Happy Thanksgiving

I'm sitting here at my cousin's house in Washington state. It's been a few months since I moved to California and this is my first time being home. I must admit that being here with good wifi and time to relax and rejuvenate has caused me to really miss a few things, one of them being my relationship with my readers. Before I moved to New Zealand we were up to 300 plus readers with consistent posts from yours truly. Sometimes it was easier than others. And after a few months of consistent writings, I sctually hit my first writing block but continued through it anyways. And then on this blogging journey I had finally picked up again after being back from NZ for quite a while when I lost it agaain wheni moved to California. In both NZ and Cali I don't have reliable Internet access nor a car if my own to go to an Internet cafe or Starbucks whenever I need. Regardless I realize this should not ralize this should not be an excuses able reason because if if I really decided to do this I would make a way... (I say this with all braveness right now as I sit here with awesome wifi and my cousin's iPad.)

But I must admit once again I have missed this and writing you now feels oh so good. Let's just see if it continues through when I go back from this holiday vacation. Either way I got in today to with any of you who might check today, a happy thanksgiving!


P.s. I can't quite figure out how to add a picture using this iPad. Anyone know how?

Networking Secrets in Practice

This post was written by Dacia Michal R. Follow me on Twitter.
Well world I am safe and unpacked in my dorm here in Stockton California. And I have officially been here a week. My school is fairly small being that it is a private school. There are only about 150 students here, and all in all I would say I have met about 90-120 students. Random numbers right? Its because I am horrible at estimating numbers of people so that was a rough estimate. Being that I came in 4 weeks, I have taken the majority of this past week to spend reading to try to catch up to the other students. Either way, I am proud to say I have met a large majority and only have the few part-time students left to get to know. Again I am in a situation where I have the opportunity to use networking secrets. Its has defiantly been a challenge with my work load in the mix. I think the one that has come in most handy thus far has been the Name Game. So I thought this video might be a little fun to show today.

Sunday Morning Coffee

Quick updates on Mi Vida

A friend traveling through Germany snapped this picture for me

This post was written by Dacia Michal R. Follow me on Twitter.

Mi Vida= My Life

• My family is safe and sound from our wonderful Hawaiian vacation which we arrived in Pasco from on Tuesday night.
• Today is the next big day. I am flying out Pasco, Washington to Sacramento California today where I will be picked up at the airport and then driven to my new college by a friend down there. 
• I am going in a month late into school, so my life is about to get extremely busy with classes
• I am not saying good bye to friends or family, just I'll see you later. (Much easier and less tears)
• I am hoping not to cry. As long as they don't I won't.
• I officially think I packed too much (again).

A quote from a friend who has moved several times and traveled the world on both long-term and short-term trips, on a teachers budget (she is my hero sometimes).

" Moving is hard but different than travel. Life still goes on without you and you start your own life. You become you once you move away. Pasco will be VERY different when you visit. You belong (and always will) because this is home but you don't because you have changed and see it different... It takes some time to figure out where you belong. When you get homesick work through it. Dont' just run home... Keep an open mind and have fun. Friends and family will support you with your decisions and watch you grow. You'll do great! Just keep in touch!"

I know I have a lot to learn about the differences of travel and moving and I can't wait to share it all with you. Until then do you have any suggestions or tips for me or others on moving?

3 Month Challenges

Photo credit: vi.sualize.us

Don't say you don't have enough time.  You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. 
 ~Life's Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.


This post was written by Dacia Michal R. Follow me on Twitter.


It is officially September meaning my last 3 Month Challenge is now over. The reason I go after 3 Month Challenges is because I want to push my self to see my limits and I want to grow as a person in different areas of life.  My first goal (March, April, & May) was broken up into three challenges: 1- Work on an online business, 2- work out 6 days a week incorporating a healthier diet for my optimal health and 3- read the entire bible in 3 months. And my latest goal (June, July & August) was to apply for $100,000 in scholarships and grants for college.

1st Lessons Learned

Both times I have tried a 3 Month Challenge I have learned a lot about a variety of things with the common ground of goal setting. The first time around, I had three big projects that had I focused on one fully I know I could have accomplished much more, but I feel I spread myself too thin. Of the three goals the easiest to measure was the Bible reading, because it was broken down all the way into daily goals. Both the online business goal, and health goal had many different stages and was harder to measure going into as a newbie. In my health goal, half way through I ran the Bloomsday race and realized the importance of rewards. Running it was so fun that if I had started out with that goal to be in shape for it I think it would have been easier to stick to. As far as the online business goal was concerned,  I incorporated no exterior motivation, accountability nor specific goals to hit. As soon as I hit the first road block I ended up giving up on the goal completely yet stayed in denial to it for a while.

