude frustration, anger, resentment, wishing for external factors to change......BUT choosing to respond in a different way makes the situation and burden lighter. 

Everyone has been through a difficult situation, and most of the time it is only in hindsight, often in 20/20 vision, that we are grateful for the experience that initially pissed us off! During my time in LA, I was unemployed for a year and despite the multiple interview rejections and daily feelings and thoughts of unworthiness due to not getting any offers, I was able to seek out recreational activities that ignited my passions. This reprieve allowed me to practice yoga on a daily basis and heightened my spiritual practice, I had the ability to meet friends at any hour which strengthened my friendships, learn and practice patience, and know that I was taken care of by the Universe. 

All of these realizations happened only in hindsight, but because I went through that difficult period and my character was tested, I know now that whatever I am dealing with at the moment is part of a bigger plan and even though I may not understand the reasons, I just have to surrender, trust and accept.   

Cookie Monster

I definitely feel like a cookie monster right about now...eating a bag of Famous Amos as I type. Fall has finally arrived in NY and you can feel it in the drop of temperature, especially when walking to the subway. The air is crisp and I can actually wear fall booties during my daily escapades in the city.I feel like I can breathe without my nostrils being clogged with the sewer stench of summer. Tonight I am hitting up the Mets game with my friend, Shayla, you can check out her travel blog and show her some love. On another note, been on an awesome spiritual path and am learning to be in acceptance, re-shift my perceptions on what I prioritize, continually learning on how to be an awesome GF and the idea of focusing on choosing to act from a place of love than fear. All good things!

"When you fight the truth of the way things are, you create a state of fear, upset and tunnel vision. This destroys your ability to see clearly. It keeps you from finding solutions and it forces you to act in a way that magnifies the problem"- Bill Ferguson

Welcome

Welcome!

For awhile, I have been dabbling with the idea of starting another blog and it wasn't until tonight that I have decided to pull the trigger.

Back in 2009, I had a blog but decided to stop posting since I didn't like the direction I was going with it.

So what are the catalysts for my desire to create my own blog again?

• I love to write and wanted an outlet for self-expression
• I am currently reading, The Happiness Project and have decided to follow suit of the author, Gretchen Rubin, in creating a blog of her own
• Most of the creative inspiration I get are from.....BLOGS!
• http://www.cultofpretty.com
• http://www.manrepeller.com
• http://www.dollyrockergirl.com
• http://thebeautydepartment.com
• http://songofstyle.blogspot.com
• http://ashley-ringmybell.blogspot.com
• http://www.somenotesonnapkins.com
• http://stylelikeu.com
• http://thecoveteur.com/coveteurs
• http://fashionlayne.blogspot.com
• http://violetgrey.com/thevioletfiles/
• http://olsensanonymous.blogspot.com
• http://marieforleo.com
• http://gabbyb.tv
• http://thedailylove.com

Most importantly I am creating this blog for myself; to honor my thoughts, creativity, advice/wisdom I have received along the way and would like to share, glimpse into my life, and the willingness/pursuit to have a positive perspective on life despite external factors. This blog serves as my virtual bulletin board, my golden bullets in life.

xo Lisa