Inspiration & Expert Advice on What Matters Most

Posts Tagged ‘gratitude’

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Making the Best Out Of the Worst

In Career, Lifestyle, Quotes, Relationships, Spirituality on October 16, 2014 at 09:18

Remember that post where I told you everything about my 32nd birthday?

It’s been almost two months. A lot has happened since then. 

Some great moments: I enjoyed the enriching and humbling experience of volunteering at TEDxManagua. After a long work hiatus, four exciting projects with brands that I love came my way. Had a quiet but nice celebration for our 5th year anniversary. I reblogged a beautiful and touching post by Edna Medina. Thanks to a dear friend, I managed to sell my ticket to the Oprah Life You Want Tour to a person that will benefit from it a lot more than me, therefore I am now 100% guilt-free to attend my cousin’s wedding abroad next week.

And then, the inevitable hurt showed up without the request of its presence. My entire life has been shaken. Some of my wildest nightmares have given me a taste of how it would feel if they ever come true. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” became my mantra. Contemplating my fears, choosing love while fighting the impulse to make decisions based on conventional wisdom, pride or the wrong fantasies.

Would you like to know the best part?

It’s been all worth it. 

I am grateful for having the mindfulness, self-awareness, imagination, will, and strength to look for and pick the right tools to deal with pain.

I am thankful for the love and support that come from the cherished usual suspects and thankful to find the same as well in the least expected hearts.

I am amazed to confirm the healing powers of giving back. Even in our saddest moments, we can make somebody happy and that itself will make us happy back. God is in the details.

I realize that I have received so much love in my life that I only have love to give. And that makes me humble and better, vulnerable and strong, at the same time.

Quoting one of my wisest friends: 

recite-27085-393588819-o5gy9u

Thank God for everything.

Always blessed,

Laura

P.S.:  Do you relate to any of these feelings? Have you ever felt like this? Opening up your heart and sharing what’s inside helps wonders too. I would love to hear from you, just comment below and encourage your friends to do the same!

Also, please share this post and invite others to subscribe to our blog! Just send them to http://www.laurasgroi.com, where they can enter their email address on our home page. 

Please feel free to forward our posts, but please forward in its entirety. Thank you so much!

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This Is What Turning 32 Looked Like…

In Family, Lifestyle, News, Relationships, Spirituality on August 28, 2014 at 09:00

An early email from that friend that is afraid of forgetting on the actual day. On the day of, a kiss and a hug in bed. Phone calls, Whatsapp messages, Skype calls, emails from all around the world, including that friend that messaged me from her honeymoon, making me feel so special after I missed her wedding just two days before. Automatic, cold but still somehow thoughtful marketing notes from my dentist, dermatologist office and an inspiring one from my college alumni association. A few Facebook posts “filtered” even though I chose to be the “only” one who can see my birth date there. LinkedIn sent a reminder to some friends, and I was happy to hear from them. Google made a doodle (Scary, signed out right away).

Beautiful flowers from the hubby and a wonderful gift from a friend, cooked an impromptu perfect dinner to enjoy with both of them.

Girls’ night “in” the next day, local friends arrived with flowers, wine, homemade pasta al pesto and vegan mango pie.

Reflecting on life’s lessons and challenges, surrounded by offline and virtual love during a voluntary incognito birthday in the exile.

Mixed feelings of loneliness, frustration, nostalgia, and overwhelming love.

Counting my blessings.

Grateful at heart.

Happy belated birthday to…

Laura

P.S.: How did you spend your most recent birthday? What has been the most memorable one? Any plans for the next one? I’d love to know!

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2014: Midyear Recap

In Career, Family, Lifestyle, News on July 1, 2014 at 09:00
DSC05473

Looking back…grateful!

The first half of the year is getting close to its end. As we start preparing for a summer filled with fun and activities, I would like to look back and share with you a quick mid-year recap. In some aspects it has been a slow year, valuable work projects have been cancelled or postponed, but I have learned my lessons and made important progress in different areas of my life. Keeping an eye on quality over quantity, it’s been a positive year.

What have I done so far in 2014?

-January:

As I mentioned on “Back for Good”, 2014 started with a contrasting mix of productivity and lethargy. Excited about being devoted to an amazing professional project indeed, even strength training every day. Mid-January, fun came in all different forms: family and friends joined us for a special corporate extravaganza: My husband’s company anniversary and annual beach week. Perfect dose of excitement and exhaustion!

-February:

My “creative” year started in February. After a long break, I started blogging and writing again and through them, found love in  everything around as you can read on “Love Now”.

Salami hearts

Looking back…grateful!

I also went away for a production gig and celebrated my dear Dominican Republic posting our National Poem on February 27th, our Independence Day.

