Heloooo travelers! I am now an official Alum of FIDM and am ready to do some revamping to this here blog. We have a lot of catching up to do and I want to make sure that I hit all the important landmarks along my journey in hopes of aiding you along yours. There are three very important lessons I have learned in the last month that I think can help everyone.

1.) Prioritize with honesty

2.) Take time to enjoy your loved ones (rocking chair)

3.) Patience is a virtue (don't punish yourself)

Prioritize with Honesty:

There is a saying "You can't be all things to all people" and I have learned that you can't be all things to yourself. On one too many occasions during my time at FIDM I tried to be all things to all people. A student, RA, intern, friend, Networking Guru, speaker, you name it, but the #1 thing that fell off was my blog. I don't like that. But I had to be honest about spreading myself thin.

Travelers when you are going after a dream make sure that you prioritize with honesty. I wanted to be great at all of the above but not at the risk of my grades or relationship with my teachers. When both working a 9-5 and building a business one must be honest about where their time and money is most effectively spent in order to achieve that dream. (Great article I read about all this coming soon!)

Steps to take: Make a list and divide it into Have To and Want To. In the Have To pile place things like Homework, 9-5, and financial obligations. In the Want To pile place the things that you desire to do and may help make your dream a reality, but is not a necessity to your everyday life ie Fashion Week Mixers, Starting a new blog, or restyling your wardrobe. Assess the list. Is it honest? Great! Once you get a handle on the Have To's add the Want To's one by one to build a more balanced foundation for your dreams.

Take Time to Enjoy Your Loved Ones (Rocking Chair)

Right after graduation I was able to spend two weeks at home in Ohio. Talk about a great time! But when I first made it to Akron to spend time with my aunt I had nothing to do!!! Try going from staying up well past midnight working on projects then waking up at 6:30a to finish that same project to having not one thing due. I lost my mind! I kept looking for little projects something to work on something to complete. My aunt asked me "Why are you trying to take away your own peace?" Why was I trying to take away my own peace? So travelers I sat on her deck in a rocking chair with my knitting needles and proceeded to make my Nana a hat. It was the best feeling in the world.

When building your dream into a reality it can take so much of your time that if there is ever a period of rest, we tend to miss them because of the simple fact we are so used to being busy. Trust me nothing is healthier for your dream than a moment of still clarity. When I took that time of peace the result was a hat that made my Nana cry (in a good way). She is 89 years old and I have no idea how many more hats I will ever have the time to make her if any, and in that moment with my mother, aunt, uncle, and dog Camron :-) around, I was able to create a memory for my family that only propels my dream, it didn't take away from the building of it.

Patience is a Virtue (Don't Punish Yourself)

We expect our dreams to have a 2 week manifestation when sometimes it takes years to see your dreams come to fruition. Life can get in the way of building your dreams but as long as you have your Have and Want To's in order and you are diligently working towards that take a look back at where you first started and review what you have accomplished to date. For example I want a career in the Fashion Industry. For me that meant getting a degree in Merchandise Product Development from FIDM. I knew that would be 1 year of my life so I can't be upset that I'm not the Corporate Merchandiser of BCBG Max Azria by the time I turned 26.

Know what it takes to build your dream and be realistic about the time it takes to achieve each step to building your goal and track your Mile Markers. I'm gong to take more time on this blog to develop that section of this blog to help my travelers with patience.

Okay okay I know I just got back but I have some revamping of the blog I really want to do (I just found I can blog from my BlackBerry). So I'm going to take even more time off to review a few blogs that I truly respect and love and the love attention and detail their owners give them and show that same love.

I have big plans for baby and as you know nobody sits baby in the corner!

Leave a Diva Stamp and let me know what you think! I really want to hear from you. The plan is to grow the readership in 2010, but I know that's up to me and then spreading the word from you.

Happy Travels,

One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!

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