Having learned  from that first 3 Month Challenge not to take on too much, when deciding on my next 3 Month Challenge I narrowed it down to one goal broken down into monthly, weekly, and daily goals with rewards if I hit each of those and people in my life to keep me accountable.

2nd Lesson Learned

The first month I was golden and so were the people keeping me accountable. Everything was going as planned  and even though I took two weeks off to run a fireworks booth leading up to the forth of July, I caught up a week into the next month. The only problem was I never rewarded myself for hitting the monthly goal and never really decided on a reward for the weekly goals. I now realize that the stress of the big goals with no rewards or breaks took its toll and about two months into it I slowly began to give up on the Challenge, focusing on other things. That was also about the time that I received a scholarship to a private school in California. Although I only had one month left to go, when I received this reward it was enough to give up the bigger goal because 1- I wouldn't need the bigger amount, and 2- I was too stressed finish.

As I type, just about all my belongings are now either in boxes ready to ship or in my suit case and by the end of next week I will be in California starting class. Because of that I have decided not to start a new challenge until I get a feel for school and life down there. But once I do decide on my next Challenge, I think I will tweak it again.

Success Tips Learned

I have learned that for optimum success my next 3 Month Challenge needs to have certain things that can be applied into all areas of life that require goals and self discipline.

1- The goal needs to be a challenge but manageable
2- The timeline should also be challenging and manageable
3- There should be a clear outline of the goal broken into smaller goals
4- Rewards give something to look forward to and motivate
5- Make sure you are accountable to someone (or even a few people)

One more thing, as you read this I am finally on vacation. :) 

Sunday Morning Coffee

Photo credit: vi.sualize.us

The Art of Networking: It's in the Eyes

Photo credit: Daniel Weisser

"Its not how a person feels about you that makes them like you, but how you make them feel about themselves when they are around you."

This post was written by Dacia Michal R. Follow me on Twitter.

I heard a speaker recently say that in America we have dropped on average from 4-5 good life time friends to 1.5 good life time friends. How sad. In a time with such digital technology and social media growth we have gained the power to be friends with people all around the world on a daily basis if we choose, yet we are seeming to loose the number of deeper more meaningful connections earlier generations had before us. I love what technology has brought us (after all I am a blogger;) and with practice, I think, we can have both those deep friendships and a touch of technology in our pocket. But in order to do this we must make a conscious choice that will make the change. Whether you are just meeting a person or you have already known then a lifetime, this next networking tip can be of use in making a deeper connection.

One of my favorite things about travel is meeting people. If you have not already figured it out I love social encounters. They give me energy more than any coffee could ever. Every now and then I meet that one person who leaves a lasting imprint on me. Someone who did or said something that I can't seem to forget. And this was the case with one young man I met during my Ohio trip. 

What's the big deal?

I was actually talking to someone else and he walked up to join in the conversation. They both seemed like nice people so I did not mind the new comer. Then he did it. --Whenever he would talk to a person, he looked  them in the eye. Now this is a common practice you might think in everyday culture, and although I agree that most people do look at the person they are conversing with, I must say it is usually more like just a casual look that often is interrupted by a few glance elsewhere through out the conversation. He, on the other hand, looked right in eye of the person with whom he was conversing, and did not look away. It felt different than a normal conversation because even though our topic was nothing deep it felt like if he was really paying attention and interested in what the speaker had to say, no matter who was speaking. 

Why is it a big deal?

As I mentioned earlier, we are surrounded by distractions now. Now we have grown accustom to behaviors where the listener is only half heartily listenting, because they are also checking their phone or constantly glancing elsewhere. This is normal. But whether that young man was actually listening to me when I spoke or not I don't know but I felt important- just because he looked me in the eye when I spoke and did not look away unless someone else started speaking. In other words if you can learn to make people feel important when they come around they will continue to come around.

How to put to use the big deal?

It will be easy to find opportunities to practice for most, but practicing may not prove to be as easy as it may seem. When you have a conversation with someone, pay attention to just them. Look them in the eyes and don't look away until they are done talking. Try not do do anything else while they talk but listen. You can go about practicing this one of three ways. One, pick five people that you see on a regular basis and focus on them anytime they speak through out this week. Or two, try to do this every time you can remember. Or three, pick a number and try to carry on that many conversations practicing this.

Don't forget to let me know how it goes through out the week.