-March:

Without planning it, March was a great month for reflection.  I started “Learning From Those Younger Than Us” sharing with you the short film  “NICA”  about a mid-20s young man who trades in his dismal 9-5 lifestyle in an urban metropolis for a “simpler life” thousands of miles away. On March 8th, I invited you to celebrate what unites all of us without exception: LIFE with “International Life Day”. And the highlight of the month was the wonderful experience I had working an awards show in my country. I am proud to realize how much we have learned and how eager we are to keep learning!

-April:

I was planning for an uneventful month. No traveling, which occasionally sounds more exciting than the opposite. House hunting got in the way, and there I was visiting, emailing, calling, texting, harassing landlords and real estate agents…just to move to the first place we saw! But that didn’t happen until June 1st; therefore you need to keep reading! Then the unexpected happened: My husband surprised me with tickets to Little Corn Island! Beautiful piece of land off the coast of Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea. To arrive, we drove one hour, flew one hour and sailed for one hour but then we were pedestrians for four days! Neither cars nor roads on the island!

Little Corn Island Collage

Looking back…grateful!

Everything was worth it! We had a wonderful getaway, ate delicious food, enjoyed nature, relaxed…can’t wait to go back!

-May:

May was fun! It started with the wedding of one of my best male friends. I can’t recall the last time I had so much fun before that night! What a blast!

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Looking back…grateful!

The middle of the second quarter of the year was also a great opportunity to refocus on what matters most and regain the passion to pursue our goals. I shared my empirical exercise on how I do that on “Six Steps to Achieve Your Goals”. While spending much needed quality time with family and friends, they convinced me to open an Instagram account that you can follow here @Laura.Sgroi.

-June:

On Sunday, June 1st, we moved to our new house.

Our house

Looking back…grateful!

A beautiful colonial residence that feels like home since the first day we stepped in. Here I started P90X for the 90th time, wrote that application for that dream project that I am dying to tell you about, but that I’ll keep a secret until I have the results;), celebrated my husband and my friend Malena’s birthday and started writing again while cheering for the World Cup matches.

This is my 2014 so far. What about yours?

How were the first six months of the year for you?

Hope you are having a great year!

Please share your mid-year recap and stay tuned for our next post about our Plans for the Second Half of 2014!

Thanks for stopping by!

Yours all year round,

Laura

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Happy. Grateful. No Regrets!

In Career, Contributors, Family, Relationships on May 12, 2014 at 08:30

By Johanna Salazar

johanna salazar pic

When I was turning twenty-nine I felt sad and confused, it was the end of my twenties, meaning the end of my youth!

Oh boy, I was so wrong. It was really interesting seeing how I went from feeling as if my youth was over, to the moment when I turned thirty, only twelve months later; I went back to feeling younger than ever. I can’t tell you what happened or how it happened, it just happened.

Today, I find that my priorities are different. My family is and has always been very important to me, but I feel like they are more valuable to me now more than ever before. My relationship with my mother is something I work on and cherish every day. I am so grateful for everyone in my life and for the opportunities that come my way. At thirty, I started seeing life in a different way, I felt young and fearless. Although I always had this feeling, it became more powerful after thirty. I would say that the thing that matters most to me now, is being happy and living with no regrets. Knowing that I pursued all my goals and dreams and I lived my best life is probably the most important thing to me right now. I’m also becoming more aware of the girl that I was and the woman that I am and the woman I want to be. Thoughts of starting my own family started circling in my head as well; this is something strange to me, given that I have made my career my priority for so long. I live in Gratitude every single day of my life.

Relationships are also different for me today at the age of thirty-three. When I was in my twenties, I was not so aware of the relationships I was building. Now, I feel very blessed with the decisions I made and the relationships I have built over the years. I see how building good and long-lasting relationships has made my personal and business life so much better.

At the young age of thirty-three, I feel happy, grateful, fulfilled, passionate, and powerful. Every day I live my purpose. I have allowed myself to recognize that my passion for the cause is bigger than my ego. My core values drive my passion towards achieving my vision. I am a fearless, determined, perseverant woman. Every year I feel younger and stronger. If this is what it feels like at thirty-three, I can’t wait to be forty-three.

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About Johanna:

MEDIA DISRUPTER!

Content /Media/Digital Strategist, Professional Changemaker, Future Author & Enjoys laughing at her own jokes! 

Co-Founder, YWSE-Miami
Founder/ Owner, Aceneth Media
Co-Founder/ CEO, Grateful Group 

Follow her on Twitter: @_JohannaSalazar

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Dear 2013…Thank You!

In Career, Family, Finances, Health, Lifestyle, News, Relationships, Spirituality on December 31, 2013 at 13:21

Dear 2013,

First full year in my 30s!

