Always be climbing trees…
“If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I am never growing up.” - Peter Pan
Growing up, I was a tomboy. I loved playing with my older brother and his cool friends. We would always play outside either roller blading, racing each other, taking adventures down at the “crick” or the water stream by our trial. I was fascinated by nature and climbing trees. Any tree that caught my attention, I would always muster up the courage and strenght to start climbing. I’m not sure why I enjoyed it so much. Was it the adrenaline running, the feeling of fear as my arms pulled me higher, the excitement when I reached the top, or the freeing feeling of just being a kid.
Trees are symbolic in a way. I admire all types of trees, especially the wheeping willow trees.
The ancient symbol of the Tree has been found to represent physical and spiritual nourishment, transformation and liberation, union and fertility ( The Universal Symbolism and Importance of Trees Throughout History).
Similar to the tree and the symbolism of its roots, we can look at our own journey. Do you want to keep climbing to the top or stay safe and rooted. Their is no wrong answer, just what is true for you.
Orange Hill Restaurant in California
Every season of your life requires learning and growth. There are seasons in your life where you have to keep climbing the tree to break barriers, and there are other seasons of your life that require you to harvest and water your roots. Staying planted to nurture and heal. What season are you in?
We all have dreams for our life. The question is- What are you doing to build towards those dreams? For me, climbing a tree looks like:
Being confident in my work and in me
Research, learning, and development
Networking, collaborating and building connections
Learning from others
Knowing my strengths
Looking for opportunities to grow
Hustle and motivate (tune in Nipsey)
Building something beyond for myself
Raising my hand for more
Taking initiative & owning my path
Empowering others & bringing people up
Owning my voice and sharing ideas
Asking questions
Challenging myself outside my comfort zone
Praying
Understanding what does success look like for me
Evaluating who I surround myself with
Changing habits that are no longer serving the direction I want to go
Mindfulness and Therapy
Staying centered and always going back to the “why”
Never stop being a good person
Humbling Adventures
During one of my wanderlust adventures, I took a trip to Tampa to visit my best friend and also had an opportunity to see my aunt. My heart was beaming. When I am with my bff I feel like we can climb any mountain together. Our connection and understanding of eachother is so strong over our 5+ years of freindship. That is my girl right there. We hold each other accountable, we challenge each other, we lean on each other, we laugh with each other, we’ve gotten into arguments & forgave & loved each other harder, we experience pain with each other, and we fellowship together. What I admire most about our friendship is that we never give up on each other over anything. We always seem to be so aligned in our own personal experiences at the same time. She is someone I am so proud of in terms of her independence, her compassion, and also her hustle. I am always so impressed with her work ethic and her grind. She is not only strong, she has a big heart, she continues to climb the heights in her career and seeks more, and she is also humble. When we met in Chicago randomly, she was not the most welcoming (but I get that from time to time also) and we laugh about that still. I was shocked when she reached out to me and said, “We have a lot in common and we also live near each other, would you want to grab dinner and drinks?” A new friend date that turned into a sisterhood. At that time, my studio apartment in Chicago didn’t have a washer and dryer, so I would load up my trunk and grab a bottle of wine and head to her house for Wine & laundry nights. That’s clutch! She put me on my first dating app haha and saved me from a painful breakup. She also taught me about leveling up and what genuine friendship is about.
During our time together in Florida, I finally had the opportunity to connect her to my Aunt who lives in the St. Pete Beach area. Both of them have lived in Florida for years and I was so happy I had the opportunity to introduce them. That is something I am intentional with doing. Networking and connecting people- there is something to be said about connecting two strangers and watching their relationship flourish. It was an instant connection. A genuine feeling of acceptance, family, and home away from home. That is important you know, when you take that leap of faith and move to a new city on your own, creating your own circle of influence and home team is hard.
We ate, drank, and cycled our way through the Florida area, met some friends, got kissed by the sun, made our own chololate bars at The Cake Drip, girl talk, brunched at Bacon Bitch, and dazzled at the sunset. As the rapper Future said, “Life is good.”
Shortly after my Tampa trip, I traveled to sunny California to celebrate my cousin’s birthday. She has big energy and loves celebrating her birthday. Both of us together is like eating sour patch kids with your movie theatre popcorn- just the perfect mix of savory and sweet at the next level! Her birthday weekend was filled with everything birthdays should be about- all about you, good energy, and sweet surprises. Good people deserve greatness, especially those that shine bright like Sunshine.
Circle of Influence
What I loved and learned about my recent west and east coast adventures is that I am surrounded by some incredible women who are go-getters. I also have some very close male friends that keep me grounded, check me when I am too hard on myself, my brothers in Christ, and also those I can feel like my authentic goofy self. Those that have shared their vunerable truth with me, affirmed me not to settle for anything less than I deserve, and those we have experienced fun memories together. They’ve become my family. Not just in Tampa and California, but also in Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Colorado, Austin. They are bad ass boss Queens and Kings and it makes me so overjoyed.
Surrounding yourself with people that make you level up, grow, elevate, evaluate, and joyful radiates a powerful circle of influence. It is important to take “inventory” of your circle of influence, and that circle can change. People can grow a part and also grow closer. It is not about the years you’ve known someone- it is the bond. Is your circle of influence that upper echelon that is influential in a positive way? Your circle of influence also represents your brand. Who you associate yourself with is what peope will associate brand you with. Are you happy with this direction?
Your circle is synergy. When I have my moments where I fall short, feel weak, or just not feeling myself, I trust in my circle that I can lean on them no matter what. There is no judgement, there is no shame, there is no neglect, but affirmation, uplifitng, compassion, grace, empowering, and love that keeps us together. When I have proud moments I want to highlight or share an exciting accomplishment- I reach out to them, my home team that I know will cheer me on. Root for others. Root for yourself.
Everyone’s tree looks different. Your journey is precious and true to you. Success for you looks different than others. Take time to appreciate your seasons. Understand is this a season to harvest or a season to climb. Always be climbing trees. Always be reaching your highest potential. Show up for people that show up for you, and most importantly, don’t forget to show up for yourself. Start that business or take a leap of Faith and invest in yourself.