Today I thank you for:

-Giving us the opportunity to welcome you during  a beautiful vacation with our family in Palermo:

New Year's Eve at The Sgroi House in Palermo, Sicily

New Year’s Eve at The Sgroi House in Palermo, Sicily

-Having the support of my husband on very important aspects of my life all year long.

-Spending a great time with old and new friends during a week at a beautiful house in Maderas Beach:

Maderas Beach, Nicaragua, January 2013

Maderas Beach, Nicaragua, January 2013

-Keeping in touch with my friends and family in Miami, Dominican Republic and around the world.

-Having the opportunity to keep working in successful productions including amazing new projects with wonderful old and new colleagues.

-Being available to join my parents and help them move to their new home and reviving lovely memories while packing.

-Receiving negative results after medical tests.

-Getting back to a healthy routine.

-Being at the wedding of my cousin and confirming the wonderful husband God gave her:

Franchesca & Denijer, March 2013

Franchesca & Denijer, March 2013

-Receiving guidance and advice when I needed it the most.

-For “Just Give Me A Reason” by Pink ft. Nate Ruess

-Having the time and attitude to reconnect with the most special people in my life.

-Gathering most of our Miami friends on June 19th to celebrate my husband’s birthday! Watch video HERE!

-Staying in love and celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary.

-For Christmas in Granada, Nicaragua…All we need is love!

Christmas' Eve 2013, Granada, Nicaragua.

Christmas’ Eve 2013, Granada, Nicaragua.

-Finishing the year debt-free!

-Receiving so much support to this blog and the book project, for the beautiful essays that we received from our contributors,  for the editing company, cover designer, interviews translator, and author assistant that God found for this book, for having the opportunity to work on this worthy and creative project, and for the patience of my family, friends, and readers while I finish this book! As our contributor Osmara would say: “I’m not done writing this book yet because I’m living it!”

-Enjoying unforgettable trips, for the amazing hosts we had, the wonderful landscapes we enjoyed, and for keeping us in touch with our beloved family and friends, celebrating birthdays and good news, in spite of distance and different time zones! Grateful for all the inspiration I felt this year! Looking forward to applying it soon!

Cushion at Chapters Indigo Bookstore in Toronto, Canada, September 2013

Cushion at Chapters Indigo Bookstore in Toronto, Canada, September 2013

2013 is over today because I can’t ask for more!

Here is to 2014!

Wisdom, health, and love to enjoy it all!

Your biggest fan,

Laura

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“A mis 30”

In Career, Contributors, En Español, Family, Relationships, Spirituality on August 27, 2013 at 08:23

Por Carla Santana

Cochis

Desde que tengo conciencia tenía este momento de mi vida “fríamente calculado”, la matemática cuadraba a la perfección:  la edad en que me graduaría del colegio+tres años y medio de Universidad + 1 o 2 de maestría+ matrimonio+hijos= vida realizada y feliz!

Hace tres años me dí cuenta que de aquel cálculo, tan preciso y exacto,  algunas cifras se habían invertido de lugar (lo  que no me preocupaba tanto porque el orden de los factores no altera el producto) pero otras, sencillamente no estaban en la ecuación…

Hace dos años, descubrí que yo no sería que resolvería la fórmula, si bien es cierto que en mis manos estaba vivir el proceso, era también muy cierto que no sería yo quien la resolvería…yo sería tan espectadora de la solución como las cifras en sí.

Hoy recibo con  profunda gratitud  la tercera década de mi vida, con la satisfacción de que, para mí sorpresa, ha sido mucho mejor de lo que en mi mente un dia diseñé.

Mis 30, son como un ticket aéreo comprado para Dominicana (destino conocido y placentero) en un avión que, sin avisar, viajó a la China (destino desconocido pero apasionante)….mis 30 son totalmente diferentes a lo que esperaba, pero una aventura que promete ser mucho más fascinante de lo que yo la pude planear!

Doy gracias a mis padres, hermanas, sobrinos, tíos, primos, amigos y a aquellos que por una razón u otra no están a mi lado hoy, por ser cómplices de esta aventura que, sin duda, conforme a Su voluntad y propósito, promete darnos muchas más razones por las que seguir celebrando.

Gracias a Dios, por ser el autor y consumador de mis días, mi mejor fórmula. Gracias porque tu sabes los planes que tienes para mí de bienestar y no de calamidad….gracias porque tu palabra se ha cumplido al 100% en mi cuando dices “y aquel que es poderoso para hacer todas las cosas mucho más abundantemente de lo que podemos pedir o entender…”

Gracias Dios porque hoy entiendo que mi ecuación se quedaba corta, pero afortunadamente tú no te limitas!

Gracias por darme mucho más de lo que te pude/podré pedir o entender…

¡Bienvenidos sean mis 30!